Reconsidering Keurig....advice?

I'm considering the purchase of K45 or K460 models. Both take the refillable Kcup container but otherwise demand only Keurig Kcups. Does any one have experience with either of these or have another recommendation?
So how confusing do guests find these? Does having a Keurig present more problems, or cost more than it is worth? I am looking to add the perception of value without spending a fortune or requiring additional time and energy on our part.
Since we will continue to offer brewed coffee from a pot at breakfast in house to the 4 guests staying in the main house, as well as the two guests staying in the cottage, I thought the smaller K45 model might work as an extra amenity in-house (for this season) during the hours before and after breakfast. We would provide kcups.
Once we close up the house to B&B guests (2017?) we could move the Keurig to the cottage full time. At this point the cottage would be a guest house accommodation ( no breakfast) and guests would need to buy or bring their own kcups. The traditional coffee brewing machine that is currently in the cottage will remain as an option for brewing a full pot for the duration.
During the off season we could bring the Keurig in the house and enjoy it ourselves.

I would not go with refillable cups. Too much on the guest to figure out. (I have guests who can't figure out the plain jane machine works, with directions right in front of them that they are reading.)
You can get biodegradable cups from Rogers Family Coffee in SanFran. No plastic parts. They sell them with the little 'hack' so the Keurig takes them. (My machine is so old it doesn't have the barcode reader.)
Guests REALLY like the idea of being able to have coffee or tea whenever they want. Some weeks it's barely used, other times I'm refilling the coffee pods daily.

Morticia said:

I would not go with refillable cups. Too much on the guest to figure out. (I have guests who can't figure out the plain jane machine works, with directions right in front of them that they are reading.)
You can get biodegradable cups from Rogers Family Coffee in SanFran. No plastic parts. They sell them with the little 'hack' so the Keurig takes them. (My machine is so old it doesn't have the barcode reader.)
Guests REALLY like the idea of being able to have coffee or tea whenever they want. Some weeks it's barely used, other times I'm refilling the coffee pods daily..

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Great to know. Which coffees do you supply and which ones are the clear preference?

I started with 12-cup Mr. Coffee drip machines in each unit. About 18 months ago I added a Keurig to each unit. Since I did that, the drip machines are almost never used. People seem to love the Keurigs.
My machines are old enough that they will take any brand k-cup, but I get my k-cups at Walmart and all the ones they sell have the Keurig logo on them, even the Starbucks and other brands, so I guess they'd all work in a newer machine that requires only Keurig k-cups.
The store brand cups cost me about 70 cents each. The name brand cups cost $1.40 to $1.75 per pod! But I only put out a few, and consider that it's not all that expensive once I subtract what I'd be spending anyway for the drip coffee. The reason I put in the single cup machines in the first place was the people kept making 12 cups in the dripper, drinking one and would leave 11 cups in the carafe for me to pour down the drain!

Arks said:

I started with 12-cup Mr. Coffee drip machines in each unit. About 18 months ago I added a Keurig to each unit. Since I did that, the drip machines are almost never used. People seem to love the Keurigs.
My machines are old enough that they will take any brand k-cup, but I get my k-cups at Walmart and all the ones they sell have the Keurig logo on them, even the Starbucks and other brands, so I guess they'd all work in a newer machine that requires only Keurig k-cups.
The store brand cups cost me about 70 cents each. The name brand cups cost $1.40 to $1.75 per pod! But I only put out a few, and consider that it's not all that expensive once I subtract what I'd be spending anyway for the drip coffee. The reason I put in the single cup machines in the first place was the people kept making 12 cups in the dripper, drinking one and would leave 11 cups in the carafe for me to pour down the drain!.

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What size machine would you get? 70 oz reservoir or 48 oz?
In addition to making single serve portions, the 70 oz machine also comes with a carafe and large pods that make 4 cups of coffee at a brew. I'm wondering if that might work better for the Keurig lovers....really big cups or several cups from a brew? Of course I suppose I could get the larger machine but just offer the single-serve k-cups.

Larger reservoir is nice because the water goes pretty fast. But keep a gallon jug or pitcher of water handy to refill and it's not all that much trouble.
Personally, one thing I love about Keurig is making just 1 cup, and trying a different flavor pod next time. Doing 4 cups all the same wouldn't appeal to me.

We brought our Keurig from home and set it up for guests. It is not well suited as the on switch is back behind. It also has too many settings. Guests get confused sometimes. They switch the size, they don't know how to turn it on, they push the menu button, etc. A friend of mine who has a chiropractic office has a great one that the power switch is right on the front panel and there are only two choices for size. Three buttons and that's it. I don't know what model either of them are.
I'm not sure that the 4 cup model would be best. In our experience, people just want one cup in the afternoon. If more than one person wants a cup, they usually want something different.
Morticia is right about not getting the refillable cups. Big fat mess. We keep a variety of K-cups, including Chai Tea, Apple Cider, decaf, etc. I don't know if any one particular flavor or brand is a favorite. Donut Shop is usually cheap and fairly good.
Arks is right about the cost. Brand names are expensive, but there is always a deal somewhere. I've ordered some through Amazon on special. Bed Bath & Beyond usually has some on clearance.
We're considering pulling our Kuerig all together and putting a coffee machine out front with a hot water spigot. We'll keep some Starbucks Via or other instant coffee, plus some instant mocha's, teas, apple cider, and other things you can make with hot water. We'll probably just make a pot of coffee in the afternoon if we know we have coffee drinkers. I think we can make a pot for about 20 to 40 cents.
Hope that's helpful.

Arks said:

Larger reservoir is nice because the water goes pretty fast. But keep a gallon jug or pitcher of water handy to refill and it's not all that much trouble.
Personally, one thing I love about Keurig is making just 1 cup, and trying a different flavor pod next time. Doing 4 cups all the same wouldn't appeal to me..

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Thanks Chrisandshelly and Ark! For now I think the smaller unit will work well enough. We'll go with the 48oz reservoir unit.
Since we are trying to promote returning cottage guests, we will place the Keurig in the cottage instead of in the house this year. We will continue to put a carafe of hot coffee out for in-house guests.

Silverspoon said:

Arks said:

Larger reservoir is nice because the water goes pretty fast. But keep a gallon jug or pitcher of water handy to refill and it's not all that much trouble.
Personally, one thing I love about Keurig is making just 1 cup, and trying a different flavor pod next time. Doing 4 cups all the same wouldn't appeal to me..

Click to expand...

Thanks Chrisandshelly and Ark! For now I think the smaller unit will work well enough. We'll go with the 48oz reservoir unit.
Since we are trying to promote returning cottage guests, we will place the Keurig in the cottage instead of in the house this year. We will continue to put a carafe of hot coffee out for in-house guests.
.

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Get some dark roasts, some breakfast blends, and definitely decaf.
I get the old pods at Christmas tree or WB Mason. About 50 cents per pod. I haven't bulk ordered the bio pods yet.
Don't get flavors. There are always way more of the one no one likes! No hot cocoa it clogs the machine.
Print out directions, put in a nice 5x7 picture frame.

Morticia said:

I would not go with refillable cups. Too much on the guest to figure out. (I have guests who can't figure out the plain jane machine works, with directions right in front of them that they are reading.)
You can get biodegradable cups from Rogers Family Coffee in SanFran. No plastic parts. They sell them with the little 'hack' so the Keurig takes them. (My machine is so old it doesn't have the barcode reader.)
Guests REALLY like the idea of being able to have coffee or tea whenever they want. Some weeks it's barely used, other times I'm refilling the coffee pods daily..

Click to expand...

Would you recommend finding a pre-bar code machine on EBay? I buy used older model Capresso cone filter coffee makers there because their newer models are no longer cone filter and the coffee is just NOT as good.
We have the same guest capacity as Silver, so I'm looking forward to reading people's comments.

I use my Keurig as much or more than anyone. Just for me I would have a pot of coffee for 2 days usually. Plus I would be using a roast of beans. Mine is probably the 48 oz tank.
I get my k-cups at Ol lies 80 for $24.99 for things like Donut Shop, Kona Blend we 48 for $15.99, and I get a variety of Cappuccinos and Decaf 12 for $3.99 so it is about 33 cent per cup. My Veterans used the Keurig a lot. Last Spring I had found so Espresso k-cups just before one of the daughters came. When she left they were all gone and I have not been able to find them again.

I've been trying to get rid of our Keurig for years. We get a lot of complaints about the weak coffee. I know, some of you find it so strong... for here, it's weak. Even the bold and dark. I think in all the years we have found just one or two that produces an acceptable cup.
For a few dollars more you might want to consider Nespresso. The cups are vacuum sealed, so they have no air exposure until used. The VertuoLine is actually made for the US, it can produce both espresso/lungo as well as American coffee but with crema. We use the classic machine and add hot water if someone wants Americano.
There are some third party capsules. Not the same quality, but then again, not the same price. Heck, there are some third party machines now too. Certainly has a better perceived value than Keurig, which everyone has.

Generic said:

I've been trying to get rid of our Keurig for years. We get a lot of complaints about the weak coffee. I know, some of you find it so strong... for here, it's weak. Even the bold and dark. I think in all the years we have found just one or two that produces an acceptable cup.
For a few dollars more you might want to consider Nespresso. The cups are vacuum sealed, so they have no air exposure until used. The VertuoLine is actually made for the US, it can produce both espresso/lungo as well as American coffee but with crema. We use the classic machine and add hot water if someone wants Americano.
There are some third party capsules. Not the same quality, but then again, not the same price. Heck, there are some third party machines now too. Certainly has a better perceived value than Keurig, which everyone has..

Click to expand...

I would buy the Nespresso for us but I don't think our guests would appreciate it....we get conservative Yankees here, with a sprinkling of mid-west, west coast guests. The west coast guests would definitely like stronger coffee... But they can make their own in the traditional drip automatic maker that will remain in the cottage. So the extra cost of the Nespresso would not be worth it.
But I am all with you on the weak coffee front....may as well have warm water as a weak cup o' Joe! Maybe I will buy the Nespresso for DH for Christmas!

gillumhouse said:

I use my Keurig as much or more than anyone. Just for me I would have a pot of coffee for 2 days usually. Plus I would be using a roast of beans. Mine is probably the 48 oz tank.
I get my k-cups at Ol lies 80 for $24.99 for things like Donut Shop, Kona Blend we 48 for $15.99, and I get a variety of Cappuccinos and Decaf 12 for $3.99 so it is about 33 cent per cup. My Veterans used the Keurig a lot. Last Spring I had found so Espresso k-cups just before one of the daughters came. When she left they were all gone and I have not been able to find them again..

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I think adding espresso cups might dove the "too weak" issue Generic mentioned. Hmmm, will have browse around for those.

Morticia said:

Silverspoon said:

Arks said:

Larger reservoir is nice because the water goes pretty fast. But keep a gallon jug or pitcher of water handy to refill and it's not all that much trouble.
Personally, one thing I love about Keurig is making just 1 cup, and trying a different flavor pod next time. Doing 4 cups all the same wouldn't appeal to me..

Click to expand...

Thanks Chrisandshelly and Ark! For now I think the smaller unit will work well enough. We'll go with the 48oz reservoir unit.
Since we are trying to promote returning cottage guests, we will place the Keurig in the cottage instead of in the house this year. We will continue to put a carafe of hot coffee out for in-house guests.
.

Click to expand...

Get some dark roasts, some breakfast blends, and definitely decaf.
I get the old pods at Christmas tree or WB Mason. About 50 cents per pod. I haven't bulk ordered the bio pods yet.
Don't get flavors. There are always way more of the one no one likes! No hot cocoa it clogs the machine.
Print out directions, put in a nice 5x7 picture frame.
.

Click to expand...

Yeah, flavored coffees don't go over well here. I will stick to the tried and true...heavy on the bolder brews under the theory that those who prefer a weak cup can add water. Will check out Christmas T shop for pods. Thanks

Silverspoon said:

gillumhouse said:

I use my Keurig as much or more than anyone. Just for me I would have a pot of coffee for 2 days usually. Plus I would be using a roast of beans. Mine is probably the 48 oz tank.
I get my k-cups at Ol lies 80 for $24.99 for things like Donut Shop, Kona Blend we 48 for $15.99, and I get a variety of Cappuccinos and Decaf 12 for $3.99 so it is about 33 cent per cup. My Veterans used the Keurig a lot. Last Spring I had found so Espresso k-cups just before one of the daughters came. When she left they were all gone and I have not been able to find them again..

Click to expand...

I think adding espresso cups might dove the "too weak" issue Generic mentioned. Hmmm, will have browse around for those.
.

Click to expand...

Silverspoon said:

I think adding espresso cups might dove the "too weak" issue Generic mentioned. Hmmm, will have browse around for those.

Click to expand...

I can't find them any more. I used to get them for the Italians in the summer. Green mountain bought up all the smaller pod producers and then stopped producing those pods.
Even those weren't strong enough but they were better.

Silverspoon said:

Generic said:

I've been trying to get rid of our Keurig for years. We get a lot of complaints about the weak coffee. I know, some of you find it so strong... for here, it's weak. Even the bold and dark. I think in all the years we have found just one or two that produces an acceptable cup.
For a few dollars more you might want to consider Nespresso. The cups are vacuum sealed, so they have no air exposure until used. The VertuoLine is actually made for the US, it can produce both espresso/lungo as well as American coffee but with crema. We use the classic machine and add hot water if someone wants Americano.
There are some third party capsules. Not the same quality, but then again, not the same price. Heck, there are some third party machines now too. Certainly has a better perceived value than Keurig, which everyone has..

Click to expand...

I would buy the Nespresso for us but I don't think our guests would appreciate it....we get conservative Yankees here, with a sprinkling of mid-west, west coast guests. The west coast guests would definitely like stronger coffee... But they can make their own in the traditional drip automatic maker that will remain in the cottage. So the extra cost of the Nespresso would not be worth it.
But I am all with you on the weak coffee front....may as well have warm water as a weak cup o' Joe! Maybe I will buy the Nespresso for DH for Christmas!

.

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We actually have two of the machines. A manual machine upstairs for guests and we have a Lattissima automatic machine for us. The manual machine uses a separate frother (Aeroccino), which we really like. But the Latissima, makes the espresso or latte directly into the cup with very minimal effort.

Most of our guests love the Keurig. Some have trouble using it, but that is rare. Even more rare are those that insist on Dunkin or Starbuk's and and must go out for coffee. That is up to them.
For those that have issues using the machine, we put duct tape over the menu button.
We find that people like the idea of picking their coffee strength. We do put out hot chocolate and it gets drunk. Especially this time of year.

Bought the K45 model today at the big B box store and some cups at Christmas T shops. Since we are closed for the winter I might just have to try it out! Thanks for all the feedback! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you innspiring innkeepers!

Silverspoon said:

Bought the K45 model today at the big B box store and some cups at Christmas T shops. Since we are closed for the winter I might just have to try it out!

Thanks for all the feedback! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you innspiring innkeepers!.

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Awesome! Happy Thanksgiving to you as well.