Customer Reviews

Keurig Platinum Mini Brewer - B31

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

We love this brewer. The best benefit is a fresh, just-brewed cup of coffee every time. The k-cups are more expensive than buying bulk coffee but we were throwing away partially brewed pots of coffee every day with our old brewer. Plus, the savings in time not having to clean the carafe and dump the filter of grounds and then cleaning that is well worth it. Also, you can purchase a reusable filter for it if you want to continue to use non-kcup coffee. Believe me, it is still WAY less expensive than what you pay in the popular coffee houses and the coffee is just as good, or better.

It won't accommodate a tall cup but it is simple to brew into a glass measuring cup and then pour that into your tall cup or travel mug.

Helpful tip: We did have a clogging problem at first. The manual doesn't tell you that there is a "top needle" that can get clogged. Just remove the gasket and take a straightened paper clip to unclog it. If you use your own coffee, use a coarser grind to avoid that problem. HOWEVER, we were leaving the k-cup closed up in there and the grounds were getting cold and stayed stuck in the needle. We found that if you remove the k-cup right after brewing, it doesn't get clogged EVER. Have not had it happen since we discovered that. By the way, Keurig's customer/technical service is absolutely top notch! They stand behind their product and more than make up for any inconvenience you may have experienced.

For those of you who are confused about the amount of water to pour in, we just take the cup we are brewing it in, fill it with water and pour it in. We never worry about seeing where the water level is.

We received this brewer from our parents for Christmas, and I was immediately smitten. Easy to brew (easy to measure water, too, in my opinion). Coffee samples were a mixed bag- some too weak, some delicious, but that's the beauty of the Keurig system, right? - variety of brews to try?

Imagine my disappointment, then, when after exactly 6 brewed cups, the brewer would not work. The little brew button would blink as normal, then shut off without brewing. TroubleShooting section of the instruction booklet instructs to immediately call Keurig if this were to happen. Keurig Customer Service was very helpful and sent out a new unit in a week. I took the new brewer out of the box, and guess what?

DOA. It wouldn't even brew a single cup! I had read about heating element problems with the Keurig line in general, and was sure I was one of the unlucky customers to experience this problem. Keurig CS was even more helpful this time, and we received our third brewer a week later.

Plugged in the new brewer, put the water in, inserted K Cup, and... nothing.

Out of sheer boredom, frustration, insanity, etc. I kept trying to brew.
To my great surprise, after a half hour of attempts, the heater kicked in, and the brewer worked! What the... ??

Then, a light bulb switched on in my head. Could it be that the refrigerated filtered water I was using didn't allow the brewer to achieve brewing temperature? Keurig Customer Service never mentioned that it would be an issue, and nowhere in the literature does it say to use room-temperature water. Nonetheless, I switched to filtered tap and/or room-temp bottled water, and the little Keurig has performed like a champ.

So to all of you out there considering this little gem of a brewer, don't use refrigerated water, and you will love the Mini Plus!

(Maybe I should have reached this conclusion with common-sense reasoning, but alas, this was not the case...)

I recently purchased both the Keurig B31 and Bosch Tassimo T45 personal brewers. My initial search was for a personal brewer for my office since the coffee provided at work is terrible. This review is written from the angle that I needed a brewer for my office cubicle, however I will add some insight for those looking to purchase for home use. My 3 main factors were 1)Convenience/Ease of Use 2)Price & 3)Coffee Quality. I opted with the Keurig for work and the Tassimo for home.

CONVENIENCE/EASE OF USE:
The Keurig wins for this factor since it is MUCH quieter than the Tassimo. As stated before, I sit in a cubicle at work so I didn't need a loud machine to disrupt my co-workers. We have `white noise' in our office and you can hardly hear the B31 as it brews. The Tassimo at home is louder and would definitely disrupt my co-workers sitting next to me. However, it is not so loud that it would wake someone up who is sleeping in the house. There are some good videos on YouTube of sound tests of the B31 and T45. I found the videos made the B31 sound louder than it actually is, while the Tassimo's are pretty accurate.

The Keurig brews a little faster than the Tassimo which gives it a little edge as well, but both are right around 2 minutes.

PRICE:
Since the coffee at work is free, price was a big factor for me as well. I didn't need something that was going to greatly increase my weekly spending. The Keurig B31 ($99.99) is cheaper than the Tassimo ($169.99). However, Bosch currently has a $50 rebate on the T45. Couple that with a 20% of BBB coupon and you have greatly reduced the price of the Tassimo machine.
The k-cups are also cheaper than the t-discs. I found the k-cups to be around $0.50/cup. The t-discs will run you $0.60 - $0.80 for regular coffee and $1.25 for the cappuccinos and lattes. Depending on how much coffee you drink, this could get expensive.

Since I use the Keurig every day at work and the Tassimo only on the weekend, this made it the better choice for my desk.

COFFEE QUALITY:
The Tassimo wins this hands down. I found the Tassimo coffee (specifically Seattle's Best and Gevalia) to be much better than the k-cups. The flavors out of the Tassimo seem richer and fuller and the aroma that comes from the machine when brewing is much stronger. The k-cups do produce a good cup of coffee, but I found the t-discs better. I have been able to get close to the flavor of the t-discs by trying different brands of k-cups, but haven't found one that matched it in flavor exactly.

Conclusion:
I found the Keurig B31 to be the best option for my cubicle at work based on convenience and price. I would recommend the Tassimo for those who are using it at home. Or you could purchase both and enjoy the best of both worlds.

I was super psyched about getting my Keurig. I had one in my former apartment that I shared with roommates and wanted one for myself when I moved in on my own. I thought that the little personal one would be perfect. The brewing function works perfectly- I have no complaints about the final product, however, it has various brew sizes and the function is very complicated to figure out. It is not clear how much water you are supposed to put in, nor how much you have already put in, and so it is always a little bit of a gamble as to whether or not your coffee is going to come out the way you expect it. I have had smaller coffee cups overflow and I have had larger coffee cups only get full halfway a number of times. My advice is that even if you are a single person living alone, go for next model up which has a more user friendly water measurement system.

Got the mini brewer. Worked like a champ for 3 weeks, then stopped dispensing. Called the support, had me do the whole "paper-clip" thing. Worked once more, then the next day stopped working again....same problem. Told me to pre-puncture the K-cups, especially if they are puffing on the top. Did this, makes no difference. Apparently the top needle cannot be wet at all, or the grounds plug it up (how can you brew more than one cup every couple hours then?) Tech support on the second call, after I told them I did the whole "paper-clip" thing, said they would replace it. The replacement unit arrived, and it did not dispense either, right out of the box! I am not going to blow-dry the nozzle, or paper-clip the nozzle every morning for a cup of coffee. The coffee is delicious, but this design is ABSOLUTE JUNK. Maybe the more expensive systems are better? Mini-Brewer is not worth $9 let alone $99

I had been dying to get a Keurig coffee maker for a while and decided on this one after much research. I live in an apartment and the small size is perfect. Although you have to fill it every time you wish to make a drink, for my purposes, I can live without the reservoir. This is a perfect product for anyone who lives alone or lives in a small space. If you are looking for a Keurig maker to have while while some company is over, this could take a little longer to make coffee for your friends then you wish to take. However, all this said, I still think this is perfect for my needs. I do not drink a ton of coffee but sometimes love to come home and make a cup on a cooler/cold day. I have had no problems with it and love that I can fit larger mugs or travel mugs in the maker. Highly recommended!

A trend I have noticed in many of the negative reviews of the smaller Keurig brewers (both here and elsewhere on the internet) is that I think people are unfairly rating down the product due to issues that aren't really the brewer's fault. Note: I'm not saying that Keurig machines are some sort of holy, blameless things that never fail...I'm sure people have had problems with them, but it seems some people are being very unreasonable in spreading bad word of mouth about them. A few things:

1. People having overflow problems - This seems really weird to me. The fill-level indicators are pretty darn accurate in my experience, but I get the feeling some people are just FILLING the reservoir with water completely. (which you're not supposed to do) and then taking off, leaving the machine to do it's thing and then winding up with a mess. Important note: the reservoir holds probably around 15-16 oz of water, but the machine is not made to properly brew more than 10oz at a time. I think they stress this in the manual for a reason. Fill your mug with water first, and use that as the measurement. Pretty simple.

2. The coffee not being strong enough - Given the fact that there's something like 180 types of coffee for the machine, this seems like a really vague comment. I mean...are you brewing dark roast or extra bold k-cups? When I've tried those, I definitely get a damn strong cup of coffee. Are you brewing breakfast roasts? Then, yeah, it's going to be pretty light. If you are making dark coffee and it's coming out weak, then yes, there may be a problem with the brewer, but I'm guessing people are putting in blends that aren't stronger cups and expecting the kind of paint-stripper coffee they're used to making by hand. If the bolds really aren't doing it for you, may I recommend brewing an 8oz cup, then brewing a second 8oz cup with the same k-cup and combining them. Alternately, get the reusable k-cups and put stronger coffee in at a higher fill rate (say 3 tbps).

3. The coffee is not hot enough - Again, this seems vague and personal preference-ish, yet people are rating down the machine because the near boiling temperature the coffee dispenses at apparently isn't insanely hot enough for them. Yes, in some circumstances, the heater may not be working, but I know people who like coffee hotter than the sun for some reason. Here's the thing: maybe you DO like scalding hot coffee. But just-at-boiling/just-under-boiling temp is generally considered the proper brewing temperature for coffee, at any roast. Also, using cold water will generally get you a crappy cup of coffee, in ANY machine. Chilled water generally wreaks havoc with the thermostats in coffee makers and in some instances the machines will simply heat to compensate for the temperature, but not actually boil the water. Use normal tap water for better performance (purified, preferably).

4. There are dry grounds in the k-cup or reusable k-cup - This is something that people need to be very sure about. When coffee grounds are brewed at very high temperatures at high pressure, the grounds do NOT end up looking the same as the grounds do when you use a drip process (which results in a kind of brown sludge). If the grounds are being brewed right, they tend to bunch up and almost crystallize, with the high-heat, steam, and pressure almost "drying" them out for lack of a better way to put it. The grounds almost go through a kind of "spin cycle" like laundry does in a machine. So, the leftover grounds will NOT look like the wet, brown mess you get in drip filters. Are you SURE the grounds are dry and not being brewed or are they simply looking like the way high heat/pressure used up grounds tend to look? Does the coffee seem definitely weak and not brewing right?

About every 10-12 cups of coffee I suggest making sure the bottom k-cup assembly is clean and the needle is clear, then also clean the upper assembly and needle. Run the brewer every now and then with water, but no k-cup, which should help clean the top part. You shouldn't have to descale except maybe once every 5-6 months, and if you're using filtered water even then it shouldn't even be much of an issue.
I'm not saying Keurig brewers are perfect..I know some people have legitimately had bad experiences with them (and many have pointed out that the quality of water pumps they use are not exactly top of the line), but I think it's unfair to 1-star the product when many of the issues are not quite what they seem.

I bought this for a recent birthday gift for my daughter, a very busy professional woman. She loves it! She has raved about it on every occasion since. I have never given her a present that she liked better than this. I was wary of it because I had read reviews that were not enthusiastic, and each cup of coffee is more expensive to brew than if one were doing a pot for several people. But, any drawbacks are far outweighed by the convenience.

On 22Aug2010 I purchased a Mini Plus from Kohl's. I'd seen/used K-cup machines at work and liked the concept. I was initially very happy with it.

However, after about two dozen cups I'd press the "BREW" button, it would flash it's LED at me, but otherwise do nothing.

I returned the malfunctioning unit to the store yesterday (15Sep2010) and exchanged it for a new one.

The new one failed today (16Sep2010) after three (3!) cups.

I've already stocked up on K-cups, so I expect I'll be exchanging it again. At this point I'm going to me more surprised if the third one keeps working than if breaks, too.

Like many on here I could have written a glowing review on this mini and heck I may have but can't remember. You add water with each cup being careful not to overfill it, you buy pricey pods no secret there, it makes a great, hot cup of coffee, etc, all of the things it is SUPPOSED to do. I learned all of the little tricks, tips, paper clip cleaning of the needle and so on and so forth BUT how much time do you really want to spend cleaning the machine and unclogging the needle? I've been on the phone with Keurig when it didn't brew and their service department is excellent (shouldn't you always develop a relationship with CS within what 2-3 months of ownership?). I know this little machine inside and out. Like I said it makes great coffee but only when it feels like it! I swear this thing has a mind of its own. It randomly leaves water inside the heating element - quick fix by turning off the machine, holding down the on button and pumping the water out. It randomly explodes the pods at the seams sending coffee grounds all through the pod housing - this trick is usually discovered once my coffee appears with a multitude of floating grounds - no biggee you just pull out your handy dandy fine sieve and filter it into another cup. Don't we all want to mess with that in the morning? This morning prior to the explosion it just didn't work at all...turned it off, pulled the handle, etc. and finally it was ready. I'M DONE. Sorry Mini I wanted to love you but you will be going back from where you came before I'm no longer under the return window. You'd looked cute sitting there on my counter top and 75% of the time you were great but the other 25% with your finicky self has just ruined this relationship.