Jun 27 2011

Exploding K-Cups

This could happen to you.

You could be eagerly anticipating your morning Keurig, and then POW! coffee grinds everywhere. Not a very pleasant way to start your day.

I had heard of this happening to a handful of Twitter people then recently my father-in-law had a K-Cup explode on him, too. He called Keurig to find out why it happened, and they said that if too much air is in a K-Cup (you’ll notice the top is very rounded), it is at risk of rupturing when the nail clamps down on it.

To protect from this messy, jarring event, Keurig advised him to poke a tiny hole with a needle in any of these risky-looking K-Cups to let out a little of the extra air.

I think I’m going to take my chances for now. I like to live dangerously!

(Thanks to Twitter friend @BP814 for the photo.)

Comments (44)

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Brian, June 27, 2011

Mine didn't rupture from the nail clamping down. It went a few seconds normally, and then the side of the foil came loose. It apparently had a weak seal. In any case, when it does happen, you find out that there are lots of places inside that coffee grounds can hide, waiting to drop into your next cup of coffee. Reply
- Fran Dagostino, April 1, 2013
  
  Yes, with me the same, it exploded out of the side, usually with Timothy's decaf. Reply
Georgia KIngsley, November 1, 2011

This is happening frequently in our office. We contacted Keuring and they suggested pressing down on the k-cup so the bottom is punctured to let out the excess air. We have done that and we STILL have pod seals coming loose----VERY AGGRAVATING Reply
- Phoenix, November 9, 2012
  
  Wow! I thought maybe I wasn't cleaning my Keurig well enough or something! This is a TERRIBLE problem with my mini and what began my search was the k-cup that popped this morning when my 6yo daughter was nearby. This has been happening for a couple months now and I've just dealt with it, however, her being so close today scared me enough to come do some research. THANKFULLY she did not get burned. I am SOO very disturbed with the stories and images here. My experience is that it's fairly random, EXCEPT with Cameron's cups which have a rounded filter bottom instead of the standard plastic bottom, but I can't always find them. No particular brand of standard cup seems to be at fault, the seal on the edge is never an issue and there is always a hole at the bottom as well so it's puncturing properly. I just get a loud pop at the end of the brew, grounds everywhere, a giant hole in the top foil and a whole lot of irritation. Until this started, I loved my Keurig but I certainly love my daughter more. I agree with the poster who said that having to rig these machines to work is unacceptable. It should not be up to us to "play around" with the different components to make the product work. That said, I'm done playing with my machine and worrying whether or not this cup is a popper - I'm just going to call Keurig. If they replace it, great! If not, I'm not about to continue to support an unsafe product. These things need to be recalled with issues like this! Reply
  - laurie, November 18, 2012
    
    My K cup exploded as I opened the top after it was done brewing, to see why coffee grounds were in the cup. As I opened it, it exploded, coffee grounds on the wall and on me. I called them and was told to clean it and de-scale it. I have since poured gallons of water, vineger, cleaned the poker and had 1 good cup. This morning, I made one for my husband and back to the same crap. the k cup had a huge pierced hole in it, spilling damn coffee grounds into the cup and all over. If Kohls will take this product back after 2 years, that's were it's headed! Would never buy product again! Reply
Mary Beth, November 1, 2011

That is frustrating, especially if it keeps happening. Have they offered you a refund on any of the damaged K-Cups? That would be nice. Reply
Michael, January 1, 2012

It happens to me as well. The sides of 4 out of the 12 blow out and spray grinds EVERYWHERE! Not so convenient if you have to clean up a big mess. I contacted the manufacturer to see if they will refund the money for the useless batch. I know it wasn't from too much air in the pod, since the needle punctures it before brewing. It happens at the end of the cycle then 'pop'...Grinds all over right out of the side of the pod, into my mug, machine, the counter, and the floor.. Reply
- Mary Beth, January 2, 2012
  
  Wow, that is no fun at all. I hope you can get a refund or a new box. Reply
Sharon, February 10, 2012

I just Googled "exploding K cups" because my nearly new (3 weeks old) Kuerig has this problem repeatedly, but only tonight could I understand why there were always grinds in my coffee. I watched it happen, it expodes inside and spewed out the sides as well. I have wasted several k cups a day due to this problem. Most of the time it was when I used the Tully's coffee k-cups. I may write them. Reply
Bish Krywko, April 20, 2012

Just recently I too have had expolding K-Cups. From what I have read here and elsewhere, and my own experience it appears the problem is this... apparently the piece that punctures the bottom of the K-Cup does not. The coffee machine pumps the water up into the top hole of the K-Cup and the pressured water has no where to go. One of two things happens next. You the user realizes the coffee is not going into your coffee cup underneath so you turn off the coffee maker (at least you should first) and then open it to see what's the matter. Since the pressure still exists as soon as you lift the handle and open it hot water, air and coffee grounds get released all over. The other is you are busy doing something elase while you wait for the wonderful cup of coffee. Unbenownst to you no coffee is flowing through the K-Cup and the pressure is building up. Eventually the K-Cup top seal explodes and hot water, air and coffee grounds get released all over. A lawsuit could be brewing here. Using my logical thought processes and reasoning skills I've determined two possible causes, separately or together, that resulted in exploduing K-Cups. The K-Cup plastic is too thick for the puncturing piece to penetrate the bottom of the K-Cup where the coffee flows out of. This would be a manufacturing defect by the coffee producer. The K-Cup I had the problems with were the Caribou brand. All were from the same box. The other possibility is the piece in the coffee maker that punctures the bottom of the K-Cup has become dull and isn't sharp enough to pierce the K-Cup. This also could be a combination problem of both a dull penetrating part in the coffee maker and a manufacturing quality control issue of the K-Cup plastic being too hard or thick. If I get another instance of exploding K-Cups I will have to decide a course of action. Check my coffee maker warranty and possibly return it. Try another batch of K-Cups from a different brand (and if need be return the K-Cups to the store where they were purchased from - Sam's Club). Prepoke the bottom of the K-Cups (the problem with this is you need to make sue the hole you put in it lines up with the piece in the coffee maker that normally pokes the hole in the bottom of the K-Cup when you push the handle down. It might be easier to insert the K-Cup and push the hanhle down then lift it up and reme the K-Cup to see if the bottom has a hole in it. If it doesn't it should have an indentation. That's were you poke the hole). In closing, I suspect Kurieg is aware of this problem, but I haven't seen anyrhing, anywhere that has them pointing the finger at K-Cup manufacturers or themselves. Reply
- phil yandel, April 29, 2012
  
  Sorry, but your reasoning is flawed. I always push down on the k-cup when I put it in the maker and can see the top flatten, so I know the needle has gone all the way through the plastic. But it could be that the little hole it makes is not wide enough to let out the water at the same rate as it is being pumped in at the top. I've cleaned the hole and wonder if I should purchase a new part. Reply
  - Judy Durante, January 12, 2013
    
    I too am trying to figure out what is causing this problem. It is definitely a problem with the Kcups, not the coffee maker. Just closing the machine punctures the Kcup at the bottom and the center of the lid. That should take out any air. Pushing on the Kcup before you close it is extra insurance that it is pierced at the bottom. This has to be something new in the filling process or design of the filter inside the Kcup. I've seen diffenent Kcup vendors mentioned. I've had problems with Emerils brand. By the way, I have Cuisinart but have had Keurig coffee makers in the past. This is a new problem, it's never happened until recently. It seems like the filter inside the Kcup blocks the air hole and pressure builds up when the water is being forced into the Kcup causing it to explode. I have heard that a variety of companies have recently outsourced the filling process. I am going to try after putting the Kcup in, reopen the head and lift the Kcup out, turn it a bit and put it back in. If the first hole is clogged and you put another hole in the bottom, maybe it would reduce the chances of it exploding. No one has gotten burned yet at our house and I'd like to avoid that. Reply
Daniel W, June 18, 2012

I was having the same problem with mine where it was blowing coffee grounds from the top of the k cup. I got a fresh box of coffee and fixed the problem. I guess like anything else they have a bad batch go through that the foil just doesn't stick around the edges like it should. Reply
- Phil Yandel, July 30, 2012
  
  I have started putting 3 or 4 holes in the cup by pressing down until the needle punctures the cup, lifting the cup and turning 1/4 in either direction, press down, and repeat two more times. But in the end, only 1 out of 6 cups are removed with the normal small hole in the top. Most times I get a hole I could put my little finger in, about the size of the rubber grommet around the top needle. Reply
Mark W., July 22, 2012

I didn't have a problem until I bought a box of Green Mountain Coffee Dark Magic. Switched back to Newman's and no problem Reply
Gwen S., July 29, 2012

This happened to me for the first time yesterday. I was using a Donut House K-cup, and I noticed that the foil on top was concave rather than convex, as they usually are. I poked a small pinhole in the middle, as I always do, and started brewing. I was on the other side of the kitchen when I heard the "exploding" sound and walked back. I had coffee grounds everywhere. My cup looked like the one in your picture. I also had grounds everywhere else I could see. I unplugged the unit, removed the K-cup holder and cleaned it thoroughly, and did my best to clean all places that might be concealing grounds. It was not easy. I plugged the machine in, so that I could run a few cups of plain water, just to make sure I'd gotten things clean. This time, I got the "Prime" signal. Of course, I didn't know what was wrong until I checked online. I have an Elite, so I had to see what the combination of lights meant and then find out how to remedy the problem. I went through everything and then tried again. It worked fine ... for one cup. Then I got the "Prime" signal again. I went through the process a second time, and it worked fine for one more cup last night and one cup this afternoon, after which I got the "Prime" signal again. I decided to descale while I was cleaning the reservoir--I'm now waiting the 4 hours--so I will see what happens. I've cleaned the water reservoir and attempted to clean the filter 3 times in less than 24 hours and I've also cleaned all of the needles. If the descale does not work, I don't know what else to try. The "explosion" seems to have triggered all of the problems. Do you have any suggestions about parts and places I might have missed cleaning, where debris could be hiding? Is there some trick to cleaning the filter that I'm missing? Or is the lifespan of the Keurig just about 10 months and that's it? Thanks. Reply
- Mary Beth, July 30, 2012
  
  I would recommend checking out the comments from the What to Do If Your Keurig Won't Brew post. There are some really helpful suggestions in there. Good luck! Reply
MP3, August 15, 2012

My 3 year old was burned recently when our Keurig coffee maker exploded while brewing a k-cup of Green Mountain coffee. He was standing about 1-2 feet away from the coffee maker when it blew and received 2nd degree burns on his head, face, neck and chest. Be careful and keep children away if you are using one of these coffee makers. Reply
- Mary Beth, August 15, 2012
  
  That's awful! I hope he gets better soon. Thanks for the warning too. Reply
Suzan Chilcoat, August 23, 2012

If you click on the website above you will see my burn from Friday August 17th 2012. I was waiting for my cup of coffee to finish and "boom"...all over the counter to my right and because I had my hand resting on the counter I received the brunt of the mess of scalding water and scalding coffee grounds. It is healing slowly not only because of the degree of the burn, but also because I am diabetic and slow to heal. And by the way, having to experiment with fixes for an already detailed use manual is absurd. One should not have to go back in and "rewrite" the directions just to use this faulty product. That is dangerous in itself. Be Cautioned and be careful!!!--Suzan Reply
Suzan Chilcoat, August 23, 2012

http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/7376/pana0588.jpg Reply
MP3, September 5, 2012

I just read that Mr. Coffee just recalled its Keurig coffee maker due to the number of people burned from it exploding. This was the exact model that burned my 3 year old son. Here are some articles about it... http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-mr-coffee-recall-20120830,0,810608.story http://www.nasdaq.com/article/cpsc-jarden-to-recall-600700-coffee-makers-on-burn-hazard-20120830-00686 http://www.kjrh.com/dpp/money/consumer/recalls/mr-coffee-single-cup-brewing-systems-recalled-due-to-burn-hazard Reply
- MP3, September 5, 2012
  
  http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-mr-coffee-recall-20120830,0,810608.story (this one shows a picture of our coffee maker) Reply
Holly, September 10, 2012

This just happened to my sister and it exploded all over her and her kitchen. She has big blisters on her arms where the hot grinds landed. I feel bad for her because it is probably going to scar. She said she is going to stay out of the kitchen while it's brewing!! I will be telling her to puncture a tiny hole in the cup before brewing! Reply
Christina, September 28, 2012

I had 3 K-cups explode this evening. They were from a fairly new box of Timothy's decaffeinated coffee. I had already used half a dozen from that box, so the problem was a stunning surprise. The explosion - a rupture, really - happened at the very end of the brew cycle, after almost all the coffee had flowed into my coffee cup. When the machine pumped air into the K-cup to force out the rest of the liquid, the seal on the right-hand side of the K-cup let loose. I suddenly had hot, wet, coffee grounds all over the place. I cleaned everything up (including running 2 or 3 cups of plain water through the machine) and tried again... with the same explosive results, 2 more times. On the 4th try I rotated the K-cup 180 degrees from its usual orientation, and it worked fine. All I can figure is that some (most?) of the K-cups in this box have a weak seal on that right-hand side and the pressure during the last few seconds blows the lid off. The holes are being punched correctly; the coffee flows into the cup just fine - right up until those last few seconds. Reply
- Ria Bush, April 1, 2013
  
  Timothy's Decaf, those K-cups explode all over the place as well as Emeril's Decaf. I have several new boxes which Keurig will not replace... bad customer relations. Reply
Lori MacLean, September 29, 2012

You'd think that after all these exploding K-cups that either Keurig or Timothy would be doing a recall or something about it. I'm finding it's only the Timothy brand that's exploding in my machine - all the other seems to be working fine. Whoever is manufacturing this brand seems to have poor quality control. Reply
Phil Y, September 29, 2012

I'm thinking it has to be a problem with the machine. I bought a new Keurig and using the same batch of K-Cups, haven't had a problem in over a month. I did discover on the old machine to puncture the cup several times, lifting and giving it a quarter turn each time. This seemed to give the pressure build-up someplace to escape rather than out the top. Reply
Suzan Chilcoat, September 29, 2012

Hello, I have been following these posts since the K-Cup exploded over my right hand and wrist causing 1st and 2nd degree possibly 3rd degree burns.... Just a caution here, but if you happen to have serious burn as well from these contraptions or if a child is scadled in the face and chest...Thing the to do is save the cup and report it to the company in case of a law suit you do not want to have your attorney tell you that you should not have tampered with the cup. No manufacturer liability will help you if you are jury-rigging these things in order for them to work. That is the company's job...to put out a safe product to begin with...not something the consumer has to fiddle with to get it to work right...You are playing with fire! Well...scalding hot grounds and water) Refresh your memory and look at the url for the picture I posted. Be careful and sensible. Suzan Reply
Christina, October 9, 2012

This is a followup to my post from Sept. 28. Since then, I've had 3 more K-cups rupture. The rupture always occurs as a separation of the foil lid from the lip of the cup on the 3:00 side when looking down at the top of the K-cup. The cup itself and the lid are intact; it's just the seal that breaks down. I took the machine apart to check the needles, and they were open and clean - nothing was impeding the flow of liquid into or out of the K-cup. The cups were not over-pressurized as some have suggested: I lowered the handle of the coffee maker to close the cup holder and puncture the top and bottom holes, then raised the handle again so any extra "air" in the K-cup would be released. Didn't make any difference - the "explosions" still occurred. So, I'm 98% sure it's faulty seals on this particular batch of K-cups. I've tried 2 K-cups from a brand-new box and they've been okay. Reply
Barlee, October 24, 2012

My mini exploded, and had a complete melt down, smoke and all besides the coffee grounds from one end of the counter to another! I contacted Keurig and they could not have been nicer. They will replace the unit and asked me to return the unit, at their expense, so the engineers there could take a look at it. I have always found customer service at Keurig to be at the highest level and have never found them to not respond favorably when there was a problem. Reply
Christina, December 6, 2012

This is another follow-up, 2 months after my most recent post. I gave up on the faulty batch of Timothy's decaf K-cups, most of which were rupturing at the seal between the foil lid and the cup. I bought a new box (18) of Timothy's decaf and a box of Donut Shop decaf. I'm halfway through each of those boxes and haven't had a single blow-out. So, for me at least, the problem was with the particular batch of K-cups I was using, and not with the Keurig coffee maker. FWIW, nobody has been burned, or even splattered on, at my house. Here, we assume that the brewing of coffee will involve boiling-hot water and equally hot coffee grounds. Reply
tsw, December 20, 2012

Interesting collection of problems with kcups. My son just got a mini with the sampler pack as a gift. The first cup brewed fine but the second - donut shack brand - exploded as in the pictures and like Barlee reported, the unit began to meltdown! Not a good first impression. My son returned the unit and we've been keeping notes and it seems clear that it's the kcups that are the issue. The donut shack brands from the replacement sample pack also exploded. So my observation is this... i dont trust the kcup system. Playing russian roulette with these things is unacceptable - personal injury and a serious fire hazard from a melting machine equalls NOT WORTH THE RISK! I would strongly advise everyone here to report your issues directly to Keurig and stop using these machines. Don"t settle for tweeking and making accomodations for a defective and clearly dangerous system - at least the Mini Plus model B31. Not everyone specified their model and that would be useful. On a personal note, I get the convenience factor of a single brew system, but have never cared much for the flavor of any of the kcup coffees ive tried at client offices over the years. Kcups are expensive and the brewing system is randomly dangerous... thats three strikes in my mind. That said, I am going to try the reusable kcup filter which allows us to use our own coffee. I'm waiting for it to be delivered but based on its design I dont think it will have the pressure issues of the sealed kcups. Ill post an update in a few days. In the mean time if you decide to continue using your machine be careful, monitor it while brewing and keep everyone a safe distance away but also mull over this thought....i spent $ xxx.xx dollars for this machine...shouldn't it work everytime, safely? Am I really willing to settle for less when safety is an issue? Reply
Leigha, December 29, 2012

I can assure you that this is not some "crazy notion" that someone concocted in their head. We received a Mini for a wedding gift six months ago. After about four months of use, we had our first exploding cup. Since then, we've followed Keurig's procedure for cleaning and descaling with white vinegar, several times... Although Keurig recommends doing so only once every three to six months. The needles are not clogged. It happens with all different kinds of K Cups, not just one defective brand. And it isn't all the time. We recently descaled, thought the problem was finally resolved, then had our worst explosion yet. Brewed coffee, grounds, etcetera all spewed out of the machine, onto the counter and floor. Luckily I was not standing in its path. Previously our explosions stayed within the machine, at the end of the brewing process, as someone else described... The final whooshing of air, throwing the pin-hole in the top foil open into a huge hole. The plastic bottom of the cup is fine, it is securely poked open by the machine. It is not one kind of cup. We've tried pin pricking the foil to let extra air out...all of this to no avail. We would just say forget it if it weren't for the K Cup stock we have. For the expense of the machine and the cups, we shouldn't have to tinker with different variables to decipher the problem, especially when it is a safety hazard. We will descale once more before calling Keurig. Reply
- david, January 4, 2013
  
  design flaw in the receiver holder for the cup.. read my email below. Reply
MP3, December 29, 2012

So just because yours didn't explode (yet) everyone must be lying or did something to make it malfunction. You're so ignorant. My 3 year old boy received 2nd degree burns on his face, neck, and chest because of a faulty machine not because I put the pod or water in wrong. Reply
phil, December 29, 2012

I had the same problem with my mini, so I decided to get a new machine with a tank and have not had any further problems (knock on wood). Are most people having this issue with the mini? . Reply
- Ria Bush, April 1, 2013
  
  Mine is a mini but the only problem K-cups have been decaf ones, Timothy's and Emeril's. Reply
david, January 4, 2013

the receiver that holds the k cup in the machine has 2 dimples on the rim at 3 and 9 o clock position for your fingers. when you close the lid it clamp seals the foil edge all the way around except for these 2 locations. your disposable k cup will always blow out at one or both of these non sealed areas. it is a crap shoot as to which ones will blow up. it is an engineering design flaw in the actual machine itself. to fix it build a dam with masking tape and pour in 5 minute epoxy to close up the 2 notches sand it smooth and flat so the cup seals 360 degrees around the rim. rock n roll......... end of issue Reply
Fran, January 10, 2013

Ok this just began happening to me too, first with 5 Timothy's decaf but this morning with Caribou. Rather than come out the sides as described in the previous email, it is exploding out of the top where the puncture occurs. I am wondering if they have changed the manufacturing process or materials used, as it is happening too frequently for it to be coinsidence. I know people were comaining about them not being biodegradable so I can't help but wonder if they have made a change which isn't working out so well. Dangerous mistake!!! Reply
Kari, January 12, 2013

I have had a dreamy Keurig machine for about four or five years. Worked great till Christmas, and then began having these same problems. Thought it was just old, now I'm thinking maybe I am purchasing old K-cups or they are being made poorly. My machine is descaled and doesn't really show wear... I love it so much, I'd get a new one, but it doesn't sound like that will go better after reading these experiences. Reply
Linda, January 30, 2013

I have been having the same problem with defective k-cups. Using Green Mountain two varieties. The Nantucket I use a smaller cup size and have no problem. Using Sumatra Reserve (also Members Mark from Sams) the top of the k cup has a much larger hole into the top with coffee grounds into the makers and then into the cup of coffee. This really puzzles me! Reply
Amie, February 2, 2013

Today I experienced my first K-cup explosion in my brand new Keurig mini. Most of the coffee grounds were not shot out of the machine, but deep into the inner workings of the machine itself. The grounds that came out of the machine ended up in the mug and on the counter along with clear water that had never been made into coffee. Both the top and the bottom of the K-cup were properly pierced, but the top foil seal had also opened causing the water (and grounds) to go everywhere except where they should go. The pod was a Van Hautte French Vanilla which, coincidentally, is manufactured by Keurig. Cleaning up after this has not been easy, gallons of water later & there are still some grounds floating through. I am not pleased and I have let Keurig know it. On another note, everyone here has mentioned many different brand names of coffee pods, but ultimately, most of them despite their name are made either by Green Mountain Coffee Company or even by Keurig themselves. I do suggest checking the expiration date on the cups you have. Mine had a March 2013 date. Maybe it was just getting too old & the foil was loose & that is what happened to me? I don't know, all I DO know is that it was a rough morning with any coffee... Reply
Barbara, February 2, 2013

When this happened to me I contacted Keurig and they immediately sent me a new brewer, and actually offered to upgrade from the mini, which I declined (I like the mini). They also provided me a label to return the brewer that exploded, so I didn't pay postage either way. They could not have been nicer or responded in a more positive way, and I thank them for taking immediate action. However, I don't believe we as consumers should have to check every K-cup to determine if it might be "out of date", or be defective in any way. The safety of the cups is up to the quality control people who make them! The brewers obviously need better quality control also as this problem has been going on for quite awhile already. Reply