So I broke down and ordered an Ekobrew reusable filter. My friend did some research on the best reusable filter for a Keurig, and she found that it had the best reviews, especially compared to the My K-Cup. So far, it’s working out moderately well for me. It seems silly, but I have to discipline myself to use it because I’m so used to just popping in a K-Cup, and voilá–easy, easy.
Too Fine a Grind
The flavor is good, but it’s been a bit rocky getting started with the little gizmo. First, I’m getting some grounds in my coffee since the grind is fine, so next time I’ll be sure to get a coarser grind. That’s the trickiest part: it says on the instructions not to grind with your own grinder because it will be uneven. Maybe grinding at the store is the way to go. I’ve also read that using a regular grind rather than a drip grind will yield better results, even though drip is what the Ekobrew recommends. See what I mean? Tricky.
Recently when I used my Ekobrew, I hit the 8oz brew setting and only got about 4-6oz of coffee. I think this can be attributed to the grind being too fine and too compacted. My bad. I ended up adding some hot water so it wouldn’t be too strong.
Note: if you’re curious, I used a bag of Italian coffee called Caffé Macinato which my sister-in-law sent from Naples.
Bad Coffee Fiasco
Today, I tried using my parents’ canned Safeway coffee that they left at my house. It looked like a pretty coarse grind, so I thought I’d see what the Ekobrew could make of it. It was terrible. The coffee splattered out of the machine, missing the mug some of the time and shooting out onto my countertop. To top it off, there were grounds in my coffee and the coffee tasted…well, words can’t quite capture how bad. The main thing I learned from this is that the grind has to be right (this grind was a mixture of coarse and fine). And that the Ekobrew will not make bad coffee taste good.
Cost Savings
While I’m mostly pleased with the quality of the brewing, I have to say that the best thing about the Ekobrew for me is the cost savings. I only paid $10.97 at Amazon (it’s more now), and I figure that after about 22 uses, it will pay for itself. (This is estimating the cost of K-Cups at 60¢ each and ground coffee at 10¢ per serving.)
One thing that’s kept me from buying an Ekobrew or other reusable filter is that I haven’t been confident in getting through a whole bag of ground coffee before it gets stale. Maybe I’ll do an update on this later.
Messy but Grateful
Another benefit is that the Ekobrew makes me appreciate my K-Cups even more. After doing all that “hard work” of filling up the filter and cleaning out the grounds, not to mention more cleanup of my Keurig (tends to be a little messy–drips more at the end of the cycle and gets the cup holder dirtier), I am always extra-grateful the next time I use a regular K-Cup. Pathetic, but true.
Conclusion
If you’re interested in cost savings, reducing the number of used K-Cups you throw in the trash, or brewing your own coffee one delicious cup at a time, give the Ekobrew a try. Don’t say I didn’t warn you about the manual labor though.
Want to know more of the nitty gritty details, how it works, etc? Scroll down at the Amazon page.
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