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May 11 2011

This K-Cup Barista is Stumped

Posted by Mary Beth
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I haven’t been a K-Cup Barista very long, and I’m still earning my title. I just got a new Keurig (the Platinum) and I’m figuring out whether the 10oz or 8oz setting is best for most drinks. I like how the 10oz fills my mugs better, but I can definitely tell a difference in kinds like Tully’s Kona and Caribou Blend. I suspect that a lot of K-Cups are made for the 8oz size. I read a description today for Timothy’s Private Blend that said to brew at 8oz setting for optimal results. I also heard back from Keurig on Twitter that most people choose the 8oz size because it’s “not too strong, not too weak.”

This week I tried Tully’s Italian Blend and used the 10oz setting. That was probably for the best given my delicate constitution, though I couldn’t help but wonder what the flavor would have been like at 8oz. I have one left–we’ll see if I am braver next time.

Here’s a tip for Southern Sweet Iced Tea K-Cups: your tea will be sweeter with the 8oz setting, but you won’t sacrifice the strength of your tea by choosing the 10oz or even 12oz. My husband was curious and adjusted the K-Cup a quarter turn and ran another 6oz through. It was strong enough for sure, but all the sweetness was gone…I had to add my own sugar–gasp!

Comments (8)

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  1. Brian
    May 11, 2011

    I use a lot of extra bold K-Cups, and I find those are quite good at the 10 oz. size. I’ll sometimes brew others at 8 oz. to get a stronger cup of coffee. The Tully’s K-Cups are all extra bold, so you might want to stick with the larger brew size for those. It really comes down to personal preference.

    The sweeteners (sugar and stevia, I think) are probably below the filter in the sweet tea K-cup, and that gets completely used up with the first brew. I know that’s how the Hot Cider K-cups are made.

  2. Joelle
    May 12, 2011

    I brew everything on the biggest setting, which I think is… 16oz? 12oz? I can’t recall, I have the Platinum, too. It’s no wonder that my lighter brews and flavors tend to be fairly weak at that size, but my mugs are so big, I feel slighted if I don’t at least get 3/4 of a mug full of coffee. 8oz just seems like a sip, no? I’ll have knocked that back before I even get out of the kitchen…

    But I agree that some brews really do taste richer at a lower ounce.

  3. Shannon V.
    July 21, 2012

    Just came across your site…..love it!

    I have a Cuisinart Keurig Brewer and the largest setting on it is 12oz. We tend to brew on it most frequently as both my husband and I like a more mild tasting coffee (ie Timothy’s Breakfast Blend). Although I have expanded my taste to the Starbucks Veranda Blend (still not a strong coffee…but stronger than the Timothy’s)

    • Mary Beth
      July 21, 2012

      Thanks! I’m so glad you found the site. I’ve been wanting to try the Starbucks Veranda. I’ve had it at a Starbucks store, but I have a feeling that it’s not the same as from a k-cup.

  4. Lily
    November 20, 2014

    I got a Keurig K65 last night. Tried it out with Carribou on the 6 oz setting. It was so strong it made me sick to my stomach. I felt like I was close to having some kind of panic attack and found myself unable to focus and wanting to scream at everyone around me. I tried the 10 oz this morning. The 10 oz with creamer works for me as far as strength goes. However I DO NOT WANT 10 oz of coffee!!! I like coffee… in very small amounts… which is why I bought a Keurig in the first place!!! 6 oz is just right for me, but the 6 oz option is just way WAY too strong. Furthermore, I only own one coffee cup that will hold 10 ounces of coffee plus creamer. I have very little kitchen storage space, and I love that my 8 ounce coffee cups nest nicely in the cupboard. 8 ounces of coffee will fill my usual cups to the rim… too much. I’m so sad. I really wanted to like my Keurig, but I don’t see how this will ever work. I don’t know what to do… 🙁

    • MaryBeth
      November 20, 2014

      Lily, I have a couple of ideas for you. When I first got my Keurig, I tried the Tully’s French Roast which was too strong for me, and I could never finish a full cup. So, I drank half and saved the rest in the fridge for the next day. I heated it in the microwave in a new mug for about 45 seconds I think.

      One K-Cup I really like on the 6oz setting is Green Mountain Half Caff. You could give that a try as well.

      Hope this helps. I’ll see if I can think of anything else…

    • Jesse
      February 3, 2016

      Brew the 10oz cup and the pour out 4 oz and save it in the fridge for some iced coffee at a later time.

  5. edwin holzer
    November 2, 2015

    All these answers are subjective and not very helpful. Is there a scientific way to tell if 10 oz brew is really weaker than 8 oz brew? Frankly I can’t taste much of a difference no matter what type of coffee is used.

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