Keurig and other single-cup, one-button-press coffee makers aren't exactly known for amazing coffee. Rather, they're praised for their convenience.
But what happens when you're out of K-Cups and you have no other way to brew your morning coffee? You get creative, of course.
Learn how to brew coffee with the Keurig even when you're out of pods.
What you will need
While making coffee is a reasonably simple process, you will need a few items to pull off a makeshift K-Cup.
- A used K-Cup pod
- Aluminum foil
- Whole bean coffee or coffee grounds
Additionally, you may need your own coffee filter. Some K-Cups use instant coffee, which do not require a filter. If you do not see a filter inside the pod, you will need to grab one from the stack for your drip machine or pour over cone.
Also, if you have a Keurig 2.0, this will not work without installing a Freedom Clip first, which allows you to circumvent Keurig's DRM and brew anything you want.
Making your own K-Cup
Hopefully, you didn't have to dig a used K-Cup out of the trash. Either way, you will need to remove the foil from the top of the K-Cup, dump the coffee grounds into the trash and thoroughly rinse out the pod.
If there is no attached filter inside, take a #4 pour over cone filter or a standard drip machine filter and cut it to size. Just make sure the filter reaches the top of the K-Cup. It's even alright if the filter is a bit too tall and is wrapped over the rim of the pod. This makes cleanup easier, as it should lift all the grounds out of the cup.
If you have whole bean coffee on hand, grind approximately 14 grams (0.5 oz) of coffee medium fine and pour this into the K-Cup. If, instead, you have pre-ground coffee, simply fill the K-Cup to just below the rim of the cup.
Next, cut a piece of aluminum foil, approximately 2 by 6 inches (5.08 by 15.24 centimeters). Fold this in half, lengthwise, and wrap the foil over the top of the K-Cup as tightly as you can.
You may have noticed that there is a puncture hole in the bottom of the K-Cup from the first time you ran it through the Keurig. Line this up with the barb inside the K-Cup slot in the Keurig.
Since I made the ill-advised decision to purchase a Keurig VUE, I have to use a Vue pod to K-Cup adapter. This adapter also has the barb to puncture a hole in the bottom of the K-Cup.
Turn on the Keurig, insert the K-Cup with the proper orientation and once the machine is ready to brew, select 8 ounces (237 milliliters) and press Brew.
This certainly won't make the best tasting cup of coffee you've ever had, but it will keep you from having to run out to pick up some K-Cups and it even gives you the opportunity to experiment with different coffee, grind sizes, filters and other options with your Keurig that you didn't have before.
If you are ordering your coffee pre-ground, choose “Foil Filter”
If you order whole bean and grind yourself, you’ll want to grind to just slightly coarser than medium
Everybody agrees that a Keurig* machine is convenient for brewing a single cup of coffee. It’s quick, and some would say ideal for a business environment. Carrabassett Coffee is not available in pre-made, disposable K Cups, but as long as your coffee is ground correctly (choose foil filter if we are grinding for you), refilling a pod only takes seconds.
Although convenient, K Cups leave much to be desired in regards to sustainability. That’s why we have tested out different re-usable off-brand “K Cup” options to find the pod that brews the best cup of coffee.
After testing different pods, we selected the EkoBrew for a few different reasons. (You can purchase an EkoBrew right on our website!)
- The EkoBrew pod is designed with metal mesh (called foil) over the entire bottom of the pod, but hard plastic on the top and sides. This means that no water can leave the pod without going through coffee grinds, leading to stronger extraction (and therefore yielding a more flavorful cup).
- The EkoBrew pod is larger than other coffee pods, so you can fit just a little bit more coffee inside. More grinds= stronger coffee. Stronger coffee= yum.
- We found the EkoBrew to be the easiest reusable pod to clean. (Major points!)
- There are multiple holes in the top of the EkoBrew cap, which allow for the water to spray and evenly distribute through the coffee grinds. Many pods have only a single hole in the top, meaning the water drips straight through, missing a large portion of grinds for potential extraction.
Using a Keurig Machine is pretty straightforward, but here are a few tips to ensure your resulting cup of coffee is as enjoyable as possible.
- Do not overfill your pod. As tempting as it may be to stuff your pods with extra grinds, in an effort to make a stronger cup, this will only serve to block up your machine, as the water will not be able to push through the extra grinds. Your pod should have an interior line- fill to here and don’t add extra. (If you’re a ‘single-cup here and there throughout the day’ kind of person, but you prefer your coffee strong, we’d recommend you try a pour over cone. It yields a rich flavorful cup and has a greater range of options for customization than you can achieve with a Keurig machine. Read more here.)
- Ensure your coffee is ground correctly. While you can put coffee ground for a drip machine through a Keurig, just slightly coarser works a little bit better. Too fine a grind will lead to sediment in your coffee cup, but too coarse will lead to the water rushing through the coffee too quickly and not extracting as much flavor. Right in the middle is the sweet spot. If we are grinding for you, choose 'foil filter.'
- Use the smallest cup setting on your machine. Most Keurig machines have the option to make a 6, 8, or 10 oz cup of coffee. The amount of grinds you are using do not increase with a larger cup size- it simply means you are using more water, which results in a weaker cup. For optimum flavor, brew a 6 oz cup, and if you’d like more, refill your pod with fresh grinds and make another.
- Use fresh Carrabassett Coffee. Any of our coffees can be used in a Keurig machine, whether you prefer dark roasts, organics, or flavored coffee! We’ll cover coffee storage more in-depth in a future article, but keep your grinds in an airtight container, in a dark cupboard or the freezer, to maintain the strongest flavor.
- Fill water receptacle on the machine
- Fill your EkoBrew pod (available to purchase here) to the interior line and close the lid
- Place pod into machine
- Close the machine lid
- Place your coffee mug
- Press appropriate button to brew a 6 oz cup of coffee. (You may choose to brew a larger cup, but remember that the flavor may not be as strong.)
- Wait for coffee to fill your cup and enjoy!
* Pesky legal notice... Carrabassett Coffee nor EkoBrew are associated / affiliated with Keurig. Keurig and K-cup are trademarks of Keurig and Green Mountain.