How To Use A Keurig Mini And Keurig Mini Plus

Learning how to use a Keurig Mini and Keurig Mini Plus coffee maker correctly will ensure that your machine brews perfect coffee, tea, juices, hot chocolate and more perfectly and every single time.

This article also gives you instructions on how to perfectly descale your coffee maker and clean and unblock your needles for perfect maintenance of your machine.

Keep reading for the details.

How To Use A Keurig Mini

Using a Keurig mini and Keurig mini plus is easy. There is nothing difficult at all to it.

To get your Keurig Mini and Keurig K Mini Plus brewing perfect coffee for you every single time you need to set it up correctly. Once it is perfectly set up, you need to maintain it well with regular descaling and deep cleaning.

When you follow the instructions below you will know how to use your Keurig Mini coffee maker.

Read: How to use a Keurig coffee maker

Setting Up Your Keurig Mini

Setting up your Keurig Mini coffee maker is easy. Simply start by unboxing it and removing any tape that may be holding any parts together.

Plug in your Keurig mini. The power button is found on the top right of your coffee maker.

Setting Up Your Water Tank

Your water tank is very important and being a Keurig Mini, it is a small water reservoir that your machine has.

During the production process your coffee machine goes through various processes in the factor and may collect dust, dirt and may develop all sorts of bacteria and microbes.

One of the most important things that you must do is to run a rinsing cycle to flush your water tank and the internal tubing.

Simply fill your water tank with one cup of water while being careful not to overfill it.

Don’t use more than 10 Oz (300 ml) of water as this is the maximum amount that the water tank can hold.

Run A Rinsing Brew

Running a rinsing cycle is easy. All that is required is that you add 10 Oz (300 ml) to the water reservoir.

Power up your Keurig K-mini and press the power button. Raise and then lower the handle to open and close the brew head. There is no need for you to insert a Keurig coffee pod as the purpose is to run a cleaning cycle not to brew coffee.

Have a coffee cup in place below the coffee spout and push the brew button and that is all you need to do.

The water will flow through your system and into your coffee cup.

Since the water reservoir is small, repeat this process at least 3 times.

It is recommended that you run a hot water only cleansing cycle at least once per week to flush your system of any grime that may have built up.

Read: How to use Keurig single serve

Select A K-Cup Coffee Pod

This is where the fun starts. You have no shortage of Keurig K Cups to choose from as there are currently 60 different brands and over 600 different coffee pods to choose from including some very famous brands like Starbucks, Peet’s coffee, Dunkin’s, McDonald’s, Costa coffee and many more.

And it’s not just coffee pods that are available: you have a wide range of herbal teas, regular teas, refreshing soft drinks, juices and even Campbell’s soup!

There are some pretty amazing hot chocolates too with Belgian and Swiss chocolate pods that you will simply love.

All you need to do is insert one and press brew. It’s that easy!

How To Use Your Keurig Mini

Quick Recap. At this point you have unboxed your Keurig K Mini coffee maker, plugged it in, powered it up and ran a cleansing brew to clean it out internally.

You’ve got a great idea of what K cup you want to brew for your first cup of coffee.

Fill your water reservoir with clean, fresh water and get ready to brew your first coffee with your brand-new coffee maker.

Put a coffee mug on your drip tray below the coffee spout to catch your brewed coffee.

Raise the handle and insert your coffee pod into the pod holder. Lower the handle and close the brew head.

Press the power button which you will find on the top right of your machine and press the brew button.

Your Keurig brewer will heat the water and brew the coffee pods and deposit it in your coffee cup via the coffee spout.

Raise the handle and remove the coffee pod and save it for recycling.

If you have the Keurig K-Mini plus, you have the option of pressing the button marked strong for a stronger cup of coffee. Your Keurig achieves this by extending the brew time.

Read: How to use Keurig

Descaling And Cleaning Your Keurig Mini

Descaling and running a high quality deep clean of your Keurig Mini, Keurig Mini Plus is essential to brewing tasty coffee, tea, hot chocolate and delicious soups.

Over time, dirt, grime, coffee particles as well as limescale, mineral deposits and calcium will build up inside your machine, cause blockages and in general become detrimental to the quality of the beverages made.

Remove and clean your drip tray with a soft cloth or sponge and soapy water. If it is the Mini Plus model that you own, you can remove the water tank and clean it.

(The Keurig Mini has an internal water tank, not a removable one).

Clean the external surfaces of your coffee maker with a damp cloth.

To descale it, add 50% cleaning white vinegar and 50% water solution to your water reservoir and run a brewing cycle.

Since the water reservoir is small, repeat this process 4 to 6 times to give it a good proper descaling.

Open the brew head and carefully clean the pod holder. You must be careful as the needles nearby are very sharp.

Clean and unblock your needles by inserting a pipe cleaner or two twisted together. Dip your pipe cleaner in undiluted white cleaning vinegar and poke around for approximately one minute for both the entrance needle and exit needle and repeat.

This cleans and unblocks the needles and the jetlines. Look out your orange needle maintenance tool and fill it with 50% white cleaning vinegar and 50% water. Place it in your pod holder and line it up correctly.

Open and close the brew head 5 to 7 times in a pumping action.

Your needles and jet lines should be perfectly clean.

Add fresh clean water to your water reservoir and run several rinsing cycles until the scent and traces of vinegar have gone.

Since the water reservoir is small, you may need to run 7-10 rinsing cycles.

Once complete, your machine will be perfectly clean internally and clear of any mineral, calcium and limescale build up.

Perform a deep clean and descaling cycle like this at least once per month to keep your Keurig Mini in tip-top condition.

Frequently Asked Questions About How To Use A Keurig Mini

How Exactly Does A Keurig Work?

When you put your Keurig K-Cup coffee pod in to the pod holder and push the brew button, holes are punctured by the entry and exit needles in your K cup coffee pod.

A jet of hot pressurized water is forced into your coffee pod. The brewed coffee then makes its way through the filter paper that is built into your K cup coffee pod and then through the coffee spout and into your coffee cup below.

Do Keurigs Only Do 1 Cup Of Coffee?

Yes, Keurig K cups are called single serve coffee makers for a reason: the coffee pods used are single serve, they make only one cup of coffee at a time.

How Long Does It Take For Keurig Mini To Heat Water?

If you are using the facility and function that keeps your water warm, it will take only a minute for your Keurig mini to heat water. If you are heating up your water from zero, from cold, it can take as long as 4 minutes for your Keurig coffee machine to heat up your water.

Why Is My Keurig Mini Not Getting Hot?

If your Keurig mini or mini plus is not getting hot, there may be a problem with your water pump or the heating element.

Simply descaling your machine and running a couple of deep cleaning cycles to remove the build up of calcium, or mineral deposits.

How Do I Prepare My Keurig For The First Time?

Start by removing your water reservoir and install your water filter. Fill your water reservoir with fresh clean water and reinstall it.

Insert a K Cup coffee pod and press brew.

What Is So Special About A Keurig?

A Keurig coffee maker is a device of convenience. They can be left on and maintain you water hot and ready for brewing and produce a cup of coffee in about one minute.

Also, you can get gourmet coffee at the touch of a button.

What Is The Most Basic Keurig Model?

The most basic Keurig model is the Keurig K-Mini. It’s cheap, it’s good but has none of the fancy functions that the higher end models have.

Which Keurig Do I Have?

It’s easy to find out what Keurig you have. Locate the serial number which is behind the drip tray or the water reservoir. It may even be on the bottom of your brewer. Goggle the serial number or Email it to Keurigs customer service, and you’ll find out which model you have.

Final Thoughts – How To Use A Keurig Mini

Now that you know how to use a Keurig Mini and Mini Plus coffee maker, I encourage you to use it and maintain it well. Good maintenance will help your machine to last for many years.

I strongly advise that you use filtered water when filling your machine as means of preventing the build up of mineral deposits.

Join our fun, forever free and very friendly coffee community and let us know about the amazing K Cup coffee pods you are brewing with. Find us on Facebook/Meta.

Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location