How To Use A Keurig Single Cup Coffee Maker – Step By Step Instructions!

This article will teach you how to use a Keurig single cup coffee maker with easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions. I also talk about the exact maintenance routine that I use to ensure that my Keurig single cup coffee maker is serving me great tasting coffee, soup, tea and hot chocolate drinks!

Keep reading for the details!

How To Use A Keurig Single Cup Coffee Maker

The basic principle of using a Keurig single cup coffee maker is the same for all models with only a slight variation between them due to the different options that are available, including:

• Drink Size.
• Iced.
• Strong.

Not all models have those features; a Keurig Mini, for example, has none of those options, while a Keurig Supreme Plus SMART has all of them, and more!.

Let’s get to the details of using a Keurig single cup coffee maker.

Read: How to use Keurig 2.0

How To Use A Single Cup Keurig Mini

Let’s get to the details of using a single cup Keurig K Mini and K Mini Plus coffee maker with simple step-by-step instructions.

Step One: Ensure Your Keurig Single Cup Coffee Maker Is Plugged In

Double check and ensure that your Keurig single cup coffee maker is plugged in. For most Keurig coffee makers, the power button is located on the top right-hand side.

Step Two: Fill Your Water Reservoir

Fill your Keurig Mini with fresh, clean water. Bottled water is best; the next best is filtered water.

Regardless of what model you have, it is still better than you use at least filtered water even if your single serve coffee maker has a built-in water filter.

This little step will not only double filter your water, it is a preventative maintenance step that will help to further reduce the buildup of mineral deposits, limescale and calcium.

As a bonus, it will prolong the life of your machine, and you will need to replace the water filter less often.

Step Three: Select A Coffee Pod

Select a K Cup coffee pod of your choice. There is absolutely no shortage of the pods that you choose as there are over 60 brands and 600+ different pods.

You are not limited to just coffee as there are:

• Herbal Infusions.
• Hot Chocolate Pods.
• Juices.
• Refreshers.
• Soup.
• Tea.

The brands that make K Cups are well known brands, including:

• Café Bustelo.
• Campbell’s Soup.
• Caribou Coffee.
• Dunkin’ Donuts.
• Folgers.
• Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.
• Illy.
• Lavazza.
• Lipton.
• McDonald’s McCafe.
• Newman’s Own Organics.
• Peet’s Coffee.
• Starbucks.
• Tim Hortons.
• Tully’s Coffee.

As I said earlier, it’s not just about coffee as there are some great soups by Campbell’s and absolutely delightful hot chocolates made with excellent chocolate from Belgium and Switzerland.

Read: How to use reusable K cup in Keurig Mini

Step Four: Insert The K-Cup Into The Machine

Lift the handle to open the brew head and insert your Keurig K cup coffee pod into the pod holder. Close the brew head.

Your machine will display the message “Ready To Brew” depending on the model.

Step Five: Choose Your Drink Size (Keurig Mini Plus Only)

On some models like the Keurig Mini, there is no drink size option. The Keurig Mini Plus has a drink size option for you to choose.

Select the most appropriate drink size that suits you.

Step Six: Remove Your Used Keurig K Cup Coffee Pod

Open the brewing chamber and remove the K Cup coffee pods that you have just used from the pod holder.

The coffee grounds can be reused to revitalize the soil in your plant pots or added to your compost pile.

The coffee pods can be reused for seedlings, art projects or sent to a recycling center.

Read: How to use Keurig

Step Seven: Enjoy Your Coffee!

The best step of them all. Relax and enjoy your freshly brewed cup of coffee.

Maintaining Your Keurig Single Cup Coffee Maker

Maintaining your Keurig single cup coffee maker well and regularly running a flushing cycle and descaling it is important to keep it in perfect and optimal condition for brewing coffee.

Run a rinsing cycle once per week by just adding fresh water to the water tank and running a water only brew cycle. Repeat 3 times. This cleans your machine of easy to get rid of grime, dirt and bacteria from inside your machine.

Clean your needles, both the entry and exit needles, while you run a full descaling cycle.

Take two or three pipe cleaners and twist them together. Dip and soak them in white cleaning vinegar and poke and twist them around inside the exit and entrance needles to clean and unblock your needles and the lines leading to them.

Clean the area around your needles with a Qtip (cotton bud). Remove and clean the pod holder with hot soapy water and rinse it well. Put it back in place.

Fill your water reservoir with a 50% white cleaning vinegar and water solution and run a brew cycle. Repeat this step for a second and third time since the water reservoir is small.

Run several rinsing cycles to flush the scent, taste and all traces of vinegar. Fill your water tank 5 to 7 times should be enough.

When you have completed this cycle your coffee maker should be in optimal condition for brewing coffee.

Frequently Asked Questions About How To Use A Keurig Single Cup Coffee Maker

How Much Coffee Do You Put In A Single Cup Keurig?

For a single cup of coffee, it is recommended that you use 2 tablespoons, approximately 10 grams, of a medium to medium-coarse ground coffee.

If you want a weaker cup of coffee, use less; if you want a stronger cup of coffee, use a little more.

Can I Use Regular Coffee In A Keurig?

Yes, you can use regular coffee in your single serve coffee maker and the reusable K cups.

Make sure the coffee is of a medium or medium-coarse grind as coffee of a coarse grind size will result in a low contact time and will taste too weak.

Finely ground coffee will produce a coffee that is too strong due to too long a contact time.

Any quality of coffee can be used, regular or premium quality or specialty grade coffee be it a blend or single origin.

How Does Basic Keurig Work?

A Keurig single serve coffee maker works in a way that is very similar to a mini drip coffee maker.

When you close the level, the brew heads the exit and entry needles puncture your K cup coffee pods. Then a jet of hot water is forced into your cup which then brews your coffee. The coffee passes through a mini filter that is in the bottom of your Keurig K cup, which then makes its way via the exit needle and into your coffee mug.

Can You Use Regular Coffee On Keurig Slim?

Yes, you can use any quality and grade of coffee in your Keurig Slim, Keurig Mini, Keurig K Due or whatever model of Keurig brewer you have.

The one hard and fast rule that you need to pay attention to is the grind size. You must use a medium or medium coarse grind size.

Is Keurig Coffee The Same As Instant Coffee?

No, while many coffee enthusiasts and coffee lovers can make the mistake of thinking that Keurig coffee is the same as or similar to instant coffee, it is in fact more similar to brewed coffee, drip coffee.

The coffee used in the coffee pods is real coffee that is freshly ground and nitrogen flushed and foil sealed for maximum freshness.

Why Does Keurig Coffee Taste Different Than Regular Coffee?

Unfortunately, and for a reason only known by the manufacturers, Keurig coffee machines brew their coffee at a temperature that is lower than the perfect brewing temperature as set out by the SCA, Specialty Coffee Association.

The result of this is a less than peak or idea extraction of the flavors from the ground coffee in the coffee pods.

Can You Use A Keurig Without Pods?

Yes, you can use your Keurig coffee maker without pods. Run a brew cycle with the pod holder completely empty to get a cup of hot water.

Then add instant coffee to the hot water and enjoy a cup of instant coffee.

What Kind Of Ground Coffee For Keurig?

The ideal grind size for your Keurig brewer is a medium to medium coarse grind size.

A smaller grind size of medium-fine or fine will result in a coffee that is too strong due to the longer contact time between the coffee ground and the hot water.

A larger grind size, a coarse grind size, will result in a cup of coffee that is too weak due to the reduced contact time between your hot water and your coffee grounds.

Final Thoughts – How To Use A Keurig Single Cup Coffee Maker

When you know not only how to use a Keurig single cup coffee maker but also know how to keep it in tip top condition by running regular rinsing and descaling cycles you will enjoy perfect coffee every single time and will not need to worry about the build up of calcium, limescale and other mineral deposits.

I call it preventative maintenance, and it will prolong the life of your coffee maker.

Join our fun, friendly and vibrant coffee community and tell us about the great pods that your trying out and suggest some to your fellow coffee lovers. 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