Say hello to my new best friend, especially in the AM - the Keurig 2.0 K550. I (actually we- as in my husband and I) have been huge Keurig fans because of the K-Cup System (pods of coffee that you insert into the machine for an individual cup). I like my coffee more on the light side but for me him he prefer more of a medium roast. K-Cups are great because you can select your personal preference since they deliver a single cup ..... but not for long! The new Keurig 2.0 brewer allows you to brew a 4-cup carafe just as you would with a single cup. I'll show you all of that with pictures below.
The K550 came in a hug box and was nicely wrapped and secured inside. The instruction booklet is placed right on top for easy access to set up your lovely new machine. When you start to pull our your machine you will see a starter pack of 6 single K-Cups and 4 K-Carafe (including the 4-cup starter carafe) to get your coffee fix on right away!
Here's a look at the overall machine- nice little appliance isn't it? It's sleek, very futuristic-like design looks great sitting on your kitchen counter top. The middle picture shows the carafe and how nicely it sits right under the drip without the little stand. I didn't test out the carafe because I didn't want to waste so much coffee but will definitely try it out when we have company over. When brewing a single cup you will need to place the stand back for your favorite cup to sit directly under the drip. Let me show you the main features of the Keurig 2.0.
Here is a look at the extra 80 ounce water reservoir- it's huge! This system also has water filter to make it convenient to fill up the tank straight out of the kitchen faucet, if you prefer. My first Keurig when I was back in college didn't have the water filter option and I was always filling it with my bottled water I had in my little mini fridge. One of the things that I love about this machine is the night light reservoir which is towards the front. You see that beam of light? Cool, right? You can change the color from blue, red, green and white color. I personally like the white, makes it look so trendy.
You will find the touchscreen display right in the center of the brewer instead of the right hand side. I like the display in the center it gives it more of a focal point. The navigation through the menu is easy and very direct with an option to change the wallpaper to fit your style. There are 4 different cup sizes (mine is usually at 8oz. it's perfect for me) and a separate setting for hot cocoa and other beverages like lattes and mochas. NEAT! I forgot to mention there is also a button for hot water if you need some right away for cooking, baking or really anything! The only thing I wish was that you can decide how much hot water you need. It will only dispense 6oz. of water and if you need more you need to open it and close and do it all over. Wish you could just press the button in hot water mode to release more.
I want to go over the size different of the K-cups and something that both my husband and I noticed with the older versions. As you can see from the picture the K-Carafe is significantly bigger than the regular K-Cup.
I wanted to show you the difference between the NEW K-Cups that will work with the newer brewers compared to the older K-Cups. My husband and I were so excited to purchase some of our favorite K-Cups from the past that we didn't pay attention to the newer versions. You can see from the picture that there is a big difference- the new one has a ring around it and a black circle with Keurig in the middle located on the lower center of the K-Cup seal. When we were shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond for some new flavors it didn't dawn on us that not all of them have the new design. The Tim Horton's K-Cup said on the box "used with all Keurig machines." Well, it didn't work for ours. I told my husband to contact Keurig after I was on their Facebook page to see if other customer's had the same problem- yes there were a few. He called the customer service # that was displayed on the touchscreen letting us know that our K-Cup wasn't compatible with with the new Keurig 2.0 Brewing Technology. After 10 min. our new machine was registered and a coupon for a free replacement box to order from their website. EASY and great customer service! I think next time we purchase from Bed Bath and Beyond I'll keep the receipt just in case we encounter another pack without with the white rim.
Overall we have been super happy with the Keurig 2.0 brewer! What are some of our favorite K-Cups? Please share below so I can use my coupons from Keurig.com :)
Disclaimer: I received the Keurig 2.0 for testing/review for free from Influenster.com. All opinions are my own.