K-Cups: The Ultimate Clash of Quality and Convenience

In our increasingly faster-paced world, quickness and convenience are in greater demand for all of our products and services, not the least of which is our coffee. Enter the highly popular single-cup home brewing systems from Keurig and their accompanying famed K-Cups. The pods of pre-ground, pre-portioned coffee come from some of the most recognized roasters. Among the brands that produce K-Cups are Caribou Coffee, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and Gloria Jean's. The benefits of brewing with K-Cups are obvious and beneficial to the busy or relatively uninterested individual. There is no grinding. There is no measuring. We save on hassle. We save on time. Keurig's own site suggests that is system "takes all the guesswork out of making a great cup of coffee."

I would clarify Keurig's self-promotion by insisting that K-Cups do take out all of the guesswork...but only of making a decent cup of coffee. Why? What's the problem? I've already said that K-Cups coffees are roasted by some of the best. I agree that the fineness of the grind is probably appropriate for its drip brewers. I would also assume that Keurig is knowledgeable enough to use appropriate proportions in its coffee pods. The problem arises with the freshness of the grind. Any pre-ground cup of coffee necessarily cannot be a great cup of coffee. The most intense flavor characteristics are released from coffee minutes after grinding so only freshly ground coffee can make an optimum cup. Most specialty coffee retailers will grind coffee for you as a courtesy but at the same time will suggest that you buy a grinder and grind it freshly just before use. It is not a difficult concept to understand. Chopping up fruit and vegetables ahead of time has the same effect. The sliced apples brown. The diced green peppers dry. The ground coffee stales. Those who are truly interested in quality coffee more so than in a quick caffeine fix should buy a grinder and purchase only whole bean coffee.

Now, my rant on freshly ground coffee being out on the table, I recognize that not all people care to the same extent about quality coffee. The level at which people are interested in coffee is probably a continuum rather than a black and white scale. Some people need their morning coffee fix but also enjoy an occasional leisure cup. For people that have one foot in both worlds, I recommend keeping a grinder with a small amount of whole beans in stock for their culinary endeavors. Starbucks and Caribou Coffee, among others, carry their whole bean coffee in as small of a quantity as a quarter pound (the equivalent of 12 six ounce cups when it is brewed. To sum it up, I recognize the demand for devices like Keurig's single-cup home brewing systems. Kenneth Davids, renowned coffee expert, even reviews K-Cups on his website. I also, however, do not want the general public to be deceived about the quality of the pre-ground coffee they are consuming. It is mediocre at best. What I would like to see in the future from Keurig is a single-cup grinder/brewer accompanied by the production of whole bean pods that pass through a grinder immediately before brewing. Who knows what the future will bring?