Keurig 2.0 Review – K350 vs K450 vs K550 Comparison

Keurig 2.0 has been known as a revolution in the Keurig coffee makers. My complete Keurig 2.0 review today will provide you with the most basic information when it comes to this leading product.

Keurig 2.0 introduction

The Keurig 2.0 models are advanced coffee makers. They are designed with the newest brewing technology and provide some new great features that have never been available in the former K-cup brewing system.

Yeah, maybe the most remarkable improvement of these brewing machines is that they allow brewing single cups of hot fresh or small carafe also. Plus, they are built with big water reservoirs which are fully programmable and introduce some different cup size choices.

These coffee makers currently only work with specially coded K-cups which were produced after 2014, July. And if you need to replace your old k-cups with a new one, Keurig will give you a coupon for exchanging.

At a quick look, these brewing machine are highly appreciated for their ease of use, various brewing options and the possibility to make bold coffee. About special requirements, they do not have any special requirement; they simply require regular cleaning so that they can always perform well.

How many models of Keurig 2.0 are there?

Keurig 2.0 is available in various models, such as K200, k250, K350, K450, k500, K550, k575, Keurig K2.0 Thermal Carafe.

  • The K360, K450 and K560 are similar to their counterparts of 3, 4, or 5, just different in the assortment of K-cups packaged inside the box.
  • The K300, K400 and K500 are the same as their counterpart but do not introduce the water filter.
  • Models which named “B” instead of “K” at the beginning (B550/B560/B500, B450/B460/B400, B350/B360/B300) are similar to the K version of the same number.

Let’s come into details of some models.

K200

Keurig 2.0 K200 review

K200 is currently the smallest and cheapest item by Keurig 2.0 on the market. It is its compact size that gives us so many benefits, such as easy transporting, easy storing…. It has some highlights such as different colors choices, a small 2-inch touch display, nine brew size options with carafe sizes included, a removable 40 ounce water reservoir, setting for hot chocolate as well as other beverage brewing. It is ideal for home using.

K250

Keurig 2.0 K250 review

This Keurig model share many common features with K200. It has a removable 40 ounce water reservoir, 2-inch touch display, setting for stronger coffee. It is highlighted with the control over brew strength, and a water level window, letting you know the exact water level is available. If you want a small coffee maker which is able to satisfy your preference of strong coffee, this model is for you.

K300

Keurig 2.0 K300 review

This model is highlighted with a 60-ounce water reservoir, along with a 2.4-inch interactive touchscreen display. It also offers a strength control setting to brew stronger coffee. Thanks to the including of Keurig carafe, you can start your brewing with K-cup and K-carafe pods. Plus, it is designed with new K2.0 brew technology, allowing it to deal with the lid of being-used K-carafe pod or the K-cup to always ensure an ideal brew. It offers a separate setting for you to brew other drinks, like mocha, hot cocoa, and chai. This model is for those who like to experience new technology and look for perfect coffee at home.

K350

Keurig 2.0 K350 review

The K350 is one of the most popular model. Beside the features popular among Keurig 2.0 models, this unit gets high appreciation for it allows the strength control and setting for either a cup or a carafe. Also, it comes with a user-friendly touchscreen. In term of production, it offers more than 400 well-matched K-Cup pack from almost 60 different brands. Plus, it offers six K-Cup packs along with four K-Carafe packs for you to get started. It is an ideal choice to those who are new to Keurig

K450

Keurig 2.0 K450 review

This model introduces some new features that are not available in other affordable models. It has the same features as the three models mentioned above, but the water reservoir is better-lit and offers a flip top lid as a bonus. Rather than two basic colors of Black and White, it is available some more colors. It claims to offer smooth and flavorful coffee in the end. This models is for home using also and suitable for those who most consider smooth and flavorful result in the end.

K500

Keurig 2.0 K500 review

Keurig 2.0 K500 is perfect choice if you are looking for a brewing machine to brew coffee for the whole family or a larger crowd. It offers 10 different brew sizes. It features the same parts as the K450. But as it serves more drinkers, it has capacity of up to 80 ounces. Similarly, color touch display is bigger than other models with the size of 2.8 inches.

K550

Keurig 2.0 K550 review

As a model by Keurig 2.0, Keurig 2.0 K550 comes with common features and design of Keurig’s usual formula. It looks like the Platinum Plus Brewing System.  It is great for making quick cup (or carafe) of coffee with the least work possible.

K575

Keurig 2.0 K575 review

This is one more ultimate coffee maker by Keurig 2.0. it is built with innovative Keurig 2.0 Brewing Technology, allows reading the lid of each K-Cup, K-Carafe or K-Mug, making sure of always perfect beverage. It allows brewing a 4-cup carafe, as easy and convenient as brewing a single-serve cup. You are given over 500 varieties from 75 brands you love. It is ideal for those who want to enjoy various coffee flavors with simple brewing.

Keurig 2.0 Thermal Carafe

Keurig 2.0 Thermal Carafe

This great 4-cup stainless steel carafe is specially designed for Keurig 2.0 brewers. Beside amazing features of a keurig 2.0 brewer, it is designed with vacuum-sealed technology, making sure that your beverages will be always fresh and warm for your enjoyment. It is a should-have item for those who often enjoy coffee once after finishing brewing.

All of these models are almost the same, the differences, if have, are slight.

This table shows some key differences among the three main brands, K350, K450, K550.

Model K350 K450 K550
Water reservoir 60 ounces 70 ounces 80 ounces
Touch screen – Black and white only

– Measured: 2’’

– Colorful

– Measured: 2’’

– Colorful

– Measured: 3.5”

Cup size options 10 different sizes 10 different sizes 10 different sizes
Dimensions
HxWxD
13.45”x10.43”x13.63” 16”x12.7”x18.3” 16”x12.7”x18.3”
Weight 13.6 lbs. 13.7 lbs. 13.9 lbs.
Hot water producing No No Yes
Walter filter kit Yes Yes Yes
Cleaning brew option No-brew a cycle with no K-cup inserted No-brew a cycle with no K-cup inserted No-brew a cycle with no K-cup inserted
My K-cup reusable filter Doesn’t accept Doesn’t accept Doesn’t accept
Night light color and ouch screen wallpaper and options No No 4 colors available to choose from, including: read, blue, green and white.
Language options Three language options are built in to choose from, including English, Spanish and French Three language options are built in to choose from, including English, Spanish and French Three language options are built in to choose from, including English, Spanish and French

In general, they share the same working way as the traditional Keurigs do-Pop in a K-cup and brew. But with the addition of 2.0 brewing technology, you can program the coffee strength and choose your desired cup sizes out of the 10 available sizes, which range from 4 to 30 ounces. And whatever models you are about to use, you can brew a single cup within minute.

The models which introduce 32-ounce carafe and the number of K-carafe packs allow you to make up to 4 cups in a brewing time. And the whole time to finish this process is around 3 minutes- a bit longer compared to brewing a single cup. To be clearer about each model, I recommend you checking detailed Keurig 2.0 K350 review, Keurig 2.0 k450, Keurig 2.0 K550 review. Here I’d like to focus on the basics of the whole system.

Keurig 2.0 main features

Keurig 2.0 brewing system comes with a number of outstanding features, some of them can be summarized as follow:

  • They are amazing single coffee maker for personal use.
  • Rather than single cup, you are allowed to brew a small carafe of up to 4 single cup combination.
  • The brewing process is adjustable to suit K-cup, K-carafe, or Vue pack which is being used.
  • You can select the coffee strength as your preference.
  • There are up to 10 brewing sizes to choose from.
  • They introduce a big water container
  • The auto on/off feature is available
  • The drip is removable, making it easy for tall mugs
  • The touchscreen is clear and easy to read
  • There are 4 languages for you to choose, including English, French and Spanish.
  • And much more

Types of coffee can be used

The types of coffee can be used depend on your cup size option, particularly:

Small cups size of 4, 6, 8, and 10 ounces work only with K-cups with special encoding in the lids and produced after July 2014, which maybe not available in some retailed shops. But you can ask for a coupon to exchange for a new one if you want to replace your old one.

Large cup sizes of 12, 14 and 16 sizes match only Vue packs, which are slightly being changed to work with 2.0 system.

Small K-carafes are required when you want to brew a small carafe of coffee, of course. And now, there are 10 different flavors for you to choose from.

Type of coffee brewed

Keurig 2.0 models claim to offer coffee of various roasts and flavors which is like a flavor collection from popular coffee brands. You even have much more option when using Vue packs and carafe packs.

Multi-function options

When the machines are not inserted with a K-Cup or K-carafe, they can be used to produce hot water to make hot tea, chocolate, other hot drinks, oatmeal…but the working way is slightly different. While the K550 model comes with a button for both dispensing and holding down hot water, other models are able to produce hot water during brewing with no need of a coffee pod.

When K-cups are added, the machines are to directly make hot chocolate, iced tea, lemonade, espresso, so on. If you brew hot cocoa, it is recommended running a cleaning brew to make sure that the needles won’t clog up. (The process is different among the models, so check the manual enclosed in the box for detailed instructions).

Filter

These machines do not require any coffee or water filter. But models K550/K560, K450/K460, K350/K360 still introduce optional water filter kit, which you can turn off when you don’t need them. This water filter is helpful to improve the off-tasting water flavor, and offer better tasting coffee in the end.

Water

Bottled or filtered water are recommended for all Keurig models, especially when your water comes with somewhat “off” taste due to chlorine or some other substances. The optional water filter kit built in K350, K450 and K550 can only improve the water taste, not take out the mineral that can be collected inside the machines. Plus, softened water, hard water, reverse osmosis water and distilled water are all not recommended.

Keep in mind that no matter what type of water used, mineral deposits will be likely to build up inside the machine. So in order to make sure that your unit will always in good performance, do cleaning regularly to remove such deposits.

Brewing time

The time to finish a brewing depends on your selected cup sizes. Normally, it requires almost 1 minute to  produce a cup of coffee and almost 3 minutes to produce a carafe of coffee.

Control

All machines controlling is done through an easy-to-use touch screen. The power button is designed in the bottom at the right corner of the touch screen. It is only visible when the unit is on.

What is in the full box?

A full box of Keurig 2.0 include:

  • Coffee maker
  • Carafe
  • Water filter kit ( not available in modelas K300, K400 and K500)
  • Manual for users
  • Quick-start instruction
  • K-cup of various back

Warranty

The machine comes with a one-year warranty. But it is only valid if the defects are caused under normal use at home in the U.S and Canada.

Customer service

The customer service is available 7 days a week. So if you run into any issues when using the machine, please contact by phone at working time or by email at any time. The manufacture staff will be always willing to help you with any performance issues.

To the issues on refunds or replacements, you are recommended contacting the sellers. In case of replacements, you should contact to ask for help from manufacturer first because they may suggest useful solution, sometimes no replacement is required. Remember that warranty will be invalid if you take out the machine and fix the problems yourself. So be careful with any action.

Good things

With the knowledge in product features and product parts above, we can summarize the good things of the system with some points as follow:

  • They are great single cup brewing machines which are easy to use
  • They offer the hot and freshest coffee ever.
  • They make no mess when performing and are easy to clean
  • They offer various coffee flavors, just by inserting a new K-cup, you will have a cup of coffee of your desired flavor
  • Rather than coffee, they allow brewing a lot of other beverages which are all in variety of flavors.
  • You can brew extra bold coffee if you want
  • There are 8 to 10 brewing cup sizes for you to choose from
  • They work with Vue pack to produce larger cup of coffee with full flavor
  • You can make a carafe of up tp 4 single cups at the same time, using K-carafe packs
  • Carafe is programmable to make automatic brewing at pre-set time.
  • Although some types of water are recommended and some other types are not, the machines do not require any special water.
  • Auto on.off feature is included.

Bad things

There are some things in the machines that are not perfect, including:

  • They do not work with My K-cup reusable coffee filters or alternatives to brew ground coffee
  • They do not accept K-cups produced before July, 2014.
  • They work with Vue packs for bigger cup sizes,  but some Vue packs haven’t been changed to work with Keurig 2.0.
  • Regular cleaning is required for perfect performance.

User reviews

I have found hundreds of Keurig 2.0 review from users. In general, most of the users are satisfied with these great brewing machines. On the other hand, there are also some users who are not very happy with the machine at some extends.

Many of those who support the products share that they like the models because they offer better coffee, especially the stronger coffee option which is hardly found in other coffee maker brands. In addition, the machines are all easy to use, they can make their fresh cup of coffee after reading some instructions. The machines are also highly appreciated because they offer option to brew a carafe, which is especially convenient when you need to serve some people at the same time.

Those who don’t like the units say that they are not happy that they cannot brew their favorite ground coffee.

Actually, there are a lot of more reviews around Keurig 2.0 system, such as they offer users various coffee flavors, they allow various cup size options, the brewing process are fully programmed… , but due to the limited time, I’d like to share some. These reviews are not many, the information about product features, pros and cons above is enough for you to have a correct assessment about the product, I believe.

Tips for easier and better using

Besides the deep understanding about the machines, some tips from users are helpful for you to run the machine with ease and effectiveness. Reading the below information to discover:

  • Run the machine (without K-cups) with a cup of white vinegar and some water brewing after that to eliminate unwanted taste and smell.
  • In case the travel mug doesn’t fit the machine well, set the machine on top of a box or a book to improve the distance between the counter and the dispenser nozzle.
  • Remove the K-Cup once after finish brewing to prevent clogged needles.
  • Make a cleaning brew after brewing milk-based K-Cups like hot cocoa.
  • Study some hacks through Youtube:

– To makes use of old K-cups, cut the new one’s top and attach it to the old one.

– Enjoy more cup sizes, using a magnet

Final words

In short, Keurig 2.0 is really a goof brewing system. The models introduce an advanced brewing technology and basic brewing option to offer the best tasting coffee possible. Most users, especially those who like rich bold coffee, agree that coffee brewed with a 2.0 is better than that brewed with the former K-cup coffee makers. Also, the big water reservoirs means that less refill will be required and the possibility of carafe brewing means that you won’t have to make the second brewing for second serving. And there are a lot of more great things that you have read through my honest and complete Keurig 2.0 review. So if you are planning to invest in a new coffee maker, Keurig 2.0 is a worth consideration! Let’s check and have decision as soon as possible!

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