Keurig B100 Coffee Maker Review
This Keurig coffee maker is very well made. It is much more solidly constructed than most of its competitors. Though not a small unit, it is trim in appearance. Its solidity comes from its physical depth, as the water reservoir is towards the back of the unit, giving it a long, foot-like countertop footprint: toes at the front, heel at the back. The Keurig B100 works best with traditional coffee mugs, and the base accommodates coffee mugs of just about any width, so long as they're not too tall (taller travel mugs do not fit under the nozzle).
The top of the Keurig's water reservoir opens and shuts easily, the k-cup holder slides out and in smoothly, and the standalone bottom drip tray slides out easily for cleaning. The "brew" button is obviously located and easy to press, giving some tactile feedback when it has been properly depressed.
The Keurig coffee maker has its own language of lights, a very friendly feature. The unit's "brew" button will blink once a k-cup has been inserted, letting you know its time to brew. The unit will also blink when there is insufficient water to brew a cup, prompting you to add water to the reservoir.
The Keurig B100 uses proprietary k-cups: small, sealed cups that hold enough coffee or tea for a measured 8-ounce serving. Like pod-based coffee makers, The Keurig B100 is pressurized and effectively shoots the water through a puncture in the k-cup. Several companies have adapted their offerings for delivery via k-cup, including Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Gloria Jeans, Celestial Seasonings, Timothy's, Diedrich's, and others. The k-cup's primary advantage is that it protects its contents from heat, moisture, oxygen, and other destructive elements.
The Keurig B100 Brewing System has a large water reservoir with refill capacity of 64 oz. Each brewed cup is 8 oz., meaning the water reservoir has 8-cup capacity, though in reality it will hold closer to 10 cups. The unit is not programmable. The reservoir is not removable, although it can be drained out of the back of the unit. Keurig recommends that you keep the B100 turned on with its water reservoir filled at all times so that when it comes time to brew a cup it's a simple as popping in a k-cup and hitting the "brew" button. This is what I found myself doing, and it's incredibly convenient.
The unit brews an excellent cup of coffee, and this is where Keurig's k-cup really shines. The reason the Keurig B100 makes great coffee (and tea) is that the coffee is pre-measured and sealed into k-cups to lock in the freshness and protect against moisture and other factors that compromise quality during storage.
A cup brews in about 45 seconds and there's an audible release of pressure (sounds like the whoosh of a very small steam train releasing excess steam) when the cup is done with its drip. The 8 oz. size of each serving originally struck me as small. But I have come to realize that 8 oz. is just about the perfect size for drinking in a single sitting because you can finish the cup before the coffee or tea cools off too much. It’d be nice to have the option to make a 12 or 16 oz. cup, but this can be accomplished with back-to-back brews (meaning 90 seconds instead of 45), so it’s not too big a deal.
The drip tray assembly simply slides in and out of a slot at the base, making it incredibly easy to clean. The nozzle of the unit may very occasionally need to be cleaned if a clog occurs. The unit ships with a cleaning tool that can be inserted into the exit needle of the nozzle to clean it out. It is worth noting that after brewing approximately 100 cups of coffee and tea, I have not run into a clog. In fact, one of the strengths of the k-cup is that it prevents coffee grounds from escaping into the rest of the unit.
The Keurig B100 coffee maker apparently needs to be "de-scaled" every 6 months or so. The unit prompts you with a blinking yellow light when it is time to de-scale, and instructions are in the manual.
The design of the Keurig B100 Brewing System is elegant and stylish, on the verge of eye-catching. The unit would look right at home in a small office or on your kitchen counter, and groups or families with diverse tastes will find all kinds of teas and coffees to choose from, caffeinated and decaf.
