To make a good cup of coffee, you need a good coffee maker. And when you talk about good coffee makers, you cannot go without mentioning Keurig’s coffee machines. Today’s guide will tackle the question: How does a Keurig work? We will look into everything that happens in the coffee machine when you turn it on and start a brewing process!

Keurig is a well-known company with more than a hundred distribution centers and warehouses all over the US. It sources, produces, and distributes various types of beverages but is mostly known for its K-Cups. Once you try them out, you will know exactly why they are so popular among people of all generations!

If you have finally decided to get a Keurig coffee machineor are still thinking about it, I have this cool and easy guide that will teach you all about the machine and how it functions. After reading this guide, you will feel like a pro at all things Keurig, so I strongly urge you to stay tuned throughout it!

How Does a Keurig Work? Everything You Should Know

Today, I will not focus on how the Keurig coffee machine can be used to brew a great cup of coffee, but I will go into more detail on the functioning of this type of coffee maker. Even though there are a lot of Keurig coffee machines out there, some more sophisticated than others, they all function in the same way. Let’s see what you should know about the functioning of the device.

The Water Container

One of the things that separate Keurig coffee machine from other coffee machines is the ability to keep the water hot at all times. This allows you to brew your coffee much faster, and if you are someone who leads a pretty busy life, you will appreciate this feature a lot!

But why is it that the water stays hot at all times? Well, once you turn the Keurig machine on, it uses a bit of energy to heat the water in the container and keep it at a certain temperature until you need to use it. Then, through a system of tubes within the device, the water is sent from the container into the chamber where you place the K-cup, and it is used to brew the coffee.

I also need to mention that if you turn the device off or unplug it after use, the water in the chamber will get cold. I recommend that you keep the device on throughout the day if you are planning on brewing coffee a few times that day. If you tend to drink only one cup of coffee per day, then you can consider turning the machine off after brewing.

The K-Cup Chamber

One of the downsides to Keurigs is the fact that they can only be used with K-cups. They are not compatible with other coffee pods, but there are a lot of K-cups to choose from, so this is not that big of a negative after all!

How Does a Keurig Work: Everything You Should Know

On the front of the machine, there is a handle that you need to lift so you can place the K-cup in the chamber. There is a special place for the K-cup, and you have to set it perfectly so that the device can do its thing.

After placing a K-cup in the device and starting the brew, the machine will use puncture needles to place two holes in the K-cup, one on the upper side and one on the lower side.

The K-cup consists of a cup that has an air-tight seal on the top and a filter on the inside. The coffee grounds are placed within the filter. So, to extract coffee from them, the machine has to puncture the seal on the top as well as the cup on the lower part. The brewed coffee then exits through the filter and the device, right into the cup you set on the drip tray.

The Puncture Needles

As I have already mentioned, these needles puncture the K-cup when you start the brewing process. They are crucial as the water and pressure cannot do anything to the coffee grounds as long as they are sealed inside the cup. So, these needles are necessary to get the brew started.

The only thing you should remember about the needles is that after using the machine for some time, they might have some coffee grounds stuck to them. This means you should clean them periodically if you want them to keep doing a good job. The cleaning is not even that hard—you can easily find some tutorials online and do it yourself!

The Pressure System

I already mentioned that by starting the brew, the coffee machine uses some of the water from the water container and runs it through the tubes right into the K-cup chamber, where it is used to brew the coffee. You should also know that the water is under a certain pressure so that you can get a better cup of coffee.

What makes the Keurig different from other coffee makers is that the pressure used is not as strong. A typical espresso machine uses anywhere from 9 to 15 bars of pressure when brewing coffee, but you will not be able to get the same pressure from the Keurig machine. This may, in turn, affect the taste of the coffee.

Keurig coffee, even those brewed in the smallest volume and using the strong or shot button would never technically be espresso. But you can still get rich, strong, delicious coffee from your Keurig, even if it’s not espresso.

FAQs on How a Keurig Works

Now that you have seen how you are supposed to use a Keurig coffee maker, you should be aware of a few other key pieces of information before using your machine. Let’s see what else you should know about Keurig coffee makers!

What is the best way to clean a Keurig coffee maker?

Keurig has come up with its own descaling solutions. I would recommend that you use them when cleaning your machine – using another type of solution can be risky as you do not know if the solution is suitable for the machine you have.

The deep cleaning of the machine should take place every three to six months. In the meantime, you can give the water container a good cleanse. That should be enough to keep your machine working properly!

Can you use tap water in Keurig?

Yes, you can certainly use tap water in your Keurig coffee maker. However, if possible, I would advise that you stick with filtered water just because it will give your coffee a better taste.

Also, if the water you use has a high amount of chemicals or minerals, you can cause your machine to malfunction. To lower the chances of that happening, I would again recommend that you use filtered water.

How many times can you use a K-Cup?

If you have a Keurig coffee maker that works with K-Cups, you should know that the K-Cup can only be used once to brew coffee. After using the cup, you should remove it from the pod holder and replace it with a new one.

With that being said, you should also be aware of the fact that K-Cups are quite different from regular coffee pods. If you try to run your Keurig with a regular coffee pod, chances are that it will not work. You will have to get the specific type of K-Cups suitable for your coffee maker so that you will be able to brew your coffee.

That’s How a Keurig Coffee Maker Works!

Congrats, you have reached the end of this guide. I hope that you learned a lot of valuable information on the design of the Keurig coffee maker and how the device functions. Keep these things in mind when you get this type of coffee maker and you get to use it for the first time.

Let me know in the comments below if you have ever used a Keurig coffee maker before and what you thought of it. Also, let me know what your favorite K-Cup flavor is so that I can try it out next time. I cannot wait to read all your comments!