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Keurig K-Classic Review

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By Matt Woodburn-Simmonds

Picture this: Rolling out of bed still half asleep and pressing one button. That effort rewards you with a delicious hit of coffee. How can you get this simplicity? Well, that’s what this Keurig K-Class review is here to tell you.

Giant of America’s coffee landscape, Keurig, is one of the leading manufacturers of coffee brewing systems worldwide. They specialize in single-serve coffee machines and their own brand of coffee pods, the K-Cup. Within their coffee maker range lies their iconic K-Classic machine.

The Keurig K55 and K50 were previously much-loved coffee machines in the Keurig line-up. Both have now been discontinued and have been replaced by the K-Classic. If you are looking for a no-frills, couldn’t-be-simpler approach to quality coffee then you are in the right place.

Here we breakdown our full Keurig K-Classic Review to find out if this is the top coffee machine for you. We have scoured the internet for all the expert reviews on this machine to collate with our own. This means we have the most comprehensive single-serve coffee maker reviews you can find. Whilst not all home coffee experts give numerical scores, we have averaged these out. Therefore, you can get a consensus opinion on how good this coffee machine is, and know for sure if it is the right fit for you.

This article may contain affiliate/ compensated links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. For more information please see our disclaimer here.

At a Glance: Keurig K-Classic Review

Keurig K-Classic single serve espresso machine

The Keurig K-Classic is a very solid single-serve espresso machine at a great price.

It is limited in terms of having no milk frother and no “strong” feature. But if you want to chuck a pod in a machine and have your favorite coffee at home in less than 5 minutes, then it’s a good option.

The pods can be expensive. However, you can use non-Keurig branded pods or reusable pods to bring the cost down.

The K-Classic also has the ability to use a travel mug which is a nice feature. This single-serve machine is one for those looking for maximum convenience and minimal price.

Pros

  • Can brew in three cup sizes
  • Works with unbranded pods
  • Easy to clean
  • Fast brewing
  • Easy to use
  • Hot water option

Cons

  • Noisy when brewing
  • Large footprint
  • Can clog easily
  • Mostly made of plastic

Average Rating

  • Expert rating: 8.3/10
  • Customer Rating: 9.4/10
  • Our Rating: 8.5/10
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Key Features Review

1. Three Brew Sizes

With this intuitive coffee machine, you can brew coffee in multiple sizes. The K-Classic comes with the option to make your coffee in 3 brew sizes – 6oz, 8oz, and 10oz. So there will always be the perfect size for you. Coffee lovers will prefer the 6oz option for a stronger flavor. The larger sizes can be a little thin.

2. 48oz Removable Water Tank

Taking countless trips to the faucet might not be the most difficult task in the world, but it is an extra step between you and that much-needed coffee hit. So, the large water tank on the K-Classic is an added bonus. At 48oz, you can brew a 6oz cup of coffee for 8 days straight before you need to refill. Being removable, the water tank can be easily re-filled at the faucet, then re-fitted.

3. Compatible with all K-Cups

The K-Classic Coffee Maker will take any K-Cup coffee pods. This means that you can choose your favorite coffee, in pod form, and be able to enjoy it. There are loads of well-known names who make K-Cups including Starbucks, McCafe, Gevalia, Folgers, Dunkin Donuts – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. So you will have endless options to explore and choose from, knowing that your favorite coffee almost certainly comes in a K-Cup.

4. Automatic Off Function

If your mornings are a mad dash from one errand to the next, and by the time you get to work, you are left worrying if you left the coffee maker on. Well, worry no more. The K-Classic has an “Auto Off” function. All you have to do is enable it, then after two hours of sitting idle, the coffee maker will automatically turn itself off. This is a very handy feature that is common in the more expensive machines. When this feature is present, the “auto-off” tends to kick in earlier than 2 hours, however, for the price it is a great option.

5. Replaceable water filter

The K-Classic comes with two water filters as it is recommended that this is replaced every 60 days (or every 120 tank refills). You sit the water filter inside the Keurig K-Cup water reservoir meaning that you don’t have to worry about hard or soft water tainting the flavor of your favorite coffees. Keeping on top of replacing the filter will ensure you keep getting great-tasting coffee. When it is time to replace, it is very simple to do.

6. Fast Brewing

The last thing you want when you wake up in the morning is to stand around waiting for your first cup of coffee. And the K-Classic has your back. It’s pretty fast, taking around 4 to 5 minutes for the first cup. After that, it will take less than a minute for your next cup. 

7. Travel Mug Compatible 

Getting ready for the commute to work couldn’t be easier. You no longer have to decant from a carafe into your favorite travel mug. With the Keurig K Classic, you can pop your travel mug straight on your coffee machine and brew straight into it. Your travel mug just needs to be 7.1″ or less in order to fit.

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Is it Easy to use the Keurig K-Classic?

The Keurig K-Classic is very easy to use. Single serve coffee makers exist for the sole purpose of making things as easy as possible for you to make great coffee at home. Really, it’s the entire point of the exercise. The Keurig K-Classic doesn’t disappoint on this front.

From filling the removable water tank to deep cleaning the needles and descaling, it’s all about simplicity. Although the K Classic doesn’t have an LCD screen, the buttons are very easy to use. This intuitive coffee maker has little lights to indicate when the water tank needs to be filled, or the machine needs descaling.

It takes about 5 minutes from the machine being turned on to having a cup of coffee in your hands, then about 1 minute to brew any subsequent cup of coffee. All you need to do is just put the pod in and press the button indicating the size you want, and you’re ready to enjoy your freshly brewed cup of coffee.

Close-up of the buttons on the Keurig K-Classic single serve machine
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Does the Keurig K-Classic Use Beans, Grounds, or Pods?

The Keurig K-Classic uses K-Cup pods. However, unlike Keuring 2.0, it does not have a scanner. This means you can use any type of K-Cup pod and not just the Keurig branded ones. This is super as it significantly expands your horizons into the quite dizzying array of options on the market.

We can guarantee that there is a K-Cup pod out there for the type of coffee you enjoy drinking. Unless, of course, you only drink medium roast from a specific plantation in Jamaica or something. But even for those who are insanely specific about their coffee beans (we get it), you can also use your own ground coffee. To do so, you need to purchase a Keurig My K-Cup, a reusable, re-fillable basket that fits in just like a pod.

The My K-Cup is great for 2 reasons. The obvious is the freedom to use your own beans. Although this will involve having a separate grinder or buying ground coffee. But, secondly, is the environmental impact. K-Cup pods are unrecyclable so leave behind a big footprint. Yes, you can take all the individual components of the pod apart and recycle them separately. But, realistically, who has the time to consistently do that?!

It’s important to note that the K-Classic doesn’t accept K-Carafe or K-Mug pods though. Only the K-Cup ones.

Keurig K-Classic sitting with the lid open to see where the K-Cup goes
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Design and Build Quality Review

The Keurig K-Classic is quite a tall machine at 13.3 inches high. But the additional height is partly so it can accommodate a 7.1 inches tall travel mug, so it’s hard to draw this as a big negative. The large 48oz water tank also contributes to the large size. The footprint is about 1 square foot which is big for a single serve coffee maker. But if you have the counter space, the water tank and travel mug compatibility are both great features to have. Whilst quite bulky, the water reservoir is easy to refill and replace without spilling water everywhere.

The buttons are clear and easy to use. Plus, the various LED lights mean the lack of a display isn’t really a big issue. The only time this might bother you is if you like having a clock on your coffee machine. There are 2 color options – black and rhubarb (red). So, hardly a full rainbow of options to brighten your kitchen. But at this price point, it’s pretty rare to have much choice when it comes to aesthetics.

The machine is mostly plastic though. Whilst we wouldn’t say it looks “cheap”, it does raise questions about the K-Classic’s long-term durability. It should be noted though that there aren’t many complaints of the machine degrading badly over time. And you do have a 1-year warranty if you have any issues within this period.

The auto-off feature is a nice touch. So if you forget to turn your coffee machine off, it will automatically do this for you after 2 hours. The only downside is that 2 hours is quite a long time if you just make a cup of coffee in the morning and then you’re out the door. But it’s not a common feature on all espresso machines in the budget price range so definitely still a plus.

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How Good is the Coffee from a Keurig K-Classic?

The coffee from the Keurig K-Classic is pretty good. It’s consistent and full flavored at the 6oz size. It tends to get a bit weak if making a 10oz cup and it’s not as good as fresh ground coffee from an espresso machine can be. But it is much much easier to make.

It’s basically impossible to make coffee wrong with this single-serve coffee maker – no matter how tired or hungover you are. So the consistency is excellent. If you’ve never used a K-Cup coffee machine before, it may take some time to find the right pods for you. So, to help you with your search, when you buy the Keurig K-Classic we recommend getting a selection of K-Cup pods to get you started.

There is no “strong” setting on this Keurig machine. This is a common feature on more expensive single-serve machines, including the Keurig 2.0. So if you find the coffee is a bit weak, you’ll need to try more pods until you find one more appropriate for your tastes.

Also, although the K Classic does produce 3 different brew sizes, this is using the same pod. So you’ll find that a 10oz cup of coffee made by a Keurig machine will not be as strong as an 8oz cup. Now, this is fine if you like an americano style coffee. But if you want a long, strong coffee you’ll need to use multiple pods, which can get very expensive very fast.

We highly recommend using a re-usable My K-Cup if you have your own grinder or have a favorite type of ground coffee. This is for 2 reasons:

  1. It will save you A LOT of money in the long run
  2. It massively reduces the plastic waste from all those pods, there is no Planet B after all

If you do go down this route, make sure you follow the instructions carefully on filling your My K-Cup. If you use too much coffee, it will cause the machine to overflow.

Keurig K-Classic machine making a coffee
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Bells and Whistles

There really are no bells and whistles to speak of with the K Classic coffee maker. What you see is what you get.

But being the generous types that we are, we’ll say the auto-off feature is a nice extra. It isn’t available on all machines at this price point so while it is limited, it is still very nice to have. As is being able to fit a travel mug. It certainly makes the mad dash for the morning commute that little bit easier and, is again, very rare on the more entry-level machines.

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How to Clean the Keurig K-Classic

A little LED will light up when the coffee machine needs to be descaled. The descaling process is ridiculously easy to do. Essentially you just run descaling liquid, or white wine vinegar, through your machine a few times. The whole process takes around 30 minutes, and you can have a little sit down for most of this time, which is nice. Just remember to make a coffee before you start if you want to enjoy a freshly brewed cup whilst you are waiting!

Depending on how often you use your coffee maker, descaling will need to be done every 3 to 6 months.

The pods mean there are no coffee grounds to deal with. Although if you use re-usable pods like My K-Cup, there will be. But coffee grounds are actually super useful and there are loads of things you can do with them. Or, you can just bin them.

The removable drip tray can be rinsed out every day with great ease and with minimal effort, you’ll have a sparkly machine sat on your countertop.

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Best Accessories for the Keurig K-Classic

To keep your K-Classic running in top conditions you really only need a couple of things. Coffee pods, water filters and descaling solution. As long as you have these three things, you’ll be happily humming along in coffee heaven.

First up – the coffee pods. It’s pretty hard to run a pod machine without pods!

When you are getting started we recommend getting a sample pack of different K-Cups. This will allow you to have a good taste of what’s out there before you commit. With so many options, it can take a little trial and error to find your favorite.

You can always cut straight to My K-Cup. This is a reusable, refillable basket that you can put any ground coffee beans into. The My K-Cup then fits into the machine just like any normal pod, but without the environmental impact.

When you first purchase the K-Classic, you get two water filters included. These will last you a good while (around 60 days each). But, it’s always worth keeping a supply of filters so you don’t run out. Whilst they are optional, the carbon filters remove any nasties from your water. And since one of the main parts of coffee is water, we recommend keeping this to the highest quality you can.

The only other thing you will need is descaling solution or white wine vinegar. By keeping up with the descaling of your machine, you will significantly increase its lifespan. A vinegar solution can leave behind a slight flavor or smell. Instead, you can use the Keurig Descaling Solution. Purchasing a coffee maker is an investment, so should be looked after like one too.

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Final Thoughts on Keurig K-Classic Review

This espresso maker is the perfect addition to any home. Not only does it look sleek, but it’ss also user-friendly. The Keurig K Classic (previously the Keurig K55) is a little on the big side, although the positive of this is that it can accommodate travel mugs. With the capability of brewing coffee by any K-Cup brand on the market, owning the K-Classic opens up a world of possibilities. Pods come in all flavors, covering coffee, tea and hot cocoa – so there really is something for everyone.

Being a plug-and-play, single-serve coffee maker, there are no customizable options in terms of water temperature or pressure. This makes the K-Classic espresso machine insanely easy to use.

So, if you’re after a single-serve K-Cup espresso machine to make your favorite K-Cup coffees at home, but don’t want to splash out, then this is a really solid option for the price.

Nevertheless, if you’re buying a single-serve pod machine like Keurig or Nespresso, it is important to consider the cost of the pods too. Whilst the K-Classic is a budget espresso machine, the pods cost the same regardless of the coffee machine’s price bracket.

We will leave you with our last thoughts on this Keurig K-Classic Review. If you are in the market to upgrade from an old-fashioned drip coffee maker or want something sleek and easy, the K Classic is a fantastic introductory coffee machine for use in any home or office.

Don’t forget to Buy Your Keurig K Classic Today

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Matt Woodburn-Simmonds

Matt's coffee obsession started in 2006 when working as a Barista. A tendency to turn up to work hungover kickstarted his coffee journey which quickly turned into a love affair. As he moved on to work as a Restaurant Manager and Sommelier, the obsession continued to grow. Now, his passion is helping others to enjoy better coffee at home.

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