Keurig vs. Starbucks Verismo vs. Senseo Coffee Brewing Systems

Single Serve Coffee Brewing Systems

There are three major competitors in the single serve coffee brewing market:

• Keurig
• Starbucks Verismo
• Senseo

These coffee machines promise a hot fresh cup of coffee fast.  Which is better: Keurig, Verismo, or Senseo?

Keurig Review

The Keurig brewer uses small plastic cups filled with ground coffee called K-cups.  The K-cups have a tiny built-in coffee filter and are sealed with a foil lid to maintain freshness.  The Keurig brewer has a needle that punctures the foil lid injects hot water into the K-cup.  A cup of coffee is brewed in about 15 seconds.

Keurig Coffee Brewers start at about $65

The Keurig coffee brewing systems are currently very popular, and the machines and K-cups are readily available:

• Keurig machines and K-cups are common on store shelves at discount stores (Wal-mart, Target, K-mart)
• There are several Keurig machines at the office
• K-cups are sold in grocery stores

Keurig machines vary in cost depending on the size and control screen options.  The price range is about
$65 to $500.

The K-cups cost about 65 cents per cup, which is about twice the cost of the same amount of gourmet ground coffee.  A new Keurig brewer format has been released that uses Keurig Vue Packs instead of K-cups.

K-cup for Keurig Brewer contains ground coffee and built-in coffee filter
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Starbucks Verismo Review

The Starbucks Verismo brews coffee in a manner similar to the Keurig brewer.  The Verismo uses plastic cups called Verismo Pods that contain ground coffee and a built-in filter.  Like Keurig's K-cups, the Verismo Pods are also sealed with foil lids to maintain freshness.  The Verismo Pods appear to be about half the size of K-cups.  Like Keurig, the Verismo produces a fast, hot cup of coffee.

Verismo System 580 sells for about $180
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Unlike Keurig, the Verismo also has milk pods.  These are used to brew latte drinks.  The milk pods are filled with milk rather than ground coffee.  The Verismo machine comes in 5 color choices.

Verismo Pods cost about 65 cents each for brewed coffee pods, $1.25 for espresso pods and milk pods.

Verismo with Verismo Pod
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Senseo Review

Senseo coffee pods are sort of like round tea bags that contain ground coffee.  This is an older style of single serve brewer.  The machine opens up to allow you to insert a Senseo Pod.  Senseo machines start at about $65.

The Senseo pods are much less expensive than Keurig or Verismo pods at about 35 cents each.  This is about the same cost as ground gourmet coffee.  Sometimes you can find cheap Senseo coffee brewers on eBay.

Keurig vs Verismo vs Senseo Review

Machine Cost:

• Keurig and Senseo entry level machines are much less expensive
• You can find basic Senseo machines very cheap- around $25
• A Verismo machine costs about twice as much for a similar system
• Look for better Verrismo prices on eBay or Amazon instead of buying in a Starbucks store

Availability of Coffee Pods:

• Keurig K-cups are easily found in grocery, discount stores, and on-line
• Verismo Pods can be found at Starbucks stores and on-line
• Senseo Pods can be found at some discount stores and on-line, but are not as easy to find as Keurig K-cups

Cost of Coffee Pods:

• Senseo is the cheapest at about 35 cents per cup
• Keurig and Verismo are the same for brewed coffee at about 65 cents per cup
• Verismo has some more expensive pods for espresso and latte drinks

Coffee Quality:

• Keurig and Verismo produce high quality coffee
• Senseo tastes a bit watered down- too much "tea bag" flavor
• Senseo pods also go stale much more quickly than K-cups or Verismo Pods

Recommendation:

• Keurig is the best value for brewed coffee: inexpensive entry-level machine, readily available coffee pods, and makes great tasting coffee.  Check out Keurig coffee brewer deals on eBay.
• Keurig has refillable K-cups available so that you can use your own ground coffee to make your own K-cups to save money.
• Verismo may be worth considering if you want espresso or latte drinks as well as brewed coffee.  Check out Starbucks Verismo coffee brewer deals on eBay
• If cost is a major factor, Senseo is the least expensive single server brewing system.  Both the Senseo brewer and the Senseo coffee pods are the least expensive option.

Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

How Does the New York City Soda Ban Affect Coffee?

Why do I Care about the Soda Ban in NYC?

I have never been to New York City, and I don’t drink soda.  So why do I care about the soda ban in NYC?  The ban affects coffee, and that’s something I care about…

Will the NYC Soda Ban Affect Coffee?

The soda ban in New York City, which goes into effect on Tuesday March 12, 2013, bans the sale of soda in servings of over 16 ounces.  This applies only to “regular” soda and not diet soda.  Coffee over 16 ounces is also impacted by the regulation if sugar is added.  It is then a sweetened beverage like soda and is regulated.  Most coffee shops and fast food restaurants will comply with the regulation by having customers add their own sugar and flavoring to coffee over 16 ounces.  Others may limit adding a certain number of packets to the coffee based on the size of the coffee.

NYC Soda Ban will Affect Coffee over 16 oz with Sugar Added
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

What will this mean for coffee drinkers and their morning routine?  I see 3 likely ways coffee drinkers will deal with this starting Tuesday morning:

1. If coffee drinkers want the convenience of having the barista add their sugar, they could order a smaller size- 16 oz or less.  I would anticipate few coffee drinkers would take this approach.  If you are used to drinking a 20 oz or 24 oz coffee, a smaller size simply will not do.    However some people will probably switch to either drinking one smaller coffee, or simply ordering 2 small coffees with the amount of sugar they like added.
2. Another approach would be to order the same size coffee as usual, but drink it black instead of adding sugar.  Again, unlikely for most people.  If you are used to cream and sugar, it would be hard to suddenly switch to drinking black coffee.  I imagine some people may end up learning to drink black coffee.
3. So that leaves option 3- add your own sugar at the coffee shop.  This will be somewhat inconvenient.  You’ll have to stop at a self-serve counter, take the lid off of your coffee, add sugar, stir, and put the lid back on.  Chances are there will be long lines in the mornings and frustration will run high at the sugar counter when supplies run out, etc. 

Will the NYC Soda Ban Lead to Less Sugar Consumption?

Overall, I think most people will end up drinking the same amount of coffee with the same amount of sugar, at least at first.  The new regulation will call attention to the health effects of consuming too much sugar.  That combined with the new inconvenience of getting sugar in your coffee may lead to less consumption of sugar in coffee over time.

Giant Soda- You wont get one of these in NYC
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Really the soda ban has minimal affect on the sugar supply in NYC- sugar will still be cheap and plentiful after the ban.  You can add it to drinks yourself, order multiple smaller drinks, or bring larger drinks from elsewhere.   The ban will have more of an impact on the demand for sugar in NYC.  If it is inconvenient to get large sugary drinks, people will find more convenient alternatives over time.

The soda ban in NYC reminds me of the smoking ban that went into effect here in Iowa a few years ago.  Smoking was banned in restaurants and bars.  Of course smokers and bar owners complained about this law, but it went into effect.  Smoking has also been banned at outdoor events such as football and baseball games.  I wondered how this would go over, but the smoking ban is effective- I haven’t seen it violated.

The smoking ban was enacted for health and safety reasons to protect employees at places like restaurants.  Does the government have the authority to regulate portion size of food products?  One example of government regulation of consumption is in the area of energy efficiency.  Automakers must maintain minimum fuel efficiency for vehicles across their fleet.  Light bulbs must meet energy efficiency standards and will likely lead to the phasing out of incandescent light bulbs in 2020.  So the government has a history of regulating the consumption of legal products for the good of the public.

It will be interesting to see:

1. Will the soda ban changes sugar consumption in NYC?  
2. Will public health improve in NYC after the ban is enacted?

I think sugar consumption in NYC will be reduced somewhat within a few months.  If public health does improve in NYC after the soda ban, I may see you at the sugar counter loading up your coffee in a few years…

Postscript

The New York City soda ban of 2013 was called off at the last minute.  A court decision did not allow the ban to proceed as planned.

Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

K-cup cost: Is it expensive to make coffee with a Keurig Coffee Maker?

Are K-cups expensive?

You can buy a Keurig coffee maker starting at about $70.  Keurigs make a great cup of coffee very quickly using a special K-cup instead of a traditional coffee filter basket and ground coffee.  But how much do K-cups cost?  Is it more expensive to make coffee with a K-cup than from ground coffee or coffee beans?

K-cup selection
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

High quality ground coffee or coffee beans sells for $9.99 for 12 oz.
A package of 18 K-cups sells for $11.99, with a net weight of 6 oz.


K-cups cost more than twice as much as ground coffee or coffee beans.
The cost per cup for K-cup vs traditional coffee maker:

• 66 cents per cup of coffee from a premium K-cup.  The amount of coffee brewed with one K-cup is typically 4 to 10 oz, depending on how you set your Keurig machine to brew.  
• You can find cheap K-cups for less than 50 cents if you go bargain hunting.
• 28 cents is the cost to brew just under 8 oz of premium coffee from ground coffee or coffee beans. 
• 4 cents is the cost to brew just under 8 oz for cheap generic ground coffee

One advantage of making coffee one cup at a time with a Keurig coffee machine is that you are less likely to waste coffee.  If you brew a pot of coffee with a standard coffee maker, you are more likely to waste some coffee if it gets stale or cold.  Even considering efficiency, making coffee with K-cups is much more expensive.

What is inside a K-cup?

A K-cup is a plastic cup with a built-in tiny paper coffee filter.  Ground coffee is placed in the coffee filter at the factory, and a foil lid is sealed over to the top of the K-cup to ensure freshness.  When you place a K-cup in the Keurig coffee maker, a hole is punched though the foil on top and through the plastic cup on the bottom.

K-cup with hole punched through foil lid
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

K-cup with hole punched in bottom of cup
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

The Keurig coffee maker forces hot water into the K-cup through the hold in the lid using a special needle.  The hot water contacts the ground coffee in the K-cup and brews.  A tiny coffee filter is attached inside the plastic K-cup and filters the coffee, keeping the grounds inside the K-cup as brewing occurs.

Ground coffee inside a K-cup
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Coffee filter inside a K-cup
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Can you make your own K-cups for your Keurig and save money?

Yes.  You can buy reusable cups to use your own ground coffee to make your own K-cups that work in Keurig coffee makers.  Some reusable K-cups have disposable filters, and some have reusable filters.  The disposable filters cost only a few cents each.  Making your own K-cups using your own ground coffee is potentially a lot less expensive than purchasing K-cups.  Reusable K-cups start at less than $10 and will quickly pay for the initial expense.  Below is a picture of a MochaMate Refillable Filter Cup for Keurig K-Cup Brewers

Refillable K-cup for Keurig Brewers from Mochamate
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Save money by making your own K-cups:

Look for reusable K-cup filter kits on eBay.

Deals on Amazon:

Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal