I’m a stereotypical mom.
I’m the first one to sit there in the school pickup line, cup of coffee in hand.
I love my coffee, okay? (Proof below.)
As you can imagine, when I opened up a gift from my significant other on Christmas, I was super excited to reveal a brand new Keurig. The Keurig K-Compact in teal (my favorite color, tied with pink, not that you could tell from my blog, right?), to be exact.
I had a Keurig in the past, but it quit on me a few years ago. It never did get replaced because I wasn’t into the newer Keurigs coming out that required specific types of K-Cups. I also didn’t want a huge Keurig. Instead, I wanted a compact one with a reservoir (not the ones you have to fill up with each cup). I just couldn’t find one I liked at a price point I wanted. So, I went with a cheap little $20 machine from Walmart until I could find the perfect Keurig.
Surprisingly, that $20 coffee maker wasn’t bad, but it also was a little too basic. I learned that I really disliked not having a reservoir. AND, cheaper machines can definitely mess with your coffee’s flavor. Still, I hate buying myself things, so I dealt with it. Luckily, my SO knows what I love (COFFEE!!!), and picked out the Keurig K-Compact for me.
Since I’ve now had three weeks of using my new Keurig daily (like three, four times a day), I figured it was the right time to share my thoughts in this Keurig K-Compact review. I’ve actually read a few other reviews on this specific machine before I got one gifted to me and, surprisingly, some weren’t so great. I’ve seen a few people question the durability and stating that it doesn’t make a good cup of coffee, but I’ve had the exact opposite experience. So, for what it’s worth, here are my thoughts on this single cup coffee maker from Keurig.
Durability
Let’s start with the durability of the Keurig K-Compact because no one wants to pay $60+ for something that’s going to fall apart. Since I make coffee, tea, and hot chocolate with my Keurig, it gets used multiple times a day. I put it through the wringer.
This Keurig is made of plastic, but I’d say it’s a pretty tough plastic. There’s nothing about the coffee maker that feels flimsy to me, from the mug tray to the K-Cup holder to the water reservoir. It’s all put together nicely and the handle to open the cup holder moves smoothly. I’ve only had this machine for a few weeks, but I see no red flags in this department at all. Plus, it comes with a one-year warranty if you’re really worried about a malfunction.
Features
For this Keurig K-Compact review, I wanted to list some admirable features of the machine. Then I realized there are few. For me, that’s not really a bad thing. I like simplicity and don’t really need the bells and whistles for a huge price difference. But if you’re someone who loves screens and buttons and customization, then this coffee maker is not going to be the right choice for you (instead, you might want this one that lets you control the brew size, strength, and more with a touchscreen).
The Keurig K-Compact does have:
- A modest, 36-oz. reservoir
- Three cup settings (3-oz, 6-oz, and 10-oz)
- A two-hour auto-off power function
- A removable drip tray to accommodate large or travel mugs
Aaannnddd…that’s about it. I love it, but I’ll admit that it would be nice to have a larger cup setting (my favorite mug isn’t very big, but the largest setting only fills it about two-thirds full).
I also wouldn’t mind a slightly larger reservoir. This one makes about four cups of coffee on the 10-oz setting before having to refill it again. However, I wouldn’t trade the compact design of this machine for a larger reservoir because its size is literally perfect for my counter space.
Other than that, the coffee maker does everything I need and want it to. And it’s so easy to use. Just power it on, use the handle to open the K-Cup holder, put your pod in, close the lid, and choose a brew size button. Then, just let it do its thing.
If you want to use a travel mug that won’t fit on the tray, just slide out the tray and place the mug on the bottom plastic piece.
Maintenance
This Keurig is similar to other ones in that, if you use quality pods and stick to filtered water in your reservoir, you shouldn’t have many issues. Remember, though, that using anything other than Keurig-approved K-Cups could void your warranty, so if you want to keep your protection, be sure to do everything the manual suggests.
That also includes descaling your machine every once in a while. Use Keurig’s own descaling solution every three to six months, according to the manual, to keep your coffee maker running smoothly. If you do use tap water and have hard water in your home, you may need to do this more often.
Affordability
The Keurig K-Compact is one of the most affordable Keurigs on the market, and I think it offers a lot for its price of $60 (at Walmart). I’m not one to go and spend $200 on a coffee maker, and I would’ve been mad at my SO if he spent that much on me (he knows it too, that’s why he went this route!). The fact that it’s small but still has a water reservoir, has all the basic functions of a Keurig, is easy to use, and lets me use any coffee pods I want only is just icing on the cake. (I LOVE this bundle of Starbucks pods).
Keurig K-Compact Review: My Overall Rating
For me, this Keurig is absolutely perfect. Not only is it compact enough to fit on my counter (space is lacking in my kitchen), but it brews a really hot, tasty cup of coffee. I do wish the water reservoir was a little bigger and I’d prefer it to be on the side of the machine (I have to pull it away from the wall for a refill), but I realize that I’d be giving up its space-saving design for that, which I don’t want.
I love the build and design of the Keurig K-Compact. It also has an awesome price point you can’t be mad at. It does all the basics of a Keurig without giving you features you’ll pay for but never use. If you’re looking for a stylish Keurig with color options (this one comes in Teal as shown, Grey, Black, and Red) that brews quickly, this is it.
Keurig K-Compact Single Serve Coffee Maker
Pros
- Quick brew time
- Space-saving design
- Fits both large and small mugs
- Refillable reservoir
- Can use any K-Cup
Cons
- Not programmable
- Large mug size is fairly small
- Doesn't hold much water
- No temperature control
- Reservoir is in an inconvenient spot
Amy is a mom of two, freelance writer, and blog manager who works with family-focused businesses to improve their content strategies. You can find her published work on Reader’s Digest Online, MSN, Niche, Frugal For Less, and other lifestyle publications.
