Keurig K-Duo Essentials Review

Keurig K-Duo Essentials
Overall Rating
87
Coffee Quality (40%)
85
Design & Features (20%)
90
Durability (20%)
85
Ease of Use (10%)
90
Brand Reputation (10%)
85
The Bottom Line
A replacement for the discontinued K200-K575, the K-Duo brews both single K-Cups and full 60 oz carafes with the reusable Gold Tone filter. The Essentials builds on the K-Duo with a 6 oz brew size and Strength Control.
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Key Features of the Keurig K-Duo Essentials

Key Features of Keurig K-Duo Essentials

  • Product Line/System: K-Duo
  • Brew Sizes: 8 oz, 10 oz, 12 oz (single serve) and up to 60 oz (carafe)
  • Water Reservoir: 60 oz
  • Display: Button control panel with buttons for Brew Strength, Brew Size, and Auto-On plus digital clock display
  • Temp Control: No
  • Strength Control: No
  • Dimensions: 12.3"W x 13.4"D x 12.7"H
  • Weight: 8.5 lbs
  • Other Features: Auto-On/Off, comes with 60 oz glass carafe and heating plate, Auto-On/Off for carafe, pause and pour for carafe

Keurig K-Duo Essentials Overview

In August 2014, Keurig unveiled their new Keurig 2.0 brewers that expanded the single-serve giant's reach by allowing users to brew up to 30 oz carafes of coffee.

Customer reaction was mixed as Keurig's 2.0 brewers, numbered from K200-K575, featured pod-scanning system ("DRM" or Digital Rights Management) that locked out unlicensed K-Cups and wasn't compatible with the original My K-Cup. (Keurig would later unveil a 2.0 My K-Cup.)

Keurig also found it challenging to support their 2.0 brewers, which brewed 10 different sizes from 4-30 oz using 4 different types of pods: K-Cup, K-Mug, K-Vue, and K-Carafe.

Ultimately, Keurig scrapped the 2.0 system and went back to the basics: single-serve brewing with K-Cup pods.

But they still wanted to offer a dual-use brewer that brewed everything from single cups to full carafes.

Enter the Keurig K-Duo series with 3 similar brewers.

The K-Duo Essentials is a stripped down version of the regular K-Duo, presumably having only the essentials!

What do you lose?

  • Just 8 oz, 10 oz, and 12 oz brew sizes (no 6 oz brew size)
  • No Brew Strength feature

Aside from those two differences, the K-Duo and K-Duo Essentials are the same machine and give you the option to brew either single-serve coffee or full carafes up to 60 oz.

Pros
  • Includes Keurig's upgraded system for richer coffee and quieter brewing
  • No pod-scanning technology so brews both licensed and unlicensed K-Cup pods
  • Brews both single-serve pods and 60 oz carafes
Cons
  • No Brew Strength or 6 oz brew size, which come on the K-Duo
  • Full 60 oz carafe isn't as robust as coffee from a dedicated drip coffee maker
  • Carafe pour spout has tendency to drip
  • Compared to K-Duo Plus, water reservoir is fixed in rear of brewer making it harder to access and refill
  • Doesn't come with a water filter kit

Is the Keurig K-Duo Essentials for you?

Are Keurig K-Duo Essentials for you?

The Keurig K-Duo Essentials is the simplest of Keurig's 3 K-Duo brewers and is a great option if you want the flexibility to brew both single-serve K-Cups and full carafes up to 60 oz.

If you're looking for the extra 6 oz brew size and/or the Brew Strength feature for a stronger cup, take a look at the standard K-Duo.

If you're looking for a thermal carafe (instead of the K-Duo and K-Duo Essentials glass carafe) and/or the swivel reservoir that can be positioned on the left, right, or rear of your brewer, upgrade to the K-Duo Plus.

Also worth noting, the Keurig K-Cafe is a dual-use machine that brews both K-Cup coffee and specialty beverages (espresso, lattes, and cappuccinos) with the push of a single button (in case that's more your speed).

Keurig K-Duo Essentials Review: An In-Depth Look

Check out the Keurig K-Duo Essentials!

Check out Keurig K-Duo Essentials!

Keurig K-Duo Essentials
A replacement for the discontinued K200-K575, the K-Duo brews both single K-Cups and full 60 oz carafes with the reusable Gold Tone filter. The Essentials builds on the K-Duo with a 6 oz brew size and Strength Control.

More Keurig Reviews From The Coffee Maven

Keurig K250

Keurig K250
Overall Rating: 84
The base model of the now-discontinued Keurig 2.0 pod-scanning system, K200 series brewers are an affordable option for those who want to brew multi-cup carafes, but we recommend the in-production K-Duo.

Keurig K575

Keurig K575
Overall Rating: 88
The crown jewel of the Keurig 2.0 pod-scanning system, feature-rich K500 series brewers offer 11 brew sizes (up to 30 oz) and massive 80 oz reservoir. Now discontinued, we recommend the Keurig K-Duo Plus instead.

Keurig K-Duo

Keurig K-Duo
Overall Rating: 86
A replacement for the discontinued K200-K575, the K-Duo brews both K-Cups and full 60 oz carafes with the reusable Gold Tone filter. This version is base version of the 3 K-Duo machines with no 6 oz brew or Strength Control.
About The Coffee Maven
bryan de luca
Bryan De Luca

I'm Bryan but most people know me as The Coffee Maven. I grew up outside Boston, Massachusetts and received my Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from Providence College. My first introduction to coffee was during my college days, when I used it as a source of caffeine to fuel late-night study sessions, but soon I became obsessed with the chemistry of coffee. How did changes to water temperature or contact time affect its taste? Why do beans from Africa taste fruity while beans from Indonesia taste spicy? I launched The Coffee Maven in February 2017 to explore these questions and help others brew their perfect cup. Welcome to my site, and thanks for reading!

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