Keurig Just Launched a New Coffee Maker That’s the First of Its Kind — and I Got to Try It

published Jul 28, 2021
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When it comes to convenience, there’s nothing like Keurig. A cup of coffee in your hands within seconds? Even a pour-over devotee like me can’t argue with the speed and simplicity of brewing a K-Cup. Of course, brewing coffee by hand does have the advantage of customization: I can always adjust my recipe, flow rate, or water temperature.

Turns out, though, Keurig is offering all this flexibility now, too — with the launch of its BrewID technology and brand-new Keurig K-Supreme Plus Smart Coffee Maker (both of which are available starting today!). Fun!

But what, um, are these things? One is an app (that works on your phone or tablet) and the other is a coffee maker that connects to said app. The app has a catalog of every single Keurig partner-branded pod. Link your machine to the app and the coffee maker automatically scans your pod as it’s inserted, queuing up a recommended set of brewing parameters and all sorts of customization options. Do you want a larger cup? A stronger brew? Craving an instantly cold iced coffee? BrewID lets you set your own variables to make your ideal cup of coffee, every time. 

Credit: Ever Meister

Annie Oh, vice president of Keurig Experiences, says the app is designed to create a “direct one-to-one connection with consumers” by letting them learn about the coffees themselves and using that information to create their own custom experience. For example, she says, “Higher temperatures on a lighter-roast coffee brings out some of that acidity and brighter notes, while a lower temperature brings out some of the malty caramel notes.” By experimenting with the brewer and recording the results in the app, you’ll have a “coffee journal,” Oh says. The app can even suggest other coffees you might like based on your settings and preferences. 

I got my hands on the machine and the app early and got to play around. Here’s how it went.

Credit: Ever Meister

My Honest Review of the Keurig K-Supreme Plus Smart Coffee Maker and the BrewID App

The app itself is easy to use and can save a variety of “favorite” brewing profiles, which should make everyone in the house happy. It allows the user to schedule a brew in advance, keep track of their inventory of pods (and order more when necessary), and, of course, offers alerts when new products are available. 

As for the K-Supreme Plus Smart machine, it’s pretty impressive, too. Unlike earlier iterations of Keurig brewers, this new model uses a five-stream entry showerhead to more evenly distribute brewing water over the ground coffee in the pods (similarly to how automatic drip machines deliver water). The machine automatically adjusts the flow of the water based on the volume and strength that the user chooses.

Credit: Ever Meister

The coffee maker’s digital interface and buttons are easy to read and use — even without syncing it up to the app. Yes, you can still have complete customization control over your brews without the app: Adjust the cup size, temperature, and strength of any coffee pod you insert, even if it’s not Keurig-branded (and therefore not recognized by BrewID). This means you can still fill your own reusable pods. Keurig-lovers using older coffee makers can also still download the app for more details about the “coffee story” of their favorite morning brew, too. 

As someone who is a certified coffee expert and loves to tinker with a coffee recipe, I think this new Keurig machine and the app are fantastic ways to get K-Cup-lovers experimenting. They can brew their best possible cup while also learning about coffee and how tweaking different factors results in a different kind of drink. Who is this machine for? Anyone who’s been using a Keurig for a while and is ready to take a next step; beginners who are looking for a way to ease into coffee; and even avid coffee-lovers (looking at you, pour over folks!) who need to find a machine that’ll help them get out the door faster in the mornings. Convenient, customizable, and caffeinated: What’s not to love?

Note: I would like to just remind everyone that the Keurig-branded pods have been fully recyclable since 2020. Simply remove the foil lining on the top of a spent pod, compost or discard the coffee grounds, and recycle the pod itself. 

Do you have a Keurig machine you love? Tell us about it in the comments!