Keurig B30 Mini Single Cup Coffee Maker 

Keurig have four great systems: the B30, B40, B60 and B70. We look at the most popular, the Keurig B30 Mini.

But before we do, let's look at the Keurig single-cup coffee makers in general. Stylish, well designed and they work beautifully, which explains their almost cult-like following.

Each cup is brewed individually; it never reheats coffee and is always freshly made.

Coffee continues cooking when heat is applied, becoming stronger and more bitter the longer it brews. For optimum enjoyment, drink when the brewing cycle ends.

This single-cup brewing system is based around the patented K-cup, a small plastic container with just the right amount of coffee grounds for a single cup of coffee.

Insert a K-cup into a Keurig coffee maker, push a button and after a minute or two, your freshly made cup is ready for you.

To clean up, simply throw out the K-cup with no components needing to be washed.

Hugely convenient but environmentally unfriendly with all the K-cup plastic, for a greener alternative, use the reusable cup you fill with your own coffee grounds.

There are now over 150 different K-cups to choose from, including decaffeinated coffee and teas.

Only pods made for Keurig may be used with a Keurig coffee maker, not those from other coffee systems.

Although the Keurig brewers are quite pricy, they seem to be the best balance of affordability, availability and convenience with the B60 model being the best value.

Although geared to single cups of coffee, they can also be used for groups. The beauty is that each person can select their favorite flavor, and with a medium cup taking about 39 seconds, you can brew eight cups of coffee from start to finish in about five minutes, faster than brewing a whole pot.

Different models have different features, with the size of the water reservoir being the biggest difference.

Let us look at the most popular of the Keurig single cup pod coffee makers.

Keurig B30 Mini Personal Single-Serve Brewing System

The most popular single cup coffee maker is the Keurig Mini costing $89.95.

Being a high quality and well designed machine, it should be more expensive but Green Mountain, who make Keurig, profit very little from the sale of the B30; they make their money from the K-cups.

The machine measures 11-1/2 deep by 10 wide by 13-1/4 inches high, weighs 8 3/5 lbs and you can choose between black, white and red.

Because it doesn't have a multi-cup reservoir it is compact with a small counter profile, and portable which means it can be taken with you to your vacation home, in your RV and travelling. Pack it in your suitcase with enough K-cups and enjoy it instead of the sometimes questionable coffee provided in your hotel room.

In short, it gives you a fresh cup of rich premium coffee at any time. Also its small footprint makes it ideal when space is limited, for example in dorm rooms, kitchenettes, your desk or on boats.

It brews one 8 oz cup at a time. No reservoir means you need to pour in a cup of water every time you want coffee. The advantage is the water is always fresh and no scaling or lime build up occurs.

Beautifully designed, cute in fact without being flashy, it sits discreetly on your desk. It looks and feels more expensive than it is and makes the ideal gift, corporate or for friends/family.

Light yet sturdy, made with quality workmanship, the Keurig B30 Mini doesn't have the metal trim of the B60 but has chrome finished plastic for the handle on the head and the grate for the overflow plate. The machine opens and closes with sturdy hinges.

Turn it on by pushing the power button. Or after putting the K-cup in the slot, the machine turns on automatically. The water reservoir cap opens up for you to fill with water, put your cup in place, push the brew button.

It then silently heats up the water and dispenses it in just over 2 minutes. When you remove your cup, even before you take out the K-cup to toss it, the machine automatically shuts off.

Those 4 steps must be followed in that exact order, otherwise the system refuses to brew and you have to start over.

Some people might find it awkward to pour water in and you need to do it each time you want a cup, but the hole is nice and wide so pouring is easy. Keeping a bottle of water next to the machine on your desk saves you from getting up and fetching water each time.

Your coffee tastes even better if you use filtered water. Put a regular tea-bag in the hopper and you get a quick, inexpensive cup of tea.

More suited for those on the run or brewing a few coffees a day, the Keurig B30 Mini isn't meant to be your main K-cup brewer where a roomful of guests all want their coffee at the same time.

It senses a cup under the spout before it brews, and only then will start, which means you need never worry about it messing on your desk.

The coffee brews perfectly every time.

Instead of having to stop at your favorite coffee shop on your way to work or during the day, a single cup of coffee maker means you have access to a cup of gourmet java right at your desk, whenever you wish, saving you a fortune.

If you drink espresso, you will find some of the Keurig K-cups too weak, but it is still better than 90% of the coffee in restaurants and other people's homes. Play around until you find one that suits you.

Coffee from the Keurig B30 Mini tastes as good as with larger K-cup brewers, although with the smaller water volume, the darker roasts pack more punch, especially ones like Coffee People Black Tiger and Caribou Coffee's Mahogany.

If too strong for your liking, stick to medium roasts like CP Donut Shop and GM Nantucket Blend, or run water through the stronger K-cups a second time and still get a good cup of coffee.

Others feel that even with 8 oz, the extra bold K-cups like Green Mountain Dark Magic (Extra Bold) are too strong.

Impress your guests by offering them a choice from a huge variety of brews in the pre-packaged K-cups. If one person wants a wonderful Jamaican Blue, while the other prefers a dark Sumatra blend, you can easily oblige.

K-cups are also available for tea and hot chocolate drinkers too. Instant soup and oats too, because it takes less than 3 minutes to heat a cup of water, shorter than waiting for the kettle to boil.

With about 150 selections of Keurig K-cups available, they cost at about 50 cents a cup. But you can buy 18 K-cups for the same price as 3 soy mistos from Starbucks.

Although more stores are stocking K-cups now, automatic home delivery by phone or online is easier and cheaper. Buying the K-cups via Amazon with the subscribe and save discount works out to about 40 cents a cup.

Buying the refillable filter My K-cup where you use your own ground beans, saves you money and allows you to make your brew as strong as you want.

Having both options works well. You can easily switch between them, but for convenience and variety, the pre-packaged K-cups are best.

When you make one cup at a time, no carafe leftovers are thrown out, nor do you drink the dregs of stale burnt tasting coffee. If you only want one cup, using your 3 to 6 cup coffee maker is a waste, and getting the exact flavor you want is a hit and miss affair.

Using the Keurig B30 Mini, it takes 2-1/2 minutes to brew an 8 oz cup. That may sound like a long time but is a lot shorter than your old drip machine or a trip to Starbucks. Switch it on, read an email, or fetch the newspaper and voila, your coffee is ready.

It is also just long enough to discourage colleagues from dropping by for a cup.

The only cup size it takes is 8 oz so your travel mug would not fit; a minor inconvenience you solve by buying a $2 mug.

If you remove the drip grate and set the cup down in the drip tray, a taller cup does fit.

Because the amount of water and coffee is fixed, if you wish to fill a huge cup, you need to brew twice. But, when you think about it, 8 oz is already a lot to drink.

The water temperature is fixed at 192 degrees but is more like 185 degrees, which is hot enough to drink immediately without burning your tongue.

If you prefer scalding coffee or if you add a lot of milk or cream, it may not be hot enough for you.

No built-in warmer means drink it right away without first taking a shower.

It gets a little noisy towards the end of the brew but is still quieter than the other models which means you can use it at 5 a.m. without waking up the rest of the household. It is also quiet enough for the office and doesn’t vibrate.

Disadvantages of the Keurig B30 Mini:

After brewing a cup, the machine switches off. So for multiple cups you need to turn it on, load the K-cup and water, press brew.

If the machine is below eye-level you can’t easily see the light on the power button.

If your cabinets are too low to your counter, the Keurig B30 Mini won't be able to open unless you slide it out from under the cabinets. Most coffee makers are actually taller than the 13-1/4 inches of this one, so regardless of which one you choose, height would be a problem.

The Keurig K-cups are non-recyclable plastic which is harmful to the environment. Hopefully Green Mountain are working on this issue.

A hard shell of a carry case would come in handy when packing because it would protect the machine when moving it around.

The K-cups take up a lot of cabinet space.

The machine itself is quite expensive.

If you fill the water reservoir, the top seal may open while it is brewing, in which case close the lid and the brew cycle will continue. The coffee isn't affected by this, but next time take care to not fill it.

The first time you use the machine, plug it in, go through the brewing cycle with 2 tablespoons of vinegar mixed in 8 oz water, then run plain water through for two cycles to clear the vinegar, and your coffee will taste its best, not like hot plastic nor like vinegar.

Because the Keurig B30 Mini uses the K-cups, there is no messy grinding, measuring of coffee grounds nor clean up, especially for one cup of coffee. Even if you have hard water, you don't have to worry about de-scaling because the water doesn't sit there long enough to cause a problem.

To clean, occasionally just run clean water through. 1-touch technology means it's simple, efficient and super easy to use.

It switches off automatically after the coffee has brewed which is ideal if you need to watch your ampage.

There are no frills: no timer, no built-in grinder, no blue LED lights, no water reservoir, no choice in temperature, no choice in brew sizes, no pause-and-serve function and no cup warming plate. Lack of features mean fewer moving parts which means fewer things to fail.

Accessories available include the K-cup carousel.

Boxes of assorted K-cups would be handy, but instead you have to buy a whole box of 25 or even 50 cups in one flavor.

With your purchase you receive a variety pack of K-cups, which give you an idea of what the various flavored and non-flavored coffees, teas and hot chocolate taste like before buying a whole box of any particular one.

A one year limited warranty covers the Keurig B30 Mini single cup coffee maker, which currently can be shipped only in the US. Keurig ship promptly and deal with any problems or queries quickly and courteously.

In conclusion, because this machine is the same price as the B40, its advantages are compact size, quietness and that it makes one cup of coffee at a time suited for an occasional coffee drinker, someone who enjoys different flavors, or you want a machine for your desk, the B30 is ideal. Anyone else, get the B40.