It’s the morning again, and, once again, you’d like to know what the best grind for Keurig is.
With a good grinder you can grind your coffee from coarse to the fine, but is every grind good for a Keurig? To answer that question, we’ll have to answer what type of coffee grinds are brewed to perfection in your My K-Cup filter.
If using ground coffee on a Keurig was a taboo topic in the past, nowadays it is a reliable ‘shortcut’ for the ones who like to save some money and experiment with different coffee flavors. Still, good grind will take you only halfway to that precious cup of coffee; there are other factors apart from the grind that make coffee taste delicious for the more coffee ambitious and we’d like to talk about them.
What is the My K-Cup reusable filter?
Launched in the far-away 2005 and then discontinued, the My K-Cup filter was Keurig’s solution for ground coffee lovers (don’t worry, the reusable filter was again introduced in 2015 after many customers started demanding it).
Different from the K-Cups, the My K-Cup is— and you probably know this— a reusable coffee filter made specifically for Keurig coffee makers. The filter is made of mesh, and then, there’s also a lid to close the basket and a few plastic parts here and there to make the basket’s body.
This basket holds up to 2.5 scoops of coffee, but how much coffee you can put in it will vary with the changes in the coffee grind. Nevertheless, we wouldn’t recommend you ‘stuff’ it with more coffee than the maximum amount recommended; the maximum amount is marked to make the My K-Cup more useful.
‘Useful’ is the key word when it comes to every My K-Cup, so, let’s see how useful these filters are in the following section.
Why would you get the My K-Cup filter in the first place?
My K-Cups are pretty convenient, and that’s mostly due to their affordability, nature-friendliness, and the fact that they let you use ground coffee.
You can literally pick any coffee blend you love, grind it properly, put inside a My K-Cup, and get fantastic results; pre-ground coffee grind at the right level of coarseness is also an option. Being eco-friendly and pocket friendly at the same time, the My K-Cup lets you cultivate your love for different pre-ground blends with a peace of mind.
‘Eco-friendly’ is a nice term, but more than that, it is a generous way for a coffee filter to be. Being eco-friendly, My K-Cups will substitute many K-Cups and last for a long time, reducing the waste made by non-reusable K-Cups. Even though Keurig has implemented a strategy to make every K-Cup recyclable by the end of 2020, having a long-lasting My K-Cup is definitely a better ecological choice.
Choosing this reusable coffee filter is a pocket-conscious choice as well! Since it lasts for a long time, you can save your money or repurpose it for buying a fancy coffee blend, like the blends from Black Rifle, for example!
With a My K-Cup you’ll end up in a continuous coffee-picking process; you’ll win the lottery with this reusable filter if you are a coffee adventurer! After you get the filter, however, you’ll need to learn what the best grind for your Keurig coffee maker is and which other things will make a difference for the taste of your coffee.
First things first — the grind
There’s no better manufacturer to turn to about this question then Keurig, and if Keurig says we should grind the coffee like for a French press (manual grinders are great for this), then so be it. In fact, this really is the grind that will help you get the best coffee results.
Grinding for a French press means that your grind should be coarser, and this kind of grind won’t clog the mesh on the My K-Cup. However, you can also follow the advice of many experienced customers who use a medium fine grind for a Keurig. This method also works, and the coffee that you’ll be drinking will be a bit stronger; after all, you can use pre-ground coffee on a Keurig, and we know pre-ground is not ground too coarse.
The type of beans
If you pair your My K-Cup with a great coffee blend from a great coffee brand, you’ll really enjoy your coffee drink. Out of the many brands out there, we recommend you certain ones that have been recognized as good over and over again. Such brands are:
- Dunkin Donuts
- Death Wish Coffee Company
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters
- Eight O’Clock
- Lavazza – best for espresso and when prepared by an great espresso machine, but you might like its Keurig ‘twist’ as well
- Peet’s
- Bulletproof – keto coffee
Together with the right grind, the right coffee brand will also add to the higher sophistication of your coffee results. However, you need to remember one more thing before you brew your Keurig coffee, and that thing is that…
The roast is also important!
Dark, light, or medium roast? This is a serious question for every coffee lover since the roast brings a lot of personalization to your drink. Not everyone likes the same coffee roast and everyone’s opinion on the matter is valid. However, dark roasts are widely recommended for Keurig since they do bring the morning kick more than medium and light roasts. If you agree with this philosophy and need stronger coffee in your cup, we suggest you fill in your My K-Cup with one of the following dark roasted whole bean blends:
A bag of whole bean coffee by the Death Wish Coffee Company – this coffee blend holds the reputation as the strongest coffee in the world. Other than that important fact, the coffee is also organic, USDA certified and Fair Trade. In terms of the flavor, the coffee tastes like chocolate and cherry and is made from Arabica and Robusta beans.
The Dark Roast coffee by Koffee Kult – 100% Arabica whole bean coffee that’s made by a family and not a large coffee distributor. The coffee is strong and low in acidity, and if you grind it the
right way, you won’t be disappointed by the drink.
The Signature Blend by Cafe Don Pablo – this coffee blend contains cocoa notes, is not very acidic, and it is GMO-free. If this coffee sounds like your cup of tea (pun intended), you should check it out.
The dark roasted Café Cubano by Mayorga Organics – another Arabica coffee that is organic and GMO-free, roasted by using a slow-roasting process. This dark roast blend will remind you of vanilla and sweet treats, but it will also wake you up in a second with its strong, smooth finish.
The Mahogany Dark Roast blend by Caribou Coffee – if you like the taste of woodsy and rich coffee in your mouth, this is the blend you want. The coffee is, of course, strong, and Caribou Coffee is also Rainforest Alliance certified, so you’ll be drinking ‘ethical’ coffee brewed in your Keurig.
The Italian Roast Espresso blend by Fresh Roasted Coffee – an Arabica coffee that’s very strong and will help your Keurig brew you a drink similar to espresso. The blend is bold, dark, and is roasted in an environmentally-friendly way.
The Organic Dark Roast blend by Cafe Don Pablo’s Subtle Earth Organic Coffee – 100% Arabica and GMO-free, this dark roast coffee comes with delicious undertones of chocolate and a body that’s as velvety as it is low in acidity. Could this be the blend you’ve been looking for?
The Grizzly Claw blend by Kicking Horse Coffee – a blend that combines the undertones of chocolate, cacao nibs, and roasted hazelnuts. The coffee is organic, kosher, and fair trade. Kicking Horse also roasts the beans in an environmentally friendly way which is great for you and the nature as well.
The Major Dickason’s blend by Peet’s Coffee – Peet’s offers you its 100% Arabica coffee that’s dark roasted, rich, and complex. This could be the perfect coffee for you in the morning or when you need some coffee to be energized.
Other coffee blends that are good
The medium roasted whole bean coffee by Eight O’Clock – with this blend you can enjoy in sweet and fruity undertones for a sweet and nice day. If your day starts at about 8 o’clock, this is the blend that could wake you up gently.
The medium roast Café Espresso whole bean coffee blend by Lavazza – 100% Arabica and GMO-free, this blend by Lavazza is very rich and tasty. One of the strengths of the blend is the ‘coffee aroma therapy’ since it is very aromatic.
Grind your coffee correctly with a good grinder
Your Keurig will do its part of the deal by brewing the coffee nicely, but it is up to you to grind your coffee well before it is brewed. Needless to say, a good coffee grinder is necessary for good coffee extraction. The following grinders could help you get the best of your coffee:
The Baratza Virtuoso+ conical burr coffee grinder – this is a grinder with 40 grind settings, commercial-grade conical burrs, a digital timer, and a one year warranty.
The OXO brew conical brew coffee grinder – the grinder has stainless steel conical burrs, 15 grind settings, and a 0.75-pound bean hopper.
The Breville Smart Grinder Pro – comes to you with stainless steel conical burrs, 60 grind settings, and a timer, and it lets you grind in a bean container or in a portafilter— very useful if you’re thinking about getting an espresso machine by Breville or some other brand.
The Porlex Mini coffee grinder – a manual grinder with ceramic conical burrs, compact, and with a capacity of 0.7 ounces.
The Capresso Infinity coffee grinder – grinds your coffee with its steel conical burrs, has multiple grind settings for coarse, medium, fine, and extra fine grind, and comes with an 8.8-ounce bean hopper.
The Bodum Bistro coffee grinder – this grinder has stainless steel conical burrs, lets you grind as much coffee as you want with its push button, and it has 12 grind settings and a 7.75-ounce bean hopper.
The Baratza Encore grinder – the grinder has 40 grind settings, an 8-ounce bean hopper, and conical burrs.
Some tips for a happy coffee time
Now that you know which things are necessary for a great cup of coffee made by a Keurig, we think you could use a tip or two to master your coffee drink.
Tip #1 – Wash your My K-Cup regularly. This will keep the taste of your coffee safe from any stale undertones and prevent the mesh filter from clogging.
Tip #2 – Close the lid of the My K-Cup properly. Preventing any ground coffee from ending in your cup makes for a tastier coffee and this is how you can do it.
Tip #3 – Descale your Keurig when the time comes. All tastes that are not supposed to be part of the taste of your coffee will be eliminated this way.
Conclusion
We know that you take your coffee seriously, and we hope that this article provided you with some useful information on how to make better coffee with your Keurig. Remember, the best grind for Keurig is a coarser grind like for a French press. However, don’t forget the other important things that can help you enjoy your coffee even more, such as the coffee brand, the roast, and the grinder.
Enjoy your coffee, and please, check our other articles for more information on coffee-related topics.