One thing many people share in common is their love for coffee. Usually, coffee lovers also decide to get themselves decent coffee makers. A lot of these coffee makers just so happen to be single-serve ones. The reason why so many coffee lovers buy exactly these coffee makers is because they are convenient, pretty affordable, and ‘serve’ the coffee faster than the usual waiter would.
Even though single-serve coffee makers are fast and reliable, deciding which coffee maker to buy can be a ‘Slowy Gonzales.’ This statement is an unavoidable axiom especially when you have to choose between Verismo and Keurig. Starbucks’ Verismo vs Keurig coffee makers— which brand offers better coffee? Well, that depends on many factors. Verismo vs Keurig, let’s begin this.
Article summary
Verismo:
Key features:
- Manufactured by Starbucks
- Single-serve, pod-based coffee makers
- Work at the touch of a button
- Make different kinds of coffee or espresso
- Come with a water tank
- Can come in a bundle with the Verismo milk frother
- Intuitive control panel
Pros
Great quality of the coffee, which is more intense than coffee made on a Keurig
Finding pods for a Verismo coffee maker is not hard at all
These coffee makers are very affordable; they might not fit in your pocket, but are very good for it
Milk pods are one of the pods you can use on a Verismo
Very stylish and very easy to use
Cons
Not as popular as Keurig coffee makers
Work with Starbucks coffee pods only
Keurig:
Key features:
- Single-serve coffee makers
- Work with K-Cups and with the universal My K-Cup reusable filter
- Brew cups, travel mugs, and coffee carafes
- Programmable settings
- Auto on/off option available on some coffee makers
- Water tanks in different sizes
Pros
A large repertoire of K-Cups, larger than the one of the Verismo Starbucks coffee pods
Work with tea pods as well
Affordable coffee makers which use affordable K-Cups
Strength control, water temperature control, iced coffee, and other features that help you customize your coffee
Multiple brew sizes available
Fast heat up time
Cons
The Keurig 2.0 line coffee makers don’t work with third-party coffee pods
Our pick: Keurig
Why did we pick Keurig? Well, simply because of how convenient and versatile Keurig coffee makers are. Contrary to Verismo coffee makers, coffee makers by Keurig work with a large number of coffee pods, targeting a greater taste spectrum. Furthermore, there are all sorts of nice Keurig coffee makers, some of them great for milk-based coffees, while other ones splendid for a regular cup of Joe. Coming in different sizes, furthermore, Keurig coffee makers are suitable for differently-styled kitchens. To narrow it down, a Keurig is a bundle full of options when compared to the Verismo.
About the Verismo
Verismo coffee makers are Starbucks’ take on ‘linking’ their customers with the delicious Starbucks coffee blends at the comfort of their home. These coffee makers are, in a sense, ‘personalized’ for the typical Starbucks customer.
Easy to use and built to bring the aesthetic pleasure to your eyes, the Verismo system features components that, though simple, elevate your coffee experience.
With these coffee makers you can enjoy reasonably-sized water tanks, removable and adjustable drip trays, and even milk frothers if milk is the essence of your coffees. The standardized frother is known as the Verismo milk frother. This frother can make as much foam as you like, be it hot or cold.
If frothers are not your thing, you have one more way around milk: milk pods. Keep in mind, however, that many find these pods to taste blunt, leaving a fantastically-brewed espresso in the shadow of a distasteful powder milk finish.
As a brand , Verismo is not as popular as Keurig. The two main reasons for that are Keurig’s market dominance and the fact that Verismo coffee makers are compatible exclusively with Starbucks coffee blends and pods. To put things in perspective, a Verismo can make your coffee from more than 15 Starbucks coffee blends, falling a little short on flavor options when compared to the Keurig coffee makers. We think, though, that the stupendous coffee and espresso that a Verismo brews make a Keurig look small in the eyes of people who are beginner coffee connoisseurs.
About the Keurig
Keurig coffee makers are one of the best-selling K-Cup-compatible coffee makers in the United States. These coffee makers became a hit on the market because of their convenience, affordability, and a wide range of pods they’re compatible with. Both Keurig 1.0 and 2.0 lines can make you a beverage from more than 60 beverage brands, with tea being a beverage option as well.
It is only Keurig’s 1.0 line of coffee makers that can brew coffee from a third-party pod. However, having a Keurig of any line equals to more than 400 different beverages that you can have at a touch of a button.
Depending on the Keurig you buy, multiple options and settings might be available to you. Some options include coffee strength control and the iced coffee setting. A Keurig can, furthermore, customize the brew size, with you requesting a cup, travel mug, or a carafe of coffee, brewed at your preferred temperature and as a delay brew drink, if that’s an option on the coffee maker as well. That said, the choices you have with a Keurig promise a well-fitted coffee personalization.
Other than what we already said, Keurig coffee makers are pretty easy to use and maintain. The buttons on each Keurig are pretty self-explanatory and most coffee makers prompt you when it’s time to descale them. Keurig coffee makers also come in different dimensions and their water tanks have different capacities, which lets you choose the best Keurig for you. In brief, Keurig is about simplicity, personalization, and diversity— things that many people find likable.
Similarities between Verismo and Keurig
It’s not like you will mix up the Verismo and Keurig coffee makers when you look at them, but they do have some similarities. The most obvious one of them is, of course, that they are pod-based coffee makers which can be considered affordable.
In terms of their design, the coffee makers look slightly classy and sort of stylish, but they are far from a Jura look, for example; the Verismo design might even have a slight advantage over a the design of Keurig coffee makers, frankly.
When it comes to maintenance, both Keurig and Verismo thought out their coffee makers as easy-to-use, maintain, and set up, pairing the simplicity in operation to the convenience of these single-serve coffee makers.
Keurig coffee makers and Verismo coffee makers, furthermore, make both regular coffee and milk-based coffee drinks, setting you free from the limitations of plain coffee if you wish so. The differences of these coffee makers outnumber their similarities, and we’re about to cover them.
Differences between Verismo and Keurig
One significant difference between Verismo and Keurig coffee makers is that K-Cups, the pods a Keurig works with, can cost less than Verismo pods; this is especially true about K-Cup packs sold by retailers like Amazon. Verismo, however, gives you the milk pod option—something Keurig coffee makers do not offer.
If Verismo makes milky drinks easier, Keurig infuses your coffee routine with a lot of blends; Verismo coffee makers are limited to just a few Starbucks blends, on the other hand. But, what’s not in the blends is in the coffee options, and Verismo coffee makers brew espresso apart from the regular coffee available on a Keurig. A Keurig’s advantage is, however, that it can easily make you a cup of good-tasting tea if that’s what you want; don’t count on a Verismo for this.
When it comes to coffee intensity, coffee is stronger when made on a Verismo. However, when made on a Keurig, coffee is more personalized.
As we already mentioned, a lot of Keurig coffee makers will let you control the coffee strength and the brew temperature, with some Keurig coffee makers even having a menu with your favorite drinks for a quicker selection.
On a Keurig you can, furthermore, brew different beverage sizes, including a carafe and a travel mug, using either K-Cups or ground coffee for an expanded number of flavor options. Definitely, Keurig coffee makers offer more ways to stylize your coffee and a greater choice of coffee flavors.
Which one should you go with?
In our humble opinion, you won’t make a mistake if you choose a Keurig coffee maker for yourself. Sure, the Verismo coffee makers do make delicious coffee and they work with milk pods, but the Keurig coffee makers simply offer more settings for you to craft your coffee your way.
Do we think that the Verismo coffee makers deserve a chance? Yes, definitely, but, for that to happen, Starbucks has to expand the pod repertoire and fix the disappointing milk pods. Other than that, there’s nothing wrong with Verismo coffee makers— they are genuinely great machines, and Starbucks is, furthermore, an ingenious coffee brand. However, we, like many others, like to have a few more pod options when we wake up ready for that one coffee flavor.