How to Make Iced Coffee With a Keurig Special Edition

If you're looking for a latte and cappuccino maker that's a breeze to use, this Keurig K Cafe is the model for you. Here's a detailed Keurig K Cafe review.

Your Keurig is not just for a regular cup of joe anymore. The Keurig K Cafe has a built-in milk frother that makes hot and cold froth. Along with the Shot button, K Cafe makes it easy to make milk-based coffee drinks at home.

Design

Instead of sticking to the same tired look, Keurig opted for a very attractive, modern design. As usual, the body is plastic but the design is very nice and user-friendly.

Keurig K Cafe dimensions: 12.5″ tall and 15.3″ wide.

On the left side, there's a 60 ounces removable water reservoir. Compared to other Keurig models, K Cafe has one of the largest water tanks.

Controls sit in the middle. They are large and easy to access. With Keurig K Cafe you can choose 4 different coffee sizes for regular coffee – 6, 8, 10, and 12 ounces.

For cappuccinos and lattes, there's a Shot button that makes 2 ounces of concentrated brew. You'll also have a Strong option you can use to make your coffee stronger.

Resting on the base on the right is the milk frother. The milk frother has 3 different frothing modes: latte, cappuccino, and cold froth. The frother uses fresh milk and allows you to use any of your favorite milk options. You can use cows', almond, coconut, or oat milk.

Keurig K Cafe does not offer temperature control or auto ON. It does have auto off feature, and it will automatically turn off 2 hours after the last brew. You can disable the auto off feature if you wish to keep the coffee maker on all time.

Keurig K Cafe retails for $179.99.

How to use Keurig K cafe

When you turn on the machine, K Cafe needs approximately 3 minutes to heat the water.

To make a regular cup of coffee, insert one regular k cup, push the coffee button, choose desired cup size and press the K button to brew. It's just like using any other k cup brewer. If you want, you can also select the Strong option for a stronger cup of coffee.

To make a concentrated brew, insert a k cup and choose Latte&Capp option. The shot button will be illuminated so you just need to press the brew button.

Once it starts dispensing the coffee, it needs around 30 seconds for 6 oz cup and slightly less than 40 seconds for 8 oz at regular coffee setting. The Shot button needs 40 seconds to finish brewing, and it makes 2 fl. ounces.

Milk frother:
To make a latte or a cappuccino, add fresh milk up to the cappuccino/latte line and select frothing mode. Then, insert the k cup and choose the latte&capp option and press the large K button to brew.

For an iced latte, fill a pitcher with fresh milk and press cold froth. Brew one k cup at latte&capp setting directly over ice and add frothed milk.

Does Keurig K Cafe make espresso

It's important to note that Keurig K Cafe doesn't make real espresso because it doesn't use pressure to extract the coffee.

What the Shot button does, it brews strong concentrated regular coffee so it's similar to espresso. This way it's easy to make milk-based coffee drinks even if you don't have an espresso machine.

It's pretty much like having their old espresso Rivo machine (discontinued), but with the convenience of using any regular k cup pod.

K cups for Keurig K cafe

You can use all standard Keurig k cups in the K Cafe. The machine works with Keurig branded and non-branded k cups.

Espresso pods for Keurig K Cafe

Since Keurig K Cafe doesn't make real espresso but concentrated brewed coffee, you can't buy real espresso pods for K Cafe. But, they do make some really strong k cups which taste perfect when you make them with the Shot setting. Usually, these k cups will say espresso roast or espresso style on the box. For example:

Cafe Bustelo Espresso Style
Timothy's Rainforest Espresso

Besides these espresso-style k cups, you can also use some good dark roasted k cups to make lattes and cappuccinos. They are very strong and bold and they will taste delicious with milk.

Does My K Cup work with K cafe

Yes, Keurig K Cafe works with my K cup reusable filter. This model is compatible with Universal Keurig Reusable K cup.

Keurig K Cafe won't work with other pods besides k cups. You can't use Nespresso classic, Vertuoline, or Keurig Rivo pods in this machine.

The milk frother

Currently, this is the only Keurig model with a built-in milk frother. The milk frother uses fresh milk, which is always better than powdered milk pods. You can use any of your favorite milk options: cows', almond, coconut, or oat milk.

How well does it work?
The frothing result will vary depending on what milk you use. The dairy-free milk options don't froth as nicely as cow's milk – but that's normal. Depending on the frothing mode, the frother takes 2-3 minutes to froth the milk.

It doesn't froth as well as the steam wand but that's expected. But, for simple and effortless cafe-style drinks at home, the results are not bad.

If you want to get rich foam, use cold skim milk. If you want more creaminess and better taste, I recommend using 2% or whole milk.

Make sure to always put the lid on when frothing.

Does Keurig K Cafe heat milk?
Yes, the milk frother can do both hot and cold frothing.

Does Keurig K Cafe make iced coffee?

This model doesn't have a special iced coffee option, but it makes great iced coffee drinks with the Shot button and cold froth option. You can easily make an iced vanilla latte or iced caramel macchiato with this model.

Keurig K Cafe vs K Elite

Both of these models work with all regular k cups and they allow you to use a reusable k cup. You can also make iced coffee with any of these models.

The main Keurig K Elite advantage is that it's made from stronger material. It doesn't feel cheap and it's much sturdier than the K Cafe. Also, the K Elite has temperature control and Auto ON that allows you to set the brewer to be ready in the morning.

Keurig K Cafe on the other hand has the milk frother which is what most people want.

Keurig K Cafe vs Ninja

Ninja features are hard to beat. Ninja Hot & Cold Brewed System offers 6 different cups sizes: single cup, XL cup, travel mug, XL multi-serve, full carafe, and a half carafe.

You can control the strength and style of your coffee by choosing standard brew, rich brew, over ice, cold brew, or specialty brew. The Ninja can make coffee and tea, and it uses ground coffee so it costs less to make the coffee with this machine. It also makes a hotter cup of coffee than Keurig.

While Ninja also has a milk frother, the frother can't heat the milk. You need to first heat the milk and then use the frother.

Keurig K Cafe vs Nespresso

The Nespresso Vertuoline pods are more expensive than k cups and there are not as many different pod options. You will also need to order Nespresso pods online. But, Nespresso has a recycling program for their pods so you can recycle them, while most of the k cups are not recyclable.

As far as their performance, Nespresso makes better coffee. Nespresso Vertuoline can make regular coffee and real espresso shots using pressure. Nespresso Aeroccino frother makes better froth compared to K Cafe.
But, Nespresso Vertuoline is more expensive – $249 for a machine and frother bundle. Luckily, you can often score a good price on Amazon.

Maintenance and Support

The Keurig K Cafe includes a limited one-year warranty for normal home use. To keep your machine in good shape, it's recommended to clean the external parts or the brewer regularly and descaling it every three to six months. The machine has the maintenance reminder and will let you know when it is time to descale.

Quickly rinse the frother with water and a mild detergent after each use. The frother is dishwasher safe.

Does Keurig K Cafe have a water filter

The K Cafe is compatible with the Keurig Side Reservoir Water Filter.

Does Keurig K Cafe come with a water filter? Normally the water filter is not included with the K cafe so you will need to purchase it separately.

CONCLUSION
Making your own cappuccinos and lattes at home will bring you satisfaction and save you money. The Keurig K Cafe is super easy to use and has all the basic options you might need.

The fact it uses regular k cups and not espresso pods is a plus since you know you're always able to find the pods for your brewer.

But, don't expect the most amazing espresso crema or velvety froth. This machine just can't do it since it's not an espresso machine.

If you're looking for a perfect foam, programmable options, or temperature control, a real espresso machine like Breville Barista Express is the best possible choice. But it's three times more expensive than Keurig.

Important: If you have an updated kitchen, you might not be able to use this model. According to some reviews, it appears that the K Cafe machine can trip GFCI outlets. It's not something that happens all the time but it's important to mention this as well.

How to Make Iced Coffee With a Keurig Special Edition

Source: https://coffeestylish.com/keurig-k-cafe-review/

Share this post