Most Keurig models come with a preset temperature optimized for brewing. But there are reasons why we need a Keurig with temperature control. If you are in need for such a coffee maker, keep reading to find out more.
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Why do you need temperature control?
There are 2 reasons to a need to adjust the temperature for brewing.
Optimize Coffee taste
Coffee experts will tell you that optimized extraction of coffee takes place at the ideal temperature of between 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If you go below this range, you will get under-extracted coffee with a bitter taste.
- When you go above this range, your coffee will be over-extracted with a burnt taste.
High Altitude
Another less commonly known reason has to do with altitude. We all know the water boils at the 212 degrees Fahrenheit. But that is at the sea level. When we go to higher lands above sea level, it takes less energy to boil and thus boiling takes place at a lower temperature.
Thus, there’s a need to lower the brewing temperature at high altitude. If you stay at high altitude, it will be more convenient to get Keurig with high altitude settings instead of manually adjusting the temperature.
Keurig with Temperature Control
There are several Keurig models with temperature control.
Let’s take a look at their pros and cons.
Keurig K-Elite
If you like to make iced coffee with your Keurig, K-Elite will be the best choice as it is the only one with this option and has adjustable temperature options. It also brews fast and quietly. And it has a large water tank of 75 ounces.
Keurig K-Elite with temperature control
Pros
- 5 brew size option – 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 ounces.
- compatible with My K-cup reusable coffee filter – you can use ground coffee with this filter
- Ice coffee option
- Strong brew setting – use this if you want a stronger coffee.
- Hot water dispensing function – One of the few Keurig with hot water on demand. This will be useful when you want to brew hot tea or even make instant noodles
- Fast brewing time of less than 1 minute
- Very large water reservoir of 75 ounces
- Simple button controls
- Programmable automatic power down feature
- Programmable Automatic power on feature
- Large drip tray
- can accommodate travel cups of up to 7.2 inches tall
- Descaling alerts
- Quiet brew technology
- Adjustable brew temperature
- High Altitude settings
Cons
- require high height clearance as control panel is at the top
Keurig K155
K155 belongs to the Keurig commercial coffee brewers, thus it is suitable for heavy usage at commercial settings such as a small café or in a small office panty.
It has one of the biggest water tank. If this is not enough, you can get the Keurig K150P which has the plumbed water line option.
Related: Keurig with water line
Keurig K155
Pros
- NSF Certified
- Fast brewing time of 1 minute
- full color touch-screen
- adjustable brew temperature
- brewing instructions in three different languages – English, Spanish, french
- Low water indicator alert on LCD display
- Able to preset a time for the brewer to automatically power on
- Automatic power off after 2 hours of non-use.
- Drip tray can accommodate up to 12 ounces of overflow
- Large Water tank capacity of 90 ounces
Cons
- Not compatible with K-Cup Resuable Filter
- Quite big – 14 inches x 10.38 inches x 13.8 inches
Keurig K575
K575 belongs to the newer Keurig 2.0 coffee brewer series. Thus, beside K-cup, it can also brew the newer Keurig K-carafe pods which can make up to 30 ounces of coffee at one go. If you have a large family of coffee lovers, this Keurig can make coffee brewing more convenient for you.
Keurig K575
Pros:
- Large 80-ounces removable water tank
- 5 brew sizes for K-Cup – 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 ounces
- 3 brew sizes for K-carafe pods – 22, 26, 30 ounces
- Fast brewing – Makes K-Cup in under 1 minute and carafe in under 3 minutes.
- Strong brew option for K-cup
- 5 temperature setting for you to adjust the brew temperature.
- Hot water on demand option
- Extra large color touch screen
- Auto-power on – set your brewer to turn on automatically at set times, so that it is ready to go when you want it
- Auto-brew – set it to auto start brewing a carafe at a future time.
- Auto-power off – set it to turn off to conserve energy.
- compatible with the Keurig’s My K-Cup Reusable Coffee Filter
- High altitude setting
Cons:
- Only available in 1 color scheme
How to get hotter coffee from my Keurig?
If the coffee is still not hot enough for you, consider these tips to get a hotter coffee.
- Warm your cups – This helps to reduce the temperature drop from the hot coffee to your cup
- Run a water only brew cycle – This will help to warm the brewer water circuit and coffee sprout, thus helping to reduce any temperature drop again.
- Use a mug with smaller opening – This helps to reduce the cooling effect with a reduced surface between the coffee and the air.
- Use stainless steel travel mugs – This can keep your coffee warmer for a longer of period of time
Which Keurig with Temperature Control to buy?
So which is the best Keurig machine with temperature control. Each of these 3 models have their unique selling points. If you ask me, I would prefer K575 as it is Keurig 2.0 model. Thus I can get to brew using K-carafe pods too. At the same time, it also has a large water tank and brew really fast. Most importantly, it has 5 temperature options for me to change. So my pick is K575!
