How to Hack Your Keurig 2.0 to Save Money and Brew a Great Cup of Coffee
I just got a new Keurig 2.0 coffee maker for Christmas. As a guy who loves coffee almost as much as I love caffeine, I was super stoked to start brewing individual cups of hot and tasty goodness. But I soon realized that there are some easy ways to hack my Keurig 2.0 to get the most use out of it, many of which beat Kuerig at their own game of separating me from my money. Here are some awesome Keurig hacks that will save you money, time, and frustration.
How to Use K-Cups That Aren’t Keurig Branded
The Keurig 2.0 coffee maker simply won’t brew K-Cups that are NOT licensed for use on the 2.0 system. On the lid of the K-Cup it will say “Keurig Brewed” around the edge of the lid, which tells you it’ll work on the Keurig 2.0. If you try any generic, or off-branded K-Cup, you’re out-of-luck and stuck with coffee you can’t use because the new Keurig does a digital read of the lid and can determine what type of K-Cup you’re attempting to use. But alas, there’s a way to hack your Keurig K-Cups so you can use any K-Kup on the 2.0:
1. Use a K-Kup that has the “Keurig Brewed” symbol on it and brew a cup of coffee. Once you’ve brewed your coffee, DON’T throw the K-Kup away.
2. Take a straight edge razor and slowly remove the lid of the K-Kup. See pic below. If you’re having trouble with the straight edge, cut off the bottom 3/4 of the K-Kup, remove the coffee grounds and use scissors to easily separate the lid from the plastic cup.
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3. Once removed, simply take the lid and place it on a K-Kup that is not marked “Keurig Brewed” and use 2 small pieces of scotch tape to affix it to the K-Kup.
4. Viola. You can now use the K-Kup on your Keurig 2.0 brewer without any issues. These “generic” or non-branded K-Kups can be found quite cheap when compared to their name-brand counterparts making this a great way to save money on your coffee fix.
How to Use a Refillable K-Cup on the Keurig 2.0
In an attempt to take more of your money, and force you to buy expensive K-Kups, the Keurig 2.0 in not compatible with any refillable K-Kup.
But if you’re like me, you don’t want to have to buy expensive K-Cups all the time, but would rather use a refillable K-Cup and brew whatever type of coffee you want (for pennies on the dollar).
An easy solution is to use the “Keurig Branded” lid that you removed (see above steps) and affix it to the top of a refillable K-Kup with a couple small pieces of scotch tape and you’re good to go.
I recommend changing the tape after every 10-12 cups of coffee brewed as it tends to get a little grimy.
But I can promise you it won’t affect the taste of your morning cup of Joe and it’ll save you a bunch of money in process by allowing you to brew your own coffee and never have to buy an expensive K-Kup again.
Use a Toothpick to Unlock Cool Features
I heard about this tip from a friend of mine who REALLY likes coffee and uses a coffee mug the size of a gas can.
He showed me how to use a toothpick to unlock some cool features that includes a larger cup size. Here’s how it works:
1. With the top of your Keurig open, lightly pull the K-Kup holder towards you as far as it will go. This is much easier to do if you don’t have a K-Kup inserted in the Keurig.
2. While holding it in place, slide a toothpick in the small hole in the middle (see image below). Leave the toothpick sticking out a little bit so you can easily remove it without having to use needle-nose pliers.
3. By doing this, you trick the machine into thinking you’ve inserted a larger carafe K-Kup and it unlocks a whole new menu on the touchscreen.
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4. A few of the more popular options that get unlocked include a larger size cup (up to 14 ounces), froth setting, and the entire carafe setting. TIP: The 14 oz cup size works especially well with dark coffee as it’s still plenty strong.
5. In my experience, you’ll want to replace the toothpick after every 8-10 brews as it tends to get kinda soggy.
What Else Can You Do with Your Keurig?
- Bottle Warmer: Just fill up a cup with instant hot water and let the baby bottle warm up for a couple minutes. Much faster than waiting for hot water from the tap.
- Hot Foods: Simply slide a bowl of oatmeal, instant soup, cup of noodles, or even a coffee mug filled with quinoa or couscous right under the dispenser, and then allow the water to heat up your meal quickly.
Happy savings and happy brewing.
By Kyle James
I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)
