Alternatives to Keurig?

 Many years ago I had a Keurig. It was one of the first models and I was in love.  Being able to choose between all the k-cup flavors was great and at first, worth the cost.  Then the Keurig started getting clogged and the money spent on K-cups was adding up. I knew there had the be an alternative to Keurig’s one cup coffee maker but what was it? Finally I found the Bunn My Cafe MCU coffee maker, which I love. 

How I started looking for alternatives to keurig:

The Keurig was great. I loved the ease of the one cup coffee maker and using the different K-cups. Eventually it died because they have shorter lifespans than most coffee makers and I went back to using a regular coffee pot.  A few months later, my daughter pulled the glass coffee pot down one day when it was full off freshly brewed coffee and sustained severe burns to her arm and stomach.  Right then I swore that I would never have a coffee pot in the house again.  I know it was a fluke and an accident but I never want to see her in pain like that again so I knew at that point that I needed to stick with the one cup coffee makers.  I had already owned a Keurig and enjoyed it but I wanted something that gave me more options. Using the regular coffee maker for those few months also told me that I wanted to be able to use both ground coffee and K-cups. I love both of Seattle’s Best K-cups and ground coffee, it’s my go-to choice.

What I found to replace my Keurig:

I love the Bunn coffee maker that my aunt-in-law swears by but it had a coffee pot style carafe, which I did not want. Then I found that Bunn had a one cup coffee maker! Keurig holds the one cup market so securely that I had no idea that Bunn was also now in the running.  Let me tell you – Bunn owners are extreme supporters of that brand. You know it’s a good brand when they have practically rabid fans.  I’ve now owned the Bunn My Cafe MCU coffee maker for one year and I am beyond in love.  I mean, Keurig I know you’re sweet and all but Bunn kicks your butt. 

Why do I love the Bunn My Cafe MCU coffee Maker so? Simply the options, speed and simplicity. 

Options-

• The My Cafe comes with 4 drawers that you can use for different purposes. Use the K-cup drawer to use any k-cup, name brand or off brand.  There’s also a drawer for just hot water and one for pods. I don’t buy pods but I do place regular tea bags in the pod drawer and it works great. The best part is the filter drawer that you can fill with any ground coffee! What a money saver since I do not have to buy K-cups but still get a one cup serving of coffee! 
• Pulse setting – with one push of a button you can set the water to pulse, which basically holds the water on the coffee grounds for a few more seconds for a darker brew.  This is a great option when my Father-in-Law comes to visit since he likes coffee that could get up and walk out of the cup by itself. 

Speed-

• It’s fast y’all. Unlike the Keurig, the Bunn keeps the water warm at all times. If you use it daily than it will start to brew immediately. If you haven’t used it in over a day than it might reheat the water first which takes 30 seconds or so and then it will be ready to brew.  Considering the finished drink is hotter than Keurig, it’s worth the wait! 

Simplicity – 

• It’s easy. There’s two buttons. No fancy schmancy screen to tell me how many ways I’ve messed up the settings.  
• There isn’t a  timer start option but you don’t need it because it brews so fast. Just set up your coffee the night before and press start in the morning. By the time you’ve woken up enough to figure out that the cat isn’t talking to you, it’s ready.  
• There’s also not a button to tell the machine what size cup you’re using. However much water you put in is how much you get back. Move the bottom tray and travel mugs fit in the space.
• It’s easy to use and that’s good at 6am when you can’t figure out where you left your glasses.

So would I recommend this coffee maker? YES! I think you should all get out there and buy one. It’s a great alternative to a Keurig that I think is actually better.  You can enjoy your dark, well brewed coffee and own a single serve coffee maker!   Want to learn more about the Bunn My Cafe MCU single serve coffee maker? Click here to learn more on Amazon.com.  I’m linking to Amazon.com because you can read other’s reviews and it has great illustrations to show the features.  Edited 11/23/15 – I’m now going on two years with this machine. The trays did start leaking a few months ago but after a quick email to customer service they sent me several new seals that were easy to install myself. Since then I haven’t had another issue. I’m still madly in love with this machine and how quickly I can get hot drinks and I don’t have to buy name brand specific kcups.  Updated 1/18 -5 years later and this coffee maker is still going strong. This review is my own opinion. I was not paid in any way for this review, nor does Bunn know I exist.  This post does contain affiliate links.