What is a K-Cup?
| September 6, 2010 | Filled under K Cup News |
K-Cups were invented in 1992 (and eventually patented) by Keurig. They were designed to be used in their coffee makers to brew single cups of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. These self-contained K-Cups are a single serving unit, which contains the coffee grounds or other brewing materials.
They are very convenient as you simply pour water into the Keurig brewer, insert a K Cup, and clamp the top down. The machine works by piercing the foil seal on the top of the plastic K-Cup when you clamp down the cover. This also pierces the bottom of the K-Cup to allow the liquid to drip out through the discharge nozzle. The coffee sits in a tiny paper filter, just like the type you use on a traditional coffee maker. Water heated to 192 degrees is forced through the K-Cup which passes through the grounds and the paper filter and out the bottom of the K-Cup to your coffee mug below. When the brewing is done, simply remove the K-Cup and discard. No coffee grounds mess to clean up.
According to some coffee sources, in North America, 6% (or over 2.5 million beverages) every day are dispensed from a Kuerig K-Cup machine. While the K-Cup is proprietary, the coffee (and other beverages) inside can come from many different coffee roasters, tea and beverage manufacturers including: Starbucks, Caribou, Tully’s, Gloria Jeans and many others. These companies ship their ground coffee to licensed manufacturers of K-Cups to be sold around the world. You can enjoy your favorite coffee in this convenient package in a single cup.
After pressure from environmental groups, Keurig now produces a reusable filter called the My-K Cup, which can be used with any of the users coffee or other beverages. This is a more economical and ec0-friendly way to brew a single cup of coffee at home, instead of disposing of prepackaged filters every day. Plus, many coffee drinkers believe that the best coffee taste comes from freshly ground coffee. This reusable filter allows them to grind coffee just minutes before brewing it, whereas the original K-Cup may have coffee that was ground weeks or months before.
Keurig was purchased by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters in 1996. They have licensed their technology to other companies including Breville and Cuisinart. Both companies produce competing brewers, but sell into different segments of the market. Commercial Keurig brewers are also available. Many connect directly to a water line and some have automatic disposal for the K-Cups.
