Keurig Vue – The Next Step In Single-Cup Brewing

Recently a new type of coffee-brewing machine has been rapidly gaining popularity across the world. Known as single-cup brewing systems, these devices have been designed to provide anyone with professionally mixed and perfectly brewed coffee in the comfort of their homes, while simplifying the process itself as much as possible. The Keurig Vue system is the next step in the single-cup brewing technology and a decisive improvement form of their previous system, the K-Cup.

What is single-cup brewing?

The idea of such a system was first realized when coffee bags were first made as an expansion of the tea bag idea. Simple gauze bags containing a mix of instant and ground roast coffee, which are to be steeped in hot water just like tea bags. This technology was later combined with specially-designed coffee machines and took the form of coffee pods –  similar but replace the gauze with a paper coffee filter, and coffee capsules – hermetically sealed plastic or aluminum containers with a built-in filter. Keurig Vue uses recyclable plastic capsules called “Vue Packs”. All capsule brewing machines work by puncturing the top and bottom of the capsule and pumping hot water though it. Generally, capsule machines are designed to work only with capsules by the same manufacturer.

So, what’s so good about Vue?

First of all, all single-cup brewing systems, especially those that use capsules, remove the need to measure and mix coffee yourself. Not everyone can make a good cup of coffee, after all. Also separate portions prevent coffee from losing flavor due to premature exposure to air and sunlight.

As for Keurig Vue, it represents the company’s departure and large improvement upon the already popular K-Cup system. The main improvement is a large number of settings which allow one to customize the brew as the system adjusts the time, water pressure and air flow to meet the set requirements. The latest version, the Vue V700, has the following core features:

  1. Apart from coffee, the Vue can also brew tea, hot cocoa and various café beverages.
  2. The “Strong” brew option. While the K-Cup used a single brew cycle for all purposes, the Vue can be switched to a “pulse” cycle to create a stronger brew. Depending on strength, the brewing process takes 30 to 90 seconds.
  3. The machine offers 8 brew sizes, starting at a 4oz. cup and topping at an 18oz. travel mug.
  4. The maximum temperature for the Vue is 197 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 5 degrees hotter than the older devices. The temperature is also adjustable (187 – 197).
  5. A “Café” option, which uses a two-stage process to brew lattes and cappuccinos.
  6. A ”Brew over ice” option for ice drinks.
  7. The foil and filter are now detachable, which allows #5 plastic cups to be recycled.

If compared to other popular single-cup brew machines such as Tassimo or Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Keurig Vue is a worthy rival and is certainly worth a shot if you want a fast and well-made cup of coffee.