Keurig K55 vs. K250: Which coffee maker is better?

 

About the Keurig K55

The Keurig K55, also known as the K-Classic is the upgraded version of the K50 and offers all of the necessary functions of a single serve machine without the high price tag that comes with some of the fancier models.  It is a simple, easy to use machine with button controls, making it a great choice for both the home and the office. The three buttons correspond to the three different cup sizes it offers and that’s as complicated as it gets. 

One bonus of the K55 is as a member of the classic 1.0 Keurig family, it can read pods manufactured by brands not associated with Keurig.  This makes it a desirable option if you are looking for a wide variety of coffee at affordable prices.  

The K55 offers users three different cup size settings (6oz., 8oz., and 10oz.)  and comes with a removable drip tray to accommodate larger mugs and travel cups.

If you are looking for a coffee maker that will quickly brew up a cup between meetings, the K55 may be your go to machine.  The Keurig K55 takes around 3 minutes to heat up,but  it then brews each cup of coffee in under a minute.

It comes with a 48 oz. removable water reservoir so you can brew a number of cups before it needs a refill, and it even includes a charcoal water filter to further improve the taste of each cup.  The K-Classic also added a flashing “add water” light to alert you when the reservoir needs to be refilled. 

A major issue with all single serve coffee machines is calcium build-up.  The build up of mineral deposits can clog the needle on your machine and prevent your coffee from brewing properly…or at all.  A clogged needle can also result in coffee grounds in your brew or all over the kitchen counter. 

Keurig addresses this issue head on by including a maintenance reminder feature on the K55.  A flashing light lets you know when it’s time to descale your machine.  To descale, you can use your own solution of white vinegar and water, or you can simply buy the descaling solution that Keurig manufactures.  Either way, regular cleaning will make sure each cup of coffee tastes just as great as the last.

About Keurig K250

The Keurig K250 is a serious upgrade in terms of technology from the K55.  As a Keurig 2.0 model coffee maker, it features a number of custom brewing options that you will not find on the K55, but requires the use of the Keurig brand K-cups manufactured for the 2.0 line.  These K-cups contain a ring around the outside of the cup that is embedded with a custom code.  The Keurig K250’s smart technology reads the code and brews your coffee to its specifications. It is, however, compatible with Keurig’s own My K-cup reusable filter, which allows you to use your own ground coffee in your brewer. 

One way the K250 stands out from the K55 is through its comprehensive controls.  The advanced LCD control panel makes programming your custom cup of coffee simple. The easy to use interface allows you to customize both your coffee cup size and brew strength.

The Keurig K250 also offers 10 different cup sizes, including 3 carafe brew sizes. In addition to K-cups, the K250 is also compatible with K-mug, which brews 12 oz. and 16 oz. cups, as well as  K-carafes, which can make up to 30 oz. of coffee at once.  This feature allows your single serve coffee maker to have a similar capacity to a traditional drip coffee maker.  

The K250 also comes with charcoal water filters that help improve the quality of the water you brew with improving both the coffee’s flavor and increasing the longevity of your brewer. In addition to brewing coffee, this machine offers the advantage of dispensing hot water on demand so you can brew a hot cup of tea or even instant oatmeal. 

The smallest in the 2.0 line, the K250 has a slim design that is available in seven different colors and its sleek and modern look will complement any kitchen decor. 

If you are looking for an advanced single serve coffee maker that is versatile enough to accommodate a single person to a small brunch, the K250 is your go to coffee maker. 

The Keurig K55 vs K250

Now that we’ve looked at each machine individually, let’s compare them side by side.

Added Features

The K55 includes three cup sizes (6oz., 8oz., and 10oz.), a very short one minute brew time, a 48 ounce removable water reservoir with filter, and a programmable auto off feature.  The removable drip tray will easily accommodate a 7 inch travel mug and you and use virtually any K-cup in it.

The K250, includes 10 different brew sizes including two larger travel mug sizes and three carafe sizes.  In addition to its increased number of brew sizes, it offers custom strength control, short brew cycles, a removable 40oz. water reservoir with two separate water filters.  

The addition of the ability to brew three carafe sizes as well as the increased customizability pushes the K250 into the lead by a wide margin when it comes to features. 

Ease of use

It doesn’t get much simpler than the K55.  There are three brew sizes and each size has a separate button.  Simply fill up the water reservoir, insert a K-cup, close the lid, and push the 6oz., 8oz, or 10oz. button.  You will have a hot cup of coffee in under a minute.

While the K250 is by no means difficult to use, it is not quite as simple as the K55. Solely because the K250 offers so many different options, rather than pushing a button that corresponds to your preferred size, the K250 uses an LCD screen to manage its controls.  

Place the K-cup into the machine, close the lid and then select your preferred cup size and brew strength from the intuitive touch screen menu to brew your coffee.  

Both machines are easy to use but the button options for the K55 may be best for those who want a “push a button and walk away” machine.

Brew sizes

The K250 wins hands down in this category.  Offering 10 different brew sizes including two travel mug sizes and three carafe sizes makes it most definitely superior to the K55 that only offers a 6oz., 8oz., and 10oz. Brew. 

Brew quality

Keurigs all used K-cups and operate using the same system so brew quality is pretty consistent between all models.  The K250, however, edges out the K55 in brew quality due to two main factors: it has two water filters that improve the overall taste of the coffee and prevent excessive mineral build up in the machine, and the K-mug feature allows you to brew a bigger cup of coffee without sacrificing flavor.

Cleaning and maintenance

Cleaning and maintenance are simple with either machine.  Both the K55 and the K250 have removable drip trays and water reservoirs so you can take the straight over to the sink to wash them off.  Both machines also have alerts to let you know when it’s time to descale the brewer. Descaling is simple if you use Keurig’s descaling solution and follow the directions in your user’s manual.  

Appearance and design

Appearance is one of the first things you tend to consider when shopping for a coffee maker.  Afterall, it is going to sit on your counter where you will both see and use it everyday.  These two models both look great and come in more than one color option.

Both brewers are similar in size, although the K250 is just a fraction larger than the K55.  The placement of the water reservoir as well as the LCD touch screen make the K250 look a little more modern.  If you are looking for color choice, the K250 wins this race hands down with seven different colors to choose from, compared to the K55 which only comes in black and red. 

Pod compatibility

When shopping for a coffee maker, you want to make sure you will be able to use your favorite coffee in it.  While both of these machines take K-cups, the K250 will only work with Keurig brand K-cups.  One of the unique features of the Keurig 2.0 line is that the brewer reads the code on the ring around the K-cup to ensure proper brewing, so if you use an off brand coffee pod without the ring, the machine will give you an error message and fail to brew it.  

In addition to the Keurig brand K-cups, the K250 is also compatible with the K-mug and K-carafe pods, allowing you to brew a larger (12-16 ounce) cup of coffee, or even an entire carafe. 

The K55 on the other hand will accept all K-cups so if your favorite coffee is not a Keurig brand or if you prefer to purchase less expensive pods, the K55 is the way to go. 

Both machines are compatible with Keurig’s reusable coffee filters so if you prefer to use locally roasted artisan beans in your machine, you still can. 

Performance

When it comes to performance, both coffee makers brew a great cup of coffee but the customizability of the K250 beats out the K55 by leaps and bounds.  Not only can you brew 10 different sizes of coffee, you can also customize the strength of each cup. 

Both machines will brew a single cup of coffee in under a minute but if you prefer a stronger brew, the K250 will take a few seconds longer if you choose a stronger strength setting.

Price

A coffee maker is an appliance that you used daily so remember, when it comes to price, you get what you pay for.  The K250 comes with lots of added features and those added features come with a more expensive price tag. If you prefer the versatility of being able to brew a full carafe of coffee for a brunch with friends, or you want to be able to customize your single serve cup by making it a little stronger, the K250 is totally worth the extra money.

However, if you are on a budget and simply looking for a brewer that will quickly brew a cup of coffee, the K55 is a quality machine and less expensive than its fancier counterpart. 

Similarities

Both the K55 and the K250 are manufactured by Keurig, so there are a number of similarities between the two.  They both use K-cups, are easy to use, compact, and make single serve coffee.  Both also filter the water before brewing and brew 6oz., 8oz., and 10oz. cups of coffee. Each of these single serve coffee makers look good, are around the same size, performs well, and comes in both red and black.

Now, let’s look at the differences.

Differences

While the K55 and the K250 have a number of similarities, they have even more differences.  

Let’s start with price. The K250 is definitely more expensive, but it also has a lot more to offer than the bare bones K55.

The K250 brews seven additional sizes to the K55’s three, including 12oz. and 16oz. travel mug sizes and three different carafe sizes (22oz., 26oz., and 30oz.).  

The two machines also work with different pods.  While the K55 is part of the Keurig 1.0 line and will take virtually any brand of coffee pod, the K250 is part of the 2.0 line which includes a digital ring reader which will not work with third party K-cups and pods.  

In addition to 10 different brew sizes, the K250 offers the added option of strength customization.  

Each machine comes with a removable water reservoir but the K250 only has a 40oz. capacity while the K55 comes with a 48oz. reservoir.  The 8 ounce difference, while small, gives you an extra cup of coffee between refills.  

The K55 is a simple brewer with only three button options for brewing.  The K250 offers a much larger selection of brewing options so It comes with a 2 inch LCD touch screen to control its advanced brew settings.

When it comes to size comparison, both machines are similar but the K250 is slightly more narrow and the K55 is just a bit shorter so if counter space is tight, these are factors you should consider.  The K250 is also not quite as heavy as the K55.

A final comparison is in color.  Both machines come in black and red, but if you are looking for variety, the K250 also comes in Blue, Oasis, Grey, Pearl, and Turquoise.

Why single serve?

Single-serve coffee machines are all about convenience, and in recent years, the market has been flooded with single-serve coffee makers from every brand imaginable.  Unfortunately, not all coffee makers are created equal and can vary greatly when it comes to brew quality.  

The coffee makers available on the market range from downsized regular drip brewers to coffee makers that use pods or capsules exclusively sold by the machine’s manufacturer. 

Pod-based single serve machines like Keurig and Nespresso, rose to popularity due to their efficiency, consistency, and user-friendliness.  While single-serve coffee will never compare to coffee brewed from freshly roasted and ground beans from a local artisan roaster, it wins the prize for the fastest and easiest cup of coffee you can brew yourself.  

Why Keurig?

The popularity of Keurig coffee makers has exploded in the home market.  Offering a wide variety of machines, the Keurig coffee makers that were originally intended for commercial use, have found homes in kitchens and offices across America.

The Keurig brand

The Keurig Brand was developed in the early 1990s.  Initially marketed as a machine for small offices and company break rooms, Keurig soon expanded into the home market.  The resulting exposure caused a brand explosion, making Keurig coffee machines the norm in American households. 

Keurig began to  develop a wide variety of coffee machines designed for both home and office use. As the machines grew in popularity, other brands jumped on board creating K-cups of their own to be used in the popular Keurig brewer. 

Now the Keurig brand offers coffee machines to suit every budget, from bare bones “makes a cup of coffee” brewers, to single serve coffee machines loaded with bells and whistles.

Ease of use

When it comes to ease of use, Keurig gets a solid five stars.  Simply add water, pop in the K-cup of your choice, close the lid, and press the button of your desired brew size.  Your freshly brewed coffee will be ready in a matter of minutes and you don’t even have to clean up the leftover grinds in the brew basket. Simply remove the coffee pod and you are ready to brew your next cup.  

Variety

With the explosion of the Keurig coffee machine, other brands wanted to claim their spot in the market and quickly began producing coffee for these popular machines.  K-cups soon took over the coffee aisle at the grocery store, and today you will be hard pressed to find a supermarket that doesn’t offer a wider variety of K-cups than bagged coffee.  Whether you prefer regular coffee, flavored coffee, or Kona coffee, there is a K-cup for you.  You can even find tea and hot cocoa in K-cup form to please every member of the household.

Convenience

Keurig also wins the prize when it comes to convenience.  Whether at home or in the office, Keurig machines make brewing your morning…or afternoon…cup of coffee a breeze.  Entertain  a wide variety of guests with the coffee of their choosing in a matter of minutes.  If the office doesn’t stock the brand or flavor of coffee you prefer, just pop a couple of pods into your briefcase or gym bag on the way out the door. Keurig has taken the work out of modern coffee making and made it a quick and easy part of everyday life.

Taste

Lets face it, you’re not going to get the same coffee flavor from a K-cup than with freshly ground locally roasted beans brewed in a traditional drip coffee maker, french press, or pour-over, but with thousands of K-cups on the market, you will definitely find a coffee that works for you.  If you aren’t sure where to start, check to see if your favorite brand offers a K-cup version or test out a variety of flavors with the convenience of a sampler pack.  The K-cups flavor possibilities are endless and you should be able to find a coffee pod to please even the most discerning palate. 

K55 vs K250: Which one should you choose?

Both the K55 and the K250 are quality single serve coffee makers so it really comes down to what you are looking for.  

The K250 is the superior machine when it comes to customizability and versatility. It offers more brew settings and will even brew larger carafes.  

If you entertain often and prefer a machine with versatility, go with the K250 but if money is tight, the K55 is still a good coffee maker and while it doesn’t have as many features, it will get the job done.