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Review Summary:

The Keurig B31 Mini is the perfect coffee maker for that extra cup of coffee during the day. Small, compact, makes a fresh cup of coffee using K-cups in about 2 minutes. No extra bells and whistles to break or cause brewing failure... This is the ideal little coffee maker if you have limited counter space. Brew up a nice hot decaf at night, or a bold cup of coffee in the morning to get you going. I like bold, strong coffee... my wife likes a milder coffee... no problem, she uses her brand of K-cup, I use mine. You can even make tea or cocoa. The Keurig B31 is great to take with you on vacations (if driving). Also great if you have guests over and each want a different type of coffee or tea. I prefer the Keurig B31 Mini over the larger models that have water reservoirs. Read my full review.

NOTICE: Keurig Recall (12/23/2014) – Keurig is recalling 6.6 million of its popular coffee makers after receiving “90 reports of burn-related injuries.”

“Hot liquid could escape from certain MINI Plus Brewing System units during use,” the company said Tuesday. That is more likely “if the brewer is used to brew more than two cups in quick succession.” 

Visit Keurig website for more information. It appears that if your Keurig B31 does not have a model # starting with K10 you are OK.

The coffee makers are stamped with the model number K10 and were made between December 2009 and July 2014. They may have been purchased at a Kmart, Kohl’s, Target or Walmart , or directly from Keurig Green Mountain.
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My Review of the Keurig B31

The Keurig B31 Mini Coffee Maker is the baby of the Keurig line. Its bigger brothers, the Keurig B70, Keurig B40, Keurig B75, etc. all have a water reservoir tank on the side. The Keurig B31 does not. The reason I prefer the B31 is for that reason. Not that the others are bad… probably all make a good cup of coffee. [Read my review of the new Keurig 2.0 k550 & k560.] I still love my B31 and take it with us when vacationing.

I received the Keurig B31 as a gift. My wife and I instantly fell in love with it. I think I spent $200 buying K-cups the first month we had it. Then I saw the Keurig B171 model at Costco. Bigger and more buttons – must be better. Plus Costco has great deals. This was within 30 days of getting the B31. So I returned the B31 to Walmart, got $99 back and bought Costco’s Keurig Coffee Maker (came with 60 K-cups) for $149.

After a couple weeks, it kept showing an error – add more water. Yet the water container was full. If I removed the water container and put it back on it would work. This got old fast. Another down side I learned on these water container models is water remains in the maker itself – waiting to heat for the next cup. This makes it faster than the B31, but there is no way to empty that water if, for example, you wanted to take it on a trip and lay it on its side. Or if you haven’t used it for awhile, that water has just been sitting there. No thanks, I prefer fresh water for my coffee.

Once the novelty of the K-cups wore off and the expense of K-cups set in, we started using the Keuring less and only for that optional cup of coffee during the day or in the evening – not for our morning coffee. It is great to be able to brew a quick cup of decaf at night. We eventually went back to our Cuisinart drip coffee maker – making a pot in the morning. Much more economical. But still love our Keurig. I work from home so most everyday I make a noon cup of Keurig K-cup coffee.

Back to the Keurig B31. I took Costco’s Keurig back to Costco for a refund (never mind that we used the 60 bonus K-cups). Then went to Staples of all places and bought a new Keurig B31 – Staples had a $20 off special bringing price to $79.

Why I like the Keuring B31….

It is small, takes less counter space. The coffee seems hotter than the Costco model. The water is always fresh because you put it in at the time you are making your coffee. It doesn’t sit there for days like the water reservoir models. The down side is the largest cup size is about a 14oz cup. Not a big deal for me. If I want to fill a travel mug for the road, I just brew 2 cups of coffee and pour into the travel mug. The B31 does not have buttons for mild, medium, bold. I found with K-cups you don’t need that. Buy the coffee you like, make a cup of coffee. Done.

Here is a quick little video I shot making a cup of coffee. The video is 5 minutes start to finish. In reality, it only takes about 2 minutes to make a cup of coffee in the Keurig B31 model.

 

Bottom Line:

I love Keurig Coffee Makers. Opened up a whole new world of coffee to me. I love the various brands of K-cups you can buy. However, K-cups are not cheap! $0.35 to $0.65 per cup. Cheaper than Starbucks but still…

I recommend the Keurig B31 model if you want a coffee maker to make a single cup now and then during the day or night. If you are a 1-2 cup coffee drinker in the morning, this model is still a good fit. If you entertain and want to make the Keurig Coffee Maker available to your guests, then a reservoir model may suit you better.

For a good cup of coffee, you can’t go wrong with the $99 Keurig B31… plus they make a nice gift. Today I saw Amazon selling this model for $85 with free Prime shipping. Watch for deals. Check current Amazon price here. (Get 30 day free Amazon Prime and get free shipping click here)

Here are some Amazon links below to check out more reviews and models. If you have Ad Blocker turned on these links may not show up for you. Also included a link to my favorite K-Cup, Barista Italian Roast… and the Ekobrew K-cups – you can use your own coffee and save money.

 

Note: As an Amazon affiliate, I receive a (very) small commission if you click on my links and buy on Amazon. It does not affect your cost at all. I will NEVER give a less than honest review in order to “sell” a product. But I do appreciate you clicking on my links and buying on Amazon. Thank you.

Side Note: I’m in the process of developing another website www.bobscoffeestore.com – its focus is on Bold Coffee and coffee accessories. It is just getting started and I plan on having more articles and information about coffee in the future as I have time. Take a look if you like coffee as I do. 🙂

[Read my latest review of the new Keurig 2.0 k550 & k560.]

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