Keurig K-Supreme Plus Single Serve Coffee Maker review: an upgrade to the K-cup experience

I've been holding on to my old trusty emerald green K-10 Mini Plus Keurig since my college days. It's one of the first major purchases I made for college, and it's still kicking after consistent use. I'm trying to count how many apartments and states this coffee machine has made it way to since. In fact, that color informed some kitchen decor choices down the line. But just as I've grown up, so has Keurig. It was time to upgrade to its latest and greatest Keurig machine: the Keurig K-Supreme Plus. 

The sophisticatedly-designed single-serve brewer features several upgrades from my brewer circa 2012, but the most significant across Keurig's entire line up is the introduction of multi-stream technology. I've spent the last few weeks familarizing myself with my new Keurig to write up the following review to see how it fares among the best coffee makers you can buy. 

On the surface, Keurig's new single-serve coffee maker is convenient, easy to use, and looks great on your counter. Let's get into the inner-workings of how Keurig's K-Supreme Plus will upgrade your morning coffee experience. 

Who will the Keurig K-Supreme Plus suit?

Would it be wrong to say everybody can benefit, from casual coffee drinkers to those who have considered inserting a coffee IV into their veins at some point?

Keurig's K-cups take out the guesswork of measuring for coffee. Just pop in a pod and go. They're the ultimate in convenience, with dozens of varietals at your disposal to try and discover. If you're new to coffee brewing, or constantly on the go, brewing with the K-Supreme Plus is quick, mess-free, and fast. 

The K-Supreme Plus has one of the largest water tanks Keurig has made that can make up to nine 12 ounce cups of coffee. It's removable too. Depending on how much coffee you drink, this could last you days before having to refill, making it perfect for coffee cart stations that may be further away from a water source. It also has a water filter, so you can fill straight from the tap. 

Easy customizations let you brew as little as four ounces or as much as 12 ounces at a time, so you'll only brew what you plan to drink. Want iced coffee? The K-Supreme Plus has an Over Ice feature specifically for those hot days when a refreshing icey drink is calling your name. Plus, you'll also get control over temperature and brew strength, to give you ultimate control over how you like to take your coffee.

Another unsuspecting corner of the population who will love the K-Supreme? Coffee lovers who enjoy their coffee with a side of music, i.e, always jamming along to the playlist in their favorite coffeehouse. Alongside the release of the K-Supreme, Keurig teamed up with scientist / professor Charles Spence from the University of Oxford, and his colleague Assistant Prof., Felipe Reinoso Carvalho to offer a unique listening experience under the scientific premise that sound can affect taste. Keurig crafted five Spotify playlists matched to five different popular K-Cup pods to enhance your coffee drinking routine. For instance, our favorite coffee, the Donut Shop Original Blend offers an uplifting music experience. The creation of the playlist considered the flavor characters of dark chocolate and hints of earthy and herbal note (mid-bitterness, mid-intensity and mid-spiciness) that contribute to the musical characters of mid-bass, simple rhythms, low dissonance, featuring the likes of Bob Marley and Dua Lipa within the same playlist. 

Keurig K-Supreme Plus: Specs

• Water tank capacity: 2.3L/ 78oz.
• Dimensions: 13.35” x 8.31” x 12.24”
• Weight:  7.5 lbs
• Cord length: ~34.65”
• Water filter: Yes
• Warming plate: No
• Programmable: Yes
• Warranty: 1 year

Key Features

Multi-Stream Technology
Keurig upped its brewing technology with the introduction of Multi-Stream Technology, and we expect you'll find it in new product releases going forward. Rather than the single puncture in a K-cup for water to filter through, five entrance needles create multiple streams of water to saturate the grounds in a rainfall effect inside the pod more evenly for extra flavor and aroma extraction. And we taste the difference.  

Cup customizations
From cup size to brew strength, and even temperature control, you have more control over the parameters of your coffee. Choose from 4oz., 6 oz. 8 oz., 10 oz,and 12 oz. sizes and three brew strength and temperature settings: low, medium, and high. We found that a 12 oz. coffee on the same medium strength setting as the 4 oz. tasted significantly weaker, and was most happy with the 8 oz. selection.  

Keurig noted that the temperature settings are also determined by the cup size selected, and smallest brew size (4 oz.) can start at 160 and go to 172 degrees on the largest cup size.

Over Ice
The Over Ice feature will brew 6oz. at a lower temperature optimized for iced beverages, but it is still a hot brewing cycle. We tinkered with adding ice before and after the brewing process, and found that adding ice beforehand called for topping it off with additional ice before drinking. The lower temperature setting helps the ice not melt so quickly for a perfectly concentrated cold cup.

Programmable User Settings
Up to three users can create their own brew profile for quicker access to their favorite coffee setting. To save, after you've selected your desired brew size, strength, and temperature settings, press and hold one of the user profile buttons to save your settings. Once saved, you can press the user profile button followed by the brew button. 

Large Water Tank
The 78 oz. water tank can brew nine 12 oz. beverages before needing to refill. It's easily removable to take to the faucet to fill as well as clean.

Set Up and Use

Out of the box, the coffee maker is ready to go after installing the water filter and cycling through a water cycle. The water filter did not come with any instructions except how to activate the filter, so I took to YouTube to show me how to install it into the water tank. Essentially, after you submerge the filter capsule for 5 minutes in water, then rinse it, it snaps into the base of the water container. The filter should be replaced every 2 months or 60 tank refills.   When it comes time to descale, after 250 uses, the machine will notify you. 

To brew a cup, after you pop in a pod, you first select the button with your desired drink size, then adjust the temperature and brew strength features by pressing the Strength and Temp buttons to your desired level. Here, you can take the moment to save your selections as a user favorite, or press the center K to begin brewing. If you want to brew Over Ice, you simply press Over Ice, no other selections are required. A small digital display keeps you updated on the brewing cycle. 

The Keurig K-Supreme also comes with a reusable K-Cup that is compatible with the new Multi-Stream Technology. The instructions are also sparse on using this, but I came to realize that you must remove the K-Cup Pod Holder that is part of the machine. The gray arm that comes with it must also be removed. Only then, will you be able to fit the reusable pod in the machine. While the reusable K-cup is useful for those looking to cut down on their plastic pod use, it's almost more frustrating than its worth to use, and has a lot of parts to clean and reassemble, though it is dishwasher safe. 

Keurig pods are actually recyclable at this time. Just cut open the top film to remove the grounds, rinse, and add the used K-Cup to your recycling pile. 

How does the Keurig K-Supreme Plus rate online?

On Amazon, the Keurig K-Supreme Plus has 4.5 out of 5-star ratings. 

Among users, the Multi-Stream Technology was a big reason for trying out Keurig's newest coffee maker, but the biggest pain points stemmed from the included reusable K-Pod, designed specifically for the Plus and Multi-stream technology, and that the DeScaling light constantly came on, even if it wasn't time.  

How does the Keurig K-Supreme Plus compare to other Keurig brewers? 

K-Supreme Plus is considered an upgrade from the K-Supreme, as the Plus model offers the temperature and strength control, an additional 4 oz. cup size, programmable favorites, and an LCD digital display. The K-Supreme model has a slightly smaller water tank reservoir at 66 oz., that can be stored on the machine in two different positions, to the side or directly behind. It does have a singular bold brew option. 

The Plus model can also be differentiated with its stainless steel wrap, while the K-Supreme is available in black, white, or gray. They are the only models at this time with Multi-Stream Technology. 

Compared to other Keurig models, if you seek the iced coffee feature and similar coffee control, the only other machine is its predecessor, the Keurig Elite, which has a comparatively large removable water tank, but a slightly bulkier design, and does not offer the Multi-Stream Technology. 

If you seek a no-frills single-serve coffee maker experience, The Keurig Classic lets you select between three cup sizes with a roomy 48 oz. reservoir, while Keurig's most compact and affordable offering the Keurig Mini lets you brew cups between 6 and 12oz, but you are responsible for refilling the water tank each time. 

Keurig K-Supreme Plus: our verdict

Keurig has officially upgraded single-serve coffee with its best innovations yet. The Multi-Brew Technology yields a strong flavorful cup of coffee that improves the coffee drinking experience, and taste. The machine itself is easy to use, and offers the most customizations of any of its coffee makers, making it reign supreme among its line up of single-serve brewers. 

It's really an almost perfect machine, save for my run in with the reusable K-Cup... but let's be perfectly honest here, we're not buying it for that part, the reusable part is just an add on. 

Keurig K-Supreme Plus: where to buy