If you’ve made it here, then you want to know all about one of Keurig’s newest machines—the Keurig 2.0 K550—right? Let’s dive right into the features. We have done our research and test to give you an honest Keurig 2.0 K550 review. Then we’ll compare them to the previous models of the same machine to find out what Keurig did to improve on an already sweet little machine.
[easyazon_image align=”center” height=”400″ identifier=”B00KYWL6E8″ locale=”US” src=”http://coffeemakersparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/419z9dcIvmL1.jpg” tag=”cafe049-20″ width=”400″]The Keurig Carafe
The [easyazon_link identifier=”B00KYWL6E8″ locale=”US” tag=”cafe049-20″]Keurig 2.0 K550[/easyazon_link] is one of Keurig’s newest little machines. There’s more than meets the eye with this one. Innately, it is a single-serve coffee machine. That’s what Keurig is known for. Keurig combined the convenience of their single-serve coffee pods with the idea of a traditional carafe of coffee to allow you to brew 4-cup carafes the same way you might brew a single cup of coffee from your machine. They had to create a larger coffee pod to accommodate, but that’s to be expected. You need a larger pod to fit more coffee inside to brew a larger amount than what might fit into an individual mug.
But all of Keurig’s 2.0 machines can brew carafes. What makes this one different from the other 2.0 machines?
Touch Screen
Keurig did make some significant changes to the K550. For most people, myself included, the 2.4” touch-screen of the K350 and K450 is plenty big. However, I really like the general feel of the larger screen. It may not look like much from here, but let me testify of the difference. Keurig’s K550 machine features a 2.8” touch-screen. I feel that’s it’s easier to touch a large screen. That’s part of the convenience factor. Make it easy and I’m game. Make it difficult and I’ll take my business elsewhere.
Colors
If you look up the psychology of colors, you’ll find [easyazon_link identifier=”B00KYWL6E8″ locale=”US” tag=”cafe049-20″]silver[/easyazon_link] is a color of power. It screams “LOOK AT ME!!” without being in your face. Although black does look good in the majority of kitchens, silver has the look to make you feel like an executive. It’s not a matter of “keeping up with the Jones family.” It’s the small things, like color, that contribute to the overall experience of owning a Keurig.
If [easyazon_link identifier=”B00KYWL6E8″ locale=”US” tag=”cafe049-20″]black[/easyazon_link] is what you want, that’s okay. Keurig has you covered with an all-black machine. In fact, black is ‘in’ right now. Go to any store that sells kitchen appliances. From refrigerators and stoves to electronic can openers and automatic toothpick dispensers, that’s the color we see. Black looks good in a kitchen. It contrasts beautifully against white or natural wood cabinets, a light-colored countertop, or even light-colored flooring.
If you really want your K550 to stand out, there is a third option—a mixture of the two. The third one is both [easyazon_link identifier=”B00KYWL6E8″ locale=”US” tag=”cafe049-20″]black and gray[/easyazon_link]. The size and design are the same as the others, but the gray gives it a nice pop. I’m glad they didn’t choose a black/silver design. The gray is much quieter but provides enough of a difference to make your new coffee maker stand out aesthetically in your kitchen. Not that it needs to—just the fact that you bought a new Keurig is enough to turn heads and make it the centerpiece of any conversation.
Water Reservoir
The [easyazon_link identifier=”B00KYWL6E8″ locale=”US” tag=”cafe049-20″]K550[/easyazon_link] has the largest reservoir—20 ounces bigger than the K350. That makes a much bigger difference than it may appear. When you go to your favorite restaurant, one of their cups is usually along the lines of 20 ounces. Visualize that and you get an idea of how much larger the water reservoir is. Considering it’s a water tank on a convenience machine, that means you need to fill it up less. This could easily mean the difference from filling it up once per week to twice per week.
Night Light
This is currently the only machine Keurig offers with a water reservoir night light. The night light might seem like an extra, unnecessary bell or whistle, but I assure you—that’s not the case. When it’s early in the morning before you turn on the bright overhead light in the kitchen, you can see at a glance how much water you have in the reservoir—in the dark. The night light is customizable and gives you a visual reminder to fill it up before you brew your cup.
Maintenance & DRM
Maintenance for this machine is pretty straightforward. Don’t get the touch-screen wet. The water tank is removable, allowing you to fill it up at the sink. You don’t need to pick up the machine or use a water pitcher. A word of caution to this tale—don’t force the lid close. Treat it like the sophisticated machine that it is and it will last.
This machine comes with a water filter with a replaceable filter cartridge towards the left of the machine in the back. Even with the filter, your device is still subject to scale—calcified mineral deposits from your water. Every 3 – 6 months, you need to consider using a descaling solution on your machine. One of the beautiful benefits of this machine is it will automatically detect scale and tell you when it’s time. My personal recommendation is never to use anything in your coffee machine except for distilled water if you want to avoid scale in your machine altogether.
Keurig 2.0 made headlines during its debut because of Digital Rights Management technology. This means it won’t brew third party coffee pods innately. If you try, you will get an error message telling you to brew officially branded Keurig K-Cups. However, don’t make that the basis of your decision. Find out how Freedom Stickers from Ekobrew or the Freedom Clip from the Rogers Family Company can be integrated with this machine for a seamless experience. For even more variety, check our list of the best reusable K-Cup filters for 2.0 machines.
Conclusion
Aside for the minor differences mentioned above, at it’s heart the K550 model is still a traditional Keurig machine. You can control the boldness of your coffee, brew tea, hot chocolate and espresso, with different settings right there through the touch screen. It’s a very user-friendly machine.
If the upgrades are what you are looking for, then you can’t go wrong with the Keurig 2.0 K550. Why wait? Order the next great coffee machine today!
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