First thing in the morning, as I zombie-walk into my kitchen still half asleep, I need a cup of coffee to simply appear before me; I have no effort to give and no thoughts to think until I am fully caffeinated, so I rely on my brewer to do the work for me. Unfortunately, my dream of the perfect autopilot coffee experience has always been missing something — that is, until I tried the new Keurig K-Supreme Plus Smart brewer. I can confidently say it requires nothing more than picking a pod from a box to get a delicious, quick cup of joe.
- K-Supreme Plus Smart Brewer ($199; keurig.com)
Amazingly, that’s the whole point of the Keurig K-Supreme Plus Smart and the new accompanying BrewID technology: The optimal temperature and brew settings are curated beforehand by coffee experts and preset within the machine, so when it comes time to simply press the “K” button at the top of your brewer, the machine already knows how to get the best cup of coffee out of your pod. BrewID allows the machine to read over 900 official K-Cups and recognize within seconds what the expert-recommended brew settings are, and with your approval, run them. Your only job? Find the mug.
The rundown
Whether you’re a K-Cup loyalist or you’re new to Keurig, there are a few novel features to the sleekly designed K-Supreme Plus Smart that’ll reel you in. First thing you’ll notice is the stainless steel finish, offering a more modern, upgraded look than previous models, with a 78-ounce reservoir that features an expertly placed handle to make filling your machine a lot easier. The machine is also surprisingly compact, considering its overall brew capacity, eliminating any worries it’ll take up too much precious counter space.
The real treat, though, comes when you turn on the brewer. Not only is it extremely easy to set up — a one-page handout gives you simple, straightforward instructions on how to pair your brewer to the app, which a QR code on the back of the brewer helps you download in seconds — the K-Supreme Plus Smart Brewer offers several methods for brewing your coffee that integrate the new BrewID feature.
The first is the way you’re likely most used to. Simply lift the lid of your brewer, pop the pod in and press the large “K” button to get your coffee started. The only difference? The experience has become that much more customizable. Now with BrewID, your machine will automatically suggest several brew settings that it recognizes as the best for the K-Cup you selected. If you don’t like those settings, however, you can change those presets and save them for later. Make your coffee hotter, stronger or larger, and your brewer will automatically remember those presets. Then, when you go to brew that same K-Cup again, you’ll have the option of selecting the heart button, which has all your favorite settings saved.
The app adds another level to this process. Instead of manually brewing your K-Cup, you can use the app to set a timer so that your coffee brews the same time each morning. (You just have to make sure you have a mug and pod already in place.) You can also set your coffee to start brewing from another room whenever you like by pressing the “K” button within the app. Make sure your cup of coffee is ready as soon as you get out of the shower, or use the extra time to stay in bed. The choice is truly yours.
Whether you set a timer or brew manually from the app, when you open it on your phone to start making your coffee, the app will go through the same process of recognizing the BrewID of your K-Cup and suggesting recommended brew settings. You can also change those settings within the app and save the customizations, which your machine will recognize later.
The app also features a shop where you can buy your K-Cups and have them shipped to your doorstep. And even better, if you start a subscription to receive your K-Cups, the app will also clock the amount of K-Cups you’ve bought and how frequently you’re using your brewer to suggest when you should order more pods. Once you give the app the go-ahead, it’ll automatically send out another order for you so you never have to go without your morning caffeine fix.
Subscribers will also get four free boxes with their first order, save 25% on each order thereafter and have the option to customize the frequency of orders, so you’ll never receive too much or too little at once. If you decide to buy more K-Cups at an in-person store instead, that’s not an issue; just let the app know how many pods you currently have via the virtual pantry feature, and it’ll adjust its timing of suggestions for when to reorder accordingly.
The lowdown
Aside from the incredible cup of coffee this brewer will make, its best feature, by far, is how absolutely mindless it is. I no longer have to remember to brew my coffee, to change the settings to how I like them or to even order more coffee when I’m running out. Even if I set the brewer so it makes my coffee for the following morning, the app will go so far as to remind me not to forget a mug; Keurig has legitimately thought of everything, and it makes the experience seamless.
Typically, I won’t change the settings BrewID already recognizes for each K-Cup, because the cup of coffee that often results is spectacular on its own — smooth with just the right amount of flavor and punch for the early morning. However, it’s nice to know that the option is available to me. Because the brewer also has a setting to brew iced coffee, I have the option to change the presets so the coffee comes out a bit stronger, which is how I like it.
The deals that Keurig is currently offering on this brewer make it that much more appealing. Signing up for the subscription service is a no-brainer, especially if you’re a regular coffee drinker, because it’ll help you get your pods at a discounted rate without locking you into a contract. Those four free boxes to start come with zero obligation.
Bottom line
If you know you love Keurig and simply want to upgrade your machine, I highly recommend taking advantage of the deal the brand is offering on the brewer itself. If you sign up for a subscription guaranteeing the purchase of 24 boxes — and it’s up to you which boxes those are and when you receive them — you’ll get $100 off the machine, discounting the brewer to $99. That is a steal for this top-of-the-line coffee maker with added BrewID technology.
To put it simply, if you love good coffee but don’t have it in you first thing in the morning to do anything other than push a button (if that!), this single-serve machine is for you.
