How to make coffee taste good when you hate it

Are you stuck trying to make your Keurig coffee taste better….We feel you!

As convenient as these coffee makers are, they can be a bit much when you keep getting watered-down, low-strength coffee.

No one wants to wake up to a lukewarm and watery cup of coffee when your body is begging you for a strong one.

You can’t expect to get espresso machine-quality coffee from your Keurig maker, but there are ways to get a better cup of joe out of it.

In this article, we will share with you 10 awesome tips for making Keurig coffee taste better, so you can make the most out of your Keurig coffee maker.

1. Water Matters

Did you ever get the impression that water ruins your K-Cup? If so, then you are absolutely right. Water is a crucial element that can make or break it for your Keurig coffee.

The first thing to consider is water quality. Try to avoid using soft water that is low on minerals.

Tap water is often stripped of minerals and treated with disinfecting chlorine. You don’t want to use that for your Keurig coffee machine. It will ruin your coffee maker and give you bad-tasting coffee.

Opt for filtered water or spring water instead. They are enriched with minerals and give a better taste to your coffee.

How much water you use per cup is also a factor. Always use the lowest water level setting for your machine, which is generally 6 or 8 ounces. This will prevent your coffee from tasting too watery.

2. Double ‘Shots’

Did you know that one K-Cup has 75 to 150mg of caffeine? This equals around 8 to 11 grams of coffee grounds.

Increasing your water level will dilute the coffee content in your K-Cup. This is why using higher water levels for your Keurig maker always produces weaker cups of coffee.

If you want to make a decent cup of coffee, the water content needs to be 8 oz or around 250ml.

For a stronger cup, opt for the lowest water level setting. A 6 oz setting will give your coffee more strength.

If you want to make a large cup of about 12 to 16 oz of coffee, use two pods instead of one.

Use the machine twice and get two strong servings of coffee for one large cup.

3. Get Some Freedom

If you are used to your Keurig coffee maker, you know that they have an inbuilt sensor that can detect the use of unauthorized cups.

The sensor rejects any cup that doesn’t bear the Keurig special ink on its lid.

Don’t want your coffee brewing options to be limited to authorized K-Cups? Get a Keurig freedom clip.

This clip fools the machine into thinking that every cup you put in is a K-Cup, even though the sensor was Keurig’s way of limiting their customers to their cups.

Ever since they ran out of their K-Cup patent in 2012, other companies came up with their take on K-Cups. You get a range of options to choose from.

4. Use Your Favorite Coffee

Keurig has made it possible for its users to use ground coffee in their makers. They have marketed a few types of coffee filter cups to pair with their machines.

One special product is called My K-Cup. This product is a reusable coffee filter cup. You can fill this cup with your favourite grounds and make delicious homemade coffee using your Keurig maker.

Let’s say you love drinking Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. You can get some freshly roasted beans, grind them, and use them in your Keurig.

You can also use quality pre-grounds. Your favourite beans are bound to give you the best-tasting coffee.

If you have an old maker, these reusable filters may not fit. In that case, you have to open the adapter and remove it from the filter housing.

There is a mark that indicates how much coffee you can put into the filter.

5. Opt for Dark Roasts

The main problem with Keurig coffee is that it’s too watery.

Are you looking for a way to increase the strength of your coffee? Use darker roasts as there are two perks of using darker roasts in your Keurig coffee machine.

For starters, you will get a more robust cup. Their bolder taste can help you get a stronger-tasting coffee. They’re also slightly higher in caffeine content.

You will get a decent cup if you get a stronger roast with a 6 oz serving.

There is nothing worse than a lukewarm cup of watery coffee that tastes sour due to the high acidity of the beans.

Another perk of darker roasts is that they are less acidic. The acid content of the beans reduces when they are roasted for a longer time.

So, opt for dark roasts for your Keurig maker.

6. Warm up the Machine

One repetitive complaint about Keurig coffee is that the coffee is never hot enough.

People who love their coffee to be hotter or wish it would remain hot longer always complain about this.

The highest brewing temperature level of most Keurig machines is 192°F.

With this temperature being the limit, it is difficult to produce hotter coffee.

Even the machines with temperature control do not brew at a higher temperature.

One solution to this problem is heating the machine before you get your first cup. If your coffee comes out lukewarm from the first brew, the chances are that it needs to warm up.

Run your machine for one whole brewing cycle without inserting the pod.

Do this whenever your coffee maker has remained idle for a few hours. Brew the next cup with a pod, and you won’t be disappointed with your cup of joe.

7. Using Plant-based Milk

If you are vegan or dairy intolerant, you will need to use plant-based milk for your coffee. Many people dislike using plant-based milk for coffee, mostly due to its taste.

Most alternatives lack the right consistency for mixing with coffee. Baristas hate it too since you can only make micro-foam with a few.

Opt for oat milk or soy milk. These are creamier and give a sweet taste to your coffee. Heat up your milk a little to get a hotter cup of coffee.

8. Splash of Flavored Syrup

Taste is a huge factor when it comes to coffee. Unlike coffee pods, K-Cups use grounds. Pre-ground coffee gets stale very quickly.

So, the longer you keep them after grinding, the staler it gets. This is why you often get a dull flavour from your K-Cups.

If you want to get a better-tasting cup of coffee from your Keurig machine, you must improvise.

Make one cup of strong Keurig coffee, using the lowest water level setting. Then, use that coffee to make flavoured lattes.

This is a great way to enhance the taste of the coffee without having to change your machine.

There are so many flavours to choose from, but two common flavours you can opt for are vanilla and chocolate. You can also try hazelnut or caramel for a more coffee shop vibe.

9. Keep the System Clean

Have you been using your Keurig coffee maker for a while without cleaning it? No wonder you are getting icky-tasting coffee!

Regular use of your machine can create an oil, mineral, grime, and bacteria build-up inside your coffee maker.

To ensure that you get better-tasting coffee, you need to keep the system clean.

One hack is running vinegar through the coffee maker.

Fill the chamber with vinegar and make a few brews. Keep going until all the vinegar in the system is gone.

You can also try opening the machine and cleaning it manually. It doesn’t matter how you clean it as long as it stays fresh.

10. Adding Salt

Hate how bitter every cup of your Keurig coffee tastes? Mellow it down with salt!

Adding a little bit of salt creates the right chemical reaction to cut down on the acidity. You will get a smoother cup of coffee that is not as bitter.

Added too much salt by accident? Hold up before reaching for another K-Cup. You can save your coffee by adding some caramel syrup to it.

Salted caramel is a highly sought-after flavour of latte. Adding some milk, syrup, and the right amount of sugar can fix your salty coffee in no time.

Make Keurig Coffee Taste Better F.A.Q’s

Conclusion: Make Keurig Coffee Taste Better

A little improvisation can make your Keurig taste like coffee shop lattes.

Remember that water is crucial to your Keurig coffee maker, so make sure to use the right type and quantity.

Also, switch it up with your favourite grounds and flavoured syrups and don’t forget to keep your coffee maker clean and always heat the machine before making the first brew.

Follow these awesome tips for making Keurig coffee taste better!

If you enjoyed this article, read more like this by checking out our Specialty Coffee Beginners Guides.

Top 19 how to make coffee taste good when you hate it