Making the perfect cup of espresso at home is not easy. The problem is not on the machine or the ingredients we use. It’s just that it would take time to grind the coffee beans and brew it the same way a commercial espresso tastes.
Thankfully, espresso K cups were invented so we can have a more convenient way to enjoy our daily dose of coffee. In this modern world, where almost everybody leads a busy life, having a useful technology that makes the best coffee is a dream come true.
Espresso K cups are small cartridges of sealed ground coffee with a foil cover on top and a paper filter.
Now, when it comes to choosing your espresso K cup, you must be very selective. Because there are too many brands that have flooded the market. This is the reason why we have narrowed down your choices to these five best espresso K cups for your future purchase guide.
Top 5 Espresso K Cups
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | DETAILS | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Starbucks Verismo Espresso K Cup |
|
|
 |
Caribou Coffee Keurig Espresso K Cup |
|
|
 |
Brooklyn Bean Express O-Coffee Pods |
|
|
 |
San Francisco Bay Espresso Roast One Cup K Cup |
|
|
 |
Café Bustelo Espresso Style K Cup Pods |
|
1. Best Starbucks Espresso K Cups – Starbucks Verismo Espresso K Cup
This is among the best brands and it has become a household name already. The product comes in 6 boxes with 12 different robust roast flavors.
Each pod contains 0.28 oz. The Verismo Coffee pods offer a single-serve portion that fit the Verismo brewing machine. This can be brewed as a high-quality coffee or an authentic espresso.
It has a burnt taste. Some people say the taste is like a burnt chocolate. The flavors are great, especially the caramel variant that goes well with steamed milk.
The Pros:
● They’re excellent for making lattes.
● Can be brewed fast
● High-quality espresso
● Comes in six boxes of 12 individually packed Starbucks dark roasts
● Blends well with milk
● Roasted, ground, and packaged fresh
● Authentic espresso
● Made with 100% arabica sourced and selected worldwide
The Cons:
● Compatible only with Starbucks Verismo machine.
● Has a burnt chocolate flavor
● 10% of pods don’t work
2. Best Espresso Keurig Cups – Caribou Coffee Keurig Espresso K Cup
This product has great positive reviews for its caramel variant flavor. There are exotic and diverse flavors as offered by the Caribou Coffee Keurig Espresso Variety Sampler Pack. This brand is a classic among classics.
The espresso roast beverage carries with it a taste of sweet fruit from a blend of Latin American and Ethiopian beans.
The exceptional K cup pods are compatible with K- Café, K- Latte, and Keurig brewers. These crave-inducing coffee drinks can be made in three steps- just brew, froth, and enjoy!
The Pros:
● Affordable price
● Perfectly balanced
● Sweet with a touch of spice
● Decaffeinated
● A great choice for those who love light-roasted coffee
● Recyclable k cup pods
● Very well- blended
● Keurig licensed
● Rainforest Alliance Certified
The Cons:
● Too sweet
● Mild flavor
3. Best Keurig Espresso Pods – Brooklyn Bean Express O-Coffee Pods
This is one of the most trusted brands when it comes to brewing K cups. The coffee beans used are guaranteed to be freshly roasted using the highest quality of 100% arabica beans.
This gives you quite a very bold taste, great aroma, and a high amount of caffeine to jumpstart your day. Their company doesn’t use industrial roasting to keep the natural taste of the beans.
The coffee is craft roasted. This means that the coffee is roasted individually in small batches to ensure its freshness and richness, both aroma and the flavor. These are the best keurig espresso pods on the market today!
Brooklyn Bean Express O-Coffee Pods are compatible with Keurig 2.0.
The Pros:
● Highly caffeinated beverage
● Uses excellent quality of coffee beans
● Rich, full-bodied, and robust espresso
● Kosher, non-GMO, and gluten-free
● Recyclable pods
● Comes with 40 coffee pods
● Cost-efficient
The Cons:
● Not good for people with low caffeine tolerance
4. Overall Best Espresso K Cups – San Francisco Bay Espresso Roast One Cup K Cup
The well-known San Francisco Bay Espresso Roast OneCup K cup can be prepared just like your common coffee.
It goes well with some Keurig K cups and Cuisinart brewers. This beverage can be applied in other espresso-based drinks such as mochas and cappuccinos. However, one of its drawbacks is it is not good for people with low caffeine tolerance.
The OneCup pods, including the outer bag and the one-way coffee valve, are made from plant- based materials and are certified to be fully compostable by BPI.
SF Bay Coffee is a company which is family owned and it has a good reputation. The packaging is cool. These are the best keurig espresso k cups!
The Pros:
● Compatible with Keurig 1.0 and 2.0 and Cuisinart brewer machines
● Good for other espresso drinks
● Eco-friendly
● No bitter aftertaste
● Commercially compostable
● Keurig compatible
The Cons:
● Intense for some consumers
● Decaf’s taste is strong
5. Budget Espresso K-Cups – Café Bustelo Espresso Style K Cup Pods
Last on the list is the Café Bustelo Espresso Style K Cup Pods. This brand works well with Keurig K cup brewer.
This is one of the strongest espresso drinks and it is made from high-quality, 100% pure coffee beans that are roasted to perfection. You can taste bold Sabor Latino in this classic and sweet Hispanic drink. It comes with no additives and only brews in under a minute.
The flavor is retained even when added with milk, sugar or crème. It’s available in five different flavors and four different sizes.
The Pros:
● Comes with a robust dark roast flavor
● Brews under 1 minute.
● Compatible with all Keurig K- cup brewers
● Zero additives
● Top-notch coffee
The Cons:
● Not strong enough
How do you choose your Espresso K cups?
To get the most out of your espresso K cups and save you from the nuances of deciding, these six most important criteria may come in handy.
Compatibility
Before you buy any espresso K cups, check that it’s compatible with the brewing machine that you have.
There are certain products that are suitable only for a particular brewing system just like the Starbucks Verismo Espresso K Cup Roast that only works with Starbucks Verismo System. Not all Keurig brewers use K cups.
You must also check on the originality of the k cups. Some Keurig brewers do not accept K cups which are non- officially Keurig.
You might need to check which K cup filters work best for your brewer models. If you want to stay away from disposable ones, there are numerous eco-friendly K cup filters available in the market.
Flavor
Flavor usually lands on top of our priority when purchasing espresso K cups. Flavors could range from bitter to sweet.
Sometimes, there’s a taste of spice and sourness. Sometimes, it could be syrupy and tart. There’s now a list of emerging exotic flavors that could bring your palate to new experiences.
You’ve probably experimented on hazelnut, cherry, mint, peanut butter, etc.
Whatever taste you like, determine first which suits you best. Plus, check on your caffeine tolerance. If you’re the type who cannot take too much caffeine, then stay away from 100% arabica.
But if you like to have a kick-off with your morning brews, then the unfiltered strong coffee could work best for you.
Pricing
Espresso K cups are quite convenient and easy to prepare. But they may be pricey depending on the brand name and quality of coffee beans used.
With so many products available in the market, try to compare the prices. to save some money, you might want to buy in bulk. And if you’ve got coupons or discount cards, why not use them?
Quality of products
You can tell a good cup of coffee by its strong, pleasant aroma that usually smells fresh. If you value, the quality of your coffee then be on the lookout for brands that use exceptionally high-quality coffee beans.
But expect that their price is far from being inexpensive.
Reliability
Consider the sturdiness and durability of your espresso k cups. Check how long it could work out for you. Some K cups are even recyclables, and you can help the environment a lot if you opt for these types.
Good Ratings and Reviews
Check the ratings and reviews given by real users. Some reviews are quite detailed, and this could give you a piece of good information regarding the product.
If you’re the cautious type, check out first some e- commerce websites and read people’s comments on the K cup products they purchased so you can have an idea.
Stay away from products with negative reviews and try out those with positive feedback.
Can you make espresso with a Keurig?
Is it possible to make espresso using a Keurig?
Technically, the answer is, no. A Keurig coffee maker has been designed to make regular coffee only.
However, it can help you approximate an espresso. Espresso machines combine hot water and high pressure to produce espresso while Keurig machines don’t use pressure. But still, you can make concentrated coffee which may taste like espresso.
So, are you ready to make your own espresso? Just follow these steps:
1: Choose the right k cups. You might want to choose a delicious dark roast like Brooklyn Bean Express O- Coffee Pod or any brand that suits your taste.
2. Use your machine’s smallest cup size. Pour 6 ounces of water into your Keurig mini. In other Keurig models, just use the smallest cup size. The ratio for coffee and water in espresso is 1:2.
3. Brew your coffee. The recommended brewing temperature is between 195 and 205 F.
4. Place a cup under the brew head and hit the brew button. Use a larger cup to catch the coffee. This way you avoid any spills.
5. Pour the coffee into the espresso cups. Use smaller cups to make you feel like you’re having espresso. If you have demitasse cups, then all the better. The aesthetic design of the cups can add to the magical espresso experience and they also preserve just the right temperature for your brew.
6. Serve and enjoy! Espresso is all about having intense coffee experience- so take a sip and have a taste of all its intensity and flavor. You might want to play with the coffee in your mouth for a while and run your tongue all over your teeth to savor the taste.
Winner of the Review
All the espresso K cup brands, mentioned in this article, are good products. But there’s one that really stands out. It’s Brooklyn Beans Express- O. True to its tagline, “Going strong and extra bold,” this brand is all about rich, full-bodied, smoky espresso.
This brand won’t let you down. It surely will give you a one-of-a-kind espresso experience. As people who enjoy a great coffee kicker, we are rooting for this.
We can assure you, you can get your most quintessential expression of coffee in this product!
But then of course, you still have to look for the brand that perfectly fits your personality and taste.
Wrap Up!
In this era where coffee is such an “in” thing, knowing the best K cups would give you the edge. Sometimes you can get confused with the so many brands out there in the market.
We hope you can use the information we provided to your advantage. Don’t be afraid to make a few experiments on your espresso K cups.
With or without crème. Sip or down it. Add sugar or milk. Try out the exotic flavors. Whatever you like, what’s important is you hit yourself with the best espresso shot!
