‎Keurig ‎K-MINI-OASISk4 Single Serve Machine - Review 🏆

The Keurig K-Mini is a single-serve coffee maker that brews coffee, tea, and other beverages in under a minute. Part of Keurig's K-Mini series, this compact model offers the convenience of Keurig's popular K-Cup pods in a petite 6- to 12-oz size.

Despite its small footprint, the K-Mini doesn't compromise on features. This versatile machine includes simple button controls, an auto-off function, and accommodates travel mugs up to 7" tall. The removable drip tray allows you to brew into cups or mugs up to 5.5" tall.

With a sleek, modern design available in black, oasis, or gray, the K-Mini is an ideal choice for small kitchens, apartments, offices, college dorms, or anywhere space is limited. Its portable size also makes it easy to bring to campsites or move between rooms.

The K-Mini aims to deliver single-serve convenience in a highly compact format. This review will examine the machine's key features and performance to help you determine if it's the right petite brewer for your lifestyle and beverage preferences.

Design

The Keurig K-Mini Single Serve Coffee Maker has a sleek and compact design perfect for small spaces like apartments, dorm rooms, or offices. It measures just 4.5 inches wide, 12.1 inches high, and 11.3 inches deep, making it 30% smaller than previous K-Mini models. The coffee maker weighs only 2.79 pounds, so it's easy to move around and store away when not in use.

The K-Mini comes in a variety of fun colors like oasis, pink, blue, black, red, and gray, so you can choose the one that best matches your personal style and kitchen decor. The colors are vibrant and glossy for a stylish accent. The single-cup water reservoir is clear so you can see the water level as you fill it. Overall, the compact design with color options makes this Keurig perfect for today's space-saving, style-conscious coffee drinkers.

The sleek, modern design of the K-Mini allows it to fit in the smallest of spaces while still offering the convenience of single-serve brewing. Its slim profile takes up minimal counter space, and the absence of a handle makes storage simple. Despite its small size, the K-Mini doesn't compromise on performance or features. It can brew 6-12 oz cups and accommodates travel mugs up to 7 inches tall. The simple button controls are intuitive to use.

While the K-Mini is ideal for personal use or light household usage, those with higher coffee demands may prefer a model like the Nespresso XN741B40. This single serve espresso maker has a larger 40 oz water tank so you can brew cup after cup before needing a refill. It heats up in just 25 seconds, perfect for busy mornings. The XN741B40 can make two cup sizes and offers programmable options. Its sleek design and metal accents give it a premium look. So if you need to quickly brew coffee for a family or office, the increased capacity and speed of the Nespresso XN741B40 is a better choice over the K-Mini.

With its curvy silhouette and matte black finish, the XN741B40 adds modern style to any kitchen. The well-engineered brewing system provides flawless extraction for rich, aromatic espresso. Choose from 3 different capsule sizes to make ristrettos, espressos, and lungos. The sliding drip tray accommodates taller travel mugs. While more expensive than the K-Mini, the XN741B40 is an investment that delivers commercial quality espresso drinks from the comfort of home. It's the perfect upgrade for espresso aficionados.

Features

The Keurig K-Mini Oasis offers convenient single serve brewing along with several useful features for coffee lovers.

Single Serve

The K-Mini brews one fresh cup at a time directly into your favorite mug or travel cup, up to 12 oz. This single serve functionality allows you to brew a personalized coffee, tea, or other beverage on demand. No need to brew an entire pot if you just want one cup. The single serve design is simple, waste-free, and ideal for households with varying coffee preferences.

Multiple Cup Sizes

While optimized for single serve, the K-Mini works with K-Cup pods of 6, 8, 10, and 12 oz sizes. So you can brew anything from a small 6 oz cup all the way up to a 12 oz travel mug. The multiple size options allow you to tailor each beverage to your liking. The K-Mini is very versatile when it comes to cup sizes, being able to accommodate small cups for a quick coffee as well as large travel mugs for your commute. This range of brew sizes sets it apart from other single serve machines like the DELONGHI Nespresso EN 85.R which can only brew certain cup volumes.

Removable Drip Tray

The K-Mini features a removable drip tray to accommodate travel mugs and cups up to 7" tall. Just remove the drip tray and you can fit your favorite tall mug or tumbler under the brew head. This expands your options for cup sizes and allows you to brew directly into reusable cups. The removable drip tray is a handy feature that provides more flexibility. You don't have to be limited to a certain cup height or size. Take the drip tray off and you open up a whole range of tumbler and travel mug options.

Ease of Use

The Keurig K-Mini single serve coffee maker is designed for simplicity and ease of use. It has a simple interface with just three buttons - brew, strong brew, and power. The large brew button in the center starts the brewing process with one touch. There are no complicated settings or programs to figure out.

Cleaning and maintaining the K-Mini is straightforward. The removable drip tray and water reservoir can be quickly washed by hand with soap and water. Descaling takes only a few minutes every 3-6 months using Keurig descaling solution. The K-Cup pod holder can also be easily lifted out and rinsed clean after use. There is no complex disassembly required.

Overall, the K-Mini delivers on simple, fuss-free operation. With its straightforward controls, easy cleaning, and descaling, it's an ideal single serve coffee maker for those who want convenience without complexity in the morning. Its simple and intuitive interface makes brewing a cup of coffee a breeze for even the least tech-savvy users.

Brew Quality

The Keurig K-Mini produces a good quality brew thanks to its simple but effective brewing technology.

The water is heated to the optimal brewing temperature of 192-197°F, hot enough to properly extract flavor from the coffee grounds but not so hot that it burns the coffee. The K-Mini brews a smooth, balanced cup of coffee with a nice layer of crema on top when using an espresso roast pod.

The flavor is quite good for a single serve pod brewer, with the hot water fully saturating the grounds to extract robust, aromatic flavors. Of course flavor will vary depending on the particular coffee pod used, but the machine does a good job of optimally brewing whatever pod you choose.

The K-Mini doesn't have any complicated brewing components that can muddle the flavor. The simple brew chamber and brew needle pierce the pod cleanly to get good water distribution through the grounds.

While not espresso-level quality, the K-Mini makes a very solid single serve cup of coffee that should satisfy most palates. The brew is smooth, properly extracted, and flavorful.

Coffee Compatibility

The Keurig K-Mini is compatible with K-Cup pods from all major coffee brands including Keurig's own pods as well as third-party options. This gives you a wide selection of coffee, tea, and other beverages to choose from.

The machine includes a K-Cup pod adapter so you can use your favorite ground coffee with reusable K-Cup filters. This allows you to customize your brew with your preferred coffee blend. The K-Mini is designed for 6-12 oz K-Cup pods, so you can make coffee, tea, hot cocoa and more in your preferred cup size.

One downside is that the K-Mini is not compatible with refillable soft pods or larger carafe-size pods. So you are limited to standard sized K-Cup pods or ground coffee with reusable filters. But the variety available within standard K-Cup offerings is extensive enough for most users.

Overall, the compatibility with all major K-Cup pod brands and reusable filters provides ample options for enjoying your favorite drinks from the comfort of home.

Pros

The Keurig K-Mini has several advantages that make it a great choice for a single serve coffee maker:

• Compact size - This Keurig machine has a slim design with a width of just 4.5 inches, making it an ideal size for small kitchens, apartments, dorm rooms, offices and other tight spaces. It takes up minimal counter space.

• Fast brewing - Brewing a fresh cup of coffee takes under a minute. There's virtually no wait time when you want a quick cup of coffee.

• Energy efficient - The Keurig K-Mini has auto off functionality to automatically turn off the coffee maker 90 seconds after the last brew, helping to conserve energy.

• Travel mug friendly - You can use travel mugs up to 7 inches tall with this single serve coffee machine. The drip tray is adjustable to accommodate taller travel mugs.

Cons

The Keurig K-Mini has a few drawbacks to consider:

• Single use plastic pods - The K-Mini uses proprietary plastic coffee pods, which produce unnecessary waste compared to reusable pods or ground coffee brewers. This represents an environmental concern, as the non-recyclable pods end up in landfills.

• Small water reservoir - With a reservoir capacity of just 1 cup, you'll need to refill the water tank frequently if making more than a single serving. This can be inconvenient compared to models with larger reservoirs.

• Limited cup sizes - The K-Mini only brews 6-12 oz cup sizes. If you prefer larger travel mug sizes, you'll be disappointed with the max brew size. Those who prefer smaller espresso-sized drinks will also be out of luck.

Price

The Keurig K-Mini offers excellent value compared to other single serve coffee makers. At around £70-80, it's priced similarly to other entry-level single serve brewers like the Nespresso Essenza Mini. However, it's significantly less expensive than higher-end Keurig models like the K-Elite and K-Cafe which retail for £150-180.

When looking at brew cost per cup, the K-Mini is again very competitive. The compatible K-Cup pods cost around £0.35-0.60 each, comparable to Nespresso capsules. This makes brewing with the K-Mini much less expensive per cup than buying coffee shop drinks. For a household that drinks several cups of coffee daily, the K-Mini can lead to significant cost savings versus purchasing brewed drinks.

Overall, the K-Mini delivers great bang for your buck. For an entry-level single serve machine, you get solid performance and lots of great features without breaking the bank. While more expensive Keurig models offer larger water reservoirs and a few extra functions, the K-Mini keeps costs low while still brewing an excellent cup of coffee. For budget-focused buyers, it represents a top value option in the single serve category.

Conclusion

The Keurig K-Mini is one of the most popular single serve coffee makers for good reason. It combines a compact, lightweight design with convenient features like multiple cup sizes, auto off, and compatibility with both K-Cup pods and refillable filters.

The K-Mini delivers quick, delicious brews with Keurig's signature quality and ease of use. While it lacks some of the more advanced features of pricier Keurig models, it provides an excellent value for the price. The simple interface and one-touch brewing minimize effort while maximizing delicious coffee served just the way you like it.

Overall, the K-Mini is ideal for coffee lovers seeking a compact, affordable single serve brewer. Its great-tasting coffee, speed, simplicity, and smart size make it a winner for brewing delicious drinks at home or in small offices. For those wanting great Keurig performance in a petite package, the K-Mini is hard to beat.