Iced coffee is a summer treat for many, and a way of life for others. But while its flavor is seen as more accessible, the sugar and caffeine-packed chilled beverage can come with a bigger barrier to entry than most other coffees. First, theres the effort involved in making it yourself, which can involve hours of prep or foresight even if you choose the “simplest” method. Alternatively, theres the time youll likely spend in line at Dunkin or Starbucks. Then theres the price; iced coffees dont tend to come cheap and are often several times the price of a plain old filter coffee.
So up steps Keurig. The single-serve coffee machine maker has produced the K-Iced, a version of its regular machine that is apparently optimized for iced coffee. Just fill a mug with ice, pop in one of the special K-cups designed for iced coffee, tap a couple of buttons and away you go. However, you may have several questions after reading this. Is the K-iced any good? Couldnt you just use a regular Keurig for the same purpose? And even if it does make good iced coffee, is that all it can do? Keurig sent us a K-iced and some K-cups out for testing purposes, and we set aside some time to see if the specialist machine is really worth the effort. Heres what we found.
How does the K-Iced perform?
During our nearly week-long testing period, we used the K-Iced almost daily and we found the results very surprising. This machine makes very good iced coffee, to the point where it was difficult to tell something like the McCafe version from a drink you would actually purchase from McDonalds. Plenty of ice seemed to have been preserved in every serving. The drinks themselves were flavorful, and not excessively watery as can happen with a bad iced coffee.
Conveniently, the machine also appeared to adjust its output to account for the ice. Ice obviously takes up a lot of space, but the 8-ounce pour left enough room in our standard mug to add milk, whipped cream, or anything else you would usually enhance a frozen blast of java with. The end result was a convenient, “ticks all of the boxes” cup of iced coffee. The only variation in flavor and quality seemed to be based on the K-cups themselves.
The machine was consistently superb. There were no hiccups, glitches, or errors. While we glanced at the instruction manual to ensure we used the machine correctly, its not something you need to do. The controls are pretty obvious, and the K-Iced is very easy to use. The only downside was what we deem to be an excessive amount of “dripping” after using some pods — though the drip tray conveniently catches this and the machine is very easy to clean.
Here’s how we tested it
We tested out a few different iced coffee pods in the K-iced. Namely, Green Mountains “brew over ice” vanilla caramel cups, Donut Shops Cookies + Caramel iced duos, and the McCafe iced one-step mocha frappe. This would give us a general idea of what kind of quality the machine can produce, as well as a way to directly compare it to a regular Keurigs output.
For each serving, we filled a standard-sized mug, designed for a 12-ounce serving of regular coffee, with ice. We then used the 8-ounce setting on the K-iced, which seemed to provide us with the correct amount of coffee for the ice-filled vessel. We also used the same setting on the standard Keurig we compared it with.
We also tested the other functions of the machine. All of the tests were performed over the span of several days, which gave us a good idea of how the K-Iced performed as a daily driver. This also ensured we werent just basing our findings on a one-off or a fluke, and the machine could perform consistently.
“NEW” Keurig K-Iced (Hot & Cold) Coffee Maker [Single Serve] Full Review 2023
FAQ
Does the Keurig K Iced Plus make hot coffee?
Can you make iced coffee with a hot Keurig?
Can you make cold drinks in a Keurig?
Does Keurig have a cold brew option?
Does Keurig have a cold-drink maker?
Keurig Green Mountain’s next big thing is its cold-drink maker. Called the Kold, its going to be rolled out nationally next year. Right now its available on the company’s website and in a few retailers.
Keurig vs Nespresso: Which is healthier?
Each Nespresso pod is made with a flat top and through a series of multiple and strategic perforations in the capsule, hot water is pumped through. Keurig provides a vast array of beverages and flavors and while Nespresso features the signature crema top layer that often characterizes a true cup of espresso coffee
Does Keurig iced brew hot?
The Keurig K-Supreme. The Keurig K-Slim +Iced brewer. All of these have an iced coffee function which, when you press it, will brew your iced coffee hot! Why Does The Keurig Iced Button Brew Hot? Is My Keurig Iced Coffee Button Not Working!
Does Keurig make iced coffee?
Expect it to make hot coffee – it should! The Keurig K-Slim +Iced brewer and the Keurig K-Supreme are two more Keurig coffee makers that make both hot coffee and iced coffee. I wouldn’t say that any one of the three are better than the other at making iced coffee as both are an ideal coffee maker for making all kinds of iced coffee drinks.