A Keurig coffee maker is really neat and efficient method of having your own custom cup of brew, but almost immediately after getting our machine, I could see how the cost of purchasing the K-Cups could add up. Keurig has designed a reusable filter called the My K-Cup, which is a great idea for all the people out there that would like to continue to use their own favorite brands of coffee.

Unfortunately, for the most part, the My K-Cup does not work all that well. Many people have experienced the water leaking back out of the top cap, resulting in diluted coffee or a cup with coffee grinds floating around.

I have come up with a simple modification that will completely cure all the problems with the My K-Cup, allowing you to enjoy your own coffee with no messy leakage of water or grinds getting into your cup. Basically, you need to provide a good seal around the needle as it passes through the hole in the top of the My K-Cup cap. Hopefully Keurig will eventually incorporate some kind of remodel to their product in the future and we will no longer need to do this, but until then here is a list of the few simple tools and materials you will need to tackle this project.

Step 1: Tools & Materials:

· -Thin gasket material or cork (1/16” or so, don’t use material that is much thicker than this, for it may put undue stress on the machine’s mechanism)

· - Scissors

· -Scratch awl or similar tool to pierce the gasket material (I used rubberized felt and the needle of the machine pierced the gasket easily without this tool)

· -Washer (one that is as close to the diameter of the recessed portion of the My K-Cup cap and still fit into the recess)

-Pen

Step 2: Step One

Place the washer (or any other suitable disc) on the gasket material and trace neatly around it with pen or scratch awl. You may as well trace out several, although you will only need one for this to work.

Step 3: Step Two

Using scissors carefully cut out the traced shape and fit it into the recessed area on the top of the My K-Cup cap. You may need to do some extra trimming to get the fit just right. You want a good friction fit. I considered gluing mine into place, but when I tried it I found no need for the glue.

Step 4: Step Three

With the gasket disc in place on the My K-Cup, you can assemble the filter and place it in your Keurig machine and slowly bring the needle down to make contact with the top of the cap to make a slight indent to mark where you need to poke a small hole with the scratch awl. Alternatively, you can gently force the needle through the gasket ( I did this). Since the cap is now tightly sealed around the needle, you will find that the cap will probably stick to the needle when you open up the lever, so just gently pull the cap off of the needle.

For me the needle only stuck in the top of the cap the first time I pierced it. After that it was fine and stayed in its proper place.

Step 5: Conclusion

Well that is all there is to it! Now you can use your reusable filter without the fear of a mess or getting coffee grinds floating around in your cup. Enjoy!