Get a STRONGER Brew From Your My Kcup

by gojimi

1.5M130129

Intro: Get a STRONGER Brew From Your My Kcup

I love my Keurig Coffee Maker and if you are like me you probably enjoy experimenting with other non prepackaged coffee blends that aren't available in KCup form. That is where the "My KCup" accessory comes into play. For those unfamiliar, it allows one to brew a cup of their favorite coffee blends without needing to buy them in KCup form (if they are even available). Unfortunately the My KCup in my opinion brews a rather weak cup of coffee compared to it's pre-manufactured counterpart. Rest easy! I have found a fix that doesn't cost a dime! All you need is a "USED" KCup. Follow along. I have photos attached in order to make it easier to follow.

STEP 1: What You Need

Here are the materials and tools you will need:

1. My KCup
2. Used KCup (any flavor)
3. Pair of Scissors

In the Photo I have labeled each item I will be referring to in the instructions so there is no confusion of the different parts.

STEP 2: Start Destruction

First we need to remove the foil lid of the used KCup using your scissors, knife or fingers. We don't need this to be perfect as we will be cutting the top off a bit when we are finished.

STEP 3: Yuck

Once the foil top is removed we now have access to the used coffee grounds and filter. We want to remove these with our fingers and or a pair of scissors. Again this doesn't have to be perfect yet.

STEP 4: Clean Up That Mess!

Discard the foil top, coffee grounds and the paper filter. Saving the white plastic shell.

STEP 5: Trim-it!

Using your scissors, cut the very top of the KCup Plastic shell about halfway down the little flat bump illustrated in the first picture all the way around removing the very top of the shell. you should be left with what is illustrated in 2nd and 3rd picture as shown next to the KCup we started with.  Also now is a good time to get that plastic shell good and clean.

Notice the hole in the bottom that was created by the Keurig machine when it was used. This whole is what is going to create more back pressure in the brewing process allowing the beans to seep more into the water causing a stronger brew.

STEP 6: Mmm.... That Fits Nice!

Next we need to insert the plastic shell we just cut into the My KCup Body.  Notice in the pictures how it sits just below the top edge of the My KCup Body.  If yours protrudes above the top a bit pull it out and trim a little more off the top of the white plastic shell.  Once our fitting is satisfactory it is time to brew!

STEP 7: Brew Me a Cup of Joe!

This is how to assemble our new little modification. 

Insert the white plastic shell into the My KCup Body as we did in the test fit of the previous step. 

Then Fill your Basket with coffee grounds (I have found two mostly level tablespoons to be the optimal amount of grounds).

Place the lid on top and lock it in place and brew as usual.  Then "Enjoy your Stronger Brew!"

You can also play around with making your own holes in the bottom of an UNused KCup using a needle or pin to find the right setup for you.  But I find the used KCup hole to be as close to simulating an actual KCup brew.  I am not sure why Keurig's engineers didn't come to this conclusion on their own.  It stands to reason that a self filled KCup should brew in a similar way to an actual KCup.

117 Comments

rscheffrin 12 years ago

A good K-cup to use is a hot chocolate one, because there aren't any grounds in them after the brewing process. That way you shouldn't have much to clean out of the inside.

gojimi 12 years ago

Great Tip! There are a few different brands and flavors that are like that without even a filter I believe.

JMK52 1 year ago

I tried this and once I cut the plastic shell and put it in the my kcup body I found it doesn’t go down far enough to allow the filter to go in and close the lid. What am I doing wrong?? I’ve cut it down significantly

douglashood 3 years ago

Great thought, and analysis of the problem. I've also noticed that not only is there back pressure created from the small hole that restricts the flow of water, thus increasing the extraction. Also, the puncture pin that creates the hole is wrapped in a silicone casket. This gasket creates even more back pressure. Therefore, one must also take this into consideration. After seeing your suggested solution, which is great, and reviewing some comments, I have an alternative using aluminum foil wrapped tightly around the filter basket.

ארוחאשׂ-טיילור 10 years ago

Uhh... once again, I'm finding a life hack where someone is using plastic and heat. Granted, K-Cups are SUPPOSED to be safe for use, but re-use? I don't know about that. If you compare this with milk or water jugs, they're indicated for a maximum of one reuse. After that they leech plastic into the liquid you put in them, and that is with cold liquids! I'm scared to think that K-Cups might leech plastic from the first use, but it might be that they leech after a second or third use. Who has info on the safety of reusing K-Cups? In the life hacker "culture" as it were, people seem to have a tendency to just grab stuff and off they go to do whatever, seemingly without any real knowledge of how safe or unsafe what they're doing is much of the time. Who has actually done homework on this? Take care and be safe!

douglashood 3 years ago

A reasonable concern. Here's an alternative; use aluminum foil instead. Cheers!

WaltDittrich 4 years ago

It's March, 2020, and I did a quick search for information related to K-Cups and their plastic. Most of the articles I found were from years ago, 2014, in particular.
As it's been nearly six years, you'd think there'd be some big uptick in whatever bad stuff this plastic is supposed to cause. However, I can't seem to find any.
Perhaps it will take longer for the effects to be known?

Meanwhile, I'm confident the plastic used is safe enough. Using the reusable filter as mentioned is even safer, in my opinion.

ross939 9 years ago

If you are worried about plastic leaching, I would recommend the Ekobrew Elite stainless steel reusable Kcup. It is 100% stainless, with the exception of a small rubber o-ring at the top. It is designed so coffee doesn't pour thrugh it as fast as the MyKCup. I tried the hack recommended in this article, but it was too messy and cumbersome. After all, you buy a Kuerig in the first place for convenience and consistancy.

ארוחאשׂ-טיילור 10 years ago

According to this, there is research which demonstrates that even though the K-Cups are BPA free, there are many other chemicals that are even more bilogically active than BPA and are found in most plastics. The risks increase greatly when you apply heat. I will NOT be doing this! It simply isn't safe. As a matter of fact, I'm going to stop using the Keurig altogether. No matter what you do, using hot liquids in plastic isn't a good idea. http://www.blackriverroasters.com/k-cups-are-they-really-safe/

TomH3 9 years ago

Interesting post. Thanks for the warning. I will research this further.

nanciejnm 3 years ago

It worked; thank you so much!! jc in NM

tvengineer 12 years ago

Nice instructable..

I have been using http://www.my-kap.com/MYK/ K-kaps..

they work great ..

I do not have any connection to the company selling them... so this is not an advertisement..
Just putting another option out there for using your on coffee in your Kurig.

cr0ybot 12 years ago

Instead of shelling out $15-$18 in order to use only part of one "My K-Cup", you could just get one "My-Kap" from http://www.my-kap.com for $5. I've been using these with good results.

However, the method used in this instructable may allow you to purchase official k-cups less often, since the filter is reusable.

Thanks for the instructable!

teajayboy 11 years ago

I purchased a Keurig B31 Mini plus coffee maker, so i could brew Starbucks coffee, since Kraft [owners of Tassimo coffee makers], and Starbucks parted company.

I immediately noticed that the Keurig makes a noticeably weaker cup of coffee, because it just dumps hot water into the k-cup. [ The Tassimo design coffee disc forces the water through metered orifices in the disc for more complete saturation of the grounds].
After making two cups of coffee i opened the k-cup and noticed that the water makes a water hole straight through instead of being disributed through the entire surface of all the coffee grounds inside the cup. I like your idea and will keep it in mind. For now i am using Disposa K-cups with 2 paper filters instead of just one, in order to restrict the flow of liquid in an attempt to get more satuaration of the coffee inside the k-cup.Also it allows me to prefill 50 cups so i dont need to bother with messy grounds on a daily basis.
If im not satisfied with that, then i will attempt to use your idea. Thanks for posting.

WaltDittrich 4 years ago

I can't seem to find the brand Disposa K-cups...
Do you have a link to them?

davidofcalif 9 years ago

My guestion is whats the correct grind ? The keurig support was worthless when i asked ! Also ralphs and san francisco bay coffee have pods that work in keurig that arent plastic

tiffany.fox.5 9 years ago

From what I have read the best brew is slightly finer than a drip machine, but not as fine as an espresso grind. A french press uses a much more coarse grind than a drip machine. The finer grind allows for more flavor to be extracted during the faster brewing time. That's why the french press takes so long to properly extract the flavor and oils from the larger grind.

WaltDittrich 4 years ago

I agree with Tiffany.
I prefer to grind my own, but in the case I have pre-ground, drip coffee (such as Folgers - which I don't use), I'll grind it a bit more to become more fine.

I espcially like the Cafe Bustelo brand of grind. It's very fine, which makes sense, since they advertise their coffee like espresso.
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