I simply used Keurig’s new hybrid Okay-Brew and Chill machine that may rapidly quiet down freshly brewed pod espresso (and fruity “refreshers”) to a temperature “as chilly as, if not colder,” than an iced espresso and candy drinks you would order at an area espresso store. For me, there was one thing unexpectedly satisfying about making an immediately chilly drink from a standalone and solidly constructed machine — even when the cup of La Colombe medium roast it made tasted disappointingly burnt.
I’m unsure why I used to be anticipating a greater style — it’s not just like the machine makes use of some premium new espresso. It begins with simply your run-of-the-mill Okay-Cup, and doesn’t assist any of the corporate’s fancy Okay-Carafe, Okay-Mug, Vue, or Rivo pods. Like many fashions, you pop one into the chamber and use the deal with to clamp it, though this machine has the “Multistream” function that pokes 5 holes as a substitute of 1 to higher saturate the grounds.
From there, I pressed the Chilly button, chosen 10 ounces, and pressed the massive Okay button within the center. Then, one thing sounded sudden. “You heard that little click on, which is a bit bit completely different for a Keurig,” the corporate’s SVP of espresso advertising and marketing, Becky Opdyke tells me throughout a reside demonstration. “It’s closing it out so as a substitute of the new espresso popping out right here, it’s now going by way of the bypass and into the chilly system.”
Keurig’s new cooling system, known as “Fast Chill Know-how,” guarantees to relax a drink “in beneath 3 minutes,” so that you don’t should brew a normal scorching beverage over ice that may soften and dilute the drink to one thing worse than, effectively, pod-brewed espresso. The corporate says that after the machine extracts the new espresso, it cools it to “sub-60 levels” by liquid cooling the espresso at the back of the machine earlier than returning it to the entrance spout. It’s form of like an AIO cooler inside customized PCs — you simply drink the cooled processor.
However don’t confuse the ensuing drink with “chilly brew espresso,” which includes steeping coarse espresso grounds in chilly water for an prolonged interval. That is scorching espresso that’s been promptly chilled. Firms like SharkNinja actually name its reduced-temperature espresso over ice “chilly brew,” which might confuse clients as “chilly” espresso machines proceed to pattern.
Each the temperature and brew time claims by Keurig labored as marketed throughout my demonstration. Nonetheless, you have to additionally account for a rinse cycle to clear the pipes, which based on Opdyke, takes 45 seconds after each chilly drink course of. And also you’ll have to clear the drip tray as soon as it fills up.
Out of the field, the Okay-Brew and Chill wants you to fill its rear chill tank with water, which is separate from the primary reservoir (and doesn’t combine with the drinks). It would initially take 6 hours to “cost up” the system so you can also make chilly drinks. As soon as each chilly indicator lights are lit up, you may get about 4 12-ounce chilly drinks in a row earlier than it has to recharge, which might take as much as 4 hours.
A earlier Keurig try at an instantaneous chilly drive machine was the “Kold” dispenser in 2016 that might make a tasty instantaneous Coca-Cola, but it surely was rapidly discontinued as a consequence of excessive value and low demand. Opdyke tells me the Okay-Brew and Chill goes past the Kold’s expertise.
The Okay-Brew and Chill is the primary in a line of merchandise, with choices coming that will probably be cheaper than the present $199.99 value. “We all the time need to have a superb, higher, greatest,” Opdyke says.
In keeping with Opdyke, Keurig is advertising and marketing the machine to budget-minded Gen-Z and millennials who go to the espresso store quite a bit. Keurig calculated that every drink is about one-fifth the price of an iced espresso from Starbucks. Though, that won’t account for the additional desserty variations of iced coffees that Starbucks popularized, which helps masks the horrid-tasting espresso it sells.
If I wasn’t clear earlier, pod espresso just isn’t my factor. However the fruity “refreshers” drinks Keurig has are a superb worth add to the Okay-Brew and Chill since they style good and have the correct amount of sweetness (and caffeine) in-built. Moreover, instantaneous iced tea can be welcome.
Prices apart, I feel the Okay-Brew and Chill could also be robust to market to the meant buyer, particularly with the gaining reputation of high-end espresso, native roasteries, and machines like the Breville Barista Specific, which supplies a craft coffeemaking expertise at house. Nonetheless, I feel Keurig might promote this to present clients who’re proud of the corporate’s Okay-Cup espresso choices, and are prepared for a strong alternative. Individuals like my dad, who has a cupboard stuffed with Donut Store pods and Splenda packets, and simply loves his workplace Keurig.
Nonetheless, there are nonetheless questions in regards to the environmental affect of pod drinks from firms like Keurig and Nestle. Opdyke says the pod’s plastics are recyclable, and a few locations like NYC course of them in normal recycling. The corporate can be launching a ship-in recycling service later this yr.