DIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.com

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DIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.comDIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.com
DIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.comDIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.com
DIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.com

Would you like better tasting coffee from your Keurig? Or just want to save a few bucks? Then you can make DIY K-cups! I’ve figured it how to do it. But first, let me tell you how I got to the point where I needed to make my own K-cups.

My Sad Coffee Story

DIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.com
My sad, empty K-cup carousel greeted me every morning

First, you must understand that I LOVE coffee! I only gave up coffee once — when I was pregnant with Alexa. But earlier this year I was diagnosed with Prinzmetal’s angina, something I’d been experiencing since my 20s but had been getting worse over the years. And it was being triggered by — you guessed it — coffee. More specifically, the culprit was caffeine.

DIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.com

I switched to decaf and continued to have problems. Did you know decaffeinated coffee still has caffeine in it? Yes indeedy. Decaf coffee can have up to 12 mg of caffeine per cup (regular octane coffee varies from 27–95 mg). Decaf was enough of an issue that for SIX MONTHS I went completely without any coffee. It was a sad, sad time.

My Discovery (and What Lead to DIY K-Cups)

Finally, in desperation, I began researching the chemical compounds of coffee. I don’t know what I was thinking — like I said, I was desperate. I missed the rich, complex taste of coffee so much. In my research, I stumbled across a decaffeinated process known as Swiss Water Process. This decaf process — done in a gentle, chemical-free process — claims to be 99.9% caffeine free. I rushed out to my local Whole Foods store and got a bag of Allegro Decaf Organic French Roast) for a whopping $12. It worked! I’ve been drinking this fancy Swiss water process coffee for a month without any issues. Yahoo!

But, there’s a caveat. You knew it was coming. This fancy coffee doesn’t come in K-cups for my Keurig coffee maker. I have one of those Eco-Fill Refillable Capsules and I’ve been putting my fancy coffee in there. The problem is that it makes the coffee too weak. It’s too watered down. I think this is because the Eco-Fill K-Cup is basically a big filter and the water doesn’t stay in the grounds for very long. It might also have to do with pressure. For whatever reason, it was weak and it was making me sad again. But this morning I got an idea! What if I re-used the plastic cups? I experimented and it worked!

How I Make My DIY K-Cups: Step-by-Step Tutorial

For DIY K-Cups, you need the following items:

  • K-cup, new or used
  • Aluminum Foil
  • Scissors
  • Your favorite coffee (grounded)

Step 1: Using a knife, cut the foil top off a K-cup. Get as much of the foil off as you can, but don’t worry if a bit sticks to the edges.

DIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.com
Cut off the foil lid

Step 2: Empty the grounds out and pull out the paper filter (if there is one).

DIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.com
Empty grounds and remove paper filter

Step 3: Wash the K-cup well and dry it. If your K-cup has a plastic filter in the bottom, wash that as well and put it back in.

DIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.com
Clean your K-cup!

Step 4: Fill your clean K-cup with about two heaping teaspoons of coffee. That’s a little over half full. Don’t be tempted to fill it all the way up, like I did the first time. If it’s too full, there’s no room for water.

DIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.com
Fill your K-cup half full and no more!

Step 5: Cut out a 3″ square piece of aluminum foil and crimp it down around the edges of your K-cup. I like to press down on it, and then run my fingernail along the underside edge to really seal it.

DIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.com
Cut a 3″ square of aluminum foil
DIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.com
Press the foil down tightly around the rim of the K-cup

Step 6: Put your DIY K-cup in your Keurig as you would normally and enjoy!

DIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.com
Enjoy your DIY K-Cup!

Tips For Your DIY K-Cups

Note: If you’re re-using a K-Cup you’ve used before, be sure to line up the puncture how on the bottom with the pin in the Keurig — this will allow you to use it more times.

DIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.com
Keep an eye on this hole in the bottom of your K-cup

Tip: You can re-use a K-cup at least a dozen times. Just keep an eye on it and the hole at the bottom, then toss it when it looks ready.

Where to Get Used K-Cups?

I used my first set from a box of weird-tasting iced coffee no one in the house wanted. In the future, I’ll be saving my tea K-cups and my daughter’s hot chocolate K-cups. But if this isn’t an option, look for big markdowns on pre-filled K-cups at the store and re-use those. Or ask a friend to save their old K-cups for you!

When you’ve got a bunch, you can prepare your DIY K-cups in advance for the week!

DIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.com
Pre-fill batches of DIY K-Cups!

Here’s my happy K-cup carousel now!

DIY K-Cups for Better Tasting Coffee | JenuineMom.com
Happiness!

What an awesome morning — great tasting coffee, a new way to re-use something, AND a blog post. Life is good.

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9 Comments

  1. Thank You so much for this! My daughter got us a Keurig and I had just gotten the Starbucks Holiday Blend that I look forward to each year. We made a regular K cup, but after reading your blog, I cleaned the cup and plan to try reusing it in the morning. Thanks again!

  2. Awesome! Do you have advice for when my Keurig complains that it’s not a “Keurig brand” cup because the label on the top is missing?

  3. Easy and perfect way to blend a fabulous cup of coffee.Nice and valuable information regarding refillable coffee pods is being shared.Keep doing the great work!!!

  4. Thank you so much! I ordered paper Keurig k cup filters a few monthes ago online and they have yet to arrive. Stores near me do not sell them. I was ready to pull my hair out until I found your DIY idea. Again, thank you!

  5. Thank u for the tip! I’v been wondering if I can do this since the first day we got the machine. I just tried it a few mins ago but I also placed piece of paper filter in it and it seems like water with coffee wasn’t going right. And when I opened the lid foil had too big hole. Will try it again without filter.

  6. Great ideas!!!!even i have used waste curd cups for keeping stationary items & planting small plants & have used waste surf boxes for keeping stationary things.I decorated them with chalk dust& were appreciated by my daughter’s school teachers.

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