As you can probably figure out from our K-Cup Challenge, here at Qwowi we talk a lot about Keurig K-Cups.  And while with the exception of my review of the B140 office brewer, we haven’t said much about the machines those K-Cups go in, but when Keurig adds a new model to their lineup, I do get a little excited.

The truth is I was on the verge of buying a B30 (turns out my company has decided to pull the B140 Brewers out of the office), to put on my desk.  So when I came home and found a new B30 from Green Mountain sitting on my porch, well heck, it was like Christmas in November, so there was no way I was going to leave the B30 out of Qwowi’s 2008 Tech Gift Guide.

Features

The first thing you’ll notice about the B30, and indeed its biggest selling point when compared to other Keurig Brewers, is its size.  I have a B70 here at home, and when placed side by side, the B70 looks almost twice as big (no, I didn’t take any actual measurements).  So if “small” is what you’re looking for, the B30 offers huge advantages over it’s big brothers (or sisters…really not sure to which gender by coffee maker belongs).

In most cases when you take something large and shrink it down you’re going to sacrifice features.  My Chihuahuas don’t make very good guard dogs, but you can’t put a German Shepherd in a hiking boot either (I don’t know what that means).  Anyway, the point of my ridiculous comparison is this; the B30 lacks many of the features of the bigger Keurig Brewers.  There’s no external water reservoir, no LCD display, no buttons that allow you to change how many ounces of coffee you brew or what temperature that coffee is brewed at.  What you see is what you get.  What I see is a brewer that requires me to put in 8 oz. of water to make a single 8 oz cup of water (of course, if you want less coffee, you can add a bit less water).  I certainly don’t mean to imply that the B30′s simplicity is a bad thing, as there truly is a brilliance in that simplicity.

The positive flipside to the relative lack of features is, that unlike the other brewers in the Keurig lineup, the B30 is well suited for places where space is at a premium; your dorm rooms, summer camps on the lake, RVs, Space Shuttles, small apartments, or like mine -- your desk at work.

Makin’ Coffee

Functionally it’s a B40 without the water tank and a 10 oz. option, in a trimmed down, highly portable package.  Taken at face value, operating the B30 should be nearly idiot proof.  Power it on.  Pop in your K-Cup.  Press the brew button and less than 3 minutes later, you’ve got a perfectly brewed cup of coffee.  As it turns out, however; I am certainly not your average idiot.

The B30 is packed full of power saving features.  If you stand around admiring your B30 too long, it shuts itself off.  If you don’t put your coffee cup in place quickly enough, it shuts off.  If you do just about anything the B30 doesn’t approve of, it shuts itself off.  It took me a few minutes to realize that mine wasn’t defective, but instead the B30 was saving power, and preventing me from doing something stupid (like brewing a cup of coffee without an actual cup in place for the coffee to drip into.  I won’t tell you how many times I’ve done this with my B70.  I’m not proud).

The key to a good bit of the power saving (and idiot proofing) are a pair of LED sensors at the base of the drip tray.  It’s really simple; no coffee cup, no brew for you.  Again, it took me longer than it should of to figure this out.  Of course, if I had bothered to read the manual, it wouldn’t have been an issue.

Once I owned up to the fact that the Keurig B30 is smarter than I am, brewing coffee was as simple as it could possibly be, and everything I’ve come to expect from products with dutch names.

The 3 Minute Video Review

For the first time every Qwowi.com has done a video review.  Check out our quick rundown of the B30 and its features.

Minor Gripes

It’s not really fair to call it a gripe, but I’m going to mention it again.  The B30 has no onboard water reservoir, so you have to refill it before each cup of coffee you brew.  As I’ve stated 3 or 4 times already, it’s the compromise Keurig had to make in order to make the B30 so small.  If you want a brewer you have to fill less often, get a B40, B60, or B70.

Final Thoughts

I make no attempt to hide it, and I’ll offer no apologies for being a huge fan of the Keurig Brewing Systems.  With well over 200 (yes 200) varieties of coffee and tea available from some of the biggest names in the coffee industry, it’s hard to argue there’s a better way, more convenient way to make a great cup of coffee.  How many varieties of coffee does Dunkin Donuts offer?  I’m fairly certain I can count them on one hand.  Actually, I can probably count them on a shop teacher’s hand.

My wife used to spend about $1.25 a day on coffee from the Double-D, K-Cups are less than $.50 each, which means my Keurig brewer saves me $3.75 a week, or just under $200 a year.  So while the Keurig system will cost you a bit more than traditional home brewing methods, it offers huge savings for people (like my wife) who would otherwise stop somewhere on their way to work.  Of course, with the optional brewing basket, you can grind your own beans and still use the Keurig system.

The B30 (at least for now) completes the Keurig lineup.  It’s small enough to bring with you just about anywhere, but still big and powerful enough to make a great cup of coffee.  It may be sized like a Chihuahua, but it’s got the power of German Shepherd (yup, back on that again).  It takes the same K-Cups as all of the other Keurig brewers, so you have no compatibility issues to worry about.  It’s a great gift for a college student, or anyone else who loves coffee, but has limited space.  If you don’t have anyone to buy a B30 for, buy one for yourself.  You’ll be happy you did.

Shameless plug

Where can I get a B30, you ask?  Qwowi highly recommends Green Mountainfor Keurig Brewers.  Not only does Green Mountain offer free shipping on all Keurig Brewers, they’re also one of the few places in the world where you can buy a red one.  That’s right the Keurig B30 comes in red, but only if you know where to look for it.

In addition to Keurig Brewers, and just about anything else coffee-related, Green Mountain offers a couple of fantastic programs for K-Cup lovers.  First there’s the Cafe EXPRESS program which brings no fuss, K-Cup delivery to your door, and save you $2 on every box you order.

Green Mountain has also very recently introduced a Refer A Friend Program. If you refer a friend to Green Mountain and that friend buys a Keurig Brewer, you’ll both get two free regular variety samplers.

Please do consider Green Mountain for all of your K-Cup needs.

While you’re here at Qwowi.com check out our growing list of reviews that make up the K-Cup Challenge.