I personally purchased the K-Mini Plus at a local retailer in my town that was having a sale. I picked mine up for a super low price of $59.99, a much lower price than most people will be able to find. The older Hamilton Beach machines have been mostly discontinued due to poor performance, product durability, and customer’s distaste for the super short cup clearance. There’s a reason why both are very low in price after all.
The K-Slim also doesn’t have the pod storage container and is only available in black. This contrasts with the K-Mini Plus, which is available in six colors and has a container. Cuisinart Coffee Both machines are compact but, confusingly, the K-Mini Plus is slimmer than the K-Slim! This is because the K-Slim has a larger water tank, which gives it more depth.
Without the “Strong Brew” feature, the water travels through the grounds at a standard flow rate. However, using the “Strong Brew” feature, the water spends longer in contact with the coffee grounds thanks to a slower flow rate. Therefore, if you prefer strong coffee, the K-Mini Plus is by far your best option. Ground coffee in filter baskets is incredibly easy to work with and won’t end up doubling your own contribution to your local landfill with useless little plastic pots. You are also, as mentioned, tied to Keurig’s products, which restricts variety and, let’s be honest, quality. The plays up to this simplicity with its aesthetics, too.
In many ways, this is a triumphant machine for its price. It is economical, beautiful, quiet, easy to live with and incredibly portable. For anybody for whom these considerations are important, therefore, it makes for a very enticing package. It is a very light machine, coming in at less than 5 lbs, so it’s usable and portable for pretty much everyone. You can take it on vacations if you like to go glamping or to self-catering accommodation where there might not be coffee making facilities. Students can take it to school easily enough each term.
If you’re in a rush, we’ll tell you straight off the bat that this machine is ideal for someone working with a small space and who doesn’t need more than one cup of joe at a time. While it didn’t score the highest spot on our Keurig machine buying guide, it still holds its own as a premier single serve coffee appliance. Also, make sure to research the lower priced brands too. You can see my reviews of many of the low cost k-cup coffee makers here.