# Important Tip About Keurig K-Cups



## Cindy416

I posted this in the actual Keurig thread, but am making a new thread for it because the Keurig one is nearly 50 pages, and it's easy for things to get buried when the conversations start flowing.

Here's a tip that I learned recently from Keurig's customer service:

If you have a K-cup whose foil top is puffy, the puffiness is caused by a build-up of gas inside the cup. (The tech says that the presence of gas signifies that the beans were very freshly-ground when the K-cup was filled.) To avoid a problem, manually press the cup onto the exit needle (in the bottom of the cup holding mechanism) until the needle punctures the cup and allows the gas to escape via the bottom of the cup. If you set the cup in the holder and then lower the top part of the Keurig onto the cup, as is customary, gas in the K-cup can be forced into the water line, causing the water to not be fully dispensed through the coffee and into your mug or cup.

I was afraid that my Keurig mini-brewer was defective, and was preparing to box it up and return it to the Bed, Bath and Beyond where I had purchased it (45 miles away). I'm glad now that I called the Keurig cs, especially now that I've noticed that I have several K-cups with puffy, taut foil lids. I'm sure I have run into the same problem had I brought home a replacement coffeemaker.

If this tip has already been shared, I apologize for the duplication, but I couldn't find the hint anywhere on here.


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## shallowgal

I've wondered about those puffy tops. And I've noticed that there seems to be some dry grounds left after running the machine, I didn't even realize they could damage the water line.

thanks for sharing that information.


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## Cindy416

shallowgal said:


> I've wondered about those puffy tops. And I've noticed that there seems to be some dry grounds left after running the machine, I didn't even realize they could damage the water line.
> 
> thanks for sharing that information.


I don't think the gas in the K-cups will actually damage the water line, but it will get into the line and not allow very much water through. Once the gas works its way out of the line, it's probably ok.


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## julip

Thanks so much for finding this out, Cindy. I would have never known the occasional puffy k-cups had to do with water line issues! Great info to know and an easy fix.


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## swolf

I entered this thread hoping that K-Cups was a bra size.

Whoa.


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## Cindy416

swolf said:


> I entered this thread hoping that K-Cups was a bra size.
> 
> Whoa.


In this case, they'd be extremely small.


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## Raffeer

Cindy - 
Many thanks for posting this. It's been passed on to my K-cup compadres.


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## Kindled Spirit

swolf said:


> I entered this thread hoping that K-Cups was a bra size.
> 
> Whoa.


  ...and thanks Cindy for the tip


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## Vegas_Asian

thanks. my dad and i were wondering why ours seemed to dispense less water sometimes. Will test this.


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## KindleGirl

Cindy416 said:


> I don't think the gas in the K-cups will actually damage the water line, but it will get into the line and not allow very much water through. Once the gas works its way out of the line, it's probably ok.


The tech I talked to a couple months ago when I had my machine replaced made it sound like the coffee or tea could also be forced up the water line and clog it over a period of time. He also told me this tip about using the bottom needle to puncture the cup first, which I've been doing ever since. Maybe they should start putting this tip in their direction booklets...may save them a lot of phone calls in the future.


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## Cindy416

KindleGirl said:


> The tech I talked to a couple months ago when I had my machine replaced made it sound like the coffee or tea could also be forced up the water line and clog it over a period of time. He also told me this tip about using the bottom needle to puncture the cup first, which I've been doing ever since. Maybe they should start putting this tip in their direction booklets...may save them a lot of phone calls in the future.


You'd think somewhere they would suggest doing this. It's not as if it's Keurig's fault, and, if the tech is right, the gas in the K-cups signifies really fresh beans, so I'd think they wouldn't hesitate to spread the word. (I guess it could be construed as a design flaw in the Keurig, as there might be a way that it could be engineered to puncture the bottom of the cup first. Still, it's very simple to press the cup onto the bottom needle before shutting the lid.)


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## caseyf6

Thanks, Vicki!-- 

Oops, that's what happens when you have multiple tabs and two different people give great info. Thank you for this tip, lol.


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