The Keurig Platinum B70 Brewer is a gourmet single-cup home brewing system. This ingenious machine uses pre-packed "K-cups," which contain the optimum amount of coffee or tea for a perfect cup or mug of your favorite beverage.

The real advantage to the Keurig machine is the variety it offers. You can literally prepare a dozen different flavors of coffee or tea, all in about the same time (or less) than it would take to brew an equivalent 12-cup pot of coffee.

We had a lot of fun experimenting with the B70. There are a number of options for personalizing your beverage. This model, for instance, lets you select from four different cup sizes: "robust" (5.25 oz.), "regular" (7.25 oz.), "large" (9.25 oz.) or "extra large" (11.25 oz.). The small mug is the default selection and should be used unless you want a stronger or weaker brew. We tried using a standard K-cup with the larger mug settings and found the flavor to be less intense than we liked. To obtain a larger amount of coffee or tea without sacrificing flavor, you can buy the "extra bold" K-cups, which contain 30 percent more coffee or you can run two brew cycles using two standard K-cups -- just be sure your cup is large enough to accommodate the additional liquid.

The Keurig Platinum B70 Brewer is designed for convenience. The manufacturer recommends leaving the brewer "on" at all times so it’s ready to brew at a moment’s notice. There are also programmable settings that will either shut the unit off after a specified period of time or turn the unit on and off automatically at preset intervals. Even so, since the brewer only takes 3-1/2 minutes to heat up from the "off" position, you’re never more than a few minutes away from a fresh cup of coffee.

The first time you use the Keurig Platinum B70, you must prime the brewer by adding water to the reservoir and turning the unit on. The priming sequence draws water into an internal heating chamber where it is kept hot and ready for use. Once the unit is primed, preparing a cup of coffee is as simple as adding a K-cup to the specially designed chamber, and pressing the "Brew" button. Your coffee is ready in about 45 seconds (small mug) or just under 1 minute (tall mug). It takes another 15-20 seconds for the brewer to extract additional water into the heating chamber and return to the "Ready to Brew" mode.

The removable water reservoir holds 60 ounces or enough to brew about seven small mugs of coffee before the water level drops to the point where it requires refilling. You can refill the reservoir by either removing it or filling it directly from your tap, or by removing the lid and by simply pouring water in while it is still attached to the brewer. You can also adjust the brew temperature (preset at 192 degrees Fahrenheit) to anywhere from 187 to 192 degrees. We found the default setting to be optimum, delivering coffee at the preferred 170 degree drinking temperature.

A variety pack of 18 K-cups comes with the unit. Extra K-cups can be purchased by phone or online at www.keurig.com. Cups are also sold at many retail stores nationwide. A 5-pack costs $2.95.

All in all, we were impressed with the quality and advanced functionality of the Keurig Platinum B-70. From the simple one-touch brewing to the convenient removable water reservoir and drip tray, this unit is a real winner!


Pros: Fast brewing, variety of coffee & tea choices by purchasing an assortment of K-cups, also dispense hot water for cocoa
Cons: Once the initial priming is done there is no way to empty the inner water tank (i.e., for storage or transportation), works only with pre-portioned K-cups

Warranty
1 year, limited