Keurig K-Slim Review

If you’re a fan of capsule coffee machines but don’t have a lot of room to spare in your kitchen, the K-Slim Single Serve Coffee Maker is a good option. At just 5 inches wide, this machine brews single-cup coffee at the touch of a button, and its slim stature means it’s not going to take up a lot of real estate on your countertops. But is it the best option out there for a slim coffee maker? Let’s take a look at the Keurig K-Slim to see whether it’s the perfect machine for you.

Pros and cons

As with any coffee machine, there are pros and cons to the Keurig K-Slim. Here are the main pros and cons broken down in an easy-to-understand list.

Pros

• Width: At just 5 inches wide, the Keurig K-Slim’s size is one of its biggest pros. It’ll fit easily in even the smallest kitchen, meaning you can have coffee anytime without having to waste counter space with a bulky coffee maker.
• Ease of use: The K-Slim is super easy to use. It uses K-cups so you can choose the flavor and type of coffee you want each time you use it. You can also choose between three cup sizes (8, 10, and 12 ounces) depending on how much coffee you want to drink.
• Large water reservoir: Rather than having to add water every time you brew a cup of coffee, you can store up to 46 ounces of water in the K-Slim’s reservoir. The reservoir is also removable for easy refilling.
• Quick brewing: It only takes 1 minute to brew a cup of coffee using the Keurig K-Slim, so you don’t have to wait long when your coffee craving strikes.

Cons

• Depth: Although the K-Slim is only 5 inches wide, the large water reservoir means that the machine is quite deep — 15.2 inches deep, to be precise. That means it can still take up more space than you want; especially if your counters aren’t very deep.
• No milk frothing capability: Though milk frothing might not be your biggest concern, it’s impossible to make a latte or similar coffee drink without it. So if you want to brew lattes at home, you need to look for a machine with this capability.
• Uses K-cups: K-cups aren’t cheap, and that expense can add up quickly if you drink a lot of coffee. They’re also not environmentally friendly. However, you can use reusable K-cups with the K-Slim, but you’d need to grind your own coffee to add to these.
• No temperature control: The Keurig K-Slim does not have a temperature control, so if you like your coffee cooler or hotter than the default setting, you’re out of luck.

Price

The Keurig K-Slim retails for $129.99, though the site does sometimes offer it on sale. At the time of writing, for example, the K-Slim was listed at a discounted price of $111.24, which is a 14% discount.

Maintenance

Like with any coffee maker, you’ll need to do some basic maintenance on your Keurig K-Slim in order to keep it working properly and prolong its life. This includes descaling the machine every three to four months (more frequently if you live in an area with hard water). Additionally, you should replace the side reservoir water filter every two months or 60 tank refills, whichever comes first.

Other than that, keep an eye on the machine and clean it whenever you think it’s necessary using your best judgment. Overall, however, this machine is very easy to maintain.

Key features

The Keurig K-Slim has many features for being such a small machine. Here are the features you need to know.

• 5-inch width: The slim size of the K-Slim means it’ll fit in even the smallest kitchen, allowing you to brew coffee on demand easily.
• 46-ounce water reservoir: Rather than having to add water every time you brew a drink, you can store up to 46 ounces of water in the K-Slim’s reservoir, which will get you between four and five cups of coffee, on average, before you need to refill.
• Three cup sizes: The K-Slim allows you to choose between three different cup sizes for brewing: 8, 10, and 12 ounces. That means you can brew just the amount of coffee you need each time.
• K-cup compatible: You can use a variety of branded and non-branded K-cups with the K-Slim, including reusable ones that you refill with your own coffee grounds. That’s a good option if you’re concerned about the environmental impact of K-cups.
• Quick brewing: The K-Slim brews a cup of coffee in just 1 minute, compared to traditional coffee makers that may take 5 or more minutes.
• Travel-mug friendly: The K-Slim allows you to brew coffee directly into a travel mug that’s up to 7 inches tall.

Alternatives

If you’re not sure the Keurig K-Slim is for you, consider these comparable alternatives.

Keurig K-Mini

The Keurig K-Mini is very similar to the K-Slim, but will work for those whose kitchens are too compact for even the K-Slim. The K-Mini requires you to add water for each cup of coffee you brew and takes 2 minutes to brew a cup rather than 1. However, it’s only 11.3 inches deep, which means it’ll take up less front-to-back space on your counter.

Keurig K-Compact

The Keurig K-Compact is a bit larger than the K-Slim or K-Mini models at just over 8 inches wide. Like the K-Slim, it has a removable water reservoir, though the K-Compact’s only holds 36 ounces of water. Other than that, it’s quite comparable to its sibling models and is a good option for a single-serve coffee machine.

Hamilton Beach FlexBrew

The Hamilton Beach FlexBrew is another good option for a small, single-serve coffee maker. It’s dimensions are slightly larger than the K-Slim at 6.5 inches wide, and it takes longer to brew a cup of coffee (3 minutes), but it’s priced around $50, making it a cheaper option than either of the Keurig machines.

Bottom line

The Keurig K-Slim is a great option for coffee lovers who want to brew at home but don’t have a lot of space in the kitchen for a drip coffee maker or other larger machine. It’s affordable and easy to use and maintain, so even if you’ve never used a coffee machine before you’ll be able to figure the K-Slim out with no issues. With multiple cup sizes, the K-Slim will help you brew your perfect cup of coffee every day.