© 2024 New Atlas
Around The Home

Ekobrew Elite K-Cup makes your Keurig a little more eco-friendly

By Ben Coxworth
January 21, 2014
Ekobrew Elite K-Cup makes your Keurig a little more eco-friendly
The Ekobrew Elite is a reusable alternative to Keurig's single-use K-Cups
The Ekobrew Elite is a reusable alternative to Keurig's single-use K-Cups
View 2 Images
The Ekobrew Elite is a reusable alternative to Keurig's single-use K-Cups
1/2
The Ekobrew Elite is a reusable alternative to Keurig's single-use K-Cups
The new stainless steel version features a silicone O-ring seal, heat-resistant grips, a water dispersion cone, and a heavy-duty piano-style hinge
2/2
The new stainless steel version features a silicone O-ring seal, heat-resistant grips, a water dispersion cone, and a heavy-duty piano-style hinge

Some people sure like their Keurig coffee brewers, although the things are a major steps backwards, environmentally-speaking – for every cup of java that's made, another coffee mix-containing "K-Cup" is used and disposed of. Ekobrew's Stainless Steel Elite K-Cup, however, can be refilled with ground coffee and used over and over.

The basic plastic Ekobrew reusable K-Cup has actually been around for a few years, and in fact Keurig even sells its own "My K-Cup," although that model requires users to remove part of the brewer every time they use it. The Ekobrew, on the other hand, simply sits in the same space that would ordinarily be occupied by a disposable K-Cup.

The new stainless steel version features a silicone O-ring seal, heat-resistant grips, a water dispersion cone, and a heavy-duty piano-style hinge
The new stainless steel version features a silicone O-ring seal, heat-resistant grips, a water dispersion cone, and a heavy-duty piano-style hinge

The new stainless steel version features a silicone O-ring seal, heat-resistant grips, a water dispersion cone, and a heavy-duty piano-style hinge.

Besides its being eco-friendly, the company also claims that users will save money by not having to buy one of the regular K-Cups for every individual serving of coffee. It's priced at approximately US$24.

Source: Ekobrew via The Green Head

Tags

Around The HomeCoffeeKitchenBeveragesEnvironmentally-friendlyBrewing
9 comments
Ben Coxworth
Ben Coxworth
Based out of Edmonton, Canada, Ben Coxworth has been writing for New Atlas since 2009 and is presently Managing Editor for North America. An experienced freelance writer, he previously obtained an English BA from the University of Saskatchewan, then spent over 20 years working in various markets as a television reporter, producer and news videographer. Ben is particularly interested in scientific innovation, human-powered transportation, and the marine environment.

Most Viewed

Load More
9 comments
Anne Ominous
Yay!
I've often wondered what the appeal was of the "K-Cup". I just don't see it. At least this makes those coffee makers practical again.
Of course, since they use ground coffee, one might wonder why you'd want to buy the Keurig maker anyway. But for those who already have one, I like this idea.
Smitty Jl
Two Words - Uber Convenient
kaw
While I see the appeal of being able to use your favorite coffee, I think that changing the normal K-Cups to more environmentally friendly packaging would be better in the long run. I own a Keurig and rarely will I use the my K-cup because it is not convenient. I have to clean and reload it each time. Much easier to use the normal throw away cups.
Bassmandan
This is a good idea. We just got a Keurig machine and have a refillable K-cup. Haven't used that yet as we still have a decent stash of the regular K-cups. You don't have to throw the used K-cups away, though. They can be dismantled by tearing the top foil off, removing the coffee or tea grounds along with the filter medium and then the plastic cups can be recycled. It's what we've done from day one. I can't stand the idea of blithely throwing any plastic away.
dalroth5
I've never understood the appeal of any of those expensive coffee machines. I've been using my Spanish expresso pot for donkey's years and it requires no filters nor special cups nor any other high-price consumable except the coffee:
http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/purespain/product/moka-coffee-pot
When it needs a new sealing gasket betwixt top and bottom halves, I just use a pair of scissors to cut out another one from my trusty silicone baking sheet, bought once five years ago, and still good for another three or four gaskets.
Some people will spend any amount on junk if somebody tells them to.
pomaikai
Keurig's Vue cup machines also could benefit from a reusable device.
Thane36425
I've found the K-Cups to have enough flavor for several uses, so mine get used 2 or 3 times before being thrown out. I do have a reusable metal filter for my machine, but the brew is only strong enough to 2 rounds.
Captain Danger
I love the Keurig. It takes the inconstancy out of making coffee and lets everybody pick there own flavor. It also requires very little cleaning and since it only make a cup at time there is very little wasted coffee. in the "bad old days" somebody would make a pot (most likely either to strong or weak) have a cup and an hour later it would get thrown out as somebody else made their version of bad coffee. The problem with this fill your own device is that it reintroduces operator error into the equation. It also needs to be cleaned. I personally like the convenience of tossing the old K Cups into the garbage. The throwing out of a bit of plastic does not bother me. It is not a lot of plastic. I go through about a case of 24 k cups a week probably works out to 2-3 lbs of plastic a year. I will not be overflowing any landfills at that rate.
Anbao Cup
With these new keurigs, they are making the coffee drinking experience that much better for the home user. It really makes it hard to justify going out to the local coffee shop and ordering a cup of coffee when you can get this type of experience at home