How I Hacked the K-cup Sensor on Our Keurig 2.0

We have been Keurig coffee drinkers for a couple of years now.  Our original machine, a first generation Keurig, failed within the warranty period (bad water pump, probably).  The manufacturer replaced it, quickly and without a hassle, with the newest model at the time ... the Keurig 2.0.  

When the new machine arrived, I opened the box, plugged it in, filled it with water, and tried to brew a cup of coffee ... got an error message instead.  Keurig 2.0 can only use 'genuine' Keurig coffee packs ... meaning the redesigned, proprietary cups, not the old Keurig ones that I already had in my pantry.  Grrrrr!!

I forgot about this, until yesterday.  In the back of the cupboard, I found a box of Sleepy Time tea in old-style K-cups.  This discovery prompted a bit of Internet reading ... and I figured out a simple way to defeat the Keurig's K-cup sensor so I can use my packs of tea.

I offer this VERY quick, easy tutorial, in case any of you find yourself in the same situation.

I read that the old-style cups don't work because there's an infrared sensor in the lid of the Keurig 2.0 which reads something on the label, so it only accepts the new K-cups.  What if I could fool the sensor?

Here's what I did:

I took my used K-cup from the morning's coffee, and I carefully cut it apart ... 

... leaving only the thin plastic edge that holds the label.

Insert old-style K-cup into the brewer ...

... and place your prepared new-style K-cup label on top of the old-style cup in the brewer. 

Close the brewer ... and the sensor reads the new-style label ... hack was successful!!

Tea time!!  (in the mug that I bought at St. Paul's Cathedral during my trip to England last year.)

I'm putting this out there to get my idea into cyberspace, to do what I can to help other frustrated Keurig users who may still have some old-style cups in the cupboard.  No need to throw them away, or give them to friends who still have functioning old-style brewers.  It really is THIS simple to fool the machine and enjoy a steaming cup of whatever you like.

Today's Public Service Announcement

Made a discovery this morning that I thought would be useful to pass along.  If you're bleary-eyed early in the morning and you press the start button on your Keurig coffee maker without putting the cup in place, the tray beneath where the cup sits will hold the resulting brew.

True story ... 10 ounces of coffee in the tray, instead of all over the counter and onto the floor ... and I'm thankful that whoever designed this thing planned ahead for situations just like this.

(I'm feeling fine today, though my face is still swollen from my dental surgery on Monday.  No pain, though ... thankful for that, too.)

Where to Put the K-Cups?

My favorite coffee maker died last year.  It was a Broan, it used the V-shaped filters, it was easy to fill and clean, and I was really sad to see it go.  I looked and looked for a replacement, and I couldn't find a model that I liked as well as that one. 

As an interim solution, I borrowed a coffee maker from our daughter's wedding presents and used that for a few months.  I never liked this one ... there were times when the carafe and the filter basket would get misaligned and the coffee would overflow the basket and make a mess on the counter.  The best thing I can say about it is that it was better than nothing.

Right before Christmas, The Husband brought home a shiny new Keurig.  We had talked about maybe getting one, so it wasn't a surprise that he decided to go ahead and buy one. 

With the arrival of the Keurig came the dilemma of where to store the K-cups?  I thought about it for a minute, and I realized that I already had the perfect thing!

 

 

I bought these wooden sewing machine drawers a long time ago, and they have been sitting unused in my sewing room forever.  They still wear their original finish and I love the patina ... I need to put some sort of a top on them, tho.

 

 

 

Morning coffee is one of life's essentials for me ... my family knows that it's best not to get between me and the coffee pot when I get up in the morning.  I love the fact that this new machine will brew a 12-ounce cup of coffee in only about a minute.  That's MY idea of instant coffee!

Happy Sunday, Everyone!