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Keurig K140 Coffee Maker Review for 2021

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The K140 Brewer Series is a commercial K-Cup brewer with a medium-sized vessel. It works very fast and comes with several useful options such as a drainable hot water tank, auto shut-off, removable components, and a simple control panel.

After testing a few office-friendly coffee makers, we believe the K140 has excellent quality, and it’s an ideal solution for small commercial settings. Here’s a brief list of what we like about the device and what we think needs more work: 

Pros

  • Straightforward interface.
  • Fast brewing.
  • Accepts all types of K-Cups.
  • Resilient material.
  • Indicator lights.
  • Minimal running costs.
  • Easy to clean and move.
  • Very reliable.

Cons

  • A bit noisy.
  • Only three cup sizes.
  • Requires fill-ups.

Things to Consider Before Buying a Commercial Brewer

Direct line coffee brewers such as the Keurig K3000SE are great for large businesses, but they’re relatively expensive, and at times, not necessary for a small office.

At a similar price to home-use brewers, the Keurig K140 is as durable and reliable as commercial brewers and meets your coffee needs.

If you’re in the market for an easy-to-use yet affordable heavy-duty brewer, K140 is for you. But if filling a reservoir is a big barrier for you, you should pay a little more to get an auto-fillable option such as K150P.

In any case, here are a few factors you should consider before buying a coffee maker for your office.

  • Plumbed-in or pour-over water supply.
  • Water tank capacity.
  • Ability to withstand heavy use in the long-term.
  • Safety compliance.
  • Serving options.
  • Simple user interface.
  • Heating and brewing period.
  • Travel-mug friendliness.
  • Ability to brew iced or stronger coffees.
  • K-Cup compatibility.
  • Dimensions.
  • Up-front or running costs.
  • Coffee taste.
  • Noise level.

Why You Should Consider the Keurig K140 Brewer Series

Durability 

Despite resembling household brewers, the Keurig K140 is way more durable than those machines. And this is the first important reason to buy the product.

It’s made of heavy-duty materials and withstands frequent use. So, it won’t be subject to wear and tear after a couple of months in an office. Moreover, it comes with a heavy-duty extension cord.

Design

The K140 is not very spacious because it’s designed specifically for small office settings. It has a width of 9.5 inches, a depth of 12 inches, and a height of 13 inches, so it can fit into any corner of your office.

However, be careful if you’re going to buy the Keurig 23140 K140. This version measures 42 inches high, which can be a bit of a barrier since it probably won’t fit on standard countertops.

Although negligible, another shortcoming is that the machine comes in only one color combination: black/silver.

Reservoir Capacity

The K140 series is a tanked commercial brewer with a 48-ounce reservoir. So, it can hold four to eight cups of coffee, demanding regular fill-ups.

The limited capacity won’t be an issue if you use it for occasional office guests, clients, or a small group of employees. Besides, refilling the device is easy due to the removable reservoir. But if more than a dozen people will use the machine, the reservoir isn’t likely to be enough.

Serving Size

The Keurig K140 brews your coffee in three serving options of 6, 8, and 10 ounces.

Whatever cup size you choose, it’ll contain the same amount of coffee. The only variable is the amount of water. So, the upper you go in size, the weaker your coffee will be.

Since the coffee maker doesn’t include a separate option to control your coffee boldness, this feature may come in handy.

Simple Interface

To make brewing easier, the Keurig K140 comes with minimum buttons and no complicated menus. It has a rotation knob to choose the cup size and three physical buttons for descaling, draining, and switching the device on/off.

You’ll also get a few indicator lights that let you know when it’s time to take action.

The “Heating” lamp shows the device is warming the water, meaning you have to wait more to get your coffee. Fortunately, it doesn’t take more than forty seconds, and after that, the brewing buttons turn blue. Besides, you’ll see this indicator only once until you turn off the device because the water remains hot for your next brews. 

The “Descale” indicator shows up when you have to descale your system and remove the potential mineral buildups. It has sensors inside the reservoir to detect how much water has passed through the tank and prompts you when it reaches a certain level.

Finally, the “Add Water” light illuminates when the tank is low on water, so you won’t forget to refill it. 

Brew Time

Regardless of the serving size you choose, the machine takes two minutes for the first brew and only one minute for the subsequent cups. This minor difference results from the initial warm-up period, but once it’s done, it gets ready for non-stop brewing.

Ease of Use

With a K140 coffee, brewing your preferred cup of coffee is as easy as inserting a K-Cup and pressing a few buttons. Here’s a video on how to do it:

K-Cup Variety

The Keurig K140 doesn’t differentiate between K-Cups. So, it works with any K-Cup on the market. This lets you choose from a hundred gourmet varieties of coffee, tea, hot cocoa, iced coffee, and even specialty beverages.

Even better, you can buy a universal K-Cup filter to make your coffee. However, since it’s not compatible with Keurig’s My K-Cup, you should invest in other reusable pod brands such as this one.

Coffee Taste

When brewing back-to-back coffees with different K-Cups, your coffee brewer should be able to minimize the taste of your last brew and produce a real taste of your K-Cup.

The K140 has a strong pump that forces air through the nozzle and doesn’t leave any residual coffee behind. So, you’ll get the exact flavor of your coffee pod.

Energy-Saving 

What turns the K140 into an energy-saving machine is the auto-off feature.

After two hours of being idle, the machine automatically powers off. It helps to reduce your electricity bills and at the same time, prevents deterioration.

Reliability

More than anything else, the K140 is a safe appliance to keep in your work environment. Not only is it NSF-certified, but it also has the cULus and UL approvals.

With these certifications, you can be sure the machine has undergone rigorous assessments and won’t pose a threat to your coworkers. Besides, they demonstrate that it can handle a medium-traffic business space.

Maintenance

A few features make the device rather easy. The first one is the removable parts – such as the reservoir, drip tray, K-Cup holder assembly, and funnel – which you can detach for easy cleaning.

The second feature is the drainable internal tank. Using a selector knob at the top, you can drain the entire contents of the internal tank to avoid bacteria growth. It’s also helpful while you want to reposition or store the machine.

The last advantage is easy descaling. With an inbuilt button, the brewer automatically takes care of the descaling process. Your only role is to pour some vinegar into the reservoir and place a proper container underneath the nozzle.

Remember not to submerge the whole unit in water. Just wipe the outer shell with a soft, non-abrasive washcloth.

Noisy Pump 

Although the manufacturer says the device features the Quiet Brew Technology, a prevalent complaint about the K140 is about its loud pump.

If what you do in the office needs pure concentration, this may be a major drawback. Otherwise, it’s worth having a powerful, albeit a bit noisy, motor inside your coffee maker. Besides, it takes only a minute for the pump to do its job. So it won’t be much of a disturbance.

Customization 

Unfortunately, the Keurig K140 doesn’t offer a lot of customizable options to meet your various needs. It has no temperature control, no digital clocks, and no options for “iced” or “carafe-style” drinks. 

The only adaptable option is the removable drip tray, which makes enough clearance for taller mugs.

Price

Oddly enough, this brewer comes at different price tags, depending on a few small variations. Overall, though, this is a medium-priced coffee brewer, enough to address the needs of a small business, home office, conference room, or lounge.

Things to Know about the Keurig K140 Brewer

1. How Do I Drain and Restore My Keurig?

You can drain and restore your K140 Keurig with a few easy steps:

  1. Empty the reservoir and make sure to put it back on the machine. In this step, the “add water” lamp turns on.
  2. Rotate the “Drain” selector knob to the right to point to the “Drain” label.
  3. When the green light starts flashing, press, and hold the drain button.
  4. At this time, your machine starts to extract the remaining water from the internal tank into the empty reservoir.
  5. Don’t take your finger off the button until you see no more water flowing to the reservoir.
  6. Once you release the button, turn the knob to its previous position and empty the reservoir.
  7. Turn off the machine and restore it safely.

2. Are Keurig Machines Worth It?

Keurig machines are worth it, but only as long as you value speed and convenience over everything else. K-cup capsules are a little expensive, and the device itself costs you more than regular brewers. Still, they’re far more economical than going to a coffee shop or drive-thru station every time you get a craving for a cup of coffee. 

3. What Is the Fastest Keurig?

The “fastest Keurig” label is the K-Elite household brewer. It has no warm-up period and boasts a whopping 75-ounce reservoir with minimum filling efforts.

Our Final Thoughts on Keurig K140 Brewer Review

The Keurig K140 (and K145) is a trustworthy commercial brewer that works with a 48-ounce reservoir to serve your favorite cup of coffee. It’s the most basic model among commercial brewers and has the minimum price with minimum features.

As you probably know by now from this K140 brewer series review, it’s not the most advanced machine, but it can definitely handle heavy use in the long-term.

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