Keurig has made a name for itself as one of the go-to brands for single-serve good quality coffee. Their machines offer convenience paired with a good tasting brew. However, with the arrival of version 2.0 of the Keurig machines, many coffee lovers and fans of the brand took issue with the digital rights management or DRM built it. This meant that only approved and licensed K-cups or K-carafe packs could be used with these newer models. This uproar has opened the door to other companies who are offer a similar brewing experience, without the DRM.
Enter Hamilton Beach with its coffee maker called the Scoop.
Now, the coffee makers from Hamilton Beach and Keurig have a number of things in common. Both of them offer the ability to brew just the one cup of coffee at a time. This makes them less relevant to people who usually need to brew many cups in one go, but the benefit is that one person can have one cup of coffee quickly, conveniently, and with less wasted coffee to worry about.
The brewing process of both is relatively quicker given the lower volume of coffee being produced. The Scoop can prepare an 8 ounce cup of regular coffee in under 90 seconds, and a 14 ounce cup in under 150. Keurig brewers are even quicker. You can expect one cup to finish brewing in under 60 seconds.
See also our comparison of Cuisinart to Keurig models for similar single serve functions.
Both machines are also designed to make the brewing process easy and straightforward. The Scoop offers what is essentially a 3 step process. You put your ground coffee in the scoop part, you position it in the coffee maker, you put a short travel mug or coffee cup on the drip tray, you brew, and that’s it. The Keurig is even more convenient. You can just pop a K-cup into place, and the machine will read the accompanying instructions and brew accordingly.
As far as the differences are concerned, a big one is price. While the Scoop can be found for around $55-70, you can expect to pay at least double, or even triple that, for a Keurig machine. While the Keurig is more pricey, it does offer more bells and whistles. It has the option to brew a carafe-sized serving, which should be able to offer up to 4 cups of coffee. It’s also possible to automatically program brewing for the K-carafe. And the machine has a touch screen display.
Another major difference goes back to that DRM. The Scoop allows people to brew their own local coffee grounds, as well as coffee from just about any brand out there. The Keurig offers a more locked down system, where only certain brands have been licensed to work with the machines. If you try to use an older K-cup or a K-cup from a non-approved vendor, the machine may simply refuse to work.
That is the main tension at work here. The Scoop from Hamilton Beach offers a less automated process, which may require some trial and error to get just the right taste. But it doesn’t impose any constraints on your choice of coffee. This may also be less expensive in the long run. Keurig offers a process that is more automated and hands-free, and you can expect a constant level of quality from each brew, but you’re forced to go with their licensed coffee providers.
Looking for other good scoop coffee makers as an alternative to Keurig? Here are some good options.
Hamilton Beach 49981A Single Serve Scoop Coffee MakerBELLA 13711 One Scoop One Cup Coffee Maker, RedKitchenAid KCM0402OB Personal Coffee Maker – Onyx BlackKitchen Selectives CM-688 1-Cup Single Serve Drip Coffee Maker, Black
