Let’s face it; we’re all guilty of hitting the snooze button a few too many times. Being crunched for time in the morning doesn’t mean you have to forgo getting your caffeine fix, though.
Single-serve coffee machines exist to get you your first cup of coffee fast and avoid the long lines outside the coffee shop drive-thru.
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Machines like the Keurig K475 or K55 Coffee Maker will brew you a fresh cup with the press of a single button. But not all coffee brewers are created equally, and deciding between two models isn’t always an easy decision.
Continue reading on for our in-depth guide comparing the Keurig K55 and the K475 model to help you find the perfect coffee maker for you!
Things to Consider About Single-Serve Coffee Makers
Although single-serve coffee pod machines have become an office break room staple, not everyone will love having one at home. There are a few things you should keep in mind before investing in your first Keurig.
How Feasible Is One Cup?
If you often find yourself making large amounts of coffee for visitors, you might not find a Keurig very useful.
A Keurig’s primary function is to provide its user with a single, quick cup of coffee to help with a busy morning routine at just the press of the brew button, compared to a drip coffee maker that, granted, takes a bit longer but can get you twelve cups at once.
However, it isn’t impossible to brew a large pot or carafe of coffee with a Keurig. If you don’t mind investing in a more advanced Keurig and a few separate accessories, then you can brew a pot of coffee for everyone to enjoy in the brand’s carafe.
How Much Space Do You Have?
Some single-serve coffee machines have enough of a compact design to travel with.
While neither of the two models we’re discussing today is the slimmest brewer, and can’t be taken with you on your daily commute, other models are light and compact enough to fit in a small bag.
The added bonus? Your kitchen counters at home still have tons of space.
Some other varieties of single-serve machines are bulky and heavy. They’ll likely take up a lot of counters or cabinet space, so check out a model’s specs before you buy.
Keurig K55/K-Classic Coffee Maker Overview
After being released in 2016, the Keurig K55 became an incredibly popular at-home single-serve coffee machine. Keurig designed this model to provide a no-frills, straightforward cup of coffee in under a minute, and the K55 does just that.
In a rush to get ready for work? Simply pop in your preferred K-Cup pod, press the brew button, and enjoy a fresh cup less than a minute later.
Features
The Keurig K55 offers three different brew sizes (6, 8, and 10 ounces) and features a removable water reservoir with its own water filtration system.
The water tank holds 48 ounces, which means you can have about three or four cups of coffee before you need to refill it with fresh water.
The water tank is located on the side of the machine rather than the back, which makes removing, refilling, and replacing it faster and easier than ever.
And although you do have to replace the water filter from time to time, you don’t have to go the extra mile to fill the tank with pre-filtered water.
The K55’s other great feature is its automatic shut-off function. When enabled, the machine automatically shuts off two hours after last being used. You not only have one less task to worry about in the morning, but you’re being eco-friendly too.
If you find yourself making cups of coffee close to the shut-off period, you can disable the feature. You can also program the machine to turn itself off after only 90 seconds of being idle.
Controls
The Keurig K55’s basic analog controls are intended to give the user a minimalist experience. You won’t find a digital clock, a menu, or an automatic timer on the machine. It doesn’t have a temperature control either, which means you’re stuck with the factory default on that one.
This is where reviewers tend to be divided on the classic design. While many users have found these controls overly simplistic, others love the no-fuss one-touch brewing method.
Personally, I’ve never toggled with a coffee machine’s settings, so the one-button brew is perfect for me.
If you’re new to Keurigs or single-serve coffee, these simple controls can also be easier to master than a more advanced Keurig with extra features. It doesn’t get much simpler than one button, hot water, and a coffee pod.
Accessories
Unfortunately, the Keurig K55 is not compatible with most Keurig accessories. Although Keurig sells carafes compatible with some of its other models, the K55 won’t support one.
The K55 is compatible with a few types of pods, including all K-Cups, the My K-Cup option for coffee grounds, and non-Keurig pods.
Things We Like
- Easy to use
- Delivers on its promise for a quick coffee
- Large water tank
- Auto shut-off power control option
Room for Improvement
- Brews coffee that is weak or lukewarm
- No control over the brewing process
- You can only use K-Cups
- You can’t make a pot of coffee
Keurig K475 Overview
If you still want to have some control over your coffee’s brew strength and temperature, the K475 model might appeal to you.
Replacing the K450, the K475 coffee maker offers single-serve coffee users more options for personalization than previous models.
This machine is great if there’s more than one person in your household making coffee on a daily basis since you can adjust certain settings to suit your preferences and save those settings to use again in the future.
You’ll still get a quick, fresh cup of coffee, but you have more options to choose from.
Features
With this machine, you can brew different cup sizes (4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 ounces) as well as a few different carafe sizes (22, 26, and 30 ounces) if you have the added accessory and K-Carafe pods.
The K475’s larger water reservoir holds 70 ounces, making it the second-largest water tank in Keurig’s lineup. With a tank this size, you can have up to seven cups of coffee before needing to refill the tank.
Of course, that number decreases if you’re making a cup larger than 10 ounces.
Controls
The K475’s 2.4” color touch screen display is one of the machine’s best features. The screen is bigger than what you would find on other models of coffee makers, making it easy to read and use.
If you’re like me and don’t have stellar eyesight, then you’ll also appreciate being able to use the machine without needing to grab your glasses each time.
There are several great features you’ll find on the screen’s menu.
Favorites
Is someone else in your household a coffee lover who also needs their daily caffeine fix? You won’t have to worry about fussing around with the settings each time you want to make your favorite drink.
You can save your preferences to the machine, which will help you cut down the amount of time it takes to get your drink when you’re in a rush.
Timer
There are few things better than walking into your kitchen in the morning to a hot cup of tasty coffee.
Just pop in your preferred K-Cup the night before, a program at which time you want the machine to brew the next day, and enjoy a no-hassle morning.
You can also program when the machine turns itself off to cut down energy consumption and be eco-friendly.
Temperature
The K475 model puts temperature control back in your hands. If you love a piping-hot cup of joe first thing in the morning but want ready-to-drink coffee later in the day, the K475 can be tweaked to accommodate, guaranteeing you delicious coffee every time.
High Altitude
If you live a few thousand feet above sea level, you can adjust your Keurig’s brewing temperature to account for the elevation difference. This isn’t something I’ve ever considered, but it seems Keurig thought of it all!
Accessories
To use the K475’s full range of benefits, you might want to invest in a few accessories. For example, Keurig sells a K-Carafe that brews, well, an entire carafe of coffee for a large group of people.
Compatible coffee pods for the K475 include all K-Cups, the My K-Cup, and third-party pods.
What We Like
- Strength and temperature options
- Can save preferred drink settings to Favorites
- Second largest water reservoir size
- 10 different brewing sizes
Room for Improvement
- Heavy (the entire machine is almost 14 lb.)
- Short power cord
- Need to invest in other accessories
Product Showdown: Keurig K55 Vs. K475
Although both models of Keurig ultimately deliver a fresh cup of coffee in a short amount of time, the K55 and K475 will appeal to very different people.
Functionality
If all you want is to be able to brew a cup of coffee in less than a minute on your way out the door, then the K55 might be a more reasonable purchase.
You can rely on the K55 to give you a consistent cup of joe every day, and you don’t have to refill the 48 oz reservoir after making one drink.
Even better, the Keurig K55 has one-touch button brewing, so all you need to do to get your caffeine fix is press a single button, and voila! You’re ready to go.
However, if you know you’re the kind of person who wants additional functions, then you might prefer the extra features the K475 coffee maker offers. On top of that, you get an excellent quality brew, and the water reservoir capacity means you won’t be refilling often.
With this machine, you can brew more than just coffee. You can also make tea, hot chocolate, and various iced drinks.
Plus, the device operates with a sleek LCD display touch screen, which will feel much more like a 21st-century coffee maker than the K55’s simple button controls and analog system.
Brew Strength and Temperature
Because the K55 is a no-frills, classic single-serve coffee maker, you won’t have any control over each cup’s brew strength or temperature.
Instead, you’ll receive the same consistent cup of coffee each time you use it. This is great in the sense that the K55 is reliable, and you’ll know what to expect, but it can be frustrating for users who need a bit of variety or prefer strong coffee.
The K475, on the other hand, returns some power over the brewing process to you.
Although you won’t be able to fuss over the particulars of coffee strength or brew temperature with the precision a pour-over offers, you can adjust each of these factors for every cup you make.
Brewing Capacity
The K55 will only ever brew a single cup of coffee. You can fill cup sizes between 6, 8, and 10 ounces, but this machine isn’t compatible with the K-Carafe add-on. For the average coffee consumer, this limit isn’t a problem.
Even if there is more than one person in your household, the K55’s faster brewing speed is enough to get you a cup of java that you likely won’t care about making larger portions at once.
If you’re looking for a single-serve coffee maker that gives you the option to brew single cups or an entire carafe, you’ll want to look at the K475. This machine offers ten different brewing sizes between 4 and 30 ounces.
The higher end of this scale is reserved for the K-Carafe, which is compatible with this machine. You can seamlessly switch between making an entire pot of coffee for visitors and making a more personalized cup for anyone a bit picky.
Ease of Use
Don’t have the time or motivation to learn how to operate a fancy coffee machine? No problem. The K55’s minimalist design provides users with the most straightforward way to brew a cup of joe.
You won’t have to crack open a user manual or obsess over settings, just press the brew button.
If you usually find yourself skipping over unnecessary settings, you’ll probably appreciate the K55’s simple design.
If you’re willing to spend more time understanding your new coffee machine and you enjoy tweaking with settings, then the K475 might be more your speed.
Its large color touch display gives the machine a sleek design and allows you to scroll through a menu, pre-save favorite settings, and access other programmable features.
The K475 isn’t challenging to use by any means. It’s designed for users who don’t mind spending an extra moment to make a higher-quality cup.
Budget-Oriented
When it comes to these two machines, the price can make a real difference you want to consider.
Because the K55 is a classic, straightforward coffee maker, it’s easier to fit in a tight budget.
It’s great for the average coffee lover who wants to avoid the temptation of add-ons and accessories, too, since it isn’t compatible with most of Keurig’s accessories and advanced products.
If you know you’ll get more use out of the K475, then it’s an excellent investment to make. It can be helpful to eventually purchase the K-Carafe if you know you’ll host a lot of visitors and make batch brews.
You’ll also want to consider the cost of K-Cups and how many you’ll go through in a week.
Wrap Up
When it comes down to it, the K55 and the K475 are both awesome models of coffee makers that will appeal to very different people.
If you find yourself constantly in a crunch for the time during your morning routine and simply need a pick-me-up on your way to the office, it’s an indicator that you’ll probably appreciate the simplicity and faster brewing speed of the K55.
It’s reliable, easy to use, and brews a cup of coffee in less than a minute. The removable tray makes it easy to set your travel mug into the machine, press a single button, and be on your way. Plus, the price is hard to beat.
On the other hand, the K475’s sleek LCD display adjustable strength settings, and altitude settings, might appeal to coffee aficionados who prioritize temperature or strength control.
This machine could also be better for those who work from home and are willing to invest in a pricier machine for the advanced features.
Whichever you choose, you’ll enjoy the extra time these single-serve coffee pod machines add to your day.
Happy Caffeinating!
