How to Make Keurig Coffee Stronger, blonde & tasty

I am pretty sure coffee lovers need a really strong caffeine punch in the morning. Although Keurig machines are very convenient and you can brew your favorite coffee with the ease of just pushing one button but many Keurig owners often complain that they are not getting a rich and stronger cup of coffee with their Keurig.

So, I keep searching and doing various experiment to make my Keurig coffee tastes stronger and finally comes up with the result that if you are willing to put in the extra effort, it’s not impossible to brew delicious, bold, and stronger cups of coffee with your Keurig machine.

So, keep reading to learn about my top tricks and tips to make Keurig coffee stronger!

7 ways to make STRONGER Keurig coffee

You can make Keurig coffee stronger by cleaning and descaling the machine regularly, using dark roast and high caffeine k-cups, brewing two smaller cups instead of one large cup, preheating the Keurig machine, and using strong brew settings.

let’s discuss all these 7 ways in detail that definitely help you to make your coffee stronger and full of flavors.

1) Clean and maintain your Keurig machine regularly

Your coffee maker needs cleaning if you notice the taste of your Keurig brew is getting worse and less flavorful as cleaning instantly improves the taste of your coffee.

I recommend you clean your machine on a regular basis, at least clean the K-cup holder and Keurig needles daily because that’s the place where coffee gunk buildup and worsens the taste of your coffee.

Also, you have to descale your machine every three months because the water we use for brewing coffee contains many minerals and these minerals accumulate inside the machine with time.

These minerals not only ruin the taste of your coffee but also damage your machine. Your machine might start leaking or blinking irregularly if you don’t descale it on time.

For proper cleaning of your Keurig machine, you can refer to this video.

2) Choose quality coffee

So, whether you choose brand new k-cup pods (not all K-Cups are created equal), or are adding your own coffee into a reusable coffee filter, there is a simple trick to make your coffee tastes better, and that’s to choose quality coffee.

You can easily brew stronger Keurig coffee by using Extra Bold Keurig K-Cups. Keurig K-Cups are prepared with dark roasted beans and provide a higher caffeine content, and also these are specifically designed for Keurig brewing.

Check out the Strongest K cup coffee pods in 2023

3) Grind your Beans

I know you bought the Keurig machine for convenience and buying and grinding whole beans coffee seems to be a hassle.

But if you really want a stronger Keurig coffee then buying and grinding your own beans will be the best option.

There are two benefits of grinding your own beans

• Your coffee will taste fresher. (As we know k-cups are usually very old and the coffee grounds lose freshness our time)
• You can fill more coffee in reusable coffee pods which eventually results in a stronger brew.

I recommend you choose 100% Arabica coffee as it helps you to get a smoother, stronger, and less bitter cup of coffee.

4) Brew two cups instead of one

Another way to get a stronger cup of coffee with Keurig is to simply brew two cups instead of one.

According to coffee experts, the ideal coffee-to-water ratio is 1:15. An average k-cup has 9-12 grams (0.3-0.4 ounces) of coffee grounds. That means for stronger coffee your cup size should not be larger than 6 ounces.

If you are craving a larger 12-ounce cup of coffee it would be better to brew 2 K-cups at 6-ounce settings instead of one at the 12-ounce setting.

You will always end up with a watery Keurig coffee if you use 10 or 12-ounce cup size settings in Keurig as simply K cups don’t have enough coffee grounds for that large volume.

Read a detailed guide on Keurig cup sizes

5) Preheat the Keurig brewer

The higher the temperature of water the more flavor it extract from the coffee grounds. 195 – 205 degrees is considered perfect for the full extraction of coffee grounds.

However, some Keurig machines struggle to get cross this temperature barrier. And the temperature gets even colder if the machine is cold.

You can run a pre-heat cycle without inserting the coffee pod to get your machine ready for brewing. Pre-heating will heat up the internal piping of the machine so that the water reaches the coffee grounds at the right temperature.  

Make sure to run a water-only cycle before inserting the K-cup pod. This will surely result in a stronger Keurig Coffee.

Also Read: How to make Espresso with Keurig

6)Use a strong brewing setting

The ideal temperature for brewing coffee is 195 to 205 degrees. At this temperature water fully extracts all the flavorful coffee oil. Not all Keurig machines have an option for adjusting the temperature of water (only some upgraded models have this option). If your machine has this option make sure to use it at maximum temperature settings.

Most Keurigs have a strong button on the menu which allows for another extra 30 seconds of brew time and the more time the brewing takes the stronger the coffee. So make sure to use your machine at strong settings.

7) Use the right water

Water plays a critical role in making your coffee stronger, blonde and better in taste. Whatever will be your extraction method, water makes up 99 percent of your coffee.

So, choosing good water definitely makes your coffee tastes stronger and full of flavors.

Tap water is fine if it is drinkable and free of chlorine, otherwise use filtered water. And also make sure to install Keurig water filters in the water tank.

The bottom line is don’t use tap water if it has too many minerals and has a salty taste. Water that has too many minerals also causes damage to the machine.

Read a detailed guide on what water to use in Keurig

a Quick hack to get stronger Keurig coffee using My K-cup

This is a quick hack to get a stronger cup of coffee from Keurig using my K-cups. You might have noticed that there are large holes at the bottom of my K-cup that produces very little resistance and water passes easily and quickly.

The idea is to place the used K-cup inside my K-cup filter to increase the resistance and extraction time.

Increased contact time between coffee and water will surely make your brew stronger.

Follow these steps:

• Remove the top foil of the used K-cup with the help of a scissor.
• Now discard the used coffee grounds and clean the pod properly.
• Now, with the help of scissors or a knife, cut the top of the K-Cup Plastic shell about halfway. Keep the bottom half and discard the top half.

• Then, insert the bottom half plastic shell into the My K-Cup Body.
• Add Coffee grounds to the Basket. Place the cover on top, lock it, and brew as usual.

Also Read: How to make Iced Coffee with Keurig

Final Thoughts

Keurig coffee makers and other pod-based machines are highly convenient, simple to use, and user-friendly. But they are certainly not a great choice if you like to make stronger coffee and customize the brew settings according to your will.

So, if you want a stronger, blonde cup of coffee with Keurig, you might be a little disappointed.

But you can make the taste of your Keurig Coffee a little better and bold if you follow the above-mentioned tips.