The Elite B40 is one of several gourmet single-cup home brewing systems produced by Keurig. Like the other Keurig brewers, the Elite B40 uses prepacked "K-cups," which contain a premeasured amount of coffee grounds (or tea leaves) for a perfect cup of coffee, tea or even instant beverages, such as hot cocoa.

The B40 offers fast and efficient brewing, plus extremely simple cleanup; you just pop in a K-cup, press one button and presto -- coffee is ready in about 45 seconds. The K-cups are airtight to lock in freshness and, when placed in the Keurig machine, act as self-contained mini brew baskets that let the heated water filter through to extract the optimum flavor. Plus, with over 190 different varieties of K-cups available, you can choose a different flavor for every day of the week.

The Elite B40 is Keurig's basic model and is available for less than $100. It offers the same great cup-at-a-time brewing of more expensive models in Keurig's product line but without some of the extras (digital control screen and expanded volume and temperature adjustment options). It is also smaller, at 10 inches wide by 13.25 inches deep by 13 inches tall.

With the B40, you can choose from two cup sizes -- small mug (7.25 ounces) and large mug (9.25 ounces). The unit includes a removable 48-ounce clear water reservoir and a removable drip tray. Standard coffee cups or mugs up to 5.5 inches tall fit on the stand, or you can remove the drip tray to accommodate taller travel mugs. We find that the standard (7.25-ounce) setting yielded the best flavor with regular K-cups. If you are typically brewing at the larger mug size, you may want to try the "extra bold" K-cups, which contain 30 percent more coffee. A variety pack of 18 K-cups comes with the unit, and additional K-cups can be purchased by phone or online from Keurig. K-cups are also sold at many retail stores nationwide. A 5-pack costs $2.95.

The Elite B40 is designed for quick grab-and-go convenience; by leaving the brewer on, the machine is ready to brew at a moment's notice. The unit can also be set to shut itself off after two hours. Even so, since the brewer only takes 3-1/2 minutes to heat up from the "Off" position, you are never more than a few minutes away from a fresh cup.

Before the first use, a few initial setup steps are required to "prime" the brewer. The priming sequence draws water into an internal heating chamber where it is kept hot. Once the unit is primed, you are ready to begin enjoying limitless cups of your favorite coffee. Brewing each cup takes about 45 seconds for a small mug or just under 1 minute for a tall mug. It takes another 15-20 seconds for the brewer to extract additional water into the heating chamber and return to the "Ready to Brew" mode.

The controls on this unit are as simple as they come. There is a single power button and two brew buttons (one for each cup size). A series of indicator lights let you know when the unit is heating, when you need to add water to the reservoir or when the machine needs descaling. Once heated, the cup button will flash, indicating that it is ready to brew. The brewed coffee is flavorful and hot.


Pros: Fast cup-at-a-time brewing, wide variety of coffee and tea choices, also dispenses hot water for instant beverages
Cons: Once the initial priming is done there is no way to empty the inner water tank, works only with preportioned K-cups

Warranty
1 year, limited