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Rare Black Friday deal: The best Keurig coffee maker we've tested is 30% off
Black Friday sales are coming in hot! Now's the time to score the Keurig K-Café Barista Bar for just $100.
Any coffee lover can appreciate the speed and simplicity of a Keurig coffee maker. As Yahoo's home editor and resident housewares expert, I've tested dozens of coffee makers, and Keurigs are some of the easiest-to-use single-serve machines. They're also affordable, and right now, my top-reviewed Keurig, the Keurig K-Café Barista Bar, is even budget-friendlier thanks to Black Friday deals. It's on sale for $100, only a few dollars more than its lowest price of the year — and let me tell you, it's not this cheap very often.
In my testing, I found that the K-Café Barista Bar delivered everything you'd want from a single-cup coffee maker, and more. It makes four cup sizes (8, 10 and 12 ounces, and a 2-ounce shot) and it offers an "over ice" option that automatically adjusts the brew temperature for less-watery iced coffee.
But what makes this machine stand out is that it comes with an excellent standalone milk frother. It whips up both hot and cold froth that manages to straddle the line between creamy and fluffy — amazing! Using it made me feel like an actual barista (even if my latte art could use some work).
Read on for the details, and for more savings on everything house-related, check out our guide to the best Black Friday kitchen sales and the best Black Friday home sales.
Keurig makes four versions of the K-Café, all of which feature frothers. The Barista Bar stands out for being the most streamlined of the bunch. It's also the most affordable at its retail price of $140, but this Black Friday sale brings it down even lower to $100. We rarely see a price like this for a machine with a frother.
At about 5 inches wide and 13 inches deep, this brewer has a slim, modern design and won't take up a lot of space on your counter. And because the frother is separate (unlike the other K-Café models), you can keep it stored until you need it.
Why is this a good deal? 💰
I mentioned this above, but it's rare to find any coffee machine that comes with a frother for $100 — and I would know. I'm our resident coffee-maker tester, having written our guides to the best Keurigs, best Nespressos, best single-serve coffee makers and best drip coffee makers. (I don't sleep much, as you can imagine!)
According to our price trackers, the sale price for the K-Café Barista Bar rarely dips below $125. So snagging it for $100, just a few bucks more than its lowest price of the year, is a win.
Why do I need this? 🤔
Do you like coffee? Are you short on time? If the answer to both those questions is yes, then you'll want to add a single-serve coffee maker to your kitchen. These machines let you brew a decent cup of joe in mere minutes by simply popping in a pod (called a K-Cup), then pressing a button or two.
And if you love lattes, cappuccinos and other espresso-style drinks, the K-Café Barista Bar is the way to go. The frother quickly transforms your milk into a cloudlike concoction that you can then mix with the 2-ounce shots you brew in the machine. The whole process is incredibly easy.
What reviewers say 💬
This model admittedly doesn't have a ton of reviews on Amazon yet. But having tested so many coffee makers, I can attest that it's a great machine.
Pros 👍
"I like lattes and my son likes iced coffee. With this unit we are both able to enjoy our favorites, my husband can make his basic black coffee, and there is peace in the household! Drinks as good as from any barista and easy to learn to use and customize. Love it!" raved one reviewer.
Even tea drinkers enjoy this machine: "I’m not a huge coffee drinker but when I do, I prefer lattes and mistos. This Keurig makes shots a lot better than I expected and it really beats the overly sweet and pricey coffee shop drinks I used to get. The foam maker seemed silly at first, but it is a game changer to not have to heat up my milk manually. Great for London fogs or chai tea lattes. I use my own grounds in a reusable K-cup. It works great and I get actual fresh coffee."
"I bought this Keurig Barista due mainly to the small countertop footprint. I honestly didn't have high expectations. ... I researched the many models out there, and ended with this machine ... I was amazed and continue to use it daily and exclusively. I have encountered zero problems with leaking, drips missing the cup, not working or working crazy. ... The coffee quality is amazing, better than my [Cuisinart] Grind & Brew. My sister has a Nespresso Vertuo and my Keurig Barista is just as good without taking up half of my countertop or having to purchase special pods. Lastly, the milk frother makes anything you put into it divine. Absolutely thrilled," raved a very enthusiastic shopper.
Cons 👎
Some reviewers, like this mostly happy fan, pointed out that the iced coffee from this machine is not chilled. It's just less hot, so you'll need to add ice: "The iced coffee option doesn’t really make the coffee very cold, so you still get some ice melt, which waters down the coffee, but overall this makes delicious coffees, lattes and cappuccinos! It’s quick and easy! The size is small and doesn’t take up much counter space and the value is good since I save about $6-plus a day on coffee from a shop."
And keep in mind this tip from another shopper: "The frother requires a minimum of about a cup of milk or cream, and since I don't want to dilute the taste of the coffee with too much half-and-half, I have a lot left over. But the excess can be saved in the fridge and whipped another time."
The K-Café Barista Bar pretty much brews it all! You can make espresso-style drinks as well as iced coffee. And cleanup is a breeze: The machine has very few parts, including a removable water reservoir, so while they are hand-wash only, it's a quick job. (The frother is also hand-wash only.)
Expect to descale the machine every three months or so. You'll know when it's time because an indicator light will glow. It doesn't get more foolproof than that.
If you're concerned about the amount of waste Keurig machines produce because they use disposable pods, consider getting the brand's reusable filter, which you fill with grounds. It fits in any Keurig, and though it's sold separately, I paid only $8 — well worth it! If you opt for regular plastic K-Cups, know that they're recyclable but not everywhere, so check local guidelines.
Right now, this little gadget is 50% off, bringing it to $8 (which is what I paid for it about five months ago). It works with all Keurig coffee makers and it's dishwasher-safe.
Reviewers love it as well: It's racked up more than 12,000 five-star ratings on Amazon.
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage here. Shop the best expert-picked Black Friday deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. And find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
