Help! My K-Cup® Pod Exploded, Now What?

It’s morning, you groggily stumble to the kitchen knowing that your Keurig is ready and waiting to bring you back to life. You choose your favorite K-cup and pop it in with anticipation and push brew. You expect to have a hot, fresh cup of coffee. But, instead you see a trickle, some odd noises and BAM! Your K-cup explodes, sending hot liquid and grinds everywhere! This is going to be a bad day.

Unfortunately, we can not go back in time and prevent this extremely messy incident. But, we can help you troubleshoot the situation and stop it from happening in the future. There are several reasons that a pod may explode and luckily easy resolutions for each.

There is too much air in the K-Cup® pod.

For one reason or another, when the manufacturer made a K-cup, they added a bit too much air. When the brew needle of your Keurig punctures this overfilled K-cup, it is like popping a balloon—a balloon filled with hot water and coffee grinds.

To spot an overfilled K-cup, look for a rounded lid. If your K-cup’s lid is rounded, poke it with a small pin prior to brewing to release some of the tension. Or push it down in your Keurig brew basket to puncture the cup with the bottom brew needle.

There is a weak seal.

You cannot do much to detect and resolve a weak seal on a K-cup. However, if you suspect a weak seal caused an explosion, you should ask for a refund. In addition, if you get one weak seal in a box, the chances of others being faulty is greater. If you get two or more, don’t use the rest of the box and return the unused portion.

High altitude.

If you are above 6000 feet, altitude can wreak havoc on the pressure inside your K-cups. You will need to release the pressure in each K-cup before you brew. Use a small pin or push it down on the bottom needle in the brew basket.

A clogged needle.

There are two needles in your Keurig brewer. One punctures the top of the K-cup and the other the bottom. From time to time (especially with teas) a particle will get stuck in one of the needles causing a clog, then a backup, then an explosion. To clean the needles, use a straightened paperclip. Insert the paperclip into the needles in an attempt to release any stuck debris. Then, run a few water-only brew cycles to flush it out. While you are at it, cleaning your brewer using distilled white vinegar or this descaling solution would not be a bad idea.

How do I know which of these reasons caused my explosion?

Start with the brew needles since that is the easiest fix. If you continue to experience exploding K-cups, check out the lids. If they are domed, then they are probably overfilled and need the pressure released. If that does not seem to be the issue, then move on to the bad seals. If you explore all of these options and still don’t resolve the issue, you will need to contact Keurig for further assistance, as your brewer may be faulty (luckily, they have great warranties).

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Help! My K-Cup® Pod Exploded, Now What?

There is too much air in the K-Cup® pod.

There is a weak seal.

High altitude.