Brewing Green Tea with K-cups: Pros and Cons

It seems as if everyone has a Keurig on the kitchen countertop for brewing coffee in an instant. At home and in the office, Keurigs are everywhere. And now, many tea drinkers are left wondering if they can use their machine to make K-Cup tea. Let's talk about that today!

The world of Japanese green tea lovers shouldn’t feel left out of the Keurig hysteria. This is because the Keurig is perfectly crafted to also make a quick-steeping cup of Japanese green tea. When you don’t have the time or desire to prepare your green tea using traditional Japanese green tea sencha preparations, you can reach for your Keurig.

I was happy to learn that Keurig considered its tea lovers by enlisting a team of tea authorities to provide steps and good tips to get a good cup of tea. So here I am going to give you a convenient way to brew a cup of tasty Japanese green tea and achieve the best flavor in a pinch.

Please note: This works well with sencha loose-leaf green tea but not with matcha or powdered green tea. For Powdered tea, the tea absorbs water and gets stuck. The best was when I mixed 95% sencha with just 5% sparkle matcha on top, with which I got a nice green tea with an aroma from sencha.

brewing green tea

How to Brew K-Cup Green Tea

Here are the Steps to Brew a Tasty Cup of Japanese Green Tea with a Pod Brewer

Step 1. Turn on the machine to pre-heat the water.
Step 2. Lift and close the lid to trigger the "brew hot water" option.
Step 3. Select "yes" to confirm hot water brewing only.
Step 4. Place a mug or dispensing cup under the dispenser.
Step 5. Choose the water level option.
Step 6. Press Start to begin dispensing water. Discard the water, as this is your purge step for any coffee or cocoa residue.
Step 6. Repeat steps two through five.
Step 7. Press start. (The water temperature will be approximately 190 degrees F.)
Step 8. Allow the water to cool to about 175 degrees F (85 degrees C).
Step 9. Place the Japanese green tea sachet or tea bag into a cup.
Step 10. Steep for approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the tea sachet or tea bag.
Step 11. Enjoy a delicious and quick steeping of Japanese green tea.

Quick Tips for Brewing Japanese Green Tea in a Keurig

Be sure to run a clean cycle of water through the Keurig first to clear out any residue from previous coffee and hot cocoa brews.
Don’t attempt to brew matcha with the Keurig because matcha is a powder and requires traditional preparation for whisking and foaming.
Don’t put your Japanese green tea sachet or tea bag inside the brew basket. Instead, place it in your mug. If using loose Sencha, place the loose green tea into your tea diffuser.
I use the following reusable K-cup, which I can wash and use again.

Click here to get reusable K-Cup

Japanese Green Tea Lovers have a Brewing Option from Keurig

While we’re talking about Keurig brewing, I thought I would give a quick review of one of the most popular Keurig small pod products you can find on Amazon. The Keurig product is the "Keurig K-Classic Coffee Maker K-Cup Pod".

The Keurig K-Classic Coffee Maker K-Cup Pod has been crafted to exhibit some very good features that are relevant to green tea lovers. Although there are many small pod brewers on the market, the one I am featuring happens to have been given the BestReviews (found on Amazon's site) editorial recommendation as "Best of the Best" in the category of best pod coffee maker overall.

A helpful review of this product reveals the following highlights:

It has three brew cycle sizes: 6-ounce, 8-ounce, and 10-ounce.
It has a 48-ounce water reservoir.
It's got a removable water reservoir for ease of replenishment.
It has easy button controls.
Comes with a quick brew cycle of less than one minute.
It has a descaling option to keep calcium deposits from building up, along with video how-tos.
It has an optional programmable safety shut-off after 2 hours.

Keurig K55 Coffee Maker K55 K-Classic Brewer K-Classic K55 K-Classic Keurig K55 K55 Coffee Keurig

Here is some relevant information on the Keurig K-Classic Coffee Maker K-Cup Pod for brewing each tasty cup of Japanese green tea:

Keurig K-Classic Coffee Maker K-Cup Pod Specifications:

Product Manufacturer: Keurig
Product Size: 48-ounce water reservoir
Color: Black
Product Dimensions: 13.3" H x 10.1" W x 13.2" D
Weight: 12.0 pounds
Product Model Number: K-Classic
ASIN Number: B018UQ5AMS
Amazon Price: $88.83

Customers have had Good Experience with Keurig K-Classic Coffee Maker K-Cup Pod

I reviewed many of the product reviews found on Amazon (over 9200, so I didn’t get through all of them). Ultimately, it has been Amazon’s #1 Best seller, with an overall favorability rating of 77%. Many of you would like to see the ratings, so I’m listing them below:

5 star – 62%

4 star – 10%

3 star – 5%

2 star – 5%

1 star – 18%

Product Pros

Most consumers were pleased with the Keurig K-Classic Coffee Maker K-Cup Pod. Here are some of the positive comments on the product I uncovered:

Customers liked that it's very easy to use with simple button controls.
Customers liked the taste of the brewing.
They also liked that the water temperature is 190°F, so it is very close to the correct temperature for perfect steeping of Japanese green tea brewing at 175°F (80°C).
Customers liked the large water reservoir at 48 ounces.
Customers liked that the water reservoir could be filled at the refrigerator filter.
Further, customers liked the easily removed water reservoir and drip tray for cleaning.
Customers liked the automatic shut-off option.
Customers liked the ability to use the product for tea, coffee, or hot cocoa.

Product Cons

There were some negative comments about the Keurig K-Classic Coffee Maker K-Cup Pod that are relevant. Here are some of the negative comments on the product I uncovered:

Customers complained that the piercing needle can become plugged, so it requires monthly cleaning to keep the machine functioning well.
Customers disliked the noise when heating water in the reservoir.
They didn't like the mineral buildup that required frequent descaling.
Customers disliked the large size of the product.
Customers disliked the price of the product.

We Love the Option of Another Brewing Method

So, thanks to Keurig, Japanese green tea lovers now have another wonderful option to brew their favorite healthy beverage at any time. Try it and tweak it to your personal taste. Those who have used the Keurig to brew their green tea sencha have been delightfully surprised at the quality of the taste.

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This post about K-Cup tea was first published in 2019 but it was updated in 2022 just for you.

This article was originally published on T-ching, where my work is featured

T-Ching was the 2016 winner of the World Tea Awards for Best Tea Blog

• Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
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- Kei and Team at Japanese Green Tea Co.