The Difference Between Keurig Supreme And Supreme Plus Machines

There are a lot of great Keurig coffee machines on the market, all of which revolve around the ever-popular single-use coffee pods. One popular line of the brand's coffee machines is the Keurig Supreme. There's the standard version — the Keurig Supreme — then an upgraded version called the Keurig Supreme Plus, and there's even a Wi-Fi capable version called the Keurig Supreme Smart.

Single-serve coffee didn't begin with Keurig, but the company has certainly found a niche within the single-serve market. With an extensive catalog of K-cup coffee pods to choose from, Keurig owners get a rich brew with maximum convenience. Simply pop a K-cup into the machine, and you're ready to go with the press of a button. But if the various Keurig machines all use the same K-cup coffee pods, how different can these machines really be? You may be surprised, though how important these small differences really are is ultimately dependent on your specific needs and preferences.

The standard Keurig Supreme is a straightforward machine that uses Multistream Technology (as Keurig calls it) to produce a consistent and flavorful brew. In practical terms, all that means is that the machine uses five different needles to fill the coffee pod with water, which is said to provide a more thorough extraction of the coffee grounds. For comparison, most single use coffee pod machines only have a single needle.

The design is sleek and simple, with only a few buttons on the top of the machine to fiddle with. Although coffee nerds may be looking for more options to choose from in pursuit of their perfect cup, most people just want an easy interface that gets them their coffee with minimal effort. But that isn't to say the Keurig Supreme has no variables to choose from. There's an iced coffee option, you can choose how much coffee you want the machine to make, and there's a strong button, which slightly increases the strength of your coffee's flavor.

The Keurig Supreme Plus is a strict upgrade from the standard Keurig Supreme, but the improved capabilities do come at a higher cost. While the standard Supreme is listed for $170, the Supreme Plus goes for $220. That extra $50 comes with some extra bells and whistles, but let's talk about similarities first.

Like the standard Supreme, the Supreme Plus also uses Multistream Technology. The interface is very similar, with a central brew button surrounded by various options to choose from for size and strength. You still get to use all of the great K-cup flavors you would have access to with the standard Supreme, which also includes some off-brand options.

The Keurig Supreme Plus has a similar design as well, with durable black plastic for the exterior that gives your kitchen a nice modern feel. The Supreme Plus adds a stainless steel metal wrap over the front (where the brand logo is imprinted), further improving on the aesthetics of the standard model. Since Keurig machines are relatively expensive compared to standard coffee makers, it's nice to see the company put some effort into making the product look like a luxury item.

If you were to stand the two machines side by side, the first difference that would likely jump out to you is the water tank. The Keurig Supreme has a 66-ounce dual position reservoir, meaning you can place it either to the side of the machine or directly behind it depending on the needs of your counter space. The water tank for the Keurig Supreme Plus is not dual position, meaning it's completely stationary and nonadjustable, but it makes up for it with an increased carrying capacity of 78 ounces. Keurig recommends using bottled water or spring water for cleaning and brewing, but the cost of the K-cups is already substantial, so tap water will work fine if you're trying to keep your coffee budget to a minimum.

The benefits of a larger tank are no secret, namely that you don't have to bother filling it back up as frequently. This is especially desirable for larger families or office break rooms, where multiple cups of coffee are being brewed every day. There are plenty of mistakes to avoid with your Keurig machine, and there's no need to have a too-small water tank be one of them.

Arguably, the reason most people will choose to upgrade to the Keurig Supreme Plus is the increase in customizability. The standard Keurig Supreme has a few buttons that you can use to fine tune your coffee, and the Supreme Plus does all of this and more. On the standard Keurig Supreme, you get to choose from four different sizes: 6, 8, 10, and 12 ounces. The Supreme Plus adds a 4 ounce option for a total of five different sizes to choose from. But there's more you can do besides tell the machine how much coffee you want brewed.

The standard Supreme has a two-variable strength button that allows people who enjoy a stronger coffee flavor to choose that. It accomplishes this by slowing down the flow of water, thereby reducing pressure and increasing how much flavor is extracted from the grinds. The Supreme Plus also does this, but it has three different strength options to choose from; sort of like a mild, medium, and strong option.

The Supreme Plus also has temperature control, something the standard Supreme does not. Similar to the strength setting, there are three different temperatures you can choose from with the Supreme Plus. The digital interface on the Supreme Plus (again, not included on the standard Supreme) simply shows low, medium, and high for temperature. What the exact temperatures are for those settings, it doesn't say, and the company doesn't appear to have released that information publicly. You'll just need to experiment to find what you like.

When you do find the combination of strength, size, and temperature that you prefer, you can program it into the Keurig Supreme Plus for easy access. This feature is not available on the standard Supreme, but for the Supreme Plus, you have three programmable buttons. This is convenient for a multi-person household, where different people prefer different settings. Instead of hitting four different buttons to get the brew you want, you can simply tap the one you've preprogrammed to your favorite settings and hit brew.