Keurig K-Express vs K-Mini & Mini Plus

This is our comparison of Keurig K-Express vs K-Mini coffee makers.

We have performed many tests and read the manual of these coffee makers to bring you the best comparison guide that you will find on the internet.

We believe that the K-Express is better than the K-Mini because of its convenience.

However, both products offer nice features, and the K-Mini models work better for people who are constantly traveling.

In this article we will go through their key differences, we will give you some alternatives and we will answer some common questions at the end.

Keep reading to learn more.

Note: We will also include the K-Mini Plus during our comparisons because it is very similar to the K-Mini.

Overview: Keurig K-Mini vs K-Express

Before going further into our comparison guide of Keurig K-Express vs K-Mini, we would like to give you a short overview, so you can get an idea of what you will learn throughout this article.

We believe that the K-Express is better than the K-Mini and K-Mini Plus just because it works better in most situations.

It can brew 3 brew sizes, 8oz, 10oz, and 12oz, and it has a large 42 water reservoir, also, you can add a filter to this reservoir to increase the quality of the water.

On the other hand, the K-Mini and K-Mini Plus are single-serve and you can only brew the amount of water that you put in their tanks.

The water reservoir on the K-Mini models have a max capacity of 12oz.

So, we can conclude that the K-Mini models are designed for traveling, and they are not that convenient when it comes to brewing coffee at home.

You can use them to brew coffee at home, but you will have to put water in the reservoir each time you want to brew coffee, which is not very convenient at all.

If you want to know more, you can check our article on the differences between K-Mini and K-Mini Plus coffee makers.

Here’s an introductory video of the Keurig K-Express.

Here’s an introductory video of the Keurig K-Mini.

Here’s an introductory video of the Keurig K-Mini Plus.

Comparison Table

Specifications	Keurig K-Express	Keurig K-Mini	Keurig K-Mini Plus
Brew Sizes	8oz, 10oz, 12oz	6oz to 12oz (Single Serve)	6oz to 12oz (Single Serve)
Water Tank Capacity	42oz	12oz	12oz
Product Dimensions	12.6” (17.2” when open) H x 5.1” W x 12.8” D	12.1” (16.8” when open) H x 4.5” W x 11.3” D	12.1” (16.8” when open) H x 4.5” W x 11.3” D
Weight	4.10lbs	4.6lbs	4.6lbs
Colors	Black	Black, Dusty Rose, Evergreen, Oasis, Poppy Red, Studio Gray	Cardinal Red, Cool Aqua, Evening Teal, Matte Black, Misty Green, Studio Gray, White
Strength Control	✔️	❌	✔️
Auto-Off	✔️	✔️	✔️
High Altitude Settings	✔️	✔️	✔️
Pod Storage	❌	❌	✔️
Cord Storage	❌	✔️	✔️
Hot Water On Demand	✔️	✔️	✔️

Key Features: Keurig K-Express vs K-Mini

Let’s talk about the key differences between the Keurig K-Express vs K-Mini. We will go through their water reservoir, brew sizes, design, dimensions, and more.

Brew Sizes

The K-Mini and K-Mini Plus are single-serve, and you can only brew the amount of water that you put in their reservoirs. Knowing this, you can brew from 6oz to 12oz.

On the other hand, the K-Express allows you to brew 8oz, 10oz, and 12oz, pretty similar to the K-Mini and Mini Plus.

As you can see, these machines brew a very little amount of coffee which can be good or not depending on your situation.

We consider the K-Mini and K-Mini Plus to be better in this aspect since you can brew an additional size, which is 6oz.

Water Reservoir

The K-Mini and K-Mini Plus come with a 12oz water reservoir, this is because these machines were intended to be used as single-serve coffee makers.

The idea is not to brew several coffee cups quickly but to brew a single cup.

Also, one of the key differences between the K-Mini and K-Mini plus is that the water reservoir in the K-Mini Plus is removable. The one in the K-Mini is not.

Since the water tank in this machine is removable, it is easier to clean it using the sink. If you value this factor, then the K-Mini Plus sounds like a good idea.

The K-Express comes with a large 42oz removable reservoir. So although this coffee maker allows you to brew small coffee cups, you can brew many of them in a short time.

Deciding which one is better is hard to tell since these machines were intended to be used differently, the K-Mini is ideal for travelers, or people who will bring their machine with them to work.

And the K-Express is for people who like Single Serve coffee makers, but don’t move their coffee makers at all.

For that reason, they are both fine if you use them properly.

Ease of Use

Both the K-Mini models and the K-Express are extremely easy to use.

They have just a few buttons, and the process of brewing coffee can be summarized into three steps:

1. Fill the water reservoir and press the power button
2. Insert a K-Cup
3. Select your preferred brew size

Plus, you don’t even have to turn them off manually. They come with an auto-off feature that turns them off automatically.

For K-Mini models, this feature turns off the brewers 90 seconds after the last brew.

For the K-Express model, this feature turns off the brewer 5 minutes after the last brew.

In addition to convenience, this feature is also great for saving energy.

If you want to learn more about how to use these coffee makers, you can check their user manuals below.

• Keurig K-Express User Manual
• Keurig K-Mini User Manual
• Keurig K-Mini Plus User Manual

Here’s a quick demo of how the K-Mini models work:

Here’s a quick demo of how the K-Express works:

Brew Quality and Performance

So, what are the differences between the K-Mini vs K-Express in terms of brew quality?

Well, let’s start talking about the K-Mini models.

They are both very quiet, so you won’t have the risk of waking up people or disturbing the people around you when brewing coffee.

Also, the brewing temperature between them is pretty similar. They oscillate from 165F and 170F. When the coffee is brewed, they have a temperature of 160F or so, A pretty hot cup of coffee.

The K-Mini only takes around 1 minute and 30 seconds to brew coffee, however, for some reason, the K-Plus seems to take around 10 seconds more.

The K-Mini Plus comes with a Strong button that you can press to make your coffee a little bit stronger, when this option is enabled, the coffee maker will take over 10 to 20 seconds more to brew.

Now, let’s talk about the K-Express.

Similar to the K-Mini models, it is not very loud, and we would say that it is even quieter.

The temperature while brewing is about 195F and the temperature once the coffee is brewed is about 165F.

Also, this coffee maker takes around 1 minute and 30 seconds to brew and it has a strong button brew that adds some seconds to the brewing time.

Keep in mind that we used the 8oz brew size on these machines to do these tests.

So, which one brews better coffee?

In our opinion, they all brew at an excellent temperature, and they brew really good coffee. There is no major difference in flavor since they all work with K-Cups. Ultimately, the flavor will vary depending on the K-Cup brand that you use.

Also, although the K-Mini Plus and K- Express have a strong mode, it is not very unique, the flavor changes a little bit but it is not something extremely noticeable.

So, in our opinion, this really shouldn’t be a decisive factor when choosing your coffee maker.

Capsule Compatibility

The Keurig K-Mini, K-Mini Plus, and the K-Express work with any K-Cup.

So, when you are looking for a coffee capsule for these machines, just make sure that they are compatible with K-Cups.

You can also use a K-Cup Reusable filter which will save you tons of money.

Cleaning and Maintenance

So, since these machines are pretty simple, they are very easy to clean.

To clean the exterior you can do it with a damp soapy non-abrasive cloth.

Cleaning the water tank is very simple too. The K-Mini Plus and the K-Express have removable tanks so you can just remove them and clean them in the sink.

However, the K-Mini doesn’t have a removable tank, and it is a little bit more complicated to clean it.

To clean the interior you can do a couple of things.

First of all, each time you brew a strong beverage like hot cocoa, you will want to perform a cleansing brew. To do this just brew a cup of hot water without adding a K-Cup.

Also, remember that you have to descale your coffee maker every 3 – 6 months to keep the best flavor possible.

The K-Express needs to be descaled every 250 brews. A good thing about this coffee maker is that it has a light that tells you when it is time to descale it.

The drip trays on these machines are easily removable and you can clean them in the sink.

Another thing that you will want to do is to clean the needles on these machines. 

The K-Cup holder on these machines can be dismantled so you can clean them easily.

This should be done from time to time to prevent malfunctions in your coffee maker.

In the video below you can learn more about how to clean the needles of your Keurig coffee makers.

Design, Dimensions, and Weight

When comparing the K-Mini vs K-Express when found that they are not very different from each other in terms of design.

The K-Express and K-Mini models are very thin, so they fit almost everywhere. Also, they have a very stylish design, they will look nice in every kitchen.

An interesting feature that these three machines have is that you can actually remove the drip trays and brew coffee in a travel mug.

These are the dimensions of the K-Mini:

• Height: 12.1” (16.8” when open)
• Width: 4.5”
• Depth: 11.3”
• Weight: 4.6lbs

These are the dimensions of the K-Mini Plus:

• Height: 12.1” (16.8” when open)
• Width: 4.5”
• Depth: 11.3”
• Weight: 4.6lbs

These are the dimensions of the K-Express:

• Height: 12.6” (17.2” when open)
• Width: 5.1”
• Depth: 12.8”
• Weight: 4.10lbs

So, as you can see, the K-Mini and Mini plus have the same dimensions, but the K-Express is a little bit bigger and heavy, but it is not very noticeable.

Other Features

These are some additional features that these coffee makers have.

Pod Storage

The pod storage is a feature exclusive to the Keurig K-Mini Plus.

It is basically a container that can be attached to the front of the machine to store your pods. This container is ideal for people who like to bring their K-Mini Plus coffee maker with them everywhere.

Cord Storage

The cord storage feature is exclusive to the K-Mini models.

It is a small space in the back designed to store the cable which makes these machines even more practical for traveling.

High Altitude Settings

The K-Mini models and the K-Express have High Altitude Settings included. However, they work a little bit differently from each other.

The High Altitude Settings on the K-Expresso need to be enabled by performing a few steps. They are very easy to do, you can learn more about them by reading the official user manual when you purchase the machine.

Here’s a short video on how to enable the High Altitude Mode on the Keurig K-Express.

On the other hand, the K-Mini models don’t need a previous activation. You just need to push down the K-Cup when you insert them into the machine.

The High Altitude settings allow these coffee makers to work properly when used at an altitude of 5,000 feet or more.

Alternatives

So, at this point of our Keurig K-Mini vs K-Express comparison guide, you should have a good understanding of these coffee makers.

If you are not convinced about them. Here you have some alternatives that you can try instead.

Keurig K-Compact

The Keurig K-Compact is a basic coffee brewer with all the features you need to brew a nice cup of coffee every day.

It comes with 3 brew sizes. 6oz, 8oz, and 10oz and a removable 36oz water reservoir.

Also, it has the Auto-Off feature included and a removable drip tray.

This coffee maker is ideal for those who want a simple and affordable device.

Keurig K-Slim

The Keurig K-Slim is pretty similar to the K-Mini models, but with some extra interesting features.

First of all, they are very similar in terms of design, but, the K-Slim comes with a large 46oz water reservoir that is also removable.

It allows you to brew 3 brew sizes, 8oz, 10oz, and oz.

The major advantage of this coffee maker over the other ones is its MultiStream technology.

It is an innovative system that improves the overall quality of the coffee brewed by the K-Slim. So, basically, it brews better-tasting coffee.

This one is a good alternative for those who like a simple coffee maker, which is also pretty and produces delicious coffee.

If you want to learn more about the differences between the K-Slim and the other machines mentioned previously, check the resources below:

• K-Express vs K-Slim
• K-Slim vs K-Mini

The Bottom Line: Keurig K-Mini vs K-Express

So, after reading our Keurig K-Express vs K-Mini comparison guide, you should already know which one is better for you depending on your needs.

If you are not sure yet, we consider the K-Express to be better than the K-Mini and K-Mini Plus. It has a large removable water tank (you can install a water filter on it), the design is very convenient, and it is quite affordable.

Keep in mind that the K-Mini and K-Mini Plus are pretty good if you plan to bring any of these brewers with you to work or while you are traveling.

But which one is better the K-Mini or K-Mini Plus?

Well, the K-Mini is a bit cheaper but it doesn’t come with a removable reservoir, strong mode, and pod storage. If you value those features and have the budget, go for the K-Mini Plus, if not, just go for the K-Mini.

FAQ – Keurig K-Express vs K-Mini

If you still have questions after reading this Keurig K-Mini vs K-Express comparison guide, here we will do our best to answer them.