Keurig K-Duo Essentials Coffee Maker vs Keurig K-Duo Plus Coffee Maker

Both are Keurig dual brewers that make a single K-Cup or a full carafe from ground coffee. The K-Duo Plus is the better machine: its thermal carafe holds heat for about two hours without a hot plate, and its water reservoir can sit on the left, right or back to fit your counter. The K-Duo Essentials uses a glass carafe on a heating plate, which keeps coffee hot but lets it stew and is easier to break. Owners of both praise the convenience of one machine for a quick cup and a pot; the Plus draws more complaints about its higher step-up cost, while the Essentials draws complaints about the glass carafe and plate.

• Choose the K-Duo Essentials if you want the simpler, lower-cost dual brewer and don't mind a glass carafe on a warming plate.
• Choose the K-Duo Plus if you want a thermal carafe that keeps coffee hot without a plate and a reservoir you can place on either side or the back.