I have used the special filter. It is a bit of a pain to clean, so I don't use it every day. I have it for those times when I run out of k-cups. DH and I do not drink much coffee every day...mostly a cup a day. He drinks very weak decaf and I like very strong regular, so the Keurig is perfect for us.

I haven't used my Keurig for large groups. I have used it in the mornings with overnight guests. Everyone just sort of wanders to the kitchen from time to time and makes a cup of coffee. I still have the old coffee maker tucked away for those times when I need to have coffee for several folks at one time.

I have the special filter, also, and we never use it.

I don't use the Keurig. I feel there is an odd taste to the coffee when I use it. My husband loves it.

Anita

I took mine to the football field for the dinner night our team was having. I didn't have a problem serving a group of people. You just have to wait a few seconds in between cups, and sometimes fill the water reservoir- no biggie.

I don't care much for the filter. But, I have used it when we were out of k kups. I use the 20% off coupon from BB&B towards my k kups- and recently used the $10 off a $30 purchase, which was like getting one box free. Costco had a box of 80 for $33, not sure if they still carry it.

I was hoping mine would break at the football field so I would have a reason to buy the prettier one by Breville, but it still works perfect!

It's great for groups that want different things, like mixing caffeinated, decaf, & tea. Each cup brews in about 30 seconds (but I haven't actually timed it). We also still have the regular pot coffeemaker for whatever the group will be mostly drinking.

I love it. I did not like using the filter, too much cleaning.
I use it for large family dinners and it doesn't take much longer
than just pouring each cup...plus you don't have to pour 8 cups and then
wait for a whole pot to brew. Its great for decaf also. My favorite
is the organic sumatran reserve.
vic

Cuisinart has thrown its' hat into the ring and their machine uses pods or the basket holds regular grounds. Pros are: the capacity to use regular coffee or the pods which have less packaging than Keuring or Tassimo, nice looking and a 3 year warranty. Cons not good for tea but you hear mixed reports about how good the tea is anyway (not easy to keep the coffee flavour out) and a bit slower than some machines.

Here is a link that might be useful: cuisinart cup-o-matic

I have the extra filter have only used it when I ran out of pods, I try not to ,makes extra steps filing and cleaning that I try to avoid. For large groups it works fine, people have to wait a few seconds for their cup. I do keep my regular pot if I have a really large group. Coffee comes out great, tastes good and hot.

I loved the idea when I first saw them and almost bought one. I then sampled some at Macy's and at two different friends' homes. I was underwhelmed with the quality of flavor. (I love a good cup of coffee.)

The Keurig worked great at my friend's home where anyone could wander up at any time and help herself. Waiting your turn was not a problem.

If your family doesn't drink a lot of coffee and everyone likes something different, the Keurig would be a perfect solution.

We have found the Keurig to be just fine for large parties. Since my wife is a church choir director, we have choir parties at least twice a year - some times more. That means at least 40 people per party. And they are coffee drinkers! Never a problem - never a delay. Very practical.

We have a variety of K-cups that we purchase online. We have our favorites including Newman's Own, Emeril's and others. There is also tea K-cups and decaf K-cups.

We do have the filters but they are messy so we have abandoned using them.

Enjoy the journey.
eal51 in western CT