Solofill Reusable coffee filter for Keurig K-Cup brewers

by JulieCraves on December 26, 2010

I’ve written about less-wasteful alternatives to the single use K-Cups used in Keurig K-Cup brewers. Each allows you to use your own coffee with the Keurig brewers. There are two routes.

One is to reuse a used K-Cup. I described step-by-step how you can refill used K-Cups, which is rather labor intensive. I also wrote a detailed review of the the My-Kap Kaps for Keurig K-Cup Brewers, a lid that fits on a used K-Cup. This does cut down on the labor of refilling a bit, but either way, you can only reuse a used K-Cup a limited number of times, and eventually it ends up in a landfill.

The other route is to use a device that takes the place of the K-Cup. Up until recently, the only option was Keurig’s own refillable filter basket, the My K-Cup reusable coffee filter. You can read my review of it here. Then along came the EZ-Cup By Perfect Pod. I have not tried this particular product, as some reviews indicated it could be a bit fiddly, and it also requires the use of proprietary paper filters, which did not appeal to me. Given that most other brands of pods are made from cheap coffee by the big corporate coffee roasters (Senseo = Sara Lee, Tassimo = Kraft), that isn’t even an option in my book.

Now we have another K-Cup replacement. The Solofill Cup, Reusable coffee filter cup. This invention appears to have resolved a number of the shortcomings of other methods.

  • The Solofill drops right into the Keurig brewer’s holder, just like a K-Cup, so there is no need to remove the filter holder assembly, as required by the My K-Cup (which is an inconvenient step).
  • The lid is attached and the stainless steel basket is integrated. With this one-piece design, no parts should go missing.
  • The whole she-bang is dishwasher safe.
  • The plastic is recyclable.  It’s made from BPA-free plastic, which the My-Kap is apparently not.
  • It’s “self-tamping” and water is dispersed through the coffee, versus just being shot through a single hole, as in most other alternatives.

The Solofill holds roughly 11 grams of coffee. This is about the same amount of coffee that is in an “extra bold” K-Cup, and so may also satisfy people who find regular K-Cups produce weak coffee. Or, to look at it another way, the Specialty Coffee Association of America, recommends 10 grams of coffee per 6 oz cup. Obviously, how the coffee turns out also depends on the brew size setting of the Keurig brewer — for the Solofill’s 11 grams the brewer should be set to brew a 7.25 oz cup, or even 5.25 oz (brewers vary in their brew size settings). For the sake of comparison, I found that the My K-Cup holds right around 14.5 to 16 grams of coffee.

The Solofill is compatible with 11 Keurig brewer models, two Brevilles, and one Mr. Coffee.  However, an enterprising user has provided a simple modification for the Solofill that allows it to be used with Keurig models that would otherwise result in leakage.

I’ve not had a chance to test the Solofill yet, but it is getting excellent reviews on the Single Serve Coffee forums.  If you have a Keurig brewer and give this product a try, please remember to fill it with sustainably-grown coffee, and feel free to leave your impressions in the comments.

Revised on December 21, 2020

Posted in Coffee-related products,K-Cups/Keurig brewers: alternatives

Sherry Kamrath February 14, 2011 at 1:06 pm

Can this item be bought and sent to me right away? 229-228-0990

Don February 24, 2011 at 4:16 pm

I guess I don’t understand what’s special about the Keurig system. Why not just get one of those re-usable plastic single cup dripping cones, put in a single cup filter, boil water in a tea pot, and pour it over? That doesn’t sound like a lot more work to me. If you add in the difficulty of cleaning a Keurig coffee maker, the single cup cone is actually less work in the long run, and it costs just a few dollars.

All you’d waste is the small paper cone for each cup, which is a lot less than all that plastic.

And aren’t there small coffee makers that will brew into a single cup, just like the manual cone method?

JACraves February 24, 2011 at 5:30 pm

Don, I have to agree. Doing a pourover is very inexpensive, provides far more control and quality, and less waste. However, single-cup brewers are extremely popular and people ask me about alternatives to the non-recyclable K-Cups all the time, hence the reviews of use-your-own coffee devices.

Denny September 19, 2011 at 4:36 am

I use the Solofill Cup I have 6 of them, you can wash it, it is made will, theres no mess, I use a 10 oz cup and it tast just like the K-cup, I buy the bag coffee from green Mountain. the Solofill is the way to go. There are good deals on it on Ebay.

tallpaul November 27, 2011 at 4:28 pm

just bought solofill works great no leaks!!!! goodbye to my k cup

Pamela March 28, 2012 at 12:10 am

I just did some pricing on my favorite brand of Kcup vs the ground coffee. To be honest I expected I’d be saving a lot of money, but to my total surprise… it’s more expensive. I don’t know if I can say the stores I used for pricing but they are my top stores for the best prices. They were both priced the same for the Kcups @ .61 per Kcup. The difference was in the ground coffee, the one in bulk came in @ 1.28 per cup & the other @ .73 per cup. I will say this, I only did this comparison on MY favorite brand which is the Black Silk by Folgers. I would just suggest if you are doing this to save money to do the cost comparison on what you would be buying. I already have a solofill & LOVE it. By all means if you are doing it to help the environment then go for it & thank you. I just really have to watch my pennies so I will be using my solofill for my tea & if someone happens to get me ground coffee. :)

Keith February 25, 2013 at 9:14 pm

I thought the whole point of the K-cups was to make it quick and easy to get one cup of coffee, but for price it is way cheaper to use a normal coffee maker. A keurig system is about 100-150 where a normal one is about 80.

Linda April 6, 2012 at 5:54 pm

We have just had to return our Keurig after only a few days of use because the Solofill managed to plug the needles. I used the recommended ground coffee and was careful to not overfill, but still ended up with a disaster.

Edward Glover June 30, 2012 at 5:03 pm

will your reuseable filters work in a k- cup mr. coffee?

JACraves July 1, 2012 at 7:02 am

I assume the Solofill l fit wherever a K-Cup fits, but to be sure please contact them at information@solofill.com. I’m not associated with them in any way.

sam July 1, 2012 at 4:52 am

This is definitely one of the more appealing sites I have seen.
It’s so easy to assume you’ve seen it all, but there’s truly some excellent stuff out there, and I think your blog is really one of them!

Rick July 10, 2012 at 1:55 pm

After buying my Keurig, I purchased the my k-cup permanent filter. I didn’t like having to clean the filter between cups. I then ran across the ez-cup system. Instead of buying the system, I purchased only the paper filters, which when insterted into the my k-cup filter and tearing off the flap, was a good way to brew my coffee. When done all I have to do is gently lift the paper filter out and put a new one in. My only issue is the cost of the filters. Way too much for the little amount of filter paper involved. But a small price to pay for the convenience of not having to rinse out the permanent filter each time.

JACraves July 10, 2012 at 2:08 pm

Interesting idea! I will say that the oils from the coffee will still get on the filter basket, even with a paper filter and will affect the taste of the coffee sooner rather than later. So, you should wash the filter (and wipe out the filter basket in the brewer) periodically. Trust me, it gets gross.

Rose Martell October 15, 2012 at 6:11 pm

I prefer the paper filters but yes, gets very expensive! Are there any other companies or sites that offer inexpensive alternatives for the paper filters? Currently paying $4.99 for 50 filters and $2.50 would be a steal at this point! If anyone knows of any other site to order paper filters, please advise….
thanx

Becky October 28, 2012 at 8:50 am

I had an issue with my K cup leaking like crazy at first too. I googled and found that if I scooted the little plastic rubber washer that goes around the needle in the top of the Keurig down just a tad, it seals perfectly with the my K cup and there is no more leaking. You can also take the rubber washer off, put a small slice of a wine cork (about 1/8″ thick) over the needle, and replace the rubber washer. This will make sure the rubber washer doesn’t slide back up so you don’t have to re-adjust it every time.

Fred Black November 24, 2012 at 1:10 pm

Just saw the Solofil advertised on TV, four for $10xx.

Will the Solofil work in the Nespresso machine I purchased for my son in Vevey’

Dave February 25, 2013 at 2:32 pm

every time I use my K cup I have a mess the coffee only drops a little and splashes all over am I doing something wrong

Kenneth C June 3, 2013 at 1:06 pm

This might be a little late however, I have gone through this page and most of the reviews. The Cup being mention does seem enticing with no filters required. Some of my Office co-workers have used the solofill, but it does have some sediments, oil and grime that comes with the coffee. Also it has to constantly be held, since the bottom has a nipple outlet. I have also used the Ez-Cup with the Filters that goes along with it. So far it seems best by far. It is the quickest, considering there is no cleaning involved. There isn’t a gallon of water being wasted(sarcasm.) The money saved with the EzCup outweighs the kcup. It’s a preference I suppose, the filters does it job. If anyone does read this, try using it with the filter Lid, it actually helps for a stronger cup of coffee.

Kenneth C June 3, 2013 at 1:09 pm

without**

Elaine L July 6, 2013 at 8:06 am

I have both the EZ cup and the Solofil. I love the idea of the paper filters because the solofil does leave that sediment. The problem is that when I use the paper filters the Keurig machine will only dribble out water and I have to run the cycle thru 3 times. The coffee is lukewarm at this point. With the regular k cups and the solofil without the paper filter the flow of water is perfect. I have tried the paper filter with the solofil and I get the same dribble. I contacted EZ cup and they told me to us the espresso grind coffee and to cut a slit in the top of the paper filter. I have tried all this and it does not work. Is anyone else having this problem?

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