User Review
( votes)iCoffee Opus Update
The iCoffee Opus by Remmington has continued to serve my needs well the past couple of years. I do have a recommendation to insure that you are getting the most out of the product and making the best coffee possible on a consistent basis. Over time, I noticed that the coffee began to taste less strong and bold. The problem was consistent whether regardless of the brand of K-Cups
New iCoffee Model or Name (Mozart)
The price on the Opus seems to have sky-rocketed since I last did this review. The Mozart model seems to have the very same features and is considerably less money.
iCoffee Opus (Original Review: March 2015)
This review also applies to the iCoffee Mozart. The name Opus and Mozart appear to be interchangeable. As you have probably noticed from my dozens of coffee-maker reviews, coffee brewers are a bit of a habit with me. I’ve tried percolators, drip makers, thermal carafe brew stations, grinder-drip makers, various single-cup Keurig machines, Tassimo single cup brewers, and French Presses. The latest addition to my coffee maker addiction is a new and improved, off-brand version of the most popular, single-cup, K-Cup brewer, the iCoffee Opus. While there are a few other off-brand, K-Cup brewers, the iCoffee Opus utilizes a unique technology not found in other coffee makers.
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What’s Different about the iCoffee Opus?
SpinBrew Technology
Have you ever wondered if you’re getting the full flavor of your cup of coffee as you watch the hot water pour consistently right through the center of the K-Cup? I have not only wondered about this, but have noticed that the coffee from my Keurig is often inconsistent from one cup to the next. My typical 8 ounce serving will taste really good sometimes, but too weak at other times. I’ve noticed regardless of what brand of coffee I am using. I often wondered how carefully the coffee manufacturers are about measuring the actual contents of coffee that goes into each cup. Or, it could simply be that the brewer itself does not do a consistent job of extracting the complete flavor of the grinds in the k-cup each time? Either way, the the iCoffee Brewer aims to solve this problem by adding an extra operation to the brew function. The iCoffee Opus utilizes a unique brewing technology. The little rod which punctures the hole inside of the k-cup remains inside of the pod and continuously spins inside of it as hot water is being poured through. The idea behinds this is that the water is being dispersed more evenly among the grounds, resulting in a bolder, smoother tasting cup of coffee. According to the iCoffee manufacturer, the grounded coffee beans in traditional k-cup brewers are being over-extracted, resulting in a bitter taste. Personally, I have not been too terribly troubled with bitter tasting k-cup coffee, only disappointed in the inconsistency of strength from cup to cup. In theory, the SpinBrew concept makes good sense. The needle sprays water out the sides, while it is spinning in circles, ensuring that all of the coffee is being evenly saturated throughout the k-cup pod. As we all know, however, not everything in theory turns out as well in reality. Before I get into the actual results and how good iCoffee coffee really tastes, I would like to emphasize one other important advantage of the Opus Coffee Maker..
iCoffee Opus Operation and Features
Aside from its SpinBrew technology, the iCoffee Opus operates in pretty much the same fashion as all other Keurig or K-Cup brewers. There is one advantage, however, which in my opinion, is a huge benefit over other single-cup brewers. The Opus gives you 16 different cup sizes which can be chosen by convenient dial in 1/2 ounce increments from 4 to 12 ounces! The latest, Keurig 2.0 machine only has only 9 different brew sizes, including the 30oz carafe which is practically worthless according to the majority of those users who have tried it and complained that it is extremely weak. The Opus seems to heat the water up just as quickly as my original k-cup brewer. The water temperature seems to be about the same, though I have mixed results with my digital temperature gauge. As the video below illustrates, I am getting fresh coffee at about 172 degrees Fahrenheit. Upon my first use of the machine, I got a temperature of around 182F. Either way, the coffee is plenty hot enough. Besides convenience and variety in choosing cup sizes, there is one other area where the Opus is far superior to my previous K-Cup machine: No plastic taste right out of the box! My older machine made coffee that smelled and tasted like plastic for several weeks. I fully expected to have to use the treatment described here to get rid of it: Coffee Tastes Like Plastic. Right from the very first cup, there was absolutely no hint of a plastic smell or taste. The iCoffee company obviously got the hint from the thousands of coffee drinkers who complained about the plastic taste in their new Keurigs. Another advantage as you will notice in the video below is that the Opus brews very quietly. By looking at the top of the brewer, you will notice the mechanism inside the k-cup is spinning and doing its job very quietly.
iCoffee Opus Coffee Maker in Action
The iCoffee Opus includes a 75 ounce reservoir. I wouldn’t want one much bigger than this. Anything bigger gets a little bit cumbersome to handle inside of a sink. To me, there is a trade-off between reservoir size and portability. 48 or 60 ounces was a bit too small. 75 ounces seems to be just about right. The reservoir on the Opus is quite similar to other K-Cup machines and attaches via hooks to the side of the brewing unit. The Energy-Saving feature of the Opus provides some compromise between completely turning the machine off and keeping the water warm. The iCoffee machine will reduce the heat of the water, making it much quicker to get your water up to the proper temperature for the next cup you decided to brew. When the energy-saving mode is turned off, the brewer will shut itself completely off after 2 hours.
Re-Usable K-Cups
I like the fact that the Opus coffee maker includes a well-made reusable k-cup pod. I have not tried this unit yet, but I like the way it is constructed with a flap-down lid with seals around it to keep the coffee inside. I will report back on how well it performs.
Automatic Brew-Stopping Feature
With the press of the dial button, you can instantly stop the coffee maker in the middle of a brew process. This is a great option if you want to get that perfect cup of coffee to fill to the very brim of your cup. It is also very handy if you accidentally choose a cup that is too small and need to stop it from over-flowing. With the automatic stop feature, in essence, you have an unlimited number of brew sizes.
Use any K-Cup Brand You Want
Keurig made a lot of people angry with the proprietary restrictions imposed by their new, 2.0 machines. The iCoffee Opus works with any brand of k-cup, regardless of whether or not it has that foolish little label around the rim stating that it is 2.0 compatible. This means you can use those bargain-basement, cheap k-cups from the Dollar Store, Ross, Big Lots, etc…
While the SpinBrew technology is interesting enough on its own, there are a few other good reasons to upgrade your current k-cup maker to an iCoffee Opus. The big question, though, still remains: How well does the coffee taste?
iCoffee Opus Taste Review
The taste of the coffee coming from the iCoffee Opus is unquestionably smooth. As dozens of other users have alluded to, the coffee always tastes fresh and hot and seems to be plenty strong enough. As of yet, I have not had enough time to compare the different brands of coffee and cup sizes to insure that it consistently makes a better cup of coffee than other k-cup coffee maker brands, including the Keurig. So far, however, the convenience and features, and reasonable $139.00 price tag, make the iCoffee Opus a winner in my book..The folks at Remington do make other coffee products such as a iCoffee multi-cup coffee makers
