Run about five full loads of water through it with everything in place.

Yeah, you gotta flush it afterwards...

Yes this is the way. K-Cups suck - the coffee is stale when vacuum packed in those little cups.

Go get a small refillable K-cup. Then go buy whatever great coffee you like, grind it up for espresso, and then brew fresh grounds every time. It tastes 100x better and then added benefit creates no extra trash.

I'm a bit of a coffee snob and only make pour over coffee at home, but Starbucks honestly has some pretty decent Keurig stuff, from what I've tried. If you like darker roasts, try their Sumatra pods.

I don't have to run vinegar through my machine. I have a whole house hard water filter system designed for a well water system. Then I also use a Brita filter pitcher. I add the water to the reservoir from that pitcher. I have had the same Keurig for almost 10 years and never even seen any scale on anything.

never been really impressed with kcups.

I'm a simple man. I go to costco, buy a 2lb bag of Peets dark roast. I use a little plastic cone, put the filter in and then the coffee and pour boiling water into it and it drains into my cup. Or the french press, depends if I feel like cleaning the french press or not.

I have 4 refillable K Cups and use Dunkin Donuts decaf to have 4 filled every morning.

Have one cup before work and at least 6-8 when I'm off and smoking cigars out on the porch.