With just a few easy hacks, your Keurig coffee maker can brew an even more satisfying cup of coffee.

The Keurig Coffee Machine has been an absolute blessing for coffee enthusiasts of all stripes, especially those of us who want our coffee served up fresh, quick, and extra easy, every single time. But maybe you’ve heard your local barista passing a comment off about Keurig coffee, and how it just doesn’t quite stack up to brew from the classic, expensive espresso machines. Do they have a point?

Regardless, if you love your Keurig coffee maker but you want to dress things up a bit with your morning cup, then you need to learn how to properly use your machine. From heating things up the right way, to doubling up your coffee pod, we break down the easiest hacks for your Keurig, so you can enjoy coffee just the way you like it.

One of the simplest ways to get more from your Keurig coffee maker is to ensure that you’ve properly heated it up first. Many coffee and espresso drinks require higher heats and longer brewing periods than a Keurig tends to provide. By running a cycle of water through the machine before brewing your coffee, you can heat up the machine and warm up the water temperature. By using more standard brewing settings, the Keurig can deliver an even tastier cup.

Using the lowest ounce setting available and two K-Cup Pods, you can get more bang for your bean. K-Cup Pods, Keurig’s ready-made coffee pods, hold the same amount of grounds no matter which setting you use. But by using a higher ounce setting, you essentially water down the coffee.

Instead, go minimal, and get as much from the beans as possible. Run the Keurig twice so that you get a full cup of coffee without sacrificing strength or drinkability. This trick is as easy as just running your Keurig coffee maker twice!

Sometimes your coffee doesn’t taste quite right, simply because of bacteria build-up in the Keurig itself. Never fear – you can easily clean your Keurig machine by running a wash of white vinegar through it, or by properly descaling the machine with Keurig-approved descaling solution.

Brew as many cups of water as it takes to rinse out the vinegar, then run a water wash through to rinse out any remaining residue, and voila—your Keurig is clean once more. You’re well on your way to even better tasting coffee again! Learn more about descaling your Keurig machine with this helpful guide.

Using the lowest ounce setting available and two K-Cup Pods, you can get more bang for your bean. K-Cup Pods hold the same amount of grounds no matter which setting you use. But by using a higher ounce setting, you essentially water down the coffee.

Instead, go minimal, and get as much from the beans as possible. Run the Keurig twice so that you get a full cup of coffee without sacrificing strength or drinkability. This trick is as easy as just running your Keurig coffee maker twice!

This time, instead of doubling the cups brewed, you’re going to double the cups in the brewing. Wait, what now? This hack is a little bit more intensive, but basically by placing a used K-Cup Pod into a My K-Cup reusable filter, you create a double chamber brewing system.

This leads to longer steeping time, another way of getting closer to those more traditional brewing practices.

With a My K-Cup, you can use your own coffee beans in your roast. By choosing beans more suited to your personal taste, light or dark roast, with whatever flavor elements you please, you can make your Keurig coffee get even closer to your ideal brew.

Be careful when ordering a My K-Cup, because the newer model may make it trickier to use your own beans or to make the most of the reusable filter. If you do end up with the newer version, you can still hack that too.

Easy does it: use filtered water. Using tap water for your Keurig can lead to a flat tasting coffee. Water straight from the sink tends to have a higher pH balance, which can make your coffee taste… off. By simply using filtered water, you can make a better brew.

You don’t have to be a coffee enthusiast or a full time hacker to want a little bit more from your Keurig coffee maker. With just a few simple tweaks, you can brew a stronger, even more satisfying cup of coffee. Hack the simple Keurig system, and get more bang for your bean!