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We visited a coffee roasting plant to see how K-Cups are made, and it's way more scientific than we expected

We visited a coffee roasting plant to see how K-Cups are made, and it's way more scientific than we expected

Finally, it was time to drink some coffee. After tasting both Barrie House's K-Cups and regular ground coffee, it was clear that the work that went into creating their unique K-Cup technology was worth it.

The filter sits as low as possible in the capsule so there's a larger capacity for coffee.

The filter allows Barrie House to gain 18 to 20% more space inside the capsule that can be filled with coffee, Zohar said.

After we learned about how K-Cups are made, we decided to take a closer look at the finished product.

We noticed that Barrie House's K-Cups differ from other brands because they have ridges on the outside of their cups. According to Zohar, these ridges are helpful because they make sure the filter doesn't stick to the sides of the capsule when hot water is added, which can lead to an uneven brewing process.

The ridges on the capsule and in the filter ensure that the the coffee is dispersed evenly throughout the capsule so that the coffee doesn't burn while it's being brewed.

The boxes are then labeled, stacked, and ready to be shipped.

A machine sucks the K-Cups off of the conveyor belt and into boxes.

Those K-Cups that pass testing move on to a conveyor belt, where they get packaged into boxes.

If a K-Cup's label doesn't fit exact proportions or contain the right measurement of coffee — it's thrown away and the capsules are recycled.

After the filters are applied and the pods are filled with coffee, Barrie House uses photo technology to inspect every K-Cup to make sure they are in tiptop shape.

A camera allows Barrie House staff to check the accuracy of the machines that assemble the K-Cups and print labels on the lids. The K-Cups are also weighed to make sure they contain the correct amount of coffee.

Its recyclable paper filters come in giant rolls.

Single cup coffee capsules have been widely criticized for not being environmentally friendly, but Barrie House has created a K-Cup with a recyclable plastic cup and foil lid, as well as a biodegradable filter.

Once the capsule cools, it can easily be disassembled and recycled.

At Barrie House, K-Cups made from recyclable plastic are stacked into machines and filled with between 13 and 18 grams of ground coffee, depending on the blend.

According to Zohar, the industry standard for the amount of coffee in single-serve capsules is between nine and 12.5 grams. Barrie House goes all the way up to 18 grams, which makes for a bolder tasting cup of coffee.

Shay Zohar, Director of Sales and Marketing of Barrie House, showed us around the facility. He explained that while your favorite K-Cup starts with good ground coffee, the packaging process also has a huge effect on flavor.

K-Cups are filled with ground coffee, but there are a few major differences between the contents of the capsules and the ground coffee you'd buy at the store.

The "roasting and grinding is a very different process in order to achieve the same style brewed cup," Zohar said. For K-Cups, coffee grounds should be smaller and more granular for the best, most even brew.

We started with a tour of their roasting facility, including where they package their K-Cups.

Barrie House produces fair trade coffee, which arrives at the facility in giant bags like the ones behind us.