The really, really important topic of Coffee

[aecardenas]

I like having coffee while I write. But my lazy desire to have a fresh cup of coffee (or tea) whenever I want w/out having to grind beans each and every time is making me seriously consider getting a Keurig. I can be such a coffee snob sometimes, but I kind of hate the process of having to grind the beans only to make just one cup, so I end up making enough for several cups, just to make it worthwhile, kind of forcing myself to drink more coffee than i wanted initially. I think Keurig is having a Mother's Day weekend sale, so the prices might be at a point where I can justify getting one. My wife loves tea (hot and iced) and it apparently does it well. I could even use it to make hot cocoa for my little girls.

To Keurig or not to Keurig? That is the question.

[frahse]

aecardenas

It sounds like Mother's Day is an adequate excuse.

Personally, I am thinking of adding a 36 Volt Li Ion B&D .065 inch Rechargeable String trimmer to my present collection of 2 gas trimmers. One of those usually has a steel blade attachment on the head, and the other has a .120 inch string.
Why do I need an electric one also? Because it would be an "instant on" type machine that would need no maintenance except to put the battery on charge and would be ready any time. Especially if I get the kit with 2 batteries.
I think that would make an excellent Mother's Day gift since my wife likes a neat yard.

[gmw]

On the coffee question I am glad to have grown up with a plebe's taste for instant coffee (or maybe it's an ex-shift-worker's taste - the bank I once worked for never saw fit to offer gourmet coffee to the shift-workers). So much more convenient. And, to be honest, these days it's tea - from a teabag - more often than otherwise. I still love coffee, but it doesn't love me any more.

So my answer to your question would be: not to Keurig.

[cromag]

I'm not a coffee drinker, and waiting for the pot to boil and the tea to brew is all part of the zen of tea for me, so I'm no expert on Keurigs. But, we got one for my Mom last Christmas and she and Dad love it.

The technology is stable and well-accepted. The recent expiration of major patents means price pressure is in the customer's favor. Kuerig users tend to be loyal to their coffee brands, so those brands probably have an incentive to stay with it. And you can get an adapter for your own home brews.

If I was a coffee drinker I'd be seriously considering one myself.

Go ahead.

[BeccaPrice]

The thing about the Kuerigs is how much waste there is for each cup of coffee, unless you use the little refillable baskets, I suppose.

[VydorScope]

I had one for years, but the continual upwards movement of the price of K-Cups pushed me away. It will cost you 60-70 cents a cup, and that is for the mid level grade coffee. I now have the Bunn MCP - which is a pod machine, but I make my own pods from normal coffee filters. Cost per cup is down under 10 cents when using Foldgers from Sams club.

You may want to check out the newest Bunn single serve. It brews K-Cups, Pods AND regular grounds. My machine only does pods but its still a great machine and brews a better cup then the Keruigs do. ( I had the B60 and the B40 and did numerous comparison brews)

[teh603]

Originally Posted by cromag

I'm not a coffee drinker, and waiting for the pot to boil and the tea to brew is all part of the zen of tea for me,

This.

I'm guessing a Keurig is one of those single-serve coffee pod machines? I don't know anything about brewing coffee, but the g/f doesn't really like them. She'd rather use instant coffee than pay a lot of money than have to restock a coffee pod machine. I also don't like them because they generate a lot more landfill waste by volume.

[Penforhire]

K-cups are great for a single cup at a time. I've been a Keurig user for years now (since they pulled ahead of 'pod' brewers). Horribly wasteful packaging, so I feel a twinge every time I toss a used one. My office is popular at work because of my Keurig machine. At home I have the cheapest Mr Coffee brand K-cup brewer (one cup water reservoir). I like a medium roast and my favorite is Green Mountain's "Nantucket blend."

I tried the "My K Cup" device you fill with your own coffee but I haven't been able to brew as strong a cup that way, no matter how fine my grind. I believe the reason is the water is not in contact with the beans as long by design. There are other refillable K-cup designs I have not tried yet. It was also a touch messy to clean and if I want to work that hard then I highly recommend ... the Aeropress.

The Aeropress makes wonderful coffee, almost an expresso. I add hot water to make more of an Americano (and get 6-8 liquid ounce total per brew). The process looks more complicated than it is and you can get more efficient at it. You can even rinse the filter paper and reuse it a couple of times. You do, ideally, want to burr-grind fresh roasted beans. I seem to like a fine grind, at the risk of extra bitterness. It also consumes a lot of coffee beans per cup compared to a drip system.

Can you tell I really like coffee!

If you're desperate for a quick single serving, the Starbucks Via brand instant coffee is not too bad. It doesn't have an amazing shelf life though, usually just a few months.

[aecardenas]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

I had one for years, but the continual upwards movement of the price of K-Cups pushed me away. It will cost you 60-70 cents a cup, and that is for the mid level grade coffee. I now have the Bunn MCP - which is a pod machine, but I make my own pods from normal coffee filters. Cost per cup is down under 10 cents when using Foldgers from Sams club.

You may want to check out the newest Bunn single serve. It brews K-Cups, Pods AND regular grounds. My machine only does pods but its still a great machine and brews a better cup then the Keruigs do. ( I had the B60 and the B40 and did numerous comparison brews)

Hm. I haven't heard of the Bunn before, but I'll definitely check it out. I like that you have more brewing options for it.

[aecardenas]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

K-cups are great for a single cup at a time. I've been a Keurig user for years now (since they pulled ahead of 'pod' brewers). Horribly wasteful packaging, so I feel a twinge every time I toss a used one.

The new Keurig Vue apparently uses a different recyclable K-Cup, which is supposedly better for the environment. You can also use the used coffee grinds for a composte garden.

Originally Posted by Penforhire

I tried the "My K Cup" device you fill with your own coffee but I haven't been able to brew as strong a cup that way, no matter how fine my grind. I believe the reason is the water is not in contact with the beans as long by design. There are other refillable K-cup designs I have not tried yet.

I think the Platinum versions of Keurig lets you brew you own coffee, but the newer Vue doesn't yet have that type of accessory. Instead it has recyclable k-cups.

Originally Posted by Penforhire

The Aeropress makes wonderful coffee, almost an expresso. I add hot water to make more of an Americano (and get 6-8 liquid ounce total per brew). The process looks more complicated than it is and you can get more efficient at it. You can even rinse the filter paper and reuse it a couple of times. You do, ideally, want to burr-grind fresh roasted beans. I seem to like a fine grind, at the risk of extra bitterness. It also consumes a lot of coffee beans per cup compared to a drip system.

I have an Aeropress and i agree, it really does make a fantastic cup of coffee--very rich and full bodied, yet no bitterness at all. My biggest problem with it, is its a little labor intensive, about the same amount of work as a French Press, but in my opinion producing a better cup of coffee. You have to grind your beans, boil/heat your water, stir first, then plunge/press.

Can you tell I really like coffee! [/QUOTE]

I feel you!

Originally Posted by Penforhire

If you're desperate for a quick single serving, the Starbucks Via brand instant coffee is not too bad. It doesn't have an amazing shelf life though, usually just a few months.

I tried the Via before...it's okay, but it's not quite the same as a fresh brew.

[JSWolf]

All I can say is coffee tastes bad and also smells not nice as well. So if you have to have coffee, do so outside away from other people.

[frahse]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

All I can say is coffee tastes bad and also smells not nice as well. So if you have to have coffee, do so outside away from other people.

I was in the Service and the smell of coffee in the Mess was wonderful. We had a great Mess SGT that prided himself on his coffee as well as other items.

We were great friends. Anytime I went to the mess the SGT would send a cook to the freezer and bring over a few cups of ice cream which I really loved... If the mess SGT had a problem, he came to me.

Now days, I mostly work in the innards of factories away from much of anything except cheap vending machines and what you bring with you. So some have vacuum bottles of coffee they had filled somewhere and I just drink water, juice and get my caffeine from diet cokes. (all that ice cream had an effect I guess.)