Tuesday, April 30, 2013

I Love Coffee: Keurig Single-Cup Brewing System Review

Coffee and I have had a love affair for at least 30 years now. I watched my parents get up each morning and share coffee before they started their day. I joined in when I was about 16. I drank a huge cafĂ© au lait each morning while living in Paris during college – dipping my crusty baguette into the warm, frothy drink. I cut out coffee when I was pregnant (x2) and I probably needed to go into therapy to deal with the loss.

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When I started running four years ago, I always had a cup before a run and still do. I never knew if this was good or bad (my colon said it was bad if things didn’t get resolved before a run). I was thrilled to learn from several sources (including this article in Runner’s World) that coffee/caffeine could actually boost performance and help quicken recovery. True or not, I am going with that theory because it supports my daily habit. Same way I support my wine habit with reports that it’s good for my heart, my immune system and even my memory (what is it that I’m reviewing right now?).

You see, while I’m sure I get a boost from the caffeine, my daily cup (or cups) of coffee have become a ritual. Sometimes I can’t wait to get out of bed so I can have my first cup.  It’s kind of like an old friend (who doesn’t talk back).

I am a traditionalist when it comes to my coffee. I don’t enjoy fancy drinks like triple mocha cappuccinos with five shots, no foam, one pump of syrup and a dash of urine. I just like a strong, rich blend with lots of half and half. I brew a pot every morning for my son and I to share. Mid morning I usually stop and get another cup of coffee just to round out my a.m. ritual.

Recently, Staples (yes, the office supply place) asked if they could send me a Keurig 145 Single-Cup Brewing System to review. I have used these before – my in-laws have one and several doctor’s offices I’ve visited have them as well. I’ve always thought they were a neat concept (being able to choose the hot drink you like and brew it up quickly), but I could never justify the price ($79 to $200 depending on the size and the features. This particular one is $129 but has a $25 rebate right now). The kids were pretty excited because in addition to making coffee, you can also do hot chocolate, chai and flavored teas in the Keurig.

Keurig OfficePRO Single-Cup Commercial Coffee Brewer, Black/Silver

Keurig OfficePRO Single-Cup Commercial Coffee Brewer, Black/Silver

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’ve never used a Keurig, here is my sorry attempt to demonstrate it:

Pros:

  • Convenient and Quick – From start to finish, making a cup of coffee in the Keurig takes only seconds (unless the water needs to heat, then it might be a minute). For someone who lives alone, the Keurig could be the perfect, personalized solution. Also, the Keurig is a great method for quickly getting your travel mug filled with coffee before heading out the door in the morning.
  • No mess – No need to put in or dispose of a filter. No coffee grounds spilled on the counter. No coffee dregs in the bottom of your mug.
  • Customized - Perfect for an office so that everyone can choose their own type of coffee and flavor.
  • Hot Coffee – I like my coffee very hot when it is first brewed. I find that many regular brew pots deliver warm coffee, but not hot coffee. The Keurig will give you HOT coffee immediately and every time.
  • Taste – I don’t think the coffee from a Keurig maker will ever compare to what you get in a traditional coffee maker. However, for a quick and easy cup of coffee, the taste is acceptable. While I found the taste of some brands (Green Mountain specifically) to be lacking, other brands were more full bodied and rich like Caribou. This said, there are countless brands and flavors to choose from, so I think there is probably something for everyone.

Cons:

  • Price – The average cost of a cup of regular brewed coffee at home is .13¢ (factoring in the cost of coffee pots and filters) {source}.  The K-Cups cost on average of .50¢ if you buy them in bulk. That adds up over time. I did see that you can buy your own K-Cup filter and use your own ground beans. Now, that’s a brilliant idea (it’s about $18 and can be found here).  That said, I guess using a K-Cup at home is still MUCH cheaper than visiting the local coffee shop.
  • Taste of Tea/Hot Chocolate – I tried a K-Cup of the Celestial Seasonings Sleepy Time and it tasted pretty awful compared to what I make with a regular tea bag. I suppose you could just put your own tea bag in the spot where the K-Cup would go. My daughter did not care for the hot chocolate because she found it watery – she asked if we could use milk in the Keurig (NO!).
  • Impersonal (for lack of a better word) – This may sound hokey,  but people can bond over a shared pot of coffee, like my son and I do. You wait for it to finish brewing, you pour a cup for yourself and the other person while you talk and connect. You top off each other’s coffee, etc. The Keurig doesn’t allow for this type of scenario. It’s more of an individual activity if you know what I mean.
  • Environmental Impact – Billions of plastic K-Cups are sold each year. From what is said on the Keurig site, they are not currently recyclable. This means several billions of cups end up in landfills each year just for the convenience of having a quick cup of coffee. Keurig’s response: “The challenge of protecting the freshness of roasted coffee while using environmentally friendly packaging is one that both Keurig and the coffee industry are committed to overcoming. We are very sensitive about the waste created by the K-Cup® packs and are investigating alternative materials. Finding a solution for this is a priority for us, and one we hope to have before long.

My Final Conclusion: Overall a quality product and perfect under certain conditions like in an office setting or for someone who lives alone. Also, the Keurig would be ideal if you need to quickly head out the door and put your travel mug underneath for a fast cup o’ Joe. Although the taste did not always meet my standards, I think this is more of an issue of the brand of K-Cup than the Keurig itself. I need to find the brands/flavors that I like the most. I will not replace my coffee maker with this one, but it is nice to have both options.

Coffee drinker– yes or no?

What type of coffee maker do you use?

Have you ever used a Keurig? Which do you prefer – regular brewer or Keurig?

 

SUAR

Full disclosure: Staples provided Shut Up + Run with these items for review. The thoughts and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

87 comments:

  1. I guiltily use a Keurig almost every day.. both at home and at our office. Mainly for portion control for me. I am an addict and if I make a pot.. I'll drink a pot.... and then brew another one. So I got one for this reason and it helps. But I HATE disposing of those little plastic pods into landfills almost as much as I hate plastic water bottles. I tried the first the pod that you can use your own coffee that has the little basket. Discovered that while I don't have a pod to throw away.. you have to run at least a gallon of water through it to try to clean it for next use.. not very Green either. I found another solution.. a brew your own that uses paper filters.. This works the best... I just pop out the filter and throw it in the composter! Now I agree the taste cannot compare to when I take the time and make a French Press.. but for quick and out the door.. you can't beat it!

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    1. Those are the k-cups we use too and although they are no where near as nice as our French press, it is convenient and clean up is easy!

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  2. I hate to say but I love my Keurig. LOVE LOVE LOVE it because I am super disorganized. So it is great to press the button and have it ready to rock when I go out the door to work (where the coffee tastes like dirt, so I must bring my own). If you shop around, you can find the K-cups a little cheaper. It is just me - my babies are grown - so the cost is certainly far less than stopping at Starbucks or even McDonalds, but when the babies are home, we go through quite a few of the K-cups. Also - I will say - that I had problems with my first unit, and the Keurig Customer service was EXCELLENT and they sent me a new unit no questions asked. I like coffee before my long runs but not necessarily before the 5 am short runs.

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  3. Love your blog, but it's couldn't care less! :)

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  4. I LOVE my Keurig! I use a refillable k-cup system, though, so there is no waste and I can have exactly the brand/type of coffee that I want. My husband loves the extra bold jet fuel and I prefer an easier breakfast blend or sometimes a flavored type. I used to use their tea k-cups but now I just use the machine to heat the water for my bag. The only thing I miss is setting the timer so the coffee brews by itself in the morning. I love the smell of coffee and it doesn't linger long with the Keurig system.

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    1. I use the refillable K-cup thing too (sold separately). That way I get my fresh ground coffee and NO LANDFILL waste. Plus I am the only one that drinks coffee at my house - so it's PERFECT! LOVE it! Also love to brew iced beverages in the summer! :)

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  5. I have a keurig...it's simple and quick but I don't like the price of the k-cups and I prefer the taste of traditional coffee.

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  6. I have a keurig...it's simple and quick but I don't like the price of the k-cups and I prefer the taste of traditional coffee.

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  7. I have a keurig...it's simple and quick but I don't like the price of the k-cups and I prefer the taste of traditional coffee.

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  8. My feelings about coffee are similar to yours. My husband is the coffee maker in our house, and when he grinds the beans at night before he goes to bed, sometimes I hover nearby so I can take a big sniff of the freshly ground coffee. When I do I always thing "I can't wait to get up and have coffee in the morning." I always have coffee in the morning before a run or workout. And another one afterward, which I especially enjoy. We have a Black & Decker coffee maker from Target. I bought the reusable filter basket to use with it, but inevitably grounds wound up in the coffee, and the filter sometimes made the coffee flow over the edge of the pot and on to the counter. So we went back to paper filters, which we compost with the grounds.

    So because my husband and I will drink a whole pot, a single cup brewer is pretty much uneccessary for me. The only time I might wish I had one is in the afternoon when I want a fresh cup (and not the dregs of the morning pot warmed in the microwave). However, Starbucks instant (which comes in little individual packets) is not bad at all.

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  9. I love my Keurig but as a hippie (and cheap person), was concerned about cost and the environmental impact. Like others, I recommend the refillable k-cup system. I have this one, which is SUPER EASY to use.

    http://www.amazon.com/Ekobrew-Refillable-Keurig-Brewers-1-Count/dp/B0065G59F4/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1367329980&sr=8-8&keywords=ecobrew+cups

    =)

    I wish somebody would have sent me mine for free... I hoarded up our Discover Card points until I had enough to buy one. It was like CHRISTMAS!

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  10. Oh the Trader Joes dark roast is to die for! I stock up on that stuff and fill my suitcases with it before heading over to EU every time:) I always had a wonderful Krups machine back in the states (her name was Susie ... she was that wonderful she needed a name;) but changed to something a bit less expensive when I had to get a new one to fit the electricity.

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  11. I love my coffee...I only make it at home on weekends, buy it during the week. Regular coffee...nothing fancy. I use a Cuisinart coffee maker because one cup is generally never enough.

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  12. The reason I don't love the Keurig is the taste. Just doesn't measure up to the beans I can get at a local roastery and grind myself. I am with you on the ritual too. So many mechanized interactions daily, making French Press or even using a drip coffee system feels more like you're taking time for yourself rather than one more for-the-sake-of-efficiency procedure.

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    1. Doesn't help with enjoyment of the process aspect, but you can use beans that you ground yourself in the Keurig if you use a reusable kcup (I buy local and grind my own too).

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  13. I agree with coffee being a bonding experience. My husband and I don't have mornings together due to different start times, but the weekends are all ours. We brew espresso grounds in a caffettiera like his nonna used to make. We'll warm up our own lactose free milk to make it a little old-school latte. I really couldn't be bothered with all these new coffee makers- lacks taste and tradition.

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  14. Lovely review, very thorough!
    I drink coffee on most days. I use a French press and recently got a Hario mini manual burr grinder to grind the beans right before brewing. Compared to having my coffee ground all at once at the time of purchase, this makes a huge difference in the taste and freshness of coffee from the first cup of the bag/pound to the last cup (usually two weeks later). Even though I'm really busy (doctoral psychology student who works 30 hours/week) I enjoy the ritual of making my own coffee. I've tried the Keurig "Donut Shop" coffee at a friend's house and really liked the taste and how fast and novel it was to make, but I felt the "impersonal" aspect you talked about. Overall, it's much cheaper for me to brew it traditionally (even if I use fancy shmancy beans like from Stumptown) and is much more environmentally friendly. Couldn't justify putting that many little plastic k-cups in landfills.

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  15. The one and only way to make perfect coffee, is with an italian moka pot (stove-top). I also like it with skimmed hot milk, which should be heated on the stove, rather than in the microwave. I have tried lots and lots of different beans, but keep going back to Lavazza Rossa. Oh, and I like to drink it out of a small bowl, rather than a cup, and warm my hands on it. Wouldn't leave the house without it!! On long runs I always have to stop for a top up of espresso around 25km... talk about addiction. If there is no cafes where I run, I arrange for my hubby to meet up with a flask ; )

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  16. Just commenting because I cracked up when I saw this this morning and it reminded me of you (I wonder why? lol)

    http://25.media.tumblr.com/391ee99bd949a89277cfce230873bfb0/tumblr_mm2lw4Hxzw1qewacoo1_r1_500.jpg

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  17. I have this..I really love it, but I don't buy those cups I use my own coffee.

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  18. Love my Keurig. I'm the only coffee drinker in my house so it was a hassle for me to make a whole pot and have my travel mug filled to get out of the house in the morning. It is so much easier now with the Keurig. The Starbucks K cups are the most comparable to regular brewed in taste especially the dark roast versions.

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  19. Coffee is one of the best rituals of all time. The aroma drifting through your house as most of the family still sleeps. The deep, rich flavor. Oh man.

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  20. THANK YOU for mentioning the fact that the cups don't recycle. It's the number one reason I won't even consider getting a Keurig. My family thinks I'm crazy, but that's a LOT of plastic. Plus, I'm not super into the semi-scary ingredients list on a lot of them. :-(

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  21. I'm not a coffee drinker.
    We do have a Keurig - I use it for hot cider, chai and the boys make hot chocolate.
    My husband is a pot a day drinker - one day he got into the Keurig and 5 cups later I told him those little things were too pricey for his habit!!!

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  22. I LOVE my Keurig! I couldn't live without it and am dreading weekend visits to my parents summer home where they don't have one! First of all, I'm the only coffee drinker in the house, so a full pot of coffee just won't do. Second of all, I like different flavors of coffee, and usually keep 2 or 3 on hand so I can pick and choose, depending on my mood. Lastly, its so fast and easy. I don't have to wait long for it to brew, so I can actually sit and enjoy it. LOVE my Keurig!

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  23. totally a coffee drinker. 2 cups in the morning. And then I rarely have another throughout the day. I brew it at home; have a Tassimo, I guess I dont like it as much as a keurig but I do like it for a quick cup but 20 days outta 21 I use my coffee maker. In a Keurig I like the flavored coffees a bit...cinnamon roll? COME ON!! But Im not a huge fan of the flavored coffees in general.

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  24. You had me at coffee...and wine! ;)

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  25. I don't drink coffee I am a tea drinker and I did buy a kurieg for my office when I for Tazo Awake tea k-cups. You are right it is not as good as with a bag but if I add some more hot water it is good.

    I also have one at home because my husband is a huge coffee drinker but he prefers to make his coffee if he has time because he likes super strong coffee..he does use it in the mornings before work.

    Oh and I am not sure if the one you have has the option for a large cup or a small cup choice but if you make sure to use the small one for the hot chocolate it is stronger.

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  26. It's that k-cup thing that keeps me from going that route. I have only in the last couple of years become a coffee drinker--odd, huh? But I do like it...more than anything I think I like the whole process: making it, smelling it, holding the warm cup.

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  27. I was crusing along enjoying the review until I got to the part on the Con list about it being impersonal. Far from hokey, this struck home with me.

    I got my love of coffee from my dad. When I was a toddler, I'd sit on his laps in the mornings while he drank coffee and did crossword puzzles. It seemed only natural that as I got older, I took up drinking coffee too, and it was something we loved to share. No matter what time of day it was, as soon as I stepped foot in our home, Dad was brewing a pot of coffee so we could have a cup and catch up. Thank you for inspiring the memory :).

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  28. We had one for a few years and it was fun for a while but the style we had only had two settings, small and tall. The tall was watery unless you brewed two K-cups. The cost was too much as well. The insert for using your own grounds was difficult to fill, a hassle to clean each time and did not eliminate the grounds all over the counter. I like my cheapo coffee maker that I've had for 10 years much better.

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  29. I am not a big coffee drinker, maybe 3 cups a week, so the one cup idea is perfect for me. We started with the Keurig and then got a Tassimo. I don't really like the taste of the Keurig coffees but love the black tea with lemon, saddly the Keurig died after less than a year and I have a bunch of unused K-cups cluttering my pantry. I prefer the taste of Tassimo, and since I have never owned a regular coffee maker, I have nothing but the Keurig (and Starbucks) to compare it to.

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  30. My friend have them and love them. I think they also love the challenge of finding new kinds of coffees and flavors cheap places lol. I'm too cheap to buy the machine so I have my old coffee pot until someone buys me one ;)

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  31. Wow Beth, you are a natural in front of the camera....I see a career in infomercials coming soon!

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  32. We love our Keurig at our house! But I hate most of the pods you can get for it. I recently found Cafe Cup pods (https://www.getcafecup.com/) that allow you to use your own grounds (or tea) and don't require you to half dismantle the machine to use them (like the actual Keurig pod does)

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  33. I use San Francisco Bay pods in my Keurig. Great coffee and great company story. Also, the pods are more eco friendly than k-cups... no plastic bottom and you don't get that plastic aftertaste of a k-cup.

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  34. Have one, love it for the convenience. Agree that the flavor is not as good as a traditional maker with freshly ground beans, but with the right variety of bold k-cup, have found some that are very passable. I'm the only coffee drinker in the house so the emotional/bonding aspect of a daily/weekly coffee ritual isn't important.

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  35. Love coffee. The smell, the taste, the making of it. We buy beans from a local roaster, so local they deliver. I grind just enough for one batch. Often we do a pot in an inexpensive drip brewer. But really, I prefer the french press. Coffee can actually taste good by itself. The French Press is a bit fussier, but I like doing it.

    There is something called the Aero-Press, for the real coffee fanatics. We tried the Italian pots, and that's pretty good too, but even more fussy than a french press.

    The Keurig doesn't really taste like coffee at all, at least what the work machines provide. I haven't tried the reusable cup system. I can see where it might be good to supply hot water for other beverages, but the one at work gives me less than what I want, or too much.

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  36. I am an avid tea drinker. Never coffee. I prefer loose tea and only use silk tea bags because I swear I can taste the paper with the traditional tea bags. Ideally, I like it brewed loose in a ceramic or china teapot, poured over a strainer and the best tea doesn't need cream or sugar and tastes best in a ceramic, glass or china cup (never plastic or styrofoam. Ew!). Mmmmm......
    I'm not a snob, I promise. I just like what I like.

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  37. Love my Keurig, but if I drink coffee before I run, I pee my pants badly!

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  38. I love coffee and HAVE to have a couple cups every morning. I've had coffee from a Keurig but don't care for it and I can't justify the cost or K-cup container waste either. I'll just stick with my Mr. Coffee brew pot for now. I like the insulated pots though.

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  39. We've had a Keurig for at least 6 years now. Love it. Love it. Love it.
    My favorite is the Vermont Country Blend.
    It's fantastic for the office. No half burnt pot of coffee sitting out all day. No pot to wash. No grounds to throw out (and sweep up off the floor when you spill). No waste of dumping half a pot when you only wanted a cup or two.

    I say totally skip the tea K-Cups and the hot chocolate. Instead use it for the fast hot water and plop a regular tea bag in the mug.

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  40. I have a Tassimo which you can make lattes with as well as coffee, tea or hot chocolate. Kuerigs are ubiquitous but the coffee I drink with Tassimo is much better (stronger and richer) than what I have had out of Kuerigs. I am the only coffee drinker in our family and I grew tired of letting coffee go to waste in the pot. Now I can quickly make and finish a cup before my 4 kids start getting up at 6am. I really feel resentful when anyone or thing distracts me from finishing a cup while it is still hot ;0[
    BTW I will be running my first half marathon this Sunday which starts at 6:30am. So...I have figured out that my cup o' the morning is going to have to be imbibed by 4:30 to not interfere...hopefully...with the race!

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  41. My husband and I are both coffee drinkers, and my in-laws bought us a Keurig for our anniversary last year. I want to love it, because it's so quick and convenient and all that jazz, but I really don't. I found some cups for $0.39/each, and they're slightly better for the environment, but the taste is not nearly as good as ye ol' potted coffee. I've also used grounds in the reusable filter, but it tastes like the coffee was brewed through my sweaty running socks. Another problem is that it's harder to stock up on the k-cups than on coffee grounds. What'll we addicts do when we're surrounded by zombies in a post-apocalyptic world with NO COFFEE?!? :-)

    I wonder if there's a temperature setting that I haven't found on my machine. One of my big complaints is that the coffee doesn't come out nearly hot enough. I usually offer Husband the first cup and take the second one for myself, because it seems to get hotter with each brew.


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  42. We love our Keurig and just got the new Vue model brewer; it it amazing and makes cappuccinos and lattes!!!

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  43. I am a coffee addict. I prefer a regular pot because 1) I like setting it ahead of time to turn on automatically and 2) a single cup is NEVER enough, and the Keurig type systems never let me make the cups strong enough.

    Nothing gets my intestines ready for a run like coffee haha.

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  45. My MIL bought me (us) one for Christmas 2 years ago. For week days, it's great because my husband only has time for one cup in the morning (in a travel mug) before work. On the weekends, a more traditional coffee maker would be better because he has two or three cups in the morning.

    I agree completely about the hot chocolate - it is so gross and watery. I think we tried Swiss Miss, and it just wasn't pleasant.

    I'm pretty easy when it comes to coffee because I add so much milk and sugar that it doesn't really matter what the coffee started out tasting like, so a "good" coffee maker (whatever that may be) would be wasted on me.

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  46. so sad. No wonder Caribou is closing lots of cafes. You don't even know it's a brand, like starbucks, or donut shop. It's not a flavor. Mahogany by Caribou is a flavor and I can't wait until it comes out in kcup form!!!!!!!!!! It's amazing!

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    1. True! I am personally responsible for Caribou closing! Funny thing is, this "flavor" of Caribou I have is called Caribou blend, so in fact it is a flavor/blend! We do in fact have several Caribou coffee shops around here - so yes I was aware it was a brand. Thanks!

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. I'm trying out a Keurig 2.0, it's wonderful.
      My Mom drinks a lot of coffee but she doesn't use a Keurig.
      I'd like to hear more about you drinking coffee in Paris when you were a student. What was that like?

      Do you sometimes have coffee for yourself at home, like when you sit on a barstool, hook your feet under the bottom rung, holding a mug of coffee and staring into its depths, then you take your first sip...

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  47. Strong and black. I brew Starbucks Italian or French Roast at home. My dad won't drink it because he says it's too strong. I have an old 4 cup Mr Coffee that I use at the office. One of the reasons I love my Saturday morning running crew is because after we run for 2 hours, we sit in Starbucks for two more hours. Basically, I get my 16-20 ounces a day and I'm good.

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  48. If you want your coffee hot then you should try an old fashioned percolator. I'm on my second one, I wore out the first after 6-7 years of daily use. The coffee is even too hot for me, and I like it hot!!

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  49. I live alone and I love my Keurig. I don't use K cups or the reusable cup that keurig sells, I use the ekobrew that I found on amazon. Far superior to the one keurig made. And if I happen to have people over, I use a french press for that shared pot experience. A french press makes damn good coffee but just isn't feasible for my morning self Monday - Friday.

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  50. Not a coffee drinker, love tea. We have one at my school, but I quit using it because the tea kept coming out tasting like coffee. I hate the taste of coffee! Plus, I hated the waste.

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  52. I LOVE COFFEE!!! I go to bed thinking about the next morning's cup. We have a Keurig at work - it's great for the 3pm boost. At home I stick with the grounds in a paper compostable filter. Did I say I love coffee?

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  53. Perfect coffee, every time:

    Blue Bottle beans ground in a Gaggia burr grinder and brewed in a Techniovorm Moccamaster.

    Perfect espresso drinks, every time:

    I've been pulling shots from a Pasquini Livietta T2 for about six or seven years, but recently upgraded to a Breville BES900XL Dual Boiler. Who would have thought that the Australians would come up with the best home espresso machine ever made? There's nothing like a double shot before a long run.

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  54. If you are going to use it all the time, then it is definitely worth it regardless of the price. I love that it can also be used for teas. I want to get this now but it saddens me that it is not good for the environment.

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  55. I am a coffee drinker. I use decaf daily, but before a long run I always have a cup of regular.
    As far as how we brew, well, we use a percolator! No other coffee maker gets the water hot enough for me.
    I do use our mini keurig on my long run days, so I can have a regular cup to keep me regular before my run.
    I do prefer our percolator, but the keurig sure comes in handy if I just want one cup.

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  56. I'm sure someone else above has mentioned this, but if you know anything about the history of coffee, or the chemical makings of coffee - you know that coffee has to be submerged and steeped for a bit to extract the fullest and best flavor of the beans. Not too long, or it'll be sour, not too short, or your not getting the full flavor of the roast. A Keurig goes against EVERYTHING that coffee is supposed to represent and how it's supposed to be made! Spitting hot water through a mini-container of blitzed beans for 30 seconds (if that) - doesn't do coffee justice! And if you ever watch the Keurig while it spits out your coffee - you will notice that what is coming out of the spout into your cup changed from a nice dark color - to clear water. That's water that isn't getting around to the beans. Which means watered down coffee. Which is exactly what the Keurig brews. No matter if you use your own ground coffee (I've done) - or grind your own beans and use that (I've done..) it's still not allowing the coffee to steep! And it's a waste! Look at one of the most classic (and pure) ways to make coffee - the French Press! Hot water (some say boiling, some say not) poured over ground coffee - completely submerging the coffee and giving it a stir - and you let it sit for about 3 minutes to steep. Then plunge to separate - some say French Press is the best (and easiest) way to get the best tasting coffee. It's all about water proportion to coffee proportion - and the Keurig (in my experience with it) cannot get it right. Either it produces too little of water, or too much. I've tried all sizes of the cups it offers - and it's a loss. You are better off with a cheap coffeemaker (I have a Mr. Coffee - the newest model that's recommended by Consumer Reports last year as the best coffeemaker) - and it makes amazing coffee. Some of the reviews by coffee lovers on Amazon.com will complain about the taste (and they admit they are big coffee people) - and Consumer Reports listed the Keurigs poorly on their reviews last year (which isn't a big deal, but they do judge taste as a factor).

    My in-laws have a Keurig, and we used it while staying with them over an entire summer last year. After totaling up receipts, I found out over the short time we were there, we spent something like $600 on K-Cups! And we bought most of them at Target when they had a deal going on (buy two, get a $5 gift card, which we used on them...) And different strength K-cups (stronger ones like Caribou versus Folgers) won't technically give you a better brew, you're just getting a darker roasted bean that tastes better because it's less acidic. So it's a smokier, less acidic flavored watered down brew versus a bitter, light roasted more acidic (lighter roasts are more acidic) watered down brew.

    If you want a really awesome automatic coffeemaker - and one that makes it like a French Press with full extraction - I can't wait to figure out a way to buy this neato coffeemaker : http://www.icoffee.com/ - it's called the iCoffee by Remington and it looks awesome!!! :)

    Take care, and great blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's available now at Bed Bath and Beyond!

      Delete
  57. My wife and I are HUGE coffee drinkers! We have a Keurig, but we bought a reusable filter. The coffee tastes better than it did from the cups. We did cut open about 1/2 of the cups to recycle them but it was a huge mess and we didn't do it consistently enough. We still talk over some coffee while each mug is brewing, washing out the filter, etc. We have talked about going back to a regular brewer when this one goes, but we really have different tastes in coffee and this makes more sense for us.

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  58. I always wake up at least an hour and half prior to heading out on my runs so that I can have time to enjoy my coffee and let it work it's magic on my mind and bowels before I head out. I can't imagine starting any day without 2 cups! We did get a Keurig for Christmas but returned it without even trying it. My husband and I go through at least a full pot and usually more on weekends, so we just didn't see the point in the single serve option. Plus, we like you, we like our coffee dark and strong and we were afraid that the K Cups would be too weak for our jaded taste buds. We have both a Krups grinder (grinding your own beans is the way to go!) and coffee pot which are fantastic...it could be my imagination, but I swear our Krups pot brews stronger coffee than our old Mr. Coffee pot did.

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  60. I set my Mr. Coffee timer so it starts brewing when my alarm clock goes off. By the time I get up, after hitting the snooze alarm, I have a fresh pot to start the day. There is nothing better!

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  62. Love coffee - I have a Mr Coffee & a Keurig because, like you, my kids have grown up watching me get that much needed cup in the morning, and now, at 16 & 18, they pour themselves a to-go cup before school. So, with no leftovers to heat up in the microwave when I'm crashing later in the day, I have, in place, my back up: The Keurig! It's wonderful!

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  63. If Keurig really was committed to finding an enviro-friendly k-cup, they would have done so already. But they don't want to because we aren't demanding it, and their profits are just fine without it. K-cups are the most ridiculously wasteful product out there. People who come here from other countries think we are the most coddled, spoiled brats and that we have terrible taste in coffee. How hard is it to make a pot of coffee, or to buy a 1 or 2 cupper?

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  64. Coffee drinker, yes, but I'm loyal to my Cuisinart! My husband and I drink a lot of coffee. No waste, because we're dirty hippies and compost the grounds (our filter is washable). Take that, Keurig. That said, I can see how a Keurig would be awesome for hair salon owners or places like that that have a demand for single cups.

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  65. I really enjoyed your little video, you are just cute as can be and funny. I'm so glad your coffee didn't taste like a reindeer!! You're voice did not offend me, it's a nice voice :D I don't drink coffee but I'm sure glad I watched your video.

    ReplyDelete
  66. I LOVE MY KEURIG! I’m addicted to coffee, but I was spending way too much money at Starbucks… here’s my Keurig story: www.weartostandout.com/blog/keurig xoxo, WearToStandOut

    ReplyDelete
  67. I'm not a coffee person. My husband is a coffee addict. He has a Mr. Coffee and a percolator. His mood dictates which one he uses.

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  75. I have a keurig...it's simple and quick but I don't like the price of the k-cups and I prefer the taste of traditional coffee.

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