All this being said, I would like to say that @ both Target & Walmart here in Buffalo, NY area stores, I can get the pods for $4.24 each. However, when Target in particular, wants to rotate stock, they mark it down to the wonderful price of $4!!!!! Needless to say, I buy them out, go to another store & do the same. That's almost $4 less for 6 bags than Amazon sells it for!!!! I encourage all of you Senseoholics to do the same & check out the above mentioned stores. I wish Amazon would stop reminding me it's so cheap, when they don't mark it down to Target's level.Years ago Philips and Douwe Egberts were partners in the development of the machine and coffee pods. The copyright on the pod system was ruled invalid and a decision was made to offer the pods via on line vendors only; no more brick and mortar stores. Philips then sold their share of the coffee business to Douwe Egberts and are moving pod production to Brazil. This is causing the delay, especially with the Dark Roast. According to Senseo the coffee should be by June or July at the latest. Or so they say. I am surprised that they have not made this info more available. Seems like many will simply move on to another coffee machine. Meanwhile try using a regular coffee filter and espresso grind your own coffee. I've tried Starbucks coffee and not bad. Less creama, but good flavor. Google 'make your own coffee pods' to see the methods used to trim the filter and pack the coffee. It's easy, but not so easy as dropping two pods and pushing the start button.I enjoy my senseo so much more now that I have these pods. I had worked as a barista for 8 years and was having a hard time adjusting to life without free lattes. I certainly won't say that Senseo espresso by itself is in the same league as freshly ground, coffee shop espresso, but having the freedom to easily and cheaply make my favorite coffee drinks at home has been a Godsend. I usually mix two shot of Senseo espresso with a spoonful of Xylitol, a spoonful of Black and Green brand unsweetened cocoa powder, and a splash of half and half for a sugar-free mocha that tastes almost as good as one from coffee shop, but for about a quarter of the price. Try it!
Monday, October 7, 2013
Senseo Coffee Pods
All this being said, I would like to say that @ both Target & Walmart here in Buffalo, NY area stores, I can get the pods for $4.24 each. However, when Target in particular, wants to rotate stock, they mark it down to the wonderful price of $4!!!!! Needless to say, I buy them out, go to another store & do the same. That's almost $4 less for 6 bags than Amazon sells it for!!!! I encourage all of you Senseoholics to do the same & check out the above mentioned stores. I wish Amazon would stop reminding me it's so cheap, when they don't mark it down to Target's level.Years ago Philips and Douwe Egberts were partners in the development of the machine and coffee pods. The copyright on the pod system was ruled invalid and a decision was made to offer the pods via on line vendors only; no more brick and mortar stores. Philips then sold their share of the coffee business to Douwe Egberts and are moving pod production to Brazil. This is causing the delay, especially with the Dark Roast. According to Senseo the coffee should be by June or July at the latest. Or so they say. I am surprised that they have not made this info more available. Seems like many will simply move on to another coffee machine. Meanwhile try using a regular coffee filter and espresso grind your own coffee. I've tried Starbucks coffee and not bad. Less creama, but good flavor. Google 'make your own coffee pods' to see the methods used to trim the filter and pack the coffee. It's easy, but not so easy as dropping two pods and pushing the start button.I enjoy my senseo so much more now that I have these pods. I had worked as a barista for 8 years and was having a hard time adjusting to life without free lattes. I certainly won't say that Senseo espresso by itself is in the same league as freshly ground, coffee shop espresso, but having the freedom to easily and cheaply make my favorite coffee drinks at home has been a Godsend. I usually mix two shot of Senseo espresso with a spoonful of Xylitol, a spoonful of Black and Green brand unsweetened cocoa powder, and a splash of half and half for a sugar-free mocha that tastes almost as good as one from coffee shop, but for about a quarter of the price. Try it!
Swissmar Mountable Storage Unit for Nespresso Coffee Capsules
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Just got this with the excellent Nespresso maker and frother and this is the only item I'm a little disappointed in. First, I thought the pods came with it (okay, that was dumb). But second, the only option to mount is to use the sticky gum on the back of the flat panel? Really, I hate using that stuff, what if I move next month, I have to buy a new one? And $30 for a simple metal holder is a little over the top. If you are buying a Nespresso and you have the option for this item, I would think twice. In truth, I may come to love this thing once I'm swimming in over-priced, proprietary wasteful pods, but we will see.Read Best Reviews of Swissmar Mountable Storage Unit for Nespresso Coffee Capsules Here
Great and easy to use. I recomend it to everyone!!!! Just glue with the double layer tape that already comes attached to it!Want Swissmar Mountable Storage Unit for Nespresso Coffee Capsules Discount?
so far this has worked perfect for me. I have put it on the tiled backslash and it is nice and sturdy. It is a great idea because it stores capsules perfectly and it looks sharp.Sunday, October 6, 2013
Vev Vigano 8306 Vespress Inox 6-cup Coffee Pot - Made in Italy
HappyThis is a beautiful product. Looks even better than in the picture. Shipment was fast and the entire purchase process went very smoothly.
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Melitta Ready Set Joe Mug & Cone Coffee Maker - Red - 64074
1) A course grind doesn't work as well with this. If you use a course grind, your coffee will be weak. I have a burr grinder and use a medium/fine grind. It's perfect.
2) The perfect tempature for coffee is somewhere around 206 degrees. I don't bother with a thermometer, but I just bring about 1 1/2 cups of water to boil in the microwave (using a Pyrex cup). I let it boil, and then just let it rest for about 30 seconds or so.
3) Pour enough water in to cover the grinds. You'll see it foam up at the top (if your coffee is fresh). Let that water flow through. This initial "soaking" of the grinds is important to extracting the flavor.
4) Finally, just pour the remaining water through (or however much you need to fill your coffee cup). The slower you pour, the stronger the coffee.
It sounds complicated, but believe me, it was really quick--quicker than making a cup of coffee in an automatic drip coffeemaker.
It's rare to find something that is cheap and works great, but this is just such a product.This cone is useful if all you want is one cup of ground coffee, and don't want to deal with the hassle of a coffee machine.
One of the attractive features of this cone is that it has a little window in which you can see the coffee drip into the cup. Just put your ground coffee into a #2 filter, put the filter into the cone, and add boiling water to the cone. You will have to add hot water several times (about 3 times) as the coffee will take a while to empty into the cup.
Personally, I prefer to extract more flavor from the ground coffee, so I put the coffee into another cup and add boiling water to it, and let that sit for about 3 minutes before pouring it into the cone + filter.
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The cone filter holder works well for making single cups of coffee. It's not really necessary if you do have a coffee maker, but perhaps good if you just have a tea kettle or other means of heating the water.The set of the mug and the cone is an odd pairing of two different shades of red that are not asthetically pleasing to me, but the cone fits on other mugs and travel mugs so I don't bother with the included one. I don't know why I expected it to match and look pretty!
Also, the shipping is a bit steep for such a small, inexpensive item, but it came well-packed in lots of padding.
Read Best Reviews of Melitta Ready Set Joe Mug & Cone Coffee Maker - Red - 64074 Here
We've had one of these for years and it's perfect for making one cup of coffee at a time. The pot really only works best if you make a full pot (which encourages a one-cup-a-day drinker to be a one-pot-a-day drinker) and the french press was a bit of a pain to clean. Our original made excellent coffee (probably aided by the fact that it was very simple to clean). Also, it's great for camping it's easy to carry with you + makes (great) coffee anywhere that you have boiling water.Costs less, less packaging/resources needed to make it, lasts forever, can make great coffee almost anywhere? That's a five-star product!
Unfortunately, we recently had to get a new one (lost the old one) and this design looks great, but the hole the coffee drips through is larger, so the coffee is weaker. Well, unless you use more coffee we had been using a standard 2TBSP scoop to make a cup in the old one, this one requires almost 2 of those scoops to come close to the same strength of coffee.
This design does look much more modern, and it is nice to see how full the cup is without having to lift the filter off.
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I love having a simple, easily-cleaned, non-electronic way to get that one perfect cup of coffee in the morning. Because I can make it exactly as I like it, and in whatever amount suits me that day, I can get my coffee satisfaction for the day in one cup. The mug that comes with it is attractive but broke when I set it down. No matter, the cone goes over any mug. It was simple and affordable and does the job. I feel like I have my own Starbucks.And I can use any kind of coffee, don't have to buy "pods", and the filters are readily available at the supermarket. And I just dump, rinse, and am ready for the next day. Such a simple thing, and such a great solution for me.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Green Mountain Coffee, Dark Magic (Extra Bold), K-Cups for Keurig Brewers
I tested the Dark Magic blend on Keurig's small cup (5.25 oz) setting to capture the strongest flavor. It was a nice improvement from Green Mountain's Fair Trade Gingerbread I drank earlier in the week. Dark Magic is bolder than Tully's Coffee Kona Blend or Green Mountain Coffee Breakfast Blend but no more bitter.
If you need more caffeine, I recommend you add a SToK Caffeinated Black Coffee Shot.
In summary, I like "tres intense" roasts and Green Mountain Coffee Dark Magic is the darkest I have found in the Keurig lineup. I will post an update should I try a stronger blend than Dark Magic. Rating: Four stars.
BTW: Here are other coffees I recently reviewed for Amazon:
5 stars: Van Houtte Chocolate Raspberry Truffle
4 stars: Tully's Coffee Kona Blend
4 stars: Green Mountain Coffee Dark Magic
3 stars: Green Mountain Coffee Breakfast Blend
3 stars: Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Gingerbread The Keurig system is marvelous--and the Dark Magic coffee is delicious. But Amazon is falling down on the job a bit with this price--you can buy a box of 24 K cups from the Keurig site for $13.95--and get a discount as muc as 15% if you are a repeat buyer.
Buy Green Mountain Coffee, Dark Magic (Extra Bold), K-Cups for Keurig Brewers Now
Green Mountain's Dark Magic Extra Bold is my go-to coffee for use with my Keurig coffee machine. I go through more of this particular flavor then any other type of coffee. In fact I don't think a day goes by that I don't have at least 1 cup of this flavor, if not more. Don't let the words dark and extra bold scare you off this coffee is rich, smooth and in many ways mellow. Its not overly acidic, it does't taste burnt, its just a good cup of "coffee flavored coffee". It works well with most flavored creamers, sweeteners, but is a pleasant cup in its pure and unadorned form as well.Read Best Reviews of Green Mountain Coffee, Dark Magic (Extra Bold), K-Cups for Keurig Brewers Here
This has become my favorite coffeee. It is strong and bold without being bitter. I even make a second cup with the same puck and it is still good.Want Green Mountain Coffee, Dark Magic (Extra Bold), K-Cups for Keurig Brewers Discount?
I compared the 18 cup Dark Magic (from Target) to the 50 cup Dark Magic(from Amazon), since the labeling and k-cup is markedly different. The coffee did not taste as rich, so I became more curious.I opened the k-cups to find the 50 cup filters have a visible cross hatch pattern, as compared to a dense firm paper style. I used a microscope to see the difference in density, as well. The weave of the fibers of the 50 pack is not as closely bound.
The coffee granules are finer in the 18 cup, giving the coffee a different texture on the fingers. The 50 pack ground coffee appeared 50%-100% larger under the microscope.
I hope that Keurig can shed some light on my findings! I have photos I can submit. I notice amazon is out of stock, currently. Perhaps, Keurig is looking into the matter.
Celestial Seasonings Southern Sweet Iced Tea K-Cup (Pack of 96)
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Makes the best iced tea we have had from a brewer at home. As good as and sometimes better than iced tea in a restaurant.Read Best Reviews of Celestial Seasonings Southern Sweet Iced Tea K-Cup (Pack of 96) Here
i would recommend this tea for everyone that likes sweet tea. It has just the right amount of sweetness. The small cups make it easy for storage beside the machine for easy excess. Again i love the taste of this tea.Want Celestial Seasonings Southern Sweet Iced Tea K-Cup (Pack of 96) Discount?
Have been using Celestial Seasoning Southern sweet tea since last summer, we love the taste and the easy of using the K cups for that perfect fresh glass of iced tea. Love the convience of the large pack.Friday, October 4, 2013
Home Basics Espresso Maker, 12-Cup
It brewed nice expresso for a while, but then I noticed the inside metal seemed to be changing color and then there was a weird film in the coffee. I still drank it and used it daily. What can I say, I love myself some expresso! Then about a month ago I removed the expresso from the range and noticed metal melting on the range. Not a large amount, but enough to require some serious elbow grease and it is still visible. Hopefully one day it is completely removed.
Perhaps if this was not used daily as I did it may last longer, but alas I am out of my expresso machine and only able to type this review due to the drip coffee maker that I stored in the closet.

