Monday, October 7, 2013

Senseo Coffee Pods

Senseo Coffee Pods, Espresso,16 CountOur Senseo coffee machine was given to us as a house warming gift, and we have loved from the first time we used it! The dark roast coffee pods seem to taste so much better than any other brand or flavor I have ever made from home. The dark roast blend is simply the best. It is smooth, rich, and brews so quickly in our new machine, it's fantastic. I suggest using stevia powder as a natural (and chemical free!) sweetener with this blend, 30 Grams (1.06 Oz) Stevia 95% Steviosides Bulk Powder. I don't even use cream anymore, no kidding!

These pods are excellent. They are great hot or cold. I did not purchase the special pod holder; I believe the regular single pod is just fine.

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We were among the first owners of a free Senseo coffeemaker way back like 10 or more years ago. We have a white machine in our laundryroom & then bought my husband a black one for work. Soooooooo I guess you could say we looooooove this coffee/method of making it, & medium roast is the best. I recently saw Douwe Egberts non-pod coffee @ a local gourmet shop & it was like $9 something for 12oz! Good to know one can get the coffee to use in a regular drip pot as well, however, @ that price, I guess we will just continue to have this as "treat coffee" via our machine.

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.

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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.

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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

Swissmar Mountable Storage Unit for Nespresso Coffee CapsulesI'm someone who is pretty critical of products, and have written some pretty scathing reviews of items that I feel have let me down. But having bought two of these, I just do NOT understand the bad reviews. First, I find it astounding that even ONE person (let alone THREE) would think that the rack comes with the capsules. Really? Do you also think your breakfast cereal comes with the fruit, bowls, silverware, and smiling children on the box? I mean, no offense people, but come on... use your heads. (And as most people who buy nespresso know, you can only buy the capsules from nespresso. no other entity sells them. annoying, yes, but that's the way it is.) Second, while I can't exactly say that it is an economical solution (if you want that, a cardboard box or existing drawer would probably work just fine), it is WAY cheaper than anything on nespresso's own site (their capsule storage solutions are jokes -I'm a total sucker for consumer goods and even I won't pay the ridiculous prices they charge). While I understand the criticism that there should be additional mounting options besides the double stick mounting tape, it's not THAT big of a deal. (In my case, the double stick mounting tape they supplied kind of sucked, not nearly sticky or adhesive enough for the inside of my cabinet door, and I heard a crash in the middle of the night and woke up to capsules all over the shelves! I replaced it with heavy duty velcro adhesive, and I've never had a problem since. So yes, I'll deduct one star for the lame mounting tape.) But for people with criticisms like "what if I move?": It's SO easy to go to a hardware store and get new velcro or new mounting tape for your new house. You can pick it up while you're buying moving boxes!

Simple storage unit that did what I required... removed coffee capsules from the kitchen work top yet still be easily accessible when I want to make a coffee. It was a little pricey but to be honest I could not find anything else that beats this unit. Unlike some reviewers, I have found the sticky Velcro that came with the unit has been strong enough to withstand the weight.

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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.

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Great and easy to use. I recomend it to everyone!!!! Just glue with the double layer tape that already comes attached to it!

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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.

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Sunday, October 6, 2013

Vev Vigano 8306 Vespress Inox 6-cup Coffee Pot - Made in Italy

Vev Vigano 8306 Vespress Inox 6-cup Coffee Pot - Made in ItalyI love it. I'll probably get the 12 cup pot soon. Its perfect for the average american caffeine abuser when making one large cup, but two caffeine abusers will want the 12 cup pot. The one cup = one shot.

Happy

This 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

Melitta Ready Set Joe Mug & Cone Coffee Maker - Red - 64074This is an ingenious concept---a miniature manual drip "coffeemaker" for one cup. I saw this in my local grocery store for $6, and I thought, "Why not give it a try?" I'm really glad I did. It makes a great single cup of coffee, so it's convenient to take to work or to keep on hand if you just want one cup of coffee. Also, it's so small that it's easy to store it. Some tips to keep in mind as you make a cup of coffee:

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.

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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

Green Mountain Coffee, Dark Magic, K-Cup Portion Pack for Keurig Brewers 24-CountDark Magic is for coffee drinkers searching for something bolder than the breakfast blends and flavored coffees ubiquitous on supermarket shelves. Whether it will satisfy depends on what you normally buy at coffee shops. My wife favors a latte or mocha, so she found Dark Magic too strong. I prefer an Americano, so I liked this roast.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

Celestial Seasonings Southern Sweet Iced Tea K-CupThis tea is perfect. It only takes a couple of minutes to brew a great glass of iced tea with your Keurig coffee maker. I can't say enough about the flavor. It's very good.

I would recommend this to people who lile sweet tea but cannot get it all the time. It convienent to brew instead of going out and buying tea every day.

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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.

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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.

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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

Home Basics Espresso Maker, 12-CupI am a huge fan of expresso and these types of makers. I purchased this product from Amazon, it was delivered quickly, which was nice, but it was missing the screen. Contacted Amazon, they had me send it back, no problem and sent me a new one.

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.