This summer, I gave some serious thought to adding a Keurig coffee maker to my coffee bar. It seemed like a good solution for a number of reasons. One, I'm the only coffee drinker in my house, so a personal coffee maker seemed ideal. Two, when family comes to stay, it's a lot easier for them to make their own coffee whenever they want one.
I started looking at the new Keurig makers and began to read the reviews online. Woah. Not so flattering reviews of this product. For starters, Keurig introduced their lid reader technology, which means that it will only brew coffee that is certified by Keurig. That means I could not purchase the K Cups from Trader Joes or Aldi or any other knock off brand. (Yes, I've heard of folks taping K Cup labels to the readers, but how silly is that?) Second, I could not use a permanent filter and brew a cup without using a K cup.
I began to price out the cost of K Cups. Wow. Those little cups of plastic sure are pricey! And let's not even begin to think of how many of those bits of plastic are going into the landfill every year.
(I once had a love affair with the Senseo coffee makers. They were so easy to use, and they made a perfect espresso with a crema layer every time! Sadly, they stopped making the pods readily available when Keurig came on the scene. After that, I decided that I would never again purchase a coffee maker that would only make coffee using their pods. Too risky! Senseo, you broke my heart. I'm still in mourning. sniff! sniff!)
I did a little research on personal coffee makers and found this sweet gem! My new Kitchenaid personal coffee maker!
It is so easy to use! Take the water reservoir from the top and fill to the desired portion.
Swing out the basket and fill with desired amount of coffee. The permanent basket is such a nice feature!
Place the water reservoir back on top, swing the basket closed, and press the button.
In minutes, you will have a full thermos of piping hot (and I do mean hot!) coffee!
My new favorite flavor this month? Dunkin' Donuts Pumpkin Spice!
The Thermos makes a great To Go cup! I recently took it on the road, and it kept the coffee warm for hours!
But it also makes a great pitcher to simply pour the coffee into your favorite mug. And when you fill it to the maximum capacity, you can easily make two mugs...one for you and a friend! So much cheaper than K Cups, and I can use it with any coffee brand I choose.
I really REALLY love this great little coffee maker! I purchased mine from Macy's (with a great coupon) and had it shipped. It comes in other colors as well.
Tell me, coffee lovers. What brand of maker do you use?
I love my Aeropress. I bought it for $25 at least 8 years ago and it still works as perfectly as the day I got it. (I also have not had to buy new filters yet because, holy cow, that initial package-with-purchase lasts a loooong time when I rinse and reuse them several times each!) I'm enjoying this series and definitely share your love of coffee!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great investment!
ReplyDeleteThat machine looks perfect for one!
ReplyDeleteIf you every decide to go the K-Cup route, we really love our Cuisinart model. It accepts all types of K-Cups and has a nice sturdy feel to it, that I did not get from the Keurig. The Cuisinart has the Keurig branded technology inside. Happy coffee days!