Coffee

Try browsing the Internet for single cup coffee makers, and you’ll find dozens of websites, all purporting that they sell the best brewers available. The problem lies in the fact that most sites don’t agree with each other, so you get as many different opinions as there are coffee making machines. One of the debates on these websites is whether it’s better to buy a brewing system that uses k-cups or one that uses coffee pods. Both have their pros and cons, and this article is going to explore what’s good and what’s bad about them.

K-cups are the ultimate in convenience. They are little pre-measured portions of coffee housed in air-tight plastic cups sealed with both plastic and foil in order to preserve freshness. A k-cup coffee maker sends pressurized hot water through the top of the cup into a filter filled with coffee grounds. You can purchase an optional k-cup carousel for convenient counter-top storage. K-cups are made by many different gourmet coffee brands including Green Mountain, Caribou, Emeril’s, Newman’s Own, Gloria Jean’s, and Timothy’s. You will find numerous distinctive flavors and roasts to suit any taste.

On the downside, k-cups are expensive. You can end up paying as much as $.63 per cup with certain brands of coffee. For example, a box of 22 Green Mountain Variety Flavor K-Cups costs $13.95. You may find a few websites that offer discount k-cups, but even so they tend to be expensive compared to other coffee brewing methods.

There are a couple of ways you can avoid buying so many costly k-cups if you own a k-cup brewer. One of these is a reusable coffee filter you can fill with your own grounds. Using this type of filter you still have to mess with wet grounds, and reviewers will tell you they don’t make nearly as good of a cup of coffee as the originals, but they make single cup brewers much less expensive to use. You can also reuse k-cups 10 to 20 times provided you buy reusable plastic lids and put in your own coffee grounds.

Coffee pods are also pre-measured packets of all different kinds of coffee. These pods are filters that are heat sealed to keep the coffee in them fresh. They have been likened to tea bags, but the coffee they produce is fresh-brewed, because single cup coffee makers brew coffee one cup at a time. Pods are available in dozens of varieties, and where some people have complained that k-cups are very limited in the flavors they offer, there is no problem with that when it comes to coffee pods. Companies, such as Senseo, produce their own coffee pods to specifically fit their coffee makers; however, there are numerous standardized pods available that you can use also.

Once again, the problem with coffee pods is that they are expensive. Although they don’t run as much per cup as k-cups do, they are still more expensive than either a drip coffee maker or a French press. As with k-cups, there are alternatives to using the premade packets. You can buy a machine and make your own heat-sealed pods, or you can buy adapters for some brewers that allow you to use regular coffee grounds. Another negative that some people have found with certain coffee pods is that they make coffee that is too weak. To remedy this problem they use two pods per cup which doubles the price of each cup of coffee.

As with most products these days, it all depends on personal preference and budget. You will find lots of online reviews from people loving their k-cup brewers as well as reviews from those who are very happy with their coffee pod coffee makers. Therefore, it’s pretty much up to you to weigh the options and decide which type of brewing system is right for you.

Paul Julian coffee pods and k cups at http://www.CoffeePodsAndKcups.com.

Author: Paul Julian
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

For the most part, Americans stuck to a medium or dark roast, one size fits all kind of coffee through the mid 1980′s. It wasn’t until that time that the coffee craze began to catch on and people began to realize that there is life out there beyond a cup of Folgers’ coffee in the morning. In fact, broadening your coffee experience can greatly enhance your morning routine if you give it a chance.

One way that people are doing that is by roasting their own coffee beans. We’ve learned over the years that the fresher your coffee is the better it tastes in your cup. This doesn’t only apply to coffee that is freshly brewed but also beans that are freshly roasted, and then freshly ground. Your morning coffee is only as good as the beans from which it began its journey to your cup.

Roasting your own coffee beans in this country has become a hobby for many and a passion for some. While there are all kinds of gadgets and gizmos that enable you to roast your own coffee quite effortlessly, there are those that consider it not really roasting your own coffee if you are not suffering for the sake of your art. I, however, am not one of those people. I like convenience and am a member of the modern age of coffee drinking by choice rather than accident.

As a thoroughly modern coffee drinking girl of the new millennium, I am all for the convenience that certain coffee roasting equipment affords. This is not my first choice, however, for my first cup of coffee in the morning. The good news is that you can store about three days worth of roasted beans without worrying about loosing freshness. This means that those who aren’t quite prepared to get up early enough on any given weekday morning to roast their own beans may still have a great and fresh tasting cup of coffee.

I recommend that you do your research and find a coffee roaster that suits your style. If you are a god or goddess of domesticity then by all means go the old fashion route with a cookie tray and a preheated oven. If you are domestically reluctant you might actually do well with a mid range coffee roaster. If you are domestically handicapped however, you might want to look into the full service coffee roasters. These simply ask you how you want it and they make all the pertinent decisions.

Roasting your own coffee though is a great way to experience many different types of roasts in order to make educated decisions as to what your true favorite is when it comes to coffee. Roasting coffee is very different from adding flavor or drinking gourmet coffee. When you roast coffee you are literally affecting the bean of the coffee rather than simply adding something to the coffee. When you roast coffee yourself you are affecting big change in the flavor. It’s a great way to allow yourself to try new things if nothing else.

Roasting coffee truly is an art form to those dedicated enough to do it by hand. For the rest of us, there is wonderful equipment that can keep us on track and on target for a great cup of coffee that has been roasted to perfection at just the perfect degree for our delicate palates.

Coffee City | Offers extensive articles and resources on coffee, espresso, coffee beans, coffee making, etc.

Author: Mel Ng
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you are a gourmet coffee drinker, you may want to opt for the convenience of your own coffee maker. After all, who wants to get up early and run out to buy a cup of fresh coffee each and every morning? It is so much more enjoyable to sit and sip your coffee while reading the paper in your robe and slippers.

A Cafetiere is a French coffee maker that is also known as a French press. Since no filters are used, this coffee pot makes rich, strong coffee. If you are not going to be able to serve your coffee right away, the Cafetiere is not a good coffee maker to use. This is because if the coffee is left to sit in the Cafetiere, the coffee grounds continue to brew and the coffee grows very bitter. You can find a Cafetiere that makes a few cups of coffee or you can find a model that makes up to twelve cups of coffee. If you have a modern kitchen, you may want to opt for a Cafetiere made with solid stainless steel. For a less modern kitchen, you can find a Cafetiere made with a combination of glass and steel.

Cappuccinos are a very expensive habit for people who drink a cup or two of coffee each day. If you have a coffee addiction, you may want to shop for a Cappuccino coffee maker. These coffee makers are a bit on the expensive side compared to standard coffee makers, but then the price of a Cappuccino is more expensive than regular coffee. If you entertain frequently, you may want to shop for a Cappuccino machine that makes several cups of Cappuccino at one time.

Finally, don’t forget to add a coffee grinder to your purchase. Coffee grinders will help you enhance your coffee drinking experience, since you can buy and grind your own gourmet beans to make the freshest coffee possible. You can find an old fashioned hand powered coffee grinder if you do not grind a large quantity of beans. However, if you grind a lot of coffee, it may make more sense for you to opt for a powered coffee grinder, instead.

Once you have a new coffee maker, you will be able to spend less time waiting in lines at the coffee shop. Perhaps you can use that time to relax and enjoy the morning.

Matthew Anthony has contributed to many home improvement sites including coffee makers [http://www.coffee-makers.web.com] and cookers [http://www.cookers.web.com].

Author: Matthew Anthony
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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