Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Why I Will Not Buy a Keurig Machine

I promise never to write a post urging you to give up your morning coffee. I don't much care about calcium or Vitamin C depletion, adrenal stress or whatever else is said about the effects of coffee. We all have limits and that's mine. And no, decaf doesn't cut it. I have no intention of giving up coffee-EVER. For sure, too much coffee makes me jittery and way too much coffee makes me paranoid. But one to two cups (read 8-16 ounces) is fine for my system to handle. The gurgling of my coffee pot at 5 am when the rest of the lights are off in my house, it is as comforting a sound as 'I love you'.

Recently though it seems that everyone I know has been throwing away their traditional coffee pots for the new-fangled brew-one-cup-at-a-time Keurig machines. My office invested in it. All of my family has switched. I heard of so many folks at work who have them at home and they all love them. Then this past weekend my husband turned to me and said he just HAD to have one. Last straw, people.

If you don't know about Keurig, they produce coffee machines that brew coffee one cup at a time. Their sell-in is no carafe, no parts to clean and each cup is perfectly fresh brewed. But I can't do it. I won't buy one. Besides being expensive, there is nothing actually wrong with my current machine. And replacing a perfectly good machine with another more expensive one that doesn't produce anything different doesn't make sense to me.

When I asked DH why he wanted to get the machine he said it was because we waste too much coffee. I do make too much. I throw away 2-3 cups of coffee most days. I make it because some days we DO drink it all. And I am a girl of routine, I make the same amount everyday, weekday or not. But the waste argument got me. Coffee grinds are one of the most biodegradable things out there. They'll mush up into soil in a few weeks. And you can even include them in your compost. But Keurig coffee comes in these little K-Cups or plastic capsules containing coffee grinds. The machine punches holes in the top and bottom of the K-Cup and your coffee is brewed right in there before passing through a filter and into your cup. So now instead of flimsy paper filters and compostable coffee grinds going in the garbage every morning, we have more bits of plastic that will be with us in 1000 years. Awesome. Which machine is more wasteful? Why are we worried about wasting coffee that you just pour down the drain when the Keurig creates plastic garbage that won't break down?

I told my DH that under no circumstances would we buy a Keurig machine. I told him I would make less coffee every morning if he had an issue with our coffee waste.

But also I have other issues eith the machine. I can't find the country of origin on the K-Cups. I don't know the quality of the coffee. I can't grind my own beans. I don't know how fresh the coffee is. And although they offer organic, can I guarantee that it is fair trade? And lastly, when I brew coffee with near boiling water inside a small plastic cup designed for disposibility (and cheapness), well I would imagine that some of that plastic ends up my cup of coffee. Does Keurig use BPA or other dangerous chemicals in the plastic of their K-Cups? Do you know? Yummy goodness.

Late adapters unite!! What was really wrong with our old coffee pots? Don't waste your money. Keep your old machine.

**FYI, Thank you toall the great commentors. YES-Keurig does make a refillable K-Cup. And all K-Cups have been BPA free since mid 2010. However....that doesn't really solve problem that Keurig machines are expensive and my current machine ain't broken. Thanks everyone for contributing! Keep the comments coming!

47 comments:

  1. they actually make a reusable refillable Kcup. That'd be the only reason we'd consider one.

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  2. YES, you can put coffee grinds in your compost pile, and in a worm composting system. I've added directly to my garden as a top layer to try to keep slugs off my vegetables too.

    I don't like the idea of the Keurig either for all the reasons you detailed above. BPA was one I hadn't thought of is another reason (ick).

    LindaE

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  3. Interesting Melody--I looked into it. *IF* my current machine broke and we got the reusable filter, THEN I might get one too. But still. They are pricey, $110-$175 fo a home machine and $18 for the filter.

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    1. We recently priced out coffee pot makers against the single cup makers plus the cost of coffee, sweetner and creamer. The outcome, single cup (keurig) won out. Big plus was the filter that could be used with our own grounds. PLUS, you can ground your own coffee beans and use them. The cost is abut $70 for the maker and if we choose to get the single cups for the maker another $10-$20 depending on choice. (I guess the prices in our area are much less than where you live. We are in Texas, Houston area.)

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  4. There are multiple brands of k-cup makers. Green mountain coffee says they only buy beans from organic, sustaiable growers. That does still leave the problem with the plastic cups which are well-known to be particularly non-biodegradable because the plastic has to be extra durable to withstand the high temps of brewing. So the reusable kcup is a great idea for that problem.

    One thing though, my DH likes plain coffee, I like flavored...we drink plain cause I don't care enough to argue. But with a keurig we could each have what we like. We've agreed that when our coffee maker dies we'll probably get a keurig.

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  5. I am not even a regular coffee drinker, but I agree with everything you just said!!! Not to mention how much more expensive it becomes to have that 1 cup of coffee! I've looked at the price of the boxes of the K-cups, and I get sticker shock just looking at them. Why would I buy a cease purchasing a whole bag of coffee/coffee beans that makes several pots, versus paying significantly more money for 24 or 32 individual cups? To save a few minutes? Even if I were an every-day-gotta-have-my-coffe gal, I am positive that I would not be making the switch! My $40 coffee pot that brews 10 cups on one-two scoops (about $0.50 - $1.00 per pot, depending on how extraveagant I want to be with my coffee purchases) still works just fine, versus $150 coffee maker that costs an average of $0.50 - $0.60 per cup. (Yes, I have done the math - only the generic brands are cheaper.)
    Unless it was a gift, I don't foresee a Keurig in my future either, and by choice! :-)

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  6. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I agree wholeheartedly. Our society produces enough waste with our single serve mentality, do we really need more??

    And I can also confirm that coffee grounds are great for compost, eventhough we don't generate any for our own bin.

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  7. I refuse to buy that machine because of the same reasons you mention. who wants more in our landfills. Not me. If you like flavored and your dh doesn't there is always the option of the flavored creamers. That should keep all happy.

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    1. we have purchased 2 in the past year and they both stopped working.first one stopped filtering water, we figured it was just a fluke and purchased a second one.(quite pricey btw)2 months later it fails to heat the coffee.not a fan of cold coffee and not a fan of Keurig products anymore.

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  8. I'm not planning on getting a Keurig, either. I stopped buying automatic coffee pots because I was tired of having to replace it, they only lasted a couple of years. Then I went to a coffee press, but I kept breaking the carafe. Now I have an old fashioned stainless steel percolator that goes on the stovetop. Takes up a lot less space, and if the power is out I can still have coffee (learned that lesson after a hurricane left us electricless for days... we have a gas stove but I was dying for coffee. And in the middle of a major emergency is really NOT the time to go cold turkey, lol!)

    I saw a refillable K-filter at my Kroger store, so they are making them.

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  9. I cold have written this post! Mind if I link to it when I do get around to a coffee post? K-filters drive me bonkers. We also got them at the office so I have my coffee at home (espresso machine = no waste) and then take tea bags to work.

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  10. Great post!! I won't be buying one anytime soon and you just gave me more reasons. I hated the idea having to buy the special cups and I am told that the pump wears out after about a year unless you buy the commercial mode (for more money). Just seems VERY expensive to me all the way around. My coffemaker works great and I have a perculator for a back-up. All is good!

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  11. The Green Mountain Coffee is made in Vermont but I don't know about the rest and yes coffee grounds are perfect for compost.

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  12. The best single-cup coffee maker I have ever owned is the $5 Melitta cone you can buy at most grocery stores. Sometimes it even comes with a mug! Always fresh brewed, never any waste, no burnt coffee at the bottom of the carafe, and nobody gets "the dregs."

    Give it a go!

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  13. I use the Melitta cone too. Boil water, pour over, then keep in a stainless carafe. Carafe-cleaning tip - I use denture tabs once a week to keep it fresh.

    It just seems like Keurig is an expensive process that produces a lot of waste. I like to buy my coffee from a small local roaster. He's an expert (roasted for Whole Foods for years) and really, really cares about quality and freshness. He will also put my coffee into a container I bring, saving on bag waste, too.

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  14. I actually love my Keurig. Like a commenter above said, you can get a filter cup so you can spoon your own coffee grinds into it and not use the plastic cups.
    The K-Cups that I use, I'm currently on a box of Green Mountain Pumpkin flavor, are labeled Fair Trade Certified. I've found that a lot (but not all) of the Green Mountain cups are.
    Also, all K-Cups are BPA free (as are all brewers produced after June 2010) (source: http://www.keurig.com/social-responsibility)
    As far as being wasteful or expensive - I think, at least in my own house, we never made coffee in a our old coffee pot on weekdays. We stopped at Starbucks on our way to work. Now that we have the Keurig we're making our own coffee and bringing it because it's less cumbersome than figuring out how much to make in a pot. It's ended up saving us a bit of money.

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  15. A French press is the way to go. No electricity wasted either... except for the kettle boiling of course :-)

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  16. Great post, I am a coffee lover and agree with your way of thinking. I like using a French press. Just keep kettle of water on the stove and it is ready for tea or coffee! I also compost the grounds and water plants with left over coffee.

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  17. I loved my Keurig while it lasted. But the systems are poor quality and fail after that year warranty expires (mine did and multiple family members had the same issue). Even if you clean it regularly, the water importer still gives out. On the other hand, my old 12 cup system keeps on working strong. No issues at all. Like you said, it ain't broke, so keep using it.
    Christina
    lifewithboys.com

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  18. So I just got these free samples of hot cocoa k cups from green mountain coffee. I do not have a keurig system but when I got the sample I guess I wasn't paying attention to the "k cup" part so I thought it was just regular hot cocoa. Anyways, I decided to try it in my regular coffee machine. I put it into the filter and used the same amount of water I would use for one cup of coffee. After awhile of brewing I noticed the hot cocoa wasn't dripping into the pot. So I just grabbed the filter out and let all of the hot cocoa brew run into the pot. I realized that their was nothing wrong with it (their were no grounds in it) and it was like instant coffee! Hot water and instant hot cocoa? So I tasted it and it tasted like a sad attempt at hot cocoa. It was watery and not very chocolatey at all. So I've come to the conclusion that the Keurig people basically made a high tech looking machine that mixes hot water with instant coffee/tea/hot cocoa. I'm sure the coffee and tea probably taste better...but nonetheless a waste of money.

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  19. French press all the way! They come in different sizes and are so much easier to clean than a drip coffee maker. Also, if you unplug the Keurig while it's still on, it shorts out, basically ruining the machine. The company is aware of the issue, but nonetheless doesn't cover that in the warranty. So if this happens, you have to buy another expensive coffee maker.

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  20. I've refused to consider a Keurig for the same reasons. In fact, my Sunday School class had a Keurig (bought before I started attending) and I wouldn't brew a cup because I thought it was too environmentally-unfriendly.

    I'm far from perfect, but I shy away from using plastic whenever possible--especially unnecessary plastics.

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  21. Another vote for the Melitta cone filter! The grounds and the paper filter compost easily. Also you could dump your extra coffee or tea on a plant or the lawn. We are so obsessive about waste that when we had a leaking faucet and no money for a plumber right away, we stuck a milkjug and a funnel under the drip. I began collecting the water from a pan of boiled eggs, or rinse water from a sink of dishes, and leftover tea in that milk jug (minimal food residue; I wouldn't want to attract bugs!) and had a free and minimalist source of gray water for the patio plants.

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  22. Hello,
    I found your article at BlogHer network and I stop by. :)
    Even thought I have to agree that Keurig machines are little expensive, and that standard Kcups are not recyclable I have to disagree on several other things. For example, Kcups are produced in the USA. Keurig makes machines, but Kcups are produced by popular USA coffee brands, for the Keurig. So, it is the same like when you buy regular ground coffee. As for the prices, I have to disagree too, Mr.Coffee has made rally affordable coffee machine that uses Kcups. And of course let's not forget all the advantages of reusable Kcups. Sorry for not taking your side, it is just that I work in this field. I surely do respect your opinion, and I understand your decision not to buy new coffee machine when your old one works fine. I support that. :)

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  23. I have to agree with you, we were given one of those little Keurig Machines as a wedding gift, since my husband and I drink different roasts (He likes dark, I like light) and my mother-in-law thought it would be a great idea, well, we tried it for a bit, but I didn't like how little of a cup I got. (I drink a large mug in the morning mainly.) and while it was nice and easy to use, I couldn't get over how wasteful it was and how annoying the little cup was. The husband agreed, so we bought took out the old 12 cup coffee maker, and decided just to agree on a coffee we both like. We keep the Keurig for guests, but I'd rather pay the money for some good, fresh coffee than the $10 + for the little Kcups.

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  24. Nice Post with information regarding great use! The ways you have illustrated the information is impressive. Thanks!

    Coffee Bean Counters

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  25. Someone gave me a whole box of K-cup coffee. Has anyone tried using them in a regular drip coffee maker -- i.e., opening so many of the K-Cups and tossing into a paper filter and brewing as usual? Would it be the same raio of coffee to water? What about a single serve coffee maker? Could I open one cup and brew like a regular one-cup pot of coffee?

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  26. Well here recently you don't have to buy a keurig maker to get the keurig coffee. Coffee Mate just released their versions using the same k-cups. Next for those of you who purchase coffee from stores like walmart, office depot, office max, staples, belks etc.. You are going to pay over the cost as you are paying the middle man. when you buy the coffee maker they have a great promotion on the inside direct from Keurig! Saves a significant amount of money in the long run. I am not a fan of Folgers or those other brands and prefer the flavored coffee anyways, so this is perfect. 1 cup anytime of the day no waiting.. Just like anything that will save you money in the end it cost more up front. So the real question isn't don't buy the machine, its do you want to spend more money now or later... Keurig equals money now...traditional maker is money later... Keurig offers makers at $89 and up, tradition maker, $12 and up..., keurig better product, less waste more savings, tradition more waste, longer time, extra filters, more money in the end...

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  27. I feel sorry for your husband if you refuse to allow him to buy a Keurig machine. As a single man, I went out and bought one a few weeks ago, and I am very happy with the machine. I suspect the $100 pricetag is not too much of an issue to your husband, but you are taking a "principled stand" on this without and real merit to your decision.

    An $18 reusable filter pretty much makes this about the most environmentally friendly machine you can get - You brew exactly as much as you drink... and you can use whatever type of coffee beans you want.

    In conclusion, let the poor guy have his Keurig.

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    1. I get it, the Keurig machines are easy. I am glad that you love it. But the truth is, he doesn't make the coffee in this house, I do. And I don't want to buy an expensive machine in which to do it. I am loving my stainless steel French Press and it is working for us. :)

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  28. Get the Cuisinart that uses the K cup size. This machine has a 3 year warranty and is sold at BB&B for around $200. The machine does coffee, tea, and even hot water for your cereal. LOVE IT!

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  29. I agree with all of you. I received a keurig machine as a gift. I have it for around a one year and half. One day it was working, now I can't turn it on. I will not buy a new one, too expensive and the K cups are expensive, only buy ones on sale. Stay with your old pot.

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  30. my keurig died. customer service confirmed heating element corroded. 70 bucks for replacement. 2 year life. i think this is awful

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  31. Hi guys,

    THERE IS SOMETHING YOU ALL MISSED... LOL

    So it's now December, and a week and a half ago, I took the train here in Chicago to go to the suburbs on a weekend to finally visit my friend and his parents in one house, and my friend and I also drove to another house, where his brother and his sister-in-law were, who were also now friends. Both households have the Keurig, and the rack with the many flavors were displayed prominently in the kitchen right next to their respective Keurigs.

    To put a new perspective on the "why I have decided not to buy myself a Keurig this Christmas, despite all the sale prices, I noticed that none of the two households offered me any coffee to drink!

    You know why? I think it's because the k-cups are expensive and so they would only allocate the coffee for themselves! Now that Christmas is coming, with all the family reunions that will soon be going on, the K-cups will definitely be used up, that is, assuming that households will even dare to part ways with the flavors they enjoy and the cost of each K-cup get viewed as but a pittance.

    I used to have a neighbor who just moved out of the apartment, but at 3 a.m. when we happen to be awake, I would brew enough coffee for both of us, but I can imagine that if I had a Keurig myself, that neighborly activity would not have been as often as we enjoyed one another's company.

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  32. It's me again, Anonymous with the December post. I figured I can spend $80-$100 this Christmas on the "expensive" bags of coffee, like the Dunkin' Donuts flavors at the grocery or buy more flavors at an eightth of a pound each, more than I really need from the coffee shop near me. The store and the owner has been there for more than 25 years now, and I talk to the guy once in a while. This way, I would have more coffee flavors than I could handle, as if I had a Keurig.

    The reason I toyed around with the idea of a Keurig is that I had been using the less expensive big canister of ground coffee from Aldi's which is really cheap, and I really just flavor my coffee with coffee creamers. I don't brew coffee, I threw away my coffee maker, when I bought an espresso pot, which to me is way better. I make stronger coffee, which I would cool down with a little tap water. Here's a tip, which I always do: I have cut my coffee filters into 4 triangles, and I place a triangle over the coffee tray, so the brew that percolates up does not have the murkiness of a regular espresso.

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  33. Well, I just have to put my two cents in. I just got one for Christmas and I have to say, the whole idea of the Keurig sold me but the reality isn't so good. There is a very strong chemical, plastic like taste to mine. I've run many, many cups of water through it and it's still there. It makes every cup taste bad and I feel like I'm putting something into my body that doesn't need to be there. It is worse in the morning too after it sat in the tank all night. I can smell it and I can taste it. If you google, Keurig plastic taste you will find a lot of people complaining. Some people pick up on it, some don't. Maybe some parts are different and different machines don't have whatever makes the taste a part of it. I read somewhere that the water tank and all the other parts of the Keurig were not BPA free. I could be wrong but I did see it somewhere so it's worth considering. I drink a lot of coffee all day and it worries me that I'm putting something into my body that could be harmful. I'm going to return it and I've already plugged in my old coffee maker.

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  34. I just received on from a relative who re-gifted it to me this Christmas from his unusable wedding gifts. Yea!... Not!!!! I looked at the price of the K-cups and found that a pack of 18 K-cups at Wal-Mart costs $10. A little quick math tells me that the K-cup coffee is at least 10 times more expensive than buying the best ground coffee out there. And to top it off, using my old fashioned percolator, I have better tasting coffee than any instant machine currently made! Luckily he gave me the gift receipt from his wedding registry. So I can return it. I am just debating whether it is worth the drive as BB&B is nowhere near me. Merry Christmas!

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  35. Plastic taste - are you using filtered water as keurig suggests? And nearly all other coffee presses, percolaters, brewers etc?

    K cup coffee fair trade - I hope you all realize that the only coffee made by the people who make the keurig is green mountain coffee. The other lips like tully's, starbucks, bigelow etc are still coffee produced by those coffee companies so same fair trade coffee as what you'd buy in a bag.

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  36. Cup size - bulk coffee is made the same as kcup coffee. They are supposed to make 6-8 ounces per coffee serving. For those of us, myself included who like more keurig has added multiple brewing sizes to their machines and the taste is still full bodied and bold.

    I'm all for expressing opinions in products it's how we keep each other informed. BUT the key word is informed. Before judging any product know the ins and outs as well as the options for said products. Most of you have printed out things that just aren't accurate. I urge you to do more research and then decide. Perhaps it's still not for you but at least it's an informed decision.

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  37. If you're really worried about waste and you won't give up your brewer use a reusable coffee filter and compost your grounds :)

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  38. Thanks for sharing this article, its been a really great read! There are so many things to be careful about when you want to buy coffee makers online. I've got a friend who does it and he hasn't had bad luck with it I just think It wouldn't work that well with them. Thanks again for sharing!

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  39. They make the reusable cups to fill with your own coffee.

    Also -- while the machines are expensive, there are knock-offs as well. Hamilton Beach (while not exactly a knock-off brand) has their own version which can use both k-cups and regular coffee without the need to use a separately bought reusable k-cup thingmabob. It was only $80 at Meijer. On amazon PRIME it is only $50. My husband wanted one even though he can easily drink a pot of coffee a day :S lol but it enables me to enjoy other things, like tea, and different flavours of coffee I wouldn't otherwise purchase...Cuz I rarely drink coffee or tea!

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  40. Here's one for you!...I've read that the machine has BPA plastics mixed into it. And that the liquid DOES come in contact with those plastics. And get this...Their argument is, That the FDA says it's okay. Who care's what the FDA says? They say its okay to put cancer causing Sodium Nitrate/Nitrite in our meats! And poison our drinking water with Fluoride!
    Tonycdrive.

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  41. ...even before the dark ages medicine was considered black magic, in the 90ies cell phones caused cancer... BPA is another one of those things that is inflated BS. Do you realize how much exposure to plastics you would have to have in order for this to be of any concern? really people... As far as the "trashing mother earth" argument this planet was here long before we were and will be long after all of us are gone. More Expensive? I just dropped the daily Starbuck or McDonald's coffee runs to comp the cost..
    Thanks!

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  42. It's time some people woke up.

    Yeah, pun intended, with good reason.

    I have thought about this for some time. I have experimented all kinds of ways. But the result I arrived at was strikingly simple. Wrap your brain around this:

    Buy good coffee. My favorite is Eight O'Clock Colombian Whole Bean. My favorite may not be your favorite, I'm simply telling you what I do so that you can consider it.

    Grind the beans just after you have put all the water in the reservoir and are just about ready to go. Then dump the grinds in the filter, and nest the filter where it's supposed to go in the coffee maker. Turn it on, let it brew.

    When brewing is finished, shut the machine OFF, and nestle a kitchen towel around the carafe to keep it warm. You can easily get a second cup of coffee, and maybe a third, hot enough for you to drink. If not hot enough, microwave it to the desired temp.

    What you are doing here is NOT cooking the coffee, and turning it into garbage. You can have a cup that evening, microwaved, and it'll taste as good as the first cup. Your brain says this can't be so. But it is. Why? You didn't cook the bejesus out of it, and it retained its flavor.

    Awww, look, you made too much. You aren't going to drink it all today. No big deal... at some point you've taken all of 30 seconds to dump the grounds and washed out the filter carriage, so that's clean. Leave the coffee right where it is, in the pot.

    That's right, leave it in the pot for the morning.

    Your mind says that's crazy, the coffee is old, it'll get germs, it won't taste right, it just doesn't make sense... and then you'll say OK, I'll try it, but let me cover the coffee in the container and put it in the fridge. Don't do it.|

    It's black coffee, and there's nothing that's going to spoil, uncovered, at room temperature, for 24 hours. Leave it in the carafe (do NOT put anything in it, LEAVE IT BLACK in the carafe overnight), and the next morning, nuke it piping hot.

    I drink my coffee black, so there's no masking the taste with sugar or cream or powdered plastic cow or artificial sweetener crap - and the coffee tastes pretty damned good the next morning. And you don't want to believe this because I didn't want to believe it, but it's true.

    You can fool yourself with the K cup nonsense and buy into the whole "freshness" commercial mindset, but if you do everything I've told you to do... your coffee will be every bit as good at the whole bean price (I'm paying $14.22 for 40 ounces) as the ridiculous waste of money the K cups give you for the very same good coffee (on SALE for $5.99 for four ounces at the grocery store).

    I know, you're reading this and saying, 'I just can't do that'. But until you do, you won't see what I'm saying, and then once you do, your eyes will open wider than any wake-up coffee cup has made you do, ever.


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  43. Interesting post on K machines. If you need a good place for affordable coffee pods, I recommend visiting CoffeeForLess.com.
    -Jackie

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