Single Serve Coffees

jar

Joined Feb 2003
351 Posts | 0+
Texas
Hi gang, missed you good folk.

So I was wondering is anyone else uses the new Single Serve coffee and Espresso machines? If so, what machines and what are your favorite single serve coffees?
 
I have had it before and it make a pretty good cup of rich coffee; but for the money I like my drip pot much better. Sorry I'm not of much help with your question, but I had to share my opinion anyway.
 
I use the Keurig B70 with Kcups. I picked one up for the office after sampling coffee at a client's office and absolutely loved the cup I drank. I stopped drinking coffee at home so the family bought me one for Father's Day (B60).

My favorites are:

Timothy's Private Blend
Timothy's Morning Blend (very mild though)
For a change of pace - Gloria Jean's Hazelnut (yes, flavored coffee)
and a Kenya AA - I just can't remember which brand - I think Green Mountain.

It is so much easier to have in the office and I like the freshness. I know this may be blasphemy for alot of folks - but not having to make a full pot is a great help when a client pops in.
 
I can get behind the idea of one ast the office. Very convenient and the coffee pods keep for a long time.

In my office though; there are so many people that it would cost a lot of money to have an endless supply of coffee. It doesn't work too well when you have 1000 or more people in an office; just too pricey. Just let them buy it at the cafeteria. Not that I am a fan of the idea; I loved it when I worked in a small office and we had all the coffee I could drink; my stomach didn't like me too much though.
 
I usually pick up 2 boxes for $20 (each box has 25 in it) at Amazon.
 
golfcigarjunkie said:
I am curious as well. What is the cost of those single serving packages?

They vary from about 35 cents a serving for the better pods to about 45 cents for a K-Kup, and about 50 cents for an espresso capsule like the Nespresso.

That needs to be offset against there being no waste though. Since all the better sources (excluding stuff like the Folgers or Senseo bulk packs) individually seal each portion almost immediately after roasting in an oxygen free environment, the result is a cup that's about like what I get when I roast and grind myself.
 
Kelvin said:
I use the Keurig B70 with Kcups. I picked one up for the office after sampling coffee at a client's office and absolutely loved the cup I drank. I stopped drinking coffee at home so the family bought me one for Father's Day (B60).

My favorites are:

Timothy's Private Blend
Timothy's Morning Blend (very mild though)
For a change of pace - Gloria Jean's Hazelnut (yes, flavored coffee)
and a Kenya AA - I just can't remember which brand - I think Green Mountain.

It is so much easier to have in the office and I like the freshness. I know this may be blasphemy for alot of folks - but not having to make a full pot is a great help when a client pops in.

I like the K-Kups but there is simply so much greater variety in the pods. When I compare the same coffees in K-Kup or Pod though the difference seems to be more in individual samples than technology related. The Keurig machines also have the advantage of being slightly quieter than most of the pod machines and with the My K-Kup easier to use your own grind.

I gotta admit though that if I had to chose between my OPOD and my Keurig, I would stick with the OPOD.

My favorites are the Yemen Moka Sani and the Ethiopian Yirgacheffes and Sidamo in the pods (with Kenya always around as well) and in the K-Kups, the Timouthy's Kimsaa Ethiopian and Columbian La Verda, the Van Houtte Ethiopian Limu and Kenya Kilimandjaro, and the Caribou Sumatra.
 
The variety was definitely a factor when I was trying to decide. The pod definitely has more to choose from. I am seeing that the Keurig is becoming more popular and I think with the extra demand you will see more types. I have seen them add a few more the past 6 months or so (or at least I have noticed them.)

I am very happy with the machine itself - it is pretty quiet and very easy to clean. How is the Pod machine for cleaning, Jar?
 
About the same. Pull out the pod holder and dump the old pod. No needles to stick your fingers on and certainly easier then swapping out the K-Kup holder for the My K-Kup.

I love coffee so I must admit I have the OPOD, the B-40 and the Nespresso all plugged in all the time. The decision really comes down to which particular coffee I'm in the mood for at the moment. At the current moment it is a double shot Nespresso in hot milk with a touch of sugar.

In the past I was a big fan of home roasting and burr grinders and small batches and french press and gazillion bar espresso machines with all the bells and whistles, but the convenience, ease, quality, variety and just plain fun of the Single Server Darkside one me over.
 
I am quite partial to the Keurig B60. I think it makes a great cup of coffee. I tried the sneseo pod system and I felt that thing was a POS. and never really made a good cup of Joe.
 
Barcochris said:
I am quite partial to the Keurig B60. I think it makes a great cup of coffee. I tried the sneseo pod system and I felt that thing was a POS. and never really made a good cup of Joe.

The machine itself is not that bad, but the pods they sell SUCK.

The secret with the Senseo is run a cup of water through first to warm the cup, then brew using a GOOD pod in the two cup mode. It does not seem to keep the water as hot as other SSC machines like the Bunn, the Grindmaster OPOD or new Cuisinart SS-1 so brew temps are down unless you run a cycle through first.

The Senseo is a GREAT entry into the world of SSC, particularly with the Share Senseo program where someone can get a machine just for the cost of shipping ($15.00).
 
Jar thanks for the update on the Senseo program mine is being shipped today. Ive been using one at work for a few months but can always use a backup unit. Ive found that the machine itself works pretty well, especially in an office where I am the only coffee drinker (devotee). Ive been buying the monster pods by Baronet, their French roast is pretty decent.
 
Just ordered up a Keurig B40 and a variety of K-Cups to go with it. I can't wait for it to arrive, I think I'll keep it at work on my desk. I love coffee but can't drink the crap they have here.

Trent
 
T_Nugent said:
Just ordered up a Keurig B40 and a variety of K-Cups to go with it. I can't wait for it to arrive, I think I'll keep it at work on my desk. I love coffee but can't drink the crap they have here.

Trent

Fantastic. Keep us posted on the ones you like. The newer B-40s have two cup sizes but my old one has only the 7.25 oz size. That works for me since I never used the others anyway.
 
I just started drinking Timothy's Private Blend - it's my favorite medium blend coffee right now.
 
jar said:
Fantastic. Keep us posted on the ones you like. The newer B-40s have two cup sizes but my old one has only the 7.25 oz size. That works for me since I never used the others anyway.

I was going to go with the B60 but once I saw the B40 had the larger cup size as well it seemed like a no brainer for me. The extra $50 bought a lot of different coffee's to try. I got 2 different variety packs and then 4 different types of Green Mountain coffees to try including the Kenya AA, a Columbian and a few others.

Trent
 
T_Nugent said:
I was going to go with the B60 but once I saw the B40 had the larger cup size as well it seemed like a no brainer for me. The extra $50 bought a lot of different coffee's to try. I got 2 different variety packs and then 4 different types of Green Mountain coffees to try including the Kenya AA, a Columbian and a few others.

Trent

Well I have the first version B-40 that only has one cup size. So far I haven't found any of the K-Kups where I would use the larger size anyway but I have had to cut back on the volume with a few fine grinds in the My K-Kup and would likely use it there.
 
Well after a month or so with both a K-Cup and a Pod maker I can say I like the K-Cup 100 times more than the other. Of course it was an unfair comparison considering I have the K-Cup at work where I drink most my coffee and the Pod machine at home. Top it off with the fact that I spent $100 on the KCup and got a nice machine and a bunch of Kcups as well whereas the Pod machine is the freebie from Senseo along with the coffee they include. But I like the Kcups so much better just from a handling standpoint too, much more convienent and appear they would stay fresh much longer. Of course the cheap quality of the Senseo was a let down but what do you expect for free.

Personally if I was going to do it again I would just spend the $100 and get another K-Cup machine like I got.

And I'm really loving the Green Mountain French Roast and Kenyan AA. I usually start out with the French Roast and then a Kenyan next followed by some other variety I figure I just need to get rid of since I bought a bunch of different ones to try. Their Dark Magic isn't bad.. Colombian Supremo is OK, Breakfast blend is bland. Others haven't left enough of an impression yet I guess.

Trent