Like most of the world, I love coffee. I usually drink a cup or two a day, and sometimes more. I’m lucky enough to live close to places that sell great coffee: Whole Foods roasts their own coffee, and there are numerous local places with great beans.
I usually make a full “batch” of coffee in a French press (or сafetière), but sometimes that’s too much. I know it’s considered blasphemous, but I got a Keurig single cup brewer for Christmas, and I absolutely love it. I was apprehensive about Keurig machines until I found out about refillable “K-Cups” that you could fill with your own, delicious coffee. I use the official Keurig “My K-Cup”, but that requires that you replace the entire holster mechanism each time. It’s not time consuming, but it is a bit annoying.
I discovered the Ekobrew, which is a filter that fits in the existing cup holster. Two of them are on their way to my house from Amazon right now.
Regardless of how it gets there, coffee from the Keurig is (perhaps surprisingly) pleasant. It’s not the best cup of coffee, but it’s quick, easy, and clean.
I still use the French press when I need to make a bigger batch of coffee or if I want to relax and enjoy a really great cup. I use the seemingly-ubiquitous Bodum French press and burr grinder and keep the coffee warm in my Zojirushi carafe. Coffee stays hot for hours on end, so I can make coffee in the morning and still enjoy it later in the afternoon. How I make coffee just depends on how much I need and what kind of mood I’m in.
One last thing: I also got a small stovetop espresso maker for Christmas, and it is amazing. When I want a treat, I make myself a café Americano: a bit of espresso in a normal-sized coffee cup and filled the rest of the way with hot water. Yum!
Full disclosure: I’ve linked to a number of products on Amazon in this post, and most of them contain my affiliate link. I’ll get a small kickback if anything is bought via these links. I will only ever post links to products that I use and love, and that is certainly the case with everything here. I’m passionate about my coffee, and I don’t want to mislead anyone. I have not included my affiliate link to the Ekobrew refillable K-Cup because I have not received or used it at this time.
2 comments
Ben Hilburn
Ooo! Very nice.
For a house-warming gift, Amy and I received the Virtuoso burr grinder (I’ll note it was on a significant sale when we got it): http://www.amazon.com/Baratza-585-Virtuoso-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B000EG70IK/ref=sr11?ie=UTF8&qid=1325971847&sr=8-1
What a difference a good grinder makes! Also, I like your Bialetti ;) Amy and I use the same thing to make a nice cup of espresso.
My office has a Keurig and I really hate it. It’s one of those bigger industrial ones, and it CONSTANTLY jams. Most of the time we have to drop it from a few inches off the counter to get it flowing again. I’m not sure what’s wrong with it, honestly, but most everyone else I’ve talked to really likes them.
While they aren’t as widespread as Starbucks, there are a number of Peet’s coffee shops in our area. We’ve been buying either their beans, or Trader Joe beans, to grind. In general, I’ve found the fresh stuff from Peet’s to be the best =)
Nice post! =)
Thomas Upton
Ben — That grinder looks pretty special. I don’t know if I could spend that much on a grinder for myself, but I’d consider myself pretty lucky if I got one as a gift. My Bodum grinder is excellent. Up until just a few weeks ago, I had only used it to grind coarsely for the press, but I recently discovered that it makes great espresso and grinds well for the Keurig, too.
The Keurig seems to have a lot of mixed opinions. A lot of offices have them because they are quick and easy to clean up. I found that a lot of the coffee is pretty terrible, but when you use your own it makes a world of difference.
I’ve only used my Keurig a few times and haven’t run into any kind of jamming. I do know that you’re supposed to use filtered water; if not, any kind of “heavy” water can cause lime, scale, and other build-up that will certainly jam. I’ve heard that you should clean and de-scale the machines every few months with vinegar (and then lots and lots and lots of water!) to keep it running smoothly.