I’m finally getting out of my blogging slump and have the urge to write again. I’m not sure how long the feeling will last, so I’m seizing the day. Maybe it’s part of the pre-baby preparation. Lately, I can’t stop thinking about improvements to my yard. Probably because I will be spending a lot of time at home with baby and want it to be pleasant to be outside (or inside and looking out the windows).

My friend Liz surprised me with a care package of K-Cups recently. So sweet and unexpected! This is the same friend who found a little blurb from my blog in a Reader’s Digest article a few months ago. She is encouraging me in my K-Cup hobby. So far I’ve tried the San Francisco Bay Foglifter and loved it!

To be honest, many other things take precedence. I’m enjoying the one-on-one time with my 3-year-old son while his brother is at school. I also have my fingers in a handful of books right now including The Return of the King and One Thousand Gifts.

I tried Tully’s Hawaiian in hopes that it would be similar to Tully’s Kona. It sort of is but just not as good or captivating. Ah, well. I will continue my quest for a new favorite.

I had a sample of Peet’s Domingo this morning. (Did you know they have single cups now?) Domingo is okay; kind of smoky and definitely better with the 10oz brew setting. Next on the list are Peet’s House and Major Dickason’s blends.

Until next time,

Mary Beth

This is my first post since becoming pregnant with my 3rd child over 6 months ago. I have anywhere from 5-10 weeks left depending on if the little tyke goes over his due date (July 3rd). I decided to venture out to my favorite coffee shop in downtown Boise this morning to blog but didn’t consider the beautiful weather and that people would be out in force. I had to park some blocks away.

I’m almost always in pain when I walk now and with carrying a bulky laptop, thought I was going to split in half. Now that I am here I don’t think I am going to leave. Ever. I joked with my husband that I’m going to need a wheelchair by the end of the pregnancy. This has been the hardest of the three. Maybe it’s my age (almost 35) or maybe this boy is just extra heavy. It is worth the pain and suffering, but as my husband jokes, “What’s life if you can’t complain?”

I have so much I could catch you up on from the last half year, but you probably came here for the review, right?

My friend Jamie has been keeping me in the K-Cup loop these days. She picks up many of the new kinds. She graciously gave me these three Gevalia cups and urged me to review them.

Have you all noticed that everyone, including your local grocery store seems to have its own single cups these days? I’m not as adventurous as I was in my early Keurig days, so I just give most of them a glance and a shrug.

I’ve decided to back off on writing too many lengthy reviews for a while and sticking to Twitter to give feedback on the ones that stand out to me.

Okay, let’s start with the Signature Blend. It has a light, pleasant aroma. At first sip, it reminded me a little of a flavored brew. It has a bitter and sweet thing going on. My least favorite thing was that it left a film on my mouth. Boo. Other observations: very slight aftertaste and a tad bitter.

Despite some of my negativity, I think I like it. Not enough to buy it, mind you, but …Signature Blend is a sweet, smooth, just slightly rich medium roast. 8oz is a good brew setting for this one.

Colombia

This is a full-bodied medium roast. I tried it on the 8oz brew setting as well. My suspicion is that the 10oz setting would work fine also, but I don’t have another one to confirm this suspicion. Gevalia Colombia doesn’t have a lot of nuance in flavor, but it’s not bad either. For those who use flavored creamer, this would be a good choice. Another bonus is its minimal aftertaste.

Dark

Jamie recommended a larger brew setting for the Dark. 10oz was good. It’s smooth but a bit drying to the mouth and has some aftertaste. Overall pleasant to drink though and ended up being my favorite of the three, probably because may taste buds tend to prefer the dark, smooth roasts.

Thanks for the samples, Jamie. And I hope these reviews are helpful to my fellow Keurig owners.

Conclusion: While I didn’t detest Gevalia, I don’t think the quality is as good as many other K-Cups, like Tully’s.

I got about 7 of these in a trade. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but then Harvest Blend won me over. It has a lot of spice and pep and some delicious berry tones. It was fun to try something different too…thinking I should order again for November. Would be yummy alongside some pumpkin pie.

Happy Autumn, Everyone!

While I haven’t been too adventurous with the tea K-Cups, I thought it might be handy to review the ones I’ve tried all in one place. I hope this is helpful to my tea-drinking Keurig friends out there. You’ll see that each brand has its good and bad K-Cups.

Twinings English Breakfast: Not bad. Better quality than Celestial Seasonings English Breakfast.

Twinings African Rooibos (click to read full review)

Bigelow Earl Grey: Not as good as bagged (or certainly not loose leaf) but still enjoyable and much better than Twinings Earl Grey.

Bigelow Green Tea: Not bad. I like the ease of using a kcup since it’s easy to overbrew loose leaf or bagged green tea. I’ve also tried this iced with fairly good results.

Tazo Zen: Nice blend. Great spearmint smell (yep, it’s not your typical green tea). Too bitter at 6oz, but 8oz is good. Be patient: you can taste more flavors as temperature goes down.

Tazo Awake: Just okay. Very similar to Celestial Seasonings English Breakfast. Twinings English Breakfast is better.

Celestial Seasonings Green Tea: Pretty good. Similar to Bigelow Green Tea.

While none of these particularly wow me, some are definitely better than others.

Then there is this gem that exceeds them all:

Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Orange Spice: Delicious! I can see why it was sold out at Keurig. It has wonderful smells and the taste lives up to them. This is one I would like to have on hand on a regular basis. You can taste the orange and the cinnamon and other spices really well. Good with a smidge of honey. *Thanks to Mari for the photo.

And, last but not least, Celestial Seasonings Brew Over Ice teas:

Southern Sweet Black Tea: Quite tasty. I never tire of it.

Sweet Raspberry Black Tea: Satisfying and good if you like raspberry flavor, although not completely natural-tasting.

Half & Half Black Tea Lemonade: Something a little off with the flavor but still refreshing.

Unsweetened Black Tea: Really strong. You could probably get more than one glass out of this one. It was too strong for me to enjoy without sugar.

Sweet Lemon Black Tea: This one failed to wow me. The other flavored iced teas seem more natural and are yummier.

Sweet Peach Black Tea: Delightful. Right up there with Southern Sweet for iced tea goodness.

A note of caution: Don’t try to brew your iced tea in a glass. It will crack. These thick plastic cups work great.

Oh joy, you get a guest blogger today!  I have known the K-cup Barista for years now.  Here is a little background on me.  I, like my K-cup Barista, really like that perfectly brewed cup of coffee.  I was a barista in high school.  Whenever my husband and I take a trip we love to seek out the local coffee shops.  Our children recognized both Starbucks and Tully’s by the age of 3.  I am a coffee explorer.  I don’t have a usual when I go to a coffee shop.  I buy different espresso and coffee drinks, add in different syrups, and sometimes I go rogue by buying tea, gasp!  At home the Keurig is a god-send to allow me to explore even more!  So what does this have to do with organic coffee?  I am glad you asked.  Even though I really like coffee I have had a problem with organic coffee and especially the organic k-cups for a long time.   Here is my review short and sweet on the following organic k-cups: Newman’s Special Blend, Coffee People Extra Bold Organic, Green Mountain Sumatran Reserve, and Coffee People Tree Hugger.

I really don’t like the Newman’s K-cup. It has the aroma of something burning.  The coffee also has a burnt taste and then there is that really bitter after taste that lingers when I want it gone.  Coffee People Organic Extra Bold K-cup is very similar to Newman’s.  I can’t get passed the burnt smell and flavor in this K-cup.  The Green Mountain Sumatran Reserve’s aroma is better but then there is that after taste.  Coffee People Tree Hugger is by far the best organic I have tried.  It actually smells like coffee. Only, again there is a difference in the flavor; a little something extra going on when drinking it.

I have tried in vain to find an organic k-cup that I really enjoy.  Most people around me love their organic k-cups.  So what is wrong with me?  Well the answer is that I have a very sensitive palate or better worded: I have a more discerning palate.  Having the ability to pick up on subtle nuances in food is a genetic trait I can blame on my mother.  A Yale research study showed that there is such a thing as a “super-taster”.  The study can be found here. I actually did an experiment in my college biology class that proved I was a super-taster.

This being said, it makes sense that when I comment on the organic coffee having an odd flavor or after taste people don’t know what I’m talking about.  I will try to explain to them what is going on in my mouth.  Nope, their mouth is perfectly happy with their organic k-cup.  Yet, I think that I have come up with an answer for people when they ask why I don’t drink organic coffee.  Coffee is supposed to be bitter this is true, but it also needs to be smooth and rich.  Coffee is comparable to good chocolate, the kind that is 75% cocoa good.  For me organic coffee lacks the nose of a fully developed coffee.  I want to be able to smell the richness of the beans.  Next, organic coffee isn’t smooth.  It is a coffee that bites you back.  The way organic coffees bite back at you is the after taste.   I don’t know what I am tasting in the coffee.  Maybe it is the manure they use as a natural fertilizer coming through in the beans?  Maybe it is how they process the beans?  I couldn’t say.  All I know is that, for now, this palate will steer clear of most organic coffees on the market today.

So for the rest of you out there who are like me, take heart!  It isn’t that you dislike organic coffee.  No, on the contrary, organic coffee dislikes your highly developed taste buds.  And feel free to use my comparison of coffee to chocolate when you are telling your friends and family why you won’t drink their organic coffee.

Cheers, from the Super-Taster!

_________________________
Jamie lives in Idaho and co-owns a fantastic gluten-free business. Other fun facts: she plays the drums at her church and knows the best breakfast places in downtown Boise. You can find her on Twitter too!

My goal was to try at least 100 K-Cups this year–I just did a count, and I’m at 106. Whew! I honestly thought I had only gotten into the 70′s.  Most of them have reviews too, although some are very short.

Be on the lookout for more guest reviews in the second year, along with tea reviews and maybe some additions to What to Do If Your Keurig Won’t Brew.

Thanks for reading!

Mary Beth

Enjoy!

Coffee

Caribou Coffee Daybreak Morning Blend: Similar to Green Mountain Breakfast Blend.

Black Tiger by Coffee People: Like the smell a lot. Spicy, but a little too much on the tastebuds. Especially too much harsh aftertaste. Got better as I went along. Got more used to it. Not one I’d want to have over and over though.

Jet Fuel by Coffee People: Spicy, almost burnt taste but not quite. Jet Fuel is applicable name.

Diedrich Morning Edition: Buttery, nutty, smooth. A pleasant morning cup ‘o joe.

Diedrich French Roast: Good flavor, little spice, berry notes are really yummy discontinued

Gloria Jean’s Special Blend: a nice, basic medium roast.

Timothy’s Parisian Nights: Surprisingly good for Timothy’s. Tasty. Not as acidic as a typical French roast.

Timothy’s Fair Trade Nicaraguan: Smoky.

Tully’s House Blend: Okay. Little spice but not overly acidic. Prefer to light roast but enjoy the smooth medium roasts better.

Van Houtte Costa Rica: Light. Smooth. Seems watery but can detect some nice flavors ever so faintly at 8oz. Might be handy to have around for the ultra light roast drinkers in your life. Tried 6oz–terrible.

Van Houtte Eclipse: Good! Like French Roast but not as strong. Nice zip to it.

Van Houtte Mexico: 10oz. Not much flavor. Little spice. 8oz better. Nice taste, some spice but not like a French or Italian roast. Similar to some others like Parisian Nights.

Flavored Coffee

Donut House Cinnamon Roll: Smooth. Good smell. Not much flavor–only taste cinnamon a little. Cinnamon Pastry is a better choice for cinnamon lovers.

Gloria Jean’s Butter Toffee: Not bad for a flavored K-Cup.

Green Mountain Hazelnut: Lots of hazelnut flavor. Appreciate their flavors can be brewed at 8oz. Didn’t care for aftertaste, detected burnt flavor. Decaf Hazelnut better. Gloria Jean’s and Wolfgang Puck’s better also.

Green mountain Southern Pecan: Okay. Not sure I really taste the pecan.

Green mountain Wild Mountain Blueberry: Not a fan. Maybe I’ll try iced.

Timothy’s Winter Carnival: What Green Mountain Caramel Vanilla Cream should be but doesn’t achieve. This is one of the top flavored K-Cups I’ve tried. Need to try iced.

Timothy’s Sweet Summer Raspberry: Delightful! Smooth, great raspberry flavor (if you like that sort of thing). In my top 5 flavored K-Cups.

Van Houtte Caramel Apple Pie: Why? Apple pie flavored coffee? It’s just not right. Very odd flavor.

Van Houtte Macadamia Nut Cookie: Okay. Couldn’t really tell the difference between this and, say, vanilla.

Van Houtte French Vanilla: 6oz. good call. Nice smooth vanilla flavor. Not much aftertaste.

Wolfgang Puck Vanilla Francaise: LOTS of vanilla flavor. Very tasty. Better than Van Houtte French Vanilla.

Wolfgang Puck Jamaica Me Crazy: Nice aroma. Smell and taste vanilla more than coconut. As often happens to me with flavored brews, by the time I get to the second half of the cup, it loses any goodness/enjoyment and starts to taste dry and has an unpleasant aftertaste. Tried iced–didn’t help.

Hot Cocoa/Specialty

Cafe Escapes Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa: Eh, not very appealing, especially aftertaste. Not bad with whipped cream to cover up the taste.

Cafe Escapes Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa: My favorite of the three. Sweetness reminds me of marshmallows. Slight aftertaste.

Cafe Escapes Cafe Mocha: Like Milk Chocolate Cocoa has a strong, artificial aftertaste. Whipped cream helps.

Green Mountain French Vanilla Iced Coffee: Could not get this to fit my taste buds. Tried sugar and more milk to no avail.

Grove Square Caramel Cappuccino: Pleasantly surprised by this one. Has cream and sugar already in it. Good balance of flavors…don’t really detect much caramel, but yummy. Reminds me of cappuccino I used to get at Chevron during my college days…but better.

Please feel free to add your two cents. I would love to hear your thoughts and so would your fellow Keurig drinkers. I’ll probably add  to this list periodically. Oh, and I have tea reviews coming soon…

My recipe for success: Brew at 8oz, then after drinking about half a cup, add one or two more ounces. It’s even better when I get to that second cup! I can really taste the chocolate notes when I do this.

FYI: I run a 4 oz brew setting but catch the part I don’t need in a separate mug or measuring cup (demo). You can also turn off your machine when you’ve had enough of a refill, but I feel like I’m tricking it and that it may not work as well if I do this too often.

Conclusion: Even if you’re not a true tree hugger at heart, if you like a rich medium roast coffee, give this a try. And…experiment with your brew settings!

The trouble is that San Lorenzo is described as a dark roast but has no tangible qualities of a dark roast. Because of this, it has been tossed aside by some dark roast lovers. If only the world knew the truth…

The Story

I first ordered Timothy’s San Lorenzo from a trader at kcuptrade.com. Because it said “dark roast,” I thought I’d brew at 10oz. Big mistake. It tasted like dingy water. I thought, “Okay, let’s try this baby at 8oz.” Some improvement–smooth, slightly sweet but still not much flavor and a stale finish. Blah. I give up.

Months later my father-in-law also orders some San Lorenzo and tells me it’s good at 6oz. So I decide to give it one more try, and I am wowed. It is yummy! A great discovery: buttery smoothness, interesting little bite of an aftertaste, and butterscotch notes at the end.

To wrap up this riveting tale (sarcasm intended), San Lorenzo is actually a medium roast that doesn’t have enough coffee in the K-Cup to be full flavored at 8oz but at 6oz is just right. Light roast fans would probably enjoy this K-Cup too.

The End.

[Quick side note: After reading some positive reviews from dark-roast drinkers, I'm wondering if the quality differs from box to box.]

While at first it does not impress, the longer I sip away at a cup of Tully’s Breakfast Blend, the more I like it. The reason is that I enjoy the aftertaste so much. It’s smooth at first then leaves berry flavors on your palate. Very pleasing I must say.

My first time to try Tully’s Breakfast Blend was last summer when I used it for iced coffee. I’m pretty sure I brewed 4oz over ice and added milk. It was just right! I experimented with other K-Cups for iced coffee last summer, but this one was my favorite.

This is a full-flavored light roast–8oz setting works well. While I don’t like it as much as Starbucks Breakfast Blend, it is definitely enjoyable.