Okay, folks. If you’re like me, you are very interested in the new Starbucks K-Cups. Yesterday, my chance came. I was shopping at my Fred Meyer and found that they are now carrying four varieties of Starbucks K-Cups. Decisions, decisions. I finally settled on Pike Place Roast. The box says they’re medium roast: “smooth and balanced.”

Then the waiting. I had to wait till morning to try one, since I’m a light-weight and can’t have caffeine at night.

Finally, morning came. I settled on the 8oz brew setting. Perfecto! It was really good. I felt like I was in Starbucks–the smell, the taste… It’s been a while since I’ve ordered Starbucks brewed coffee, but this still fit the bill.

Even though the box says “smooth,” there was some sparkle to it. I liked it though. It is fairly acidic, even at 10oz, which I also tried by adding more right away–more on that in a later post. The flavor was still good but changed quite a bit. It was definitely smoother at 10oz (except for the aftertaste), but I liked the 8oz better for the real Starbucks experience. I think it was probably designed for the 8oz setting.

Summary: Rich. Good quality. Nice aroma. Most of the flavor is at the end. Heavy, slightly sour finish. Not bitter but acidic. A little rough on my tummy.

Verdict: I don’t think I will have these all the time. I’m a little nervous to try the darker roasts (like Verona), even though I remember loving it when I’ve had it in bagged coffee form. My husband thinks I should buy all the flavors they have, so I can review them all. But that’s a lot of coffee just for me! And a lot of Tums.

I’ll be putting at least a couple of my Pike Place K-Cups up for trade sometime in the near future if you’d like to sample before buying.

Drawback: One thing you’ve probably heard or noticed is that Starbucks K-Cups are more expensive than any others (even Dunkin’ Donuts). You can expect to pay $9 to $10 for 10 K-Cups. Currently, they are sold at select retailers like Wal-Mart, Safeway, and Costco. I got mine on sale (yessss!), $7.99 for 10-pack.

Keurig.com will start selling them on December 27. Word on the street is that some Starbucks retailers are carrying them or may be soon, but officially Starbucks has said that its stores won’t carry them until later next year.

Okay, so what to try next? Starbucks Breakfast Blend intrigues me. Verona is also on my list.