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
Congratulations on the new baby. I just read your entire blog. My new machine is coming soon. I appreciate your insight. I love the options the machine offers, my boyfriend is not as excited. Your suggestions will help me pick out some flavors for him to try. Thank you.
Thanks. 🙂 And thank you for reading. I’m so glad it’s helpful.
I Love Peet’s Major Dickason’s Blend in my AeroPress, and just tried it in my Keurig using the DIY filter adapter. Almost as good. Thanks to your No. 1 on Google post about the Keurig machine’s clogging problem, I rescued my machine from my garage with the burping solution your readers suggested. Looking forward to more coffee flavor discoveries. My wife and I can’t thank you enough.
Thanks so much for the feedback. I too am a fan of the Major Dickason roast. I’m glad your Keurig is up and running again too. That’s fantastic!
I have a question foe the k-cup baristas out there…
I’m new to the world of k-cup brewing, Recently purchased a K-10 brewer for myself, and several more to give as Christmas gifts. I also purchased a wide variety of k-cup samples that sounded most interesting, also both for myself and passed along as gifts with the gift brewers. My question is about the quality of the final brews. The used k-cups always have the desirable aroma that I would expect of the coffee, but the coffee itself smells & tastes completely different (than the desired aroma) every time. Those that I’ve given the gift brewers to are reporting the same results. Are we doing something wrong ? or is there something fundamentally wrong with the Keurig k-cup brewer system ?
It could be the types of k-cups that are the problem. If they are flavored (like vanilla for example), it is normal for the taste to be different from the smell. If it’s plain coffee that is not tasting good, you may want to experiment with different brands. Not all are created equal. Barista Prima and Tully’s are good quality. I’ve found that the kinds with the freshest taste have the basket filter at the bottom. San Francisco Bay one cups are one example. I hope this helps.
ive been making my own K cups and made 35 cups from one pound of Starbucks beans that i grind into fine coffee. That cost me 5.99 since the beans were on sale
Had been using alum foil on top of Reused k cups after I rinsed them and drained them. I also put the hole on the bottom at 12 o’clock to prevent baking more than one hole.
Lately I’ve been having failures of coffee grounds coming up out of the top hole and my machine not working. I cleaned it well today with vinegar and cleaned the puncture hole with an open paper clip like the book says. Do you have any suggestions as to why the coffee is coming up out of the k cup?? I hate to ruin a good thing. I was so happy that I Dan have more coffee. Fresher. At a lot less the price. Do you suggest using the lids instead of alum. Foil?
Thanks for any help. Jean from Az.
Jean, you probably have been getting plugged lower needles. That needle has a smaller inside diameter than the upper needle, and it is subject to being — err “assaulted” — by errant coffee powder because it is below all sources of escaped coffee grounds.
Get some “Soft Picks” — plastic toothpicks that are “perfectly” sized for slipping in and out of the needles. Be careful not to bend these picks at their handle (it can break off, if bent enough) — push-pull forces should be aimed reasonably straight along the shaft of the toothpick. These picks are tough, I keep one handy and typically use each one several times. It takes, with a little practice, about a minute to “ream” both needles, so I now do this routinely — about once a week (I suggest more often, for a family of coffee addicts). Rinse away any coffee particles that come out of the needles — they are clever about finding their way back “home” to form a clog.
BTW, K-cups have and NEED strongly glued lids (the machines are designed to brew with pressurized hot water — they mimic French Press brewers. The “factory” lids have a tough layer of plastic on the inside. This tough layer keeps the foil from tearing and it is also the glue that bonds the lid, air tight, to the cup. The plastic is a hot-melt glue! (Melts at much higher temperature than the hot water used for coffee brewing; but, it will weaken somewhat at brewing temps — sometimes causing a dreaded “blow-out”, for improperly made cups. I think your homemade cups are virtually certain to fail, from the (desirable) pressures innate in the Keurig brewing process.
I’ve not yet noticed any comments here about the “bolder” K-cups. These contain about 12 grams of coffee powder, instead of the typically just under 10 grams of coffee that had become standard. Keurig has not been very loud about these, but has referred to them as “extra bold”, which I find as misleading. But then, I have always objected to the way the coffee world uses the world “bold”. Traditionally, it refers to the roast — bold has simply meant the flavors that result from a darker roust (burnt, in my opinion!). But, Keurig’s “extra bold” cups have, so far, meant more coffee in the K-cup! – about 20% more. Confusing “bold taste” with “bold load” is an example of marketer-speak that I hate!
Only a few brands of these 12 gram cups have appeared in my area: mainly by Starbucks, and in 10-cup packs. I think these new, 12 gram cups have caused some confusion. Their pricing, in 10-count packs, amounts to about the same cost per gram of coffee as for the 10 gram cups in the 12 count boxes. But, how many shoppers are careful enough to notice this! So, I believe the larger-load cups are not yet selling well — as most people probably just see them as being more expensive.
I think the initial K-cups were designed for 6 to 8 ounce coffee cups — not enough for the 10 to 12 ounce “mugger”crowd! Those folk can now rejoice — their cries of anguish have been met.
Interestingly, the “extra bold” cups are are not physically larger. They have a better internal design that allows them to contain more coffee.