So far we really like the smaller Lavazza Pininfarina Blue LB1010 Home espresso maker. The machine is about half the size of the larger Lavazza Blue machine, and also a lot less power hungry. The water reservoir is smaller, but given the type of drinks you'll likely make - espresso, cappuccinos, and lattes, the smaller size hasn't bothered us. We've also been making quite a few lattes and cappuccinos.
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October 29, 2007
Review: Dixie Voodoo Coffee Pods from Fratello
We've been drinking quite a bit of Dixie Voodoo coffee pods from Fratello using the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic single serve coffee maker over the past few weeks. This is our third official review for the Fratello coffee pods, and we think it's well deserved. All of the coffee pods we've had from Fratello have been excellent. We also like the attention to detail in the packaging, quality of coffee pod filter, and the generous 9.5 gram size.
What we like about the Dixie Voodoo coffee pods (besides the killer name) is the smoky/chocolaty flavor. They also have a strong lingering aftertaste which is both sweet and interesting.
In-Store Single Serve Coffee Sightings: Keurig B70 and Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic
The Keurig B70 at $119 after discounts at Sharper Image.
We recently spotted the Keurig B70 at a local Sharper Image store here in Massachusetts. They have a quite a deal on the Keurig B70 - $49 dollars off, and you can save an additional $30 on the in-store demo machine, bringing the price of the machine to $119. They look to be clearing these models for the new improved Keurig B70 - which has a better extraction and needle for puncturing K Cups. Whatever the reason, we love our current B70, and think this is a total steal.
The Cuisinart SS-1Single Serve Coffee Maker
at Williams-Sonoma.
You can also see the new Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-o-matic Single Serve Coffee maker at Williams-Sonoma. The price is $199.99 and the machine wasn't in the demo line up - though the sales person said they were scheduled to be demoing it soon. We were also told if we wanted, they would fire the machine up and give us a test drive. This is one of the reasons we like Williams-Sonoma - there is always over 10+ coffee machines to test out.
We'll have more in-store sightings as we see them.
Flavia Has New Name, New Drinks, and a New Office Drinks Station
Flavia is moving under the new brand from the Mars Family - Mars Drinks. So you can expect to start seeing the Flavia line of drinks station looks a little more like this - The Flavia Drinks Station from Mars Drinks. Oh, and we did we mention - there are two new Flavia drinks coming out: Kona Coffee and Malawi Garden Tea - a sustainable black tea. There's also a new Creation 200 single-serve drinks station designed for office environments with 15-40 people. The current line of Flavia Fusion Drinks Stations and the Creation 400 (read our visit to Mars Drinks) will continue to be sold throughout the US as well. Good news and we like the name - Mars Drinks. Though we live on a blue planet, it's nice to see the people from the red planet making a very interesting update to the single serve coffee world.
Breville BKC600XL Gourmet Single Cup Brewer - Stainless Steel K Cup Brewer Perfection
The Breville USA Gourmet Single Cup Brewer BKC600XL looks like it came straight out of ten forward. The design has what we would like to call - "stainless", as there's no single inch on this machine sans the controls that doesn't come covered in glorious stainless steel. The Breville BKC600XL Gourmet Single Cup Brewer is also filled with new features not present in other Keurig single serve coffee makers. There is an included My Cup Reuseable coffee filter complete with storage bay in the top, along with the first Keurig single serve coffee maker to have a charcoal water filter in the water tank. The Breville BKC600XL Gourmet Single Cup Brewer is also completely compatible with over 150+ varieties of Keurig K Cups - from coffee, to cocoa, and tea. The Breville BKC600XL Gourmet Single Cup Brewer is priced at $299, making it the most expensive Keurig single serve coffee maker for the home.
Here's a run down of all the features with pictures and briefs, and of course - we'll have a full review soon...
Breville to Launch Single Serve Brewer with Keurig Technology
We've recently gotten word the new Breville/Keurig machine will be coming out this Fall in Q4 2007. Way back in March (and thanks to a post in the forums for a reminder), we got news Breville and Keurig had launched into a partnership to make a new Keurig brewer. The Breville machine will use Keurig K-Cups, and be compatible with all existing K Cups. So, this will allow any new Breville/Keurig brewer owner to choose between Keurig's 150+ varieties of coffee, tea and hot cocoa K-Cups. Currently, Keurig offers K-Cups from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Diedrich, Gloria Jean's, Timothy's, Van Houtte, Celestial Seasonings, Bigelow, Twinings, Tully's and Caribou Coffee.
The Breville-Keurig single-serve brewer will also feature the following:
Stainless steel body and water tank wrap
Diecast handle
64 oz. backlit water reservoir
My-Grind adapter
4 brew sizes (small, regular, large and extra large)
Review: Perfect Pod Holster - Make Your Own K Cups
From the same people who brought us the Perfect Pod Maker now comes the Perfect Pod Holster. The Perfect Pod Holster allows you to use virtually any coffee pod (55mm and greater) in your Keurig coffee Machine. It features a self tamping spring which extracts a cup of coffee or tea by placing a coffee pod into the holster. So you're not really making a K Cup per se, but you now have the ability to use coffee pods in your Keurig brewer.
The Perfect Pod Holster on the left is almost
identical in size to the K Cup
With this new option if you own a Keurig brewer you can now use the following:
This makes the Keurig machine the only single serve coffee brewer that is able to use three different coffee brewing delivery methods.
How good is the Perfect Pod Holster? Does it really make using pods easy with your Keurig brewer? How does it hold up after over 100 cups of coffee? Is this an economical option?
The French Saigon Dark Easily coffee pods are one of our favorite coffees from Fratello, and a regular here at Single Serve Coffee (you can read our review here). These coffee pods come packed in 6 - 16 count boxes totaling 96 coffee pods for just $26. The price per coffee pod roughly works out to $.26 per cup. That's a pretty amazing deal, and we also think the French Saigon Dark coffee pods are one of the best Fratello coffee pods to have in bulk - we like to think of certain blends like a house wine, and these coffee pods fit the bill.
This popular blend is a sure fire hit for those who love the smoky taste of a dark roast
Review: Coffee People Donut Shop Coffee K Cups for Keurig
We can remember our first cup of Donut Shop coffee at the Northeastern Hotel and Diner in Northern Maine. It was nutty, sweet, and had a bit of a raspy feel to it in the throat. We'll also never forget how wired we felt after consuming nearly 5 cups. Coffee People makes great coffees (we really like their Black Tiger Bold), and most of them are on the extra-bold side. We were surprised to hear about the Donut Shop Coffee K Cups coming from Coffee People, because we think of Donut Shop coffee as a bit on the milder side, and very rich with Arabica infused taste.
How does Coffee People tackle this cup of classic american coffee? Is it mild? Or is it bold? How does it stack up against the other Coffee People K Cups out there?
Using Ground Coffee: Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker
The Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker can make coffee using coffee pods or just plain old ground coffee. We have been waiting for a single serve coffee machine to use ground coffee, and for the process not to be a mess, require an additional coffee filter, and to take roughly the same amount of time to prepare. We're happy to say, the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker is the easiest to use single serve coffee machine that can use ground coffee we've ever tested.
A rich interesting cup of Dunkin Donut's Original Blend
Coffee using ground coffee instead of coffee pods.
The process is very simple, because you use the exact same coffee pod filter/ground coffee holder for both brewing methods. The filter basket is made out of metal, so there are no paper coffee filters to use here. The coffee filter basket can hold up to two coffee pods in the 7-11 gram variety, and it can hold up to two scoops of ground coffee for a total of 4 tablespoons of coffee, from the provided coffee scoop in the same filter basket.
You simply put two scoops of coffee (this is the max at 4 tablespoons - though we had ours overfilling the scoop most times) into the basket, and then put the settings on Ground, pick a cup size of 4-12 oz, and then pick the Regular or Bold coffee setting. The results?
Having visited the Nespresso boutique in New York over the summer, we can see why Nestle would want to have more Nespresso boutique locations. The feeling of very high end coffee and pastries fills the air, and you can view and use just about any Nespresso machine the company makes including the new Nespresso Lattissima. And given the sales of home single serve coffee and espresso rising, the company wants to open up to 40 Nespresso boutiques to capture the demand for high-pressure home espresso systems.
And how big is that growth? Managers at the company and existing Nespresso boutiques think it could be as high as 3x current sales. Wow. That's good news for everyone who owns a Nespresso single serve coffee machine.
Okay - here's the rollout as we know it so far - the second Nespresso boutique will open in Bloomingdales in Soho, New York, and the third U.S. Nespresso boutique will open this year in a Bloomingdale's in Washington, and six more are planned for 2008, including a Los Angeles store, and a Miami store may open in 2009.
We'll let you know if one is going to open in an area near you, but don't count on a Nespresso boutique on every corner in the US., but we can dare to dream.
The original release had the Starbucks T Discs for Tassimo debuting sometime in the December time frame, but now it looks like you'll be able to get Starbucks Tassimo T Discs before even Black Friday - just in time for the Thanksgiving shopping extravaganza that occurs the next week. We are looking forward to going to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to get a sample or two (let's hope they have a demo), and to see how the translation of four of Starbucks coffees fair when being brewed in the single serve coffee maker known as Tassimo. The Starbucks T Discs should be available on Tassimodirect.com that day as well and Amazon.com
Note: We've gotten a clarification on the shipping dates. The Starbucks Tassimo T Discs will be available online November 15th, and in-store December 15th.
Tassimo owners will have access to these four Starbucks coffees on November 15th:
That brings the total number of Tassimo beverage offerings to more than 60 worldwide, and a lot sooner than we originally thought. The packaging even looks like Starbucks coffee beans you'd buy in the store.
Review: Nespresso Jalayatra Special Club 2007 Coffee
The Jalaytra Nespresso Capsule and Special Jalaytra Club Cup
We're always excited for the Nespresso Club Coffees from Nespresso, and when we heard about Jalaytra - a hand crafted Indian coffee that made the cut, our excitement grew even more. Jalaytra is a signature Arabica blend from the Malabar region of India. Inspired from the long sea journey and exposure to salty winds that flavored Indian coffees imported by Europe in the 19th century, this blend was created to capture the essence of those long salt ridden sea voyages in a Nespresso capsule.
The flavor of Jalaytra coffee supposedly has a peppery bite with spicy after-notes. How does it hold up? Do we like pepper taste in our coffee? Is this new Nespresso Special Club blend worth picking up at $5.90 for 10 capsules making the coffee $.59 cents a cup?
Paper Coffee Cup Looks like Stainless Steel Travel Mug
We don't advocate throwing away your travel mug each time you use it, but this travel mug is made of paper instead of stainless steel. Made to look like a conventional travel mug, these paperboard made cups are meant to seem like the perfect on the go coffee cup. We're not sure if they are recyclable, but we really hope they are.
Europe: Tchibo Cafissimo Single Serve Coffee Machine
We recently heard about this Tchibo Cafissimo single serve coffee machine only out in Europe at the Single Serve Coffee Forums. It looks like is uses an espresso/coffee capsule system much like the Lavazza Blue. You can make cappuccinos, lattes, and other single serve coffee drinks, along with just straight up coffee.
The name Cafissimo stands for simple and delicious coffee enjoyment. Tchibo presents flavourful Espresso, Caffè Crema, freshly brewed filter coffee and much more. Its unique “3-points-for-enjoyment system” puts all sorts of specialties at your fingertips – always made with the perfect amount of pressure. The practical milk foamer lets you whip up a quick and easy Latte Macchiato or Cappuccino in no time. We wish you a fun, thoroughly enjoyable coffee experience!
First Impressions: Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker
We've been using the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker over the past week and we can say right away - this is an amazing single serve coffee maker, and perhaps one of the best single serve coffee pod brewers we've ever tested. At first we were a little taken back by the straight lines of the design, and the price at $199, but after a week of testing we think the brewer is more than worth it's weight in gold.
One of the things we really like is the brew methods. You can pick between bold or regular when using your favorite coffee or coffee pods, and it does really make a difference. The other big addition over other single serve coffee makers is the piston that squeezes out that last bit of coffee from the coffee pod at the end of the brew cycle, thus eliminating wet soppy coffee pods in the coffee pod holder.
Whirlpool Puts Coffee Pod Brewer in Refrigerator Door
It looks like Whirlpool has put a coffee pod machine inside the door of a refrigerator. The single serve coffee machine in the fridge door might also just be an espresso machine that uses espresso pods. Whatever the coffee machine uses (they say coffee pods), we're really excited. It's a great use of space and the perfect combination - coffee and food.
Unique Espresso maker: - A revolutionary idea, a unique espresso cofee machine, integrated into your side by side. Perfect for the coffee pod system, it can also dispense hot water for other beverages
From the same people who brought us the Perfect Pod Maker now comes the Perfect Pod Holster. The Perfect Pod Holster allows you to use virtually any coffee pod 55mm and greater in your Keurig coffee Machine. It features a self tamping spring which extracts a cup of coffee or tea. So you're not really making a K Cup per se, but you now have the ability to use coffee pods in your Keurig brewer.
We think this is pretty big news. Now if you own a Keurig brewer you can use K Cups, your own coffee using the Reusable K Cup Filter, and coffee pods using the Perfect Pod Holster. This makes the Keurig machine the only single serve coffee brewer that is able to use three different coffee brewing delivery methods.
It looks like the Perfect Pod Holster will be available at Amazon.com later his month on October 22nd, in the mean time As Seen On TV has them in limited quantities. We do have a Perfect Pod Holster in for review, and will have the results very soon.
Unboxing the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker
It's finally arrived - the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker. You can use ground coffee or coffee pods with this Cuisinart single serve coffee maker, and the product features a flavor selector to control coffee intensity (and yes - we've already tried it this morning). The big surprise? The unit features a piston that moves down into place and presses onto the coffee pod to get all that yummy coffee out. That's got to be a single serve coffee first - the coffee pod piston. And one more surprise? It comes with Lavazza coffee pods. Yep - you read that correctly - Lavazza coffee pods.
Here are some pictures of the unboxing of this amazing new coffee pod brewer.
What's under that box flap? A guide and instructional dvd?
Do I see Lavazza coffee pods?
Hot chocolate or hot cocoa is all the rage for these days for single serve coffee machines. We're really excited to see some innovation in the non-coffee hot beverage space, but just wish these innovations would come to US shores first. Chocomel, a very popular chocolate drink in Europe, is heading to Senseo. The kit for Senseo will include a special holder to use in Senseo when making a cup of Chocomel. We'll let you know if we can get one of these to try out.
October 2007 Monthly Round-Up for Single Serve Coffee
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