It's also a time of eating and shopping - you will want to check out our Single Serve Coffee 2007 Holiday Gift Guide and our extensive Single Serve Coffee Maker Reviews. We put into the gift guide the best single serve coffee had to offer, and our reviews post features all the reviews of every single serve coffee machine we've done over the past 3 years.
Bodum Pavina Double-Wall Thermo Glasses - Drink Coffee in the Clear
We love the Bodum Pavina 9-Ounce Double-Wall Thermo Glasses, because drinking coffee in a clear mug just doesn't get any better. The Bodum glasses suspend the coffee in a cradle of transparent goodness, and if you mix in a little cream and sugar, you'll witness a storm of sweetness within the clear walls flowing through your coffee.
Crafted of borosilicate glass, which is also used to make scientific lab equipment, the pair is exceptionally strong, lightweight, and thermal. The two-layer construction also resists heat and prevents condensation, so no matter what temperature the beverage is, the glasses remain comfortable to hold and safe for any tabletop.
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November 28, 2007
Review: Starbucks House Blend T Discs for Tassimo
Starbucks coffee is finally available for the Tassimo Hot Beverage System. We've been drinking the four new T Disc coffee blends over the past week, and thought we'd start with the Starbucks House Blend coffee T Discs. We're pretty big fans of Starbucks on the go, so we're pretty familiar with just about any of their coffees, and we've always enjoyed the House Blend and Sumatra blend coffees they've made over the past years.
The Starbucks House Blend coffee T Discs are supposed to taste just like the Starbucks House Blend coffee you'd make in your drip coffee maker or pick up at Starbucks. How good is it? Is it even close to being as good as coffee at Starbucks or coffee produced in a drip coffee maker?
Get Tassimo Hot Beverage System for $99 and FREE Shipping
Amazon.com has the Tassimo TA 1400 for $129.99. That's $40 off the standard price of $169.99. You can then send in a mail in rebate for $30.00 and the item qualifies for FREE Shipping. That brings the price after rebate for the Tassimo to $99. So if you're looking to get a Tassimo for a holiday gift, nows the time.
Tassimo price after price reduction, rebates, and FREE shipping $99
Brews: A variety of hot beverages via patented T DISC technology
T DISC Varieties: Fully compatible with each brewer
Water Tank: Extra-large 68 oz. water tank
Filter: Built-in water filtration system included, filters sold separately
Design: Sleek exterior with gold accents
Cup Stand: Adjustable cup stand to accommodate cups, mugs, travel mugs, etc.
We've received a set of the Starbucks Coffee T-Discs for Tassimo. These T Discs are using the larger milk sized T-Disc, and the coffee produced so far is very very Starbucks. Right now we're sipping on a cup of Starbucks House Blend produced from our Tassimo Hot Beverage System, and we would be hard pressed to tell the difference from a cup brewed at Starbucks instead of in the Single Serve Coffee test kitchen.
We should have a review or two later this week. The T-Discs are packed 12 to a package at a cost of $9.29, putting the cost per T Disc at about $.78 a cup. That's half the cost a normal cup of Starbucks coffee in the store.
Tassimo owners now have access to these four Starbucks coffees for the Tassimo Hot Beverage System:
The cup is made out of sugar and can be reused 3-4 times.
Want a biodegradable coffee cup that tastes and looks sweet? Anna Bullus’s Sugar Cup gives new meaning to term ‘biodegradeable’ with a vanishing cup made entirely of sugar. There is also no need to add sugar to your tea or coffee — as you can just add your tea or coffee to the sugar cup. One Cup or Two can be used up to four times, and come in an assortment of flavors including plain, almond and Irish Whiskey. This might also make a great Mojito cup as well.
Review: Breville BKC600XL Gourmet Single Cup Brewer - Use K-Cups and Ground Coffee
Breville is widely known for making exceptional small kitchen appliances, and for producing very attractive small appliances. We were very excited to find out that indeed Keurig and Breville had teamed up this year to introduce a high end Keurig brewer designed by Breville. The results are exceptional - a very polished interesting staineless steel design, with Keurig K Cup brewing technology, and all the features you can get in any Keurig machine - including the reuseable My K Cup integrated into the machine allowing you to use your own ground coffee instead of K Cups, and a charcoal water filter in the tank reservoir.
'Tis the season to be shopping for all things single serve coffee, and to have a chance to win something single serve coffee to give to that special someone
On the holiday shopping front the Black Friday madness has begun, and also special deals on things single serve coffee, and not so single serve coffee. Amazon is going to have several deals on their Black Friday Deals Page hopefully coffee related. Also you might want to check out the products this week that Amazon customers have voted on their Customer Voting Deals, as you'll be able to get a Nintendo Wii for less than $100 bucks to go with your single serve coffee maker.
And if you're looking for our latest reviews of the newest single serve coffee products, check out our reviews category. We'll also have a review of the Breville BKC600XL Gourmet Single Cup Brewer on Monday.
Keurig Updates Brewing System - Puncture Needle Changes
Keurig has updated the brewing needle used to puncture and pass hot water into a K Cup. The older Keurig brewing needle looked more like a syringe - a very large scary syringe. The new Keurig brewing needle is more of a pointed hook with a hole on one side.
The older brewing needle seen in the Keurig B70 Brewer
and other Keurig systems. More like a giant syringe.
Shot of coffee anyone?
Updated puncture needle - more like a hook, with
space on the sides for water to pass through.
Is there any difference in taste of the coffee we brewed using K Cups? Not really. We think the coffee produced from both the older Keurig needle and the updated needle is about the same, with the updated machine doing a better job on the darker roasts (given our side by side tests today). We do know the needle change is for better extraction, and we're glad Keurig had updated the brewer with the change at no cost to the price in the system.
Perhaps the change is also for other types of hot beverages coming in the future? Perhaps to make sure it never clogs with said beverages? Only time will tell.
Update: We'd also like to add - this change has been in effect since the August/September time frame. Any B70 you purchase will have this new improved extraction needle.
Holiday Gift Picks: Nespresso Lattissima - One Touch Cappuccinos and Lattes
We simply love the Nespresso Lattissima (you can read our full review here). If you're looking to get that special someone something truly special, the Nespresso Lattissima delivers cappuccinos and lattes with the touch of a button. It can also make some of the best espresso money can buy, and sure it will set you back $699, but don't you think that single serve coffee drinker in your life is worth it?
Nespresso Lattissima Highlights:
One touch fresh milk froth function for preparing a range of espresso-based beverages
Adjustable cup platform for filling coffee cups, as well as latte glasses
Auto clean automatic rinsing function
Heated upper surface for warming cups on the satin chrome model
Nespresso Lattissima Technical Details:
Twin pump heating system, one for frothing and one for making espresso - can be used at the same time
19 Bar high-pressure pump
Auto cappuccino function, which produces a one-touch cappuccino in less than one minute or latte macchiato in one minute and 20 seconds
Review: Hazelnut Dark Roast Extra Bold K Cups from Green Mountain
We're not the biggest flavored coffee drinkers here at Single Serve Coffee, but every once in awhile a flavored coffee comes into our lives and can change our coffee drinking habits. Hazelnut Dark Roast Extra Bold is just such a flavored K Cup coffee.
We often wonder what we could be doing with our steam radiators when it comes to coffee and snacks. It looks like this very interesting concept of a ceramic plate that sits on a steam radiator makes it easy to keep your coffee hot and your snacks warm. The radiator coffee warmer isn't available yet, but something similar should be easy enough to cook up for yourself should you live in a house or building that has steam radiators.
Review: Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker - Use Coffee Pods or Ground Coffee
With the introduction of the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker, you can finally purchase a single serve coffee maker that uses ground coffee and coffee pods all in the same filter basket. This is also the first coffee pod brewer to feature a charcoal water filter inside the water reservoir. We've written quite a few articles to round out our review since the launch of the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker including:
Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker first news
Unboxing, the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker
First Impressions of the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker
Using Ground Coffee in the Cuisinart SS-1 Cup-O-Matic Single Serve Coffee Maker
Win a Lavazza Blue Home Espresso Maker from Cafe Razzi
Single Serve Espresso and Single Serve Coffee are giving away a Lavazza Pininfarina Blue LB1010 Home espresso maker (you can read our thoughts and impressions here on this new machine). To be eligible to win you need to be signed up for the Single Serve Coffee mailing list and the Single Serve Espresso mailing list. This is an amazing opportunity to win a machine and coffee valued at over $400. Can you say - killer holiday gift? A special thanks to Cafe Razzi for donating the machine to giveaway.
Sign Up for Single Serve Espresso Mailing List
We'll pick a winner at the end of the month after Thanksgiving so you can have your new Lavazza Blue Home espresso and single serve coffee maker before the holidays.
Brewing a Cup of Coffee with the Breville BKC600XL Gourmet Single Cup Brewer
We know everyone is really excited about the Breville BKC600XL Gourmet Single Cup Brewer, and is anxious for a review and first impressions. So - instead of making you wait for too long as we do our testing, the staff here at Single Serve Coffee thought you might enjoy this short film.
We really think if you're going to put the money down on a machine that does it all - check out the Nespresso Lattissima. We love the one touch cappuccinos and lattes, and the espresso and coffee produced from the machine is excellent.
We also think the Nespresso Romeo is a very interesting and expensive single serve coffee maker we'd love to have in our kitchen again this year. We reviewed the Nespresso Romeo a few years ago, and we often think back to how cool it is and how amazing the coffee was as well.
$400
We like the new Lavazza Blue Home Edition from Cafe Razzi. The machine is small, and allows you to create just about any coffee drink you can think of. You can read our first impressions here.
$350
We recommend the Nespresso Le Cube. The design is sharp and interesting and you'll have your hands full of espresso and single serve cups of coffee.
Here's the world of the Senseo Supreme single serve coffee maker and also the Nespresso Essenza C100 . We love both of these. The Senseo Supreme will allow you to use the largest variety of coffee pods for your single serve dollar, and the Nespresso Essenza will get you in the Nespresso club on the cheap, but the espresso and single serve coffee will be very god.
On the Keurig front, the Keurig B60 rings in at only $149.99. It will get you into the Keurig club for a great price with almost all the features of the more expensive Keurig B70.
Under $100
We love the classic Senseo for the price. It's only going to set you back ~$50-60 dollars and it can use a large variety of coffee pods. We also think the Keurig B40 will get you into the world of Keurig and K Cups for the right price. At $99 bucks the Keurig B40 can't be beat for ease of use and variety in single serve coffee.
We also recommend the Krups My Cafe. This little number can make two cups of single serve coffee using coffee pods at a time and bang for the buck - it makes an excellent cup of single serve coffee.
Under $50
We recommend the Aeropress single serve coffee maker. It's not one you plug in, but you can hand craft and make perfect cups of single serve coffee every time. The best part - you can use whatever coffee you like and the coffee produced is amazing.
And if you're looking for more K Cups than just those from Green Mountain Coffee, you can check out CoffeeWiz.com. They have the largest assortment of K Cups around, and offer K Cups from Timothy's and others.
There's also always Amazon.com. They offer all the K Cup varieties and have a huge assortment of 2 packs and other special offers.
Coffee Cups
We love the Bodum Pavina Double-Wall Thermo Glasses and we think you will too. This is a perfect gift for the coffee lover looking to be different and have their coffee look interesting while they drink it.
Coffee Accessories
How can you go wrong with the BonJour Primo Latte Frother with Stand? For less than $30 bucks, you can have your milk frothed and enjoy a little more texture in your single serve coffee.
We also really like the Aeroccino Automatic Milk frother from Nespresso. It works and works well. You simply pour the milk in and hit the button, and in less than a minute, you have nice hot frothed milk.
Nespresso C100T Essenza Single Serve Espresso and Coffee Machine
The Nespresso C100T Essenza is still one of our most used and favorite single serve espresso and coffee machines here at Single Serve Coffee. It's one of the most affordable Nespresso machines as well at just over $200, and has a very tiny footprint on your countertop. We also just really like the way the Nespresso C100T Essenza looks - a nice flowing top along with a perfect set of colors in a matte finish. If you're wondering what the big change is from the Nespresso C90 to the Nespresso C100T Essenza, it's the ability to program an espresso and lungo sized coffee on the two coffee buttons that appear on the front of the machine.
Overall features are:
High-pressure pump (19 bars)
Thermoblock heating element
Programmable and automatic control of the amount of coffee in the cup
Functional handle allows for easy coffee preparation
Automatic ejection of used capsules on lifting the handle
Unboxing the Breville BKC600XL Gourmet Single Cup Brewer
We've just unboxed the Breville BKC60XL Gourment Single Cup Brewer. The Breville single cup brewer uses Keurig K Cups and also the reuseable Keurig My K Cup coffee filter that can use ground coffee. The machine is pretty stunning once unboxed, and we are really excited by the charcoal water filter, and the My K Cup storage on the top. For a full list of features of the new Breville BKC600XL Gourmet Single Cup Brewer please see our earlier post. Now - let the unboxing begin!
Do we see some K Cups in this box? A K Cup sampler pack?
New Extra Bold and Decaf K Cups from Green Mountain Coffee
It's official! Green Mountain Coffee has four new K Cups for your Keurig K Cup single serve coffee maker. The best part? Three of the four are extra bold K Cups. We like our coffee rich and sweet and look forward to sampling these new K Cups - especially the Hazelnut Dark Roast Extra Bold. These K Cups will be in limited supply until the New Year - so get them while you can.
Hazelnut Dark Roast Extra Bold - The sweet, buttery flavors of toasted hazelnuts layered over the rich flavors and subtly smokey aromas of our darker-roasted coffee.
Double Black Diamond Extra-Bold K Cups - Our darkest Extra Bold coffee is heavy-bodied, with a dark and toasty flavor. On a darkness scale of 1-10, this one goes to eleven.
Dark Magic Decaf Extra Bold - Spellbinding complexity. Deep, dark and intense. Enjoy our most popular Extra Bold coffee, now available in decaf!
Half-Caff Blend K Cups -Perfect when you want a little late-afternoon or evening pick-me-up without a sleepless night.
November 2007 Monthly Round-Up for Single Serve Coffee_2007.jpg)
November is always an interesting month here at Single Serve Coffee. With the introduction of new single serve brewers like the 
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We highly recommend the 
