Handpresso Saves the Day During Hurricane Irene

Our Handpresso - the portable espresso maker saved the day for some espresso shots and an americano or two during yesterday's storm. As Hurricane Irene pounded down on us here in Boston we quickly lost power after a giant branch fell from a nearby tree. Luckily we have a gas stove, so we were able to boil some water and use our Handpresso Wild to make lots of yummy espresso shots to get us through the storm.  

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Dr. Drip Coffee Single Serve Coffee Portable Packet Impressions

We've received the full line of Dr. Drip Coffee remedies for your single serve coffee soul here at Single Serve Coffee. Each packet contains a coffee filter you fit over a mug and pour over with hot water to make a perfect cup of coffee. We're surprised on how the packets aren't much bigger than a coffee pod, and so far the coffee is quite good.

How do they brew? Well here are the steps:

1. Tear Open the foil packet
2. Tear off top along line so you don't spill
3. Press Sides inward
4. Place filter on top of coffee cup
5. Pour over hot water filling to the top and wait 20-30 seconds for brewing. Then pour over more water for desired strength.
6. Remove the filter and enjoy some hot coffee.

We'll have a full review soon, but so far so good. Thanks to Dr. Drip Coffee for sending over the packets to review.

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Dr. Drip Coffee Single Serve Brewing System

Dr. Drip Coffee is a new single-serve brewing system that combines the classic drip brewing method with convenience and portability. Each Dr. Drip package contains a mug-perching filter packed with freshly ground Arabica beans for brewing. Given the portability of the Dr. Drip Coffee system you can use it at home or take it on the go.

Dr. Drip prescribes four distinct and flavorful blends:

• The Organic Tonic: A 100% USDA Certified Organic blend
• The Ultimate Pick Me-Up: A Dark Roasted Sumatra Blend for the truly bold and brazen.
• The Double Daily Remedy: A Premium Signature Blend
• The Decaf Energizer: Resounding proof that there’s more to love than just the caffeine buzz.

We like the idea, and it's basically a pour over cone in a coffee cup. We're not sure how the filter is made, but hopefully we'll have some on hands soon to review.

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Singlebrew Single Cup Gourmet Coffee in a Tea Bag

It's crazy to think given the length of time (nearly 20 years) that Singlebrew has been around that we've never heard of them - but we haven't. The story goes the Singlebrew founder was backpacking and was really unhappy with instant coffee (seriously who isn't), and decided to put some coffee in a tea bag. The results were good enough that the result was after the trip to research and create Singlebrew - gourmet coffee in a tea bag.

There is a total of 10 varieties - Colombian, Colombian Decaf and the most popular flavors of Hazelnut, French Vanilla, Swiss Mocha Almond, Irish Cream, Vanilla Nut, Chocolate Raspberry, Cinnamon Nut Swirl and Almond Amaretto.

We'll see if we can round some up to try, and given the amazing weather here in the Northeast, a cup of coffee in the outdoors seems right on the horizon.

At Singlebrew Single Cup Gourmet Coffee

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Tovolo Teago - Portable Single Serve Tea

The Tovolo Teago puts a new spin on "taking tea!" because with the Teago you can enjoy tea anywhere you go one cup at a time. Teago is a reusable 2-5 steep air tight press that draws in hot water and expresses seamlessly for perfect tea in your single serve cup every time.

• Hollow, air tight plunger can brings perfect, flavor-enhancing extraction
• Expresses water quickly, eliminates slow dripping
• Hollow body allows you to pack more tea
• Steel clip holds infuser to side of taller cups and prevents falling in
• Dishwasher safe

At Tovolo Teago - Portable Single Serve Tea

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1-Cup Mini Espresso Maker - Camping Espresso

This little One-Cup Mini Espresso maker is easy to use, and brews one double shot (2.5 fl. oz.) serving of espresso in 90 seconds. It features rugged yet lightweight aluminum construction for fast, even heating.

Via bookofjoe at GSI Outdoors

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Starbucks VIA Heads to US Grocery Stores Nationwide

Starbucks VIA instant coffee is heading to a grocery store near you in over 37,000 retail locations including Target, Costco (Nasdaq: COST), Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Safeway, and even CVS stores this June. It's really no surprise that VIA heads to the place it should have started at. We've never been a huge fan of VIA in a Starbucks, because if we're in a Starbucks we're not thinking about instant coffee.

VIA is however a great alternative to some of the other instant coffees we've tried (read our review of the VIA instant coffee mug here). We think the larger exposure to grocery patrons everywhere should give VIA a big shot in the sales arm, as our observations is VIA doesn't sell that well in a Starbucks retail locations.

Via Fool.com

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Le Whif Breathable Coffee - Inhale Your Single Serve Coffee One Hit at a Time

Why drink your coffee when you can inhale it? Well thanks to the creative engineering by Harvard professor David Edwards, coffee drinkers can now breathe their morning cup of coffee using Le Whif.

How does it work? Users place one end of the stick, which is about the size of a lipstick tube, to their lips, then inhale gently. 'Whiffers' intake about 100 milligrams of caffeine (which is equivalent to a small cup of espresso) and less than a single calorie with each Le Whif.

There isn't that many different coffee Whifs to enjoy just yet, but they expect to add more in the future. The sticks do come in three additional flavors--chocolate, raspberry chocolate, and mint chocolate--and, according to Le Whif's global operations manager the company is working on 'an inhalable three-course meal. Sounds like Wonka magic to us.

Via Huffington Post at Le Whif

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Review: Nescafé Taster's Choice Single Serve Instant Coffee Packs

With the recent arrival of some new Nescafé Taster's Choice Single Serve Instant Coffee Packs, it can only mean it's time for another one of our "mega reviews". Apologies in advance to our readers if this article seems rather long, but we're reviewing over 6 different flavors at once, so keep that in mind.

As we had previously noted, we always thought of Taster's Choice coffees as being something along the lines of our parents' bland freeze-dried crystals and the brand itself has been around since forever, but it appears they've taken a new competitive approach towards Starbucks' VIA instant coffees as they claim the samples they sent us were made from 100% pure coffee beans and their marketing is obviously aimed against Starbucks.

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Review: MyPressi Twist Portable Single Serve Espresso and Coffee Maker

Portable and easy to use espresso machines are all the rage, and the MyPressi Twist is the latest in this growing category of single serve coffee and espresso. The folks behind MyPressi Twist lent us one for just over a week to try and use for this review. It's very much like the Handpresso, except it uses N02 cartridges instead of a built in pump. We've been big users of our Handpresso over the past year, and having seen the MyPressi was hoping for an improvement over the Handpresso or perhaps something different that it would offer. What did we find?

The MyPressi is on the left and the Handpresso is on the right.
The MyPressi is much heavier and larger.

What we found compared to the Handpresso is a much more complicated device that essentially does the same job. There are 5x the amount of parts and things to make the same shot of espresso and the Handpresso is much lighter and more environmentally friendly requiring only a little muscle to pump it versus using NO2 cartridges in the MyPressi Twist - but more on that later.

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Taster's Choice Single Serve Coffee Packets Arrive for Review

In our mind here at Single Serve Coffee, Taster's Choice represents the original instant coffee in a packet. Starbuck's VIA is the new kid on the block, but is Taster's Choice as good as this new kid? We'll let you know as we sample Taster's Choice this week and also some more Starbuck's VIA. We were also never sure what exactly Taster's Choice was growing up besides something instant, but according to the web site it's 100% pure coffee.

The big factor here is price - with Starbuck's VIA at around $.83-1.00 a cup, Taster's Choice single serve packet's will only set you back $.25 per cup of single serve coffee. There's also more variety with Original, Decaffeinated, 100% Colombian, Gourmet Roast, Vanilla, and Hazelnut, but like we always say - it's going to depend on if the flavor and taste is there. We'll have a full review soon.

At NESCAFE TASTERS CHOICE

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MyPressi Twist Portable Single Serve Coffee Maker Arrives for Review

We finally have gotten our little single serve coffee hands on a MyPressi Twist. What is the MyPressiTwist? Using a unique pneumatic engine, the sleek portable MyPressi TWIST eliminates the coffee-line wait, the high price tag for quality machinery and the on-the-road "where am I going to get my coffee" quandary. It's very much like the Handpresso, except it uses N02 cartridges instead of a built in pump.

The MyPressi is on the left and the Handpresso is on the right.
The MyPressi is much heavier and larger.

How does the MyPressi Twist work? To operate the mypressi TWIST, simply insert a cartridge into the pressure chamber, fill the basket with fresh ground coffee or a coffee pod, and fill the upper compartment with hot water. With a simple pull of the trigger the TWIST produces one or two shots of espresso perfection ready to be enjoyed alone, or as the base for any coffee beverage. The TWIST has an easy-to-clean design that is also dishwasher safe, ensuring even after months of use that there are no left over oils to oxidize or spoil subsequent shots.

We'll have a full review soon.

At MyPressi and MyPressi Twist

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Battery Powered Portable Espresso Machine - Portable Espresso

Portable espresso is all the rage the last few years with entrants to the field like the Handpresso and the My Pressi. We do think this Espresso machine from Stelton looks pretty interesting, as the unit is battery powered, and runs on ESE pods to deliver a cup of espresso wherever and whenever you need it during your day. At a little under 180 GBP, or about $290US, the unit doesn't come cheap. Then again, what high quality espresso device does?

Via Single Serve Espresso at Stelton

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Review: Solobrew - The French Press to Go

We've seen a lot of portable single serve coffee makers in our time, including the Handpresso, My Pressi Twist, Starbucks Via Mug, and Jetboil for hiking. Well - they're a mixed bag of tricks with some making better coffee than others. We've like the Handpresso so far, but the Handpresso also costs $99+ dollars and requires ESE pods, hot water, and some pumping power in that arm of yours. So along comes the Solobrew - basically a mini-french press that is both portable and disposable after you use the 4 refills it comes with, and we have to say we're impressed.

You can see here - fill with water, insert the plunger, and then steep and plunge.
Totally french press like.

The SoloPress, also known as French Press To-Go is a disposable and refillable single serve French Press (Press Pot). The SoloPress is conveniently pre-packaged with easy to use disposable plunger units, and the SoloPress brews quickly with some preparation and has a bit of a wet mess to clean up. Well - not a huge mess really - just a rather large wet coffee pod like bad that contains the plunger - but if you're brewing coffee - it's acceptable.

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