We've been roasting our own coffee here at Single Serve Coffee over the summer months (more on that next week), and can tell you - it's nice to have a device but total computer control? Overkill. Okay, perhaps for the super serious roaster at home, but for most of us the feel of how the roast is going and controlling the roasting profile manually is part of the fun.
Here's how it works:
A fan inside the roaster controls the roasting process. The roasting chamber itself uses two tubes, one made of bakelite and the other a 3-inch diameter glass tube. To prevent damaging the setup and to allow for heat dissipation, this amazing Computer-Controlled Coffee Roaster uses a high temperature RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanizing) Silicone. A screen at the bottom of the device can be used to empty the roaster and get freshly roasted beans at any time.
We can see the reasons for going this route, but don't do this inside at home or prepare for smoke, noise, and other problems. Click on through for more details on this insane home roasting setup. And yes, even as we've written this article we realize that basically we want the above, and long for more control of our roasting process.
Is soy coffee any good? Right now we have no idea, but just came upon it the other day, and found the proposition interesting. Apparently the "coffee" produced is both mild and of course organic - that's if you're looking for a coffee alternative. We're gong to try and track some down in the next few weeks, and get a cup or two brewing in the Keurig and Bunn My Cafe.
Have you tried soy coffee? Is it any good? Sound off in the comments and let us know. Also is soy coffee supposed to be soycoffee or soyfee? And what's so different about their french press in the video below? It's all so confusing.
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?
We've been pretty excited about the Presso single serve coffee and espresso maker from Presso.ca. Currently, the Presso is only available in Canada and other countries across the globe, but for a short time All-Clad made a version here in the US. We're not sure why they decided not to continue carrying the Presso, because with a few days of Presso use under our belts, we were able to make an amazing cup of single serve coffee and espresso.
Presso is very unique. Maybe not as unique as the Aeropress from Aerobie (come on - the inventor also invented the Aerobie frisbee), but the Presso sure looks the part. What's interesting is how impressed we are with pressing our own espresso or double-shot Americano using the Presso. It's really fun, and the results can be varied until you get to know your Presso.
Okay - for one last time - what is the Presso?
A Revolutionary way to make connoisseur espresso coffee at home. From the Design centre of Europe comes the innovation of the era. A multi award winning product that makes espresso as easy as one…two…three. PRESSO puts you in control.
And it truly is and we do feel in control - seriously we do!
We have only had Toddy coffee at Seattle's Best called the Naughty Toddy. It's nice to see the original Toddy can be purchased for your home instead of having to go to your local coffee shop. The Toddy system was created in 1964 by Todd Simpson. He developed and patented a cold brew system that, using regular Arabica coffee beans, creates a cup of steaming HOT coffee with 67% LESS ACID. It doesn't produce it steaming actually, because the end result is a coffee concentrate you mix with hot water or hot milk.
We like the single serving size (as you can use the Toddy coffee concentrate that you make for one cup at time), and we also like the fact you can store the leftover coffee in the fridge cold Toddy coffee later in the day. The part we don't like is making the coffee 12 hours in advance to enjoy the next day. You can read more about the entire Toddy brew process, but we would imagine using the Toddy System for iced coffee and not for hot coffee due to the prep.
We don't think you can get any more single serve coffee than this tiny little french press that fits inside a clear coffee mug from Bodum. Sure you'll have to use ground coffee and perhaps a little elbow grease, but we expect the results will be worth it.
We are always learning something new in the Single Serve Coffee Forums - herbal coffee that tastes like a Pina Colada? Herbal coffee is something the staff is not that familiar with at Single Serve Coffee, but it does sound intriguing. What is this herbal coffee called? Teeccino.
Teeccino Caffeine-free Herbal Coffee made of a blend of herbs, grains, fruits and nuts that are roasted and ground to brew and taste just like coffee. Unlike instant coffee substitutes, Teeccino brews just like coffee in all types of coffee brewers. Teeccino comes in seven different flavors including: Vanilla Nut, Mocha, and regular Herbal Teeccino.
We'll see if we can track some Teeccino down to sample and review. Sounds interesting to the staff here at Single Serve Coffee, but we're not going giving up our precious caffeine any time soon.
Single serve coffee drinkers who want to start their day on an ecologically friendly note may want to fill their mugs with Solar Roast Coffee—a fresh new brew for java lovers that is roasted using clean abundant solar energy.
Solar Roast Coffee uses only 100% organic or fair trade coffee beans. Their special solar-powered roasting technique ensures the least impact on the environment. Not just a regular roaster powered by solar panels, Solar Roast’s Helios 2.0 catches rays of sunshine directly on a drum roaster filled with beans. The roaster is capable of reaching temperatures upwards of 550 degrees Fahrenheit, and swivels and tilts allowing it to track the sun throughout the day.
The first Solar Roast Cafe opened in Pueblo early this year, and the company already has plans to open more locations in the western U.S, and also operates an online store. Coffees begin around USD 12 per pound.
We'll be totally honest - we don't usually cover too much whole bean or ground coffee here at Single Serve Coffee, but when we found out about the new David Lynch coffee, we just had to mention it. We're BIG David Lynch fans around here, enjoying anything David Lynch, and really liking the dirty confusion one feels after watching one of his movies or TV shows. We can now only imagine the single serve coffee madness when drinking a cup of David Lynch coffee. "Yeah - I think I can see some little man in my cup of coffee talking backwards...hmmm....yes...I'm about to pass out..."
Edward: This coffee is great. It's rich, dark, and brews a read more IslandGal: "We also really like the logo of 3 colored dots, read more Lori: Is this compatible with the solofill v1? read more Floyd Fisher: I actually talked to Kraft about those....they are supposed to read more alison thompson: I received a Mr Coffee Keurig coffeemaker for Christmas. It read more