We've been patiently following the entire RFID K-Cup/V-Cup brewer story at Single Serve Coffee Forums, and comments on earlier posts here at Single Serve Coffee. According to an FCC filing Keurig plans to release an RFID-enabled coffee brewer with the FCC ID YMSKAEFUHRVI1G200. This reveals vey little about the brewer itself, and we're unsure if this brewer(s) would be for consumer or business use.
Canadian Grocery Chains Enter Knock-off K-Cup Scene
We received news from our Canadian Correspondent, SH, that Canadian grocery chains have started to imitate a practice which recently popped-up this side of the border: knock-off imitation K-Cups. We’ve seen our fair share of good knock-offs (Rogers Family Company) to the downright awful (Grove Square), so let’s see what SH thought of the first Canadian Knock-off K-Cup to hit store shelves up North.
From SH: I was recently at my local Sobeys (major Canadian grocery chain store) last month and noticed they had come out with their own brand of knock-off K-Cups via their in-house "Our Compliments" brand. There were a total of 3 flavors: Light Roast, Medium Roast & Dark Roast (yes, those are the flavor "names"). Each are sold in 12-packs for $6.99 CAD and are a few dollars cheaper than the usual price of $8.49 for Folgers K-Cups or $8.99 for Van Houtte K-Cups. I snapped a quick pic from my cell phone & decided to try the dark roast.
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This code offers 15% off the entire store at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. and free standard shipping (no minimum purchase), and is valid until 02.29.12. This discount cannot be combined with any other offer, including Café EXPRESS discounts. This will get you a ton of your favorite K-Cups for a bit cheaper than you normally pay.
We've seen a lot of very cool iPhone apps in the past year, but nothing as cool as an app that puts single serve coffee in your pictures.Percolatorcreates different colored coffee like drops and "percs" up pretty amazing retouched pictures. You control detail with new Grind options, including an auto-contrast and color adjustment option.
On Twitter / @sweetmarias we've found what appears to be a picture of the home version of the Bunn Trifecta. We're pretty excited to see this machine debut in the coming months, and we're thinking the Housewares show in Chicago Bunn will unveil this machine for home. Maybe they'll debut the machine ever sooner. Not much is known right now, but from the picture above it has a built in grinder, flavor dial, and a portion dial. Thanks to everyone who sent this in and mad props to Josh.
Star Wars Breakfast Beverages Put the Force In Your Morning
Sometime here at Single Serve Coffee we just can't resist the non-single serve coffee options out there to make our week a little better. This set of 3 different morning beverages of coffee, cocoa, and tea allow you to wake up with the galaxy's best offerings.
Vader's Dark Side Roast Coffee is commonly enjoyed by Dark Lords of the Sith while planning new Death Star construction, but is also enjoyed in the break room by your common stormtrooper. A blend of three diverse coffees and two different roasts creates a full-bodied, sharp, cup with spicy undertones and smoky, dark-roasted complexity.
Dagobah Green Tea is the drink of choice of Jedi Masters. If you need a moment alone to ponder the Force, do it while sipping a hot cup of Yoda's favorite green tea.
Hoth Cocoa is guaranteed to warm you all the way to your bones When life gives you snow, melt it into water and use it to make a steaming cup of rich, creamy Hoth Cocoa in the morning or after sledding.
Swiss Miss K-Cups are now available at Green Mountain Coffee. The Swiss Miss K-Cups produce a rich and creamy chocolate experience the whole family can enjoy. All you have to do is pop a Swiss Miss K-Cup portion pack into your Keurig brewer, and those after skiing moments will last even longer with your loved ones. Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate cocoa mix is made in a real dairy where milk from local farms is delivered daily, dried and then blended with premium, imported cocoa.
Starbuck's Roasted Blonde Coffee is Not Made of People
Starbuck's has done it again with a name that we think is a bit odd for coffee - Blonde. We know the roast profile is "light" - but Roasted Blonde coffee? Sounds more like coffee made out of people than a great cup of light roasted coffee.
But snarkiness aside - Starbuck's Blonde Roast rounds out their light, medium, and dark roast offerings they offer each day. Pike's Place is the medium roast, and with dark being held by their espresso or Italian roast - we guess they had to get a blonde in there.
We did get to try the new Blonde Roast, and for us - we'll stick with Pike's Place or an Americano. It's a bit too light for our tastes, but some of the rest of the staff thought it was solid. Right now you can get it ground or even in VIA form. Let us know what you think after a cup of Blonde or two.
Single Serve Coffee at Retail Stores - Target 2012
Right now Keurig powered single serve coffee makers control
an entire aisle across from drip coffee makers in most Target stores.
We've been traveling around to various brick and mortar stores, and our goal is to look at the state of single serve coffee from a consumer point of view. First up on our look at single serve coffee is retail giant Target. If you're unfamiliar with Target as a massive retail store, then you probably live somewhere we've never heard of. Even in our home state of Maine, Target has made in roads as far north as Bangor, and from what we've seen Target has stores in almost every state in the nation.
Starbucks Drive-Through Store Made Out of Shipping Containers
Starbucks' in-house architects have created a new cargo-tecture structure located in Tukwila, Washington. The 4 containers provide about 450 square feet of interior space, and three baristas in roughly the same area that they would occupy in a conventional coffee shop.
The LEED-certified storefront is part of Starbucks' efforts to increase the sustainability, while reducing environmental and operating costs. We really love pre-fab or using pre-made materials instead of wood, bricks, and steel. It also is a pretty stunning design.
Year of Indulgence Giveaway from GMCR Cafe Escapes
In celebration of their Cafe Escapes K-Cups, and how indulgent they are for those special moments during your single serve beverage week - we’re giving to one lucky winner a one-year subscription to Birchbox compliments of Green Mountain Coffee.
What is Birchbox? Every month you’ll receive a hot pink present filled with luxurious samples of high-end beauty products from companies like Laura Mercier, Kiehl’s, and Kerastase. So resolve to take a "you" moment today, and every day in 2012. Brew up a warm mug of Café Escapes to go with it and try your luck today by subscribing to our mailing list below.
How do you win? Simply sign up for the Single Serve Coffee newsletter by using the form below, or by following this link. We'll be drawing the winner randomly from the mailing list on Wed, January 25th at 12am. If you're name is on the list - you have a chance to win!
Review: CBTL Americano Single Serve Coffee, Espresso, and Hot Beverage System
CBTL has introduced the Americano single serve coffee, espresso, and hot beverage system recently, and it's packed with features you'll love in a single serve coffee maker. We received the CBTL system from them (thanks for sending) a few weeks ago and have been using it daily since. The machine look and feel is modern, and there's even an adjustable cup stand that just makes sense when you make coffee, espresso, and also hot chocolate with such a machine. We also really love the fact you can use a really tall travel mug to make coffee to go.
Mr. Coffee Single Serve Coffee Maker Looks Great in White
We've not seen the Mr. Coffee Single Serve Coffee Maker in white, and right off the bat we like it. We think it has an almost ethereal quality - almost Tron like in it's look and feel. Powered by Keurig brewing technology for coffeehouse quality at home, the Mr. Coffee single serve coffee maker is compatible with Keurig K-Cup portion packs. It features a removable drip tray, On/Off Indicator Light, and brews a cup of coffee in just minutes. If you need more details on this coffee maker you can read our full review here.
We're not really sure how many years this massive single serve coffee maker and hot beverage system has been working at Lanes and Games in Cambridge, MA, but it's size and design is of an age gone by. We remember getting our first non-sanctioned cup of hot cocoa from one of these bad boys, and we also remember sneaking some coffee at bowling to be passed around to friends when in Junior High. We found this machine's coffee to be understated and the shear amount of beverages it offers to be mind blowing. If you want to check it out - stop by Lanes and Games for a Sunday afternoon of pinball and candlepin bowling. Give the machine your money and it will always make you a cup of single serve coffee with a lingering taste of the previous beverage it served.