Having A Fashionable Life!: Single Cup Coffee Machines

For my birthday, I asked my husband for a Tassimo. This was not a decision that I came to suddenly. My coffee drinking days consisted of filling a twelve cup coffee maker with grounds and filters and tons of water. Every morning I would dump the disgusting grounds into the garbage, clean out the thick dark brew left over, and start again. Think about the waste. And as I evaluated this ritual that I'd been in for years, it occurred to me that I was a coffee connoisseur who was treating coffee more like an everyday commodity. I only drink two cups a day. The coffee aisles at the stores are a collector's paradise. I savor good body in coffee. So why was I wasting it?

One of my favorite places to do shopping research is Amazon and so that was the first place that I went. The world of single cup machines is fantastic and varied. Do you want a machine that can make many types of drinks? Should it be able to handle your commuter mug? Do brands matter to you? What about the flavor of the coffee? The first single serve machine that I tried was actually in a Sur La Table in Seattle. Unfortunately, the brew was bitter and lacking in depth. So it turned me off for awhile. But it certainly made me think about the reviews that I was reading. I enjoy dark coffee. If the single cup maker in Seattle had not been able to satisfy my taste, I wanted something that would. These musings led me to to the Tassimo. This machine offers a coffee stand experience but the flavors are limited. I was sacrificing range for quality. The Tassimo line offers Starbucks and Gevalia coffees (among others), a variety of hot chocolates, and tea. Not only could it be a machine for myself but for the family as well. When it arrived, I eagerly read the directions, there was some moderate wait before I could enjoy a freshly brewed up. The machine looks impressive on my countertop. My counters aren't much to look at since they haven't been updated. But the machine seemed to instantly modernize my tired laminate!

Bosch makes a quality product. Every cup of coffee that comes out of my Tassimo is ideal. There are a few things that I wish for now and again such as an extra foamy setting and not to have to hold the button down when I want a larger cup. What I appreciate is how easy it is to have a fresh cup of coffee! And the clean up is simple. I just remove the disk and toss it in the garbage. However, I didn't realize that this was just a gateway machine into a larger world. As I began to explore single cup machines, even after I had chosen the Tassimo, I realized how deep of a lifestyle change it was. This was not just a cup of coffee but a true passion as evidenced by the blog, Single Serve Coffee which is the most AWESOME blog by the way!

I began to explore even deeper I devised a grand coffee scheme. Why did I have to sacrifice? I could have a few machines! This crazy thought occurred to me one day and it was so asinine that I could barely voice it. I still had the 12 cup coffee maker sitting on my counter taking up space. Why not replace it with a little K-cup brewer? Fate dealt a hand in a strange manner. One day shortly after I had this thought but before I could really entertain it, I was perusing Target's clearance shelves when I stumbled quite by accident across an out of box Keurig Mini brewer. It had been marked down a few times and according to the cashier there was nothing wrong with it. How could I resist? Forty dollars for a hundred dollar machine? I snapped it up, feeling giddy as my plan came together (yes, you can make an A-team reference here). Not only that but it was an adorable red color! How could that lovely cherry red go wrong with a fashionista like me? There were a few problems with it when I got it home. Someone had used it and left it dirty (oh cruel world!). I didn't have a manual and found purely by accident there is a drip pan which had not been cleaned. A new one would have come with complimentary k-cups. I had to spend a little extra to get a box of them. After some cleaning and experimentation with different k-cups, I have now found some delicious blends and great satisfaction in the options that both brewers give me. The mini brewer does not crowd my counter either. I had serious doubts about having two machines in my tight coffee corner. But my doubts were put to rest as the Keurig really is mini and slides nicely under the countertop. Now to the fun part of buying lots of flavors. I perused online and there are many buying options but eventually I discovered the nirvana of K-cup stores, Bed, Bath and Beyond! While their online shopping is disappointing, the selection of both K-cups and Tassimo disks in the store is impressive especially considering I am not a huge fan of that particular home store.

There are pros and cons to each machine. Depending on my mood or taste, I find myself going for one or the other. Either way, the convenience and modern technology make my single serve coffee machines things of beauty.