New Toys

Soooo... I've always been against those fancy coffee makers that use the pre-packaged portions of coffee because I think it's a waste and over-priced.  That being said, John and I have been debating the necessity of us to have a coffee maker at all in the new house because we only occasionally drink coffee at home, and I only drink coffee when I really need it in the mornings; so, needless to say, we will never go through a full pot of coffee in a day.  However, for John's birthday, his parents saved us the decision and got us a Keurig one-cup-at-a-time coffee maker. 

We've been playing with it all afternoon.  You can get two small cups (there's a small and a large setting, 7.25oz vs 9.25oz)  out of the K-cups (the flavor cups) before it just gets too weak to be any good.  John's mom says that the second cup after a large brew is noticeably weak-tasting, but I am not so picky, so I can't really say.  I know I brewed a small and a large from one K-cup of tea to fill my big mug, and it tastes just fine.

We, of course, had to get the K-cup carousel to display all the flavors.  :)  Yay for counter space!

I think my opinions have been reversed on the fancy coffee maker for a few reasons: 1 - portion control.  It's nice to be able to throw my travel mug under there and not have to either brew a whole pot or pay McDonald's $1.53 if I need coffee in the morning.  2 - flavor selections beyond coffee.  Twinings, Bigelow, and Celestial Seasonings have gotten in on the Keurig system, so I can get my teas too.  3 - "my K-cups."  This one might be the most important for me, but they now make tiny, fillable filters to fit the Keurig system, so you can still buy coffee in bulk like a normal person.  They say "make your own blends," but I see it as "not being chained to their expensive coffees."  :)