Keurig

My husband surprised me with an early Christmas present! I got a Keurig Platnium. I have been using it for a month now and I love it!

I owned a regular coffee pot and single serve coffee pot. I liked the regular coffee pot for company because I could brew a whole pot. It did not work well otherwise. I couldn't ever get a good flavor. My coffee would either be too weak or too strong. The single serve one was awful. You added the amount of water you wanted and it would brew either one or two mugs or a caraffe. There isn't a warmer unit in the bottom, so the caraffe didn't hold heat long. The inside of this pot had a lot of nooks and cranies and it got nasty looking in there. I didn't know how to get them all cleaned out and knew that the water was hitting these spots before entering the cups, so I threw the whole thing out. YUCK!
The beauty of Kcups is that everything is premeasured and the Keurig does the work for you. Plus everyone can just make a cup of the flavor that they want in less than 5 minutes. You can also buy a filter and use any loose coffee or tea you have.
The Keurig Platnium has 5 cups sizes to choose from when brewing. They range from 3.25oz to 13.25oz. I am typically a 13.25ouncer. The first few times I used it I made smaller sizes, but I felt like it was a little wasteful. You can only use each Kcup one time no matter what size cup you choose. Well it's not that you can't, it's that you won't drink the following cup if you do. It ends up very watery. If I am making a cup for more than one person, and they want the same flavor, I will just brew it into a glass measuring cup and then portion it into coffee mugs.
I add creamer to my coffees because I don't like a strong coffee taste. I do prefer to use a stronger brew so the creamer doesn't overwhelm the coffee. I am keeping a log of the ones I like, love, and loathe. So far the only ones I loathe are the Columbian and House Brews I have tried. Even with a Creme Brulee creamer, they were horrible. My favorite flavor (so far) is Gloria Jean's Butter Toffee with Creme Brulee creamer. Tastes like it came from a coffee house. I am drinking a Chai Latte from Cafe Escapes today and it is wonderful without adding anything.
You can even brew teas and hot cocoa in your Keurig. My daughter and I use it to make hot chocolate all the time, but I haven't purchased any hot cocoa Kcups. We just scoop the hot chocolate into the mug and then use it to add the hot water. My daugher loves it! She gets to help and use Mommy's new machine, so it's fun for her. (Just make sure you remember to remove the last Kcup before brewing or there will be coffee in the cocoa.)
If I had to guess, I would say that it has already paid for itself. I am no longer going to the station for a cappucinno on a daily basis. I do occasionally head to Starbucks for a flavor I can't get for my Keurig yet. Starbucks is making Kcups now, but they don't come in the Holiday flavors yet.

Ice Cold Crack-To Go

The Casey's General Store by my house has Ice Cold to Go coffee. I'm pretty sure it's made with crack. I am addicted! I actually crave them. Since I am a SAHM(stay at home mom) who watches other children, I can't just jump in the car and get one plus my habit is getting a little costly. In order to save money, and stop my hands from shaking, I decided to try and make it myself. I had a coupon for $1.50 off Starbucks VIA and decided I would use that. That is until I got to the store and saw that they cost as much per serving as the premade crack version at Casey's. I then looked at Nescafe Taster's Choice Vanilla single serve packets. $3.74 for 20. Even my crack (remember I am talking about coffee not actual crack) withdrawn mind can see that the Nescafe is a much better deal.
Ok, so I have my Nescafe and some Coffee Mate Natural Bliss caramel creamer and I begin trying to make my own yummy iced coffee. First I made it per the directions for a hot coffee. I prepared 6oz of hot water and added the packet. I tasted it without the creamer first, just for fun. I actually liked it and could taste the vanilla. I then added the creamer to taste and followed by adding ice. I ended up with a watered down version of what I wanted.
Day 2. Really need my fix. I am going to try again. This time I prepare 4oz of hot water and add the packet to that. Then I add 2 icecubes (about 2oz of water) in order to get to the 6oz it suggests. This along with the creamer cools the coffee down so when I add more ice it doesn't water it down. Success! It is super yummy. Now, obviously, it's not as good as Casey's since I don't have an abundance of (or any) crack lying around and I don't add any extra sugar, however; I am happy with my replacement most days and treat myself to a real one at least once a week. You didn't expect me to quit cold turkey did you?