View Full Version : Those Keurig-type single serving coffee packets
So many people respond to fads. Those single-serving coffee things are all over the place. Sure, its probably nice to have a different flavor of coffee all the time........but just think about all those empty little plastic cups going into the earth? :(
Tussiemussies
11-17-12, 9:28am
Totally agree with you Cathy A...
catherine
11-17-12, 9:32am
Well, I have a Keurig, but I also have a refillable filter. It's the best of both worlds. You don't waste coffee because you're not making more than you're going to drink. You don't have ecowaste with the plastic cups. You can still use as many different flavors as you want--by buying different kinds of 13-16 oz bags of ground or whole coffee beans.
I adore the machine because as a coffee addict, I want my coffee RIGHT NOW :)
Miss Cellane
11-17-12, 9:32am
My car dealership has one of these. I admit that it's nice to get a fresh cup of coffee, rather than the dregs of the pot that have been sitting on the warming plate for who knows how long. And it's probably easier on the staff, too, as they don't have to keep checking on the coffee situation and running to make more coffee. Still a huge waste, but I can see the attraction.
For use at home, most of the machines have a refillable pod that you can buy, so that you can use your own, probably cheaper, coffee, and save on the waste of the individual pods.
If you like that delivery system, you can find reusable containers that you can put your own coffee in.
The part I can't imagine is a single serving of coffee - it sounds like eating one potato chip :-)
iris lily
11-17-12, 9:42am
There are very expensive. Our friend who has one stopped using it when he paid attention to the cost. Me, I don't mind dregs of coffee. I'm not a coffee connoisseur, I will drink coffee this morning, cold, that sat on my desk overnight. That how low I am on the coffee snob scale.
catherine
11-17-12, 9:44am
There are very expensive. Our friend who has one stopped using it when he paid attention to the cost. Me, I don't mind dregs of coffee. I'm not a coffee connoisseur, I will drink coffee this morning, cold, that sat on my desk overnight. That how low I am on the coffee snob scale.
Yes, you can't get the pods for less than .47 each. I've done the research and the cost analysis. Another reason I fill my own.
I wasn't even thinking about the cost......just the environmental impact with all those plastic things.
I have a small coffee maker and make 1 cup at a time. Then I go back later and run more water through it with just a little more fresh grounds. I guess I'm not much of a coffee snob either. haha
But I do like it strong with powdered coffeemate........but I do mostly decaf. I swear coffee is sooooooo addictive. I feel it going straight to my endorphin center with the first drink. :)
herbgeek
11-17-12, 10:29am
I can make a whole pot of coffee, and throw half of it out, and still be more frugal than using K Cups. I can see the value in it, like in the above mentioned dealership, but not for home. Those things are hugely expensive and wasteful as is. Glad to hear there are refillable pods, that helps.
I agree that 1 cup of coffee is like 1 potato chip. What's the point in only one cup? ;)
JaneV2.0
11-17-12, 11:10am
My beloved's coffee klatsch got together and bought him one for his birthday. Then I got him a reusable filter for it (Eco-something). He's going to scope out a local tea shop for loose leaves. It wouldn't work for me because 1) I have zero counter space, 2) I drink a big cup of coffee every morning--those little 8-12 oz. cups wouldn't do it for me, and 3) I like to make a pot and use it for iced coffee and/or mochas for a few days (sitting out on the counter), then start over. Also, there's the planned obsolescence factor. I've used the same Mr. Coffee for maybe thirty years. If the carafe breaks, I pick one up at Value Village.
My elder parents use a Keurig, with refillable cups. It's a great solution for them, as they drink very little coffee these days, and don't have the manual dexterity to make one-off poured coffee.
CathyA, I hear you! I was astonished to see some of my supposedly green friends adopt those machines.
This is how I make coffee by the cup for DH. Easily customizable to make any cup size (e.g. large travel mug vs standard mug):
http://amzn.com/B001S3B9F8
Boil water and pour it through. This is how all my relatives in Germany make coffee. No parts that can break, either.
CathyA, I hear you! I was astonished to see some of my supposedly green friends adopt those machines.
This is how I make coffee by the cup for DH. Easily customizable to make any cup size (e.g. large travel mug vs standard mug):
http://amzn.com/B001S3B9F8
Boil water and pour it through. This is how all my relatives in Germany make coffee. No parts that can break, either.
I have one of those, with a reusable metal filter, that I use when making less than a whole pot.
fidgiegirl
11-17-12, 5:11pm
We have one at work and people use it to brew their own coffee. There, it works well because there is no griping about so-and-so drinking coffee when she never brings any in to share, or overbrewing and dumping a bunch at the end of the day, etc.
BUT I have not been able to bring myself to participate. The little cups are waaaaay too much money for me who doesn't even care that much about coffee. On the days when I MUST have some, I walk down to the 18-21 program for developmentally delayed students and patronize their coffee station for .60. Or I go across the street and get some beautiful gourmet drink that I pay either $1 or $1.70 for, depending on which Groupon stamp card I happen to have on hand. But I was very tempted for a while. I almost asked for the little cups for Xmas, but the plastic was just too much for me, and I couldn't bring myself to do it. It is pretty dang handy, but a horrible resource suck.
fidgiegirl
11-17-12, 5:13pm
I appreciate seeing the plastic cone idea. We have a French press for when we have guests over, but this would be even easier. Hmmm, maybe I will get rid of the French press (seeking more cabinet space anyway!) and get one of these guys. I keep a small amount of grounds in the freezer for when Grandma or my FiL comes over and wants coffee.
Kelli, they sell them at Cooks of Crocus Hill on Grand, for about the same price as Amazon.
fidgiegirl
11-17-12, 7:13pm
Ooh. Never a good thing for me to set foot in Cooks. :)
I got the notion recently that I wanted a Kurig. DH said OK but are you willing to pay $30 a pound for coffee? Never mind!
awakenedsoul
11-18-12, 4:56pm
I buy my coffee beans at Costco, in bulk. I was making espresso on the stovetop with a simple Italian espresso maker. I like cafe au laits, but was spending a lot of money on raw milk. Now I use my french press and don't need much milk. I make two cups. I drink one, and put the other in my Salvation Army thermos. After I run the dogs, my second cup of hot coffee is my reward. I have a travel one cup coffee maker that I take with me on the road.
I'm way too cheap to buy a Kurig. I'd rather save up my money and buy an antique hand painted sink bowl for my 1940's style bathroom!
I have the Keurig problem solved - drink tea! ;)
I must say I was surprised to see these coffeepots become so mainstream. Yes I knew they were in offices. I say this because "back in the day" long time ago..9 years ago when things were booming, I had a single serve pod type machine. I do not remember the name brand but they were all the rage. The pods were like little filter packs, Oh how hubby loved that coffee. Then a eye opening moment when I figured out how much these pods cost. So I switched to a refillable pod. Hassle and not worth it. Those pod machines faded from the shelves when times changed.
So to me the resurgence of expensive single serve coffee in the house = a much better economy
You think?
Miss Cellane
11-19-12, 6:19am
Could be a sign of a better economy. Could be a sign that people are no longer willing to pay $5 for a cup of coffee at a coffee shop.
catherine
11-19-12, 9:07am
Some people would say the Keurig pods are economical--if they would otherwise go out and buy coffee. I have complained to BIL about the cost of the individual cups, but he looks at me like I'm some cheapskate because he goes out of the house every morning to buy a cup of coffee at the convenience store for $1 or $1.29--not sure exactly how much. AND he also has a Keurig!! AND he is constantly complaining about paying his bills and giving me his half of the mortgage on his mother's house.
Work supplies coffee for free. In an office of 300 people scattered across two sizable floors we have several of the Keurig machines and also one 'regular' coffee maker. The other guy in my department and I walk down to the pantry by reception each morning for our first cup of coffee since the regular coffee maker makes better coffee. (or maybe it's that the company buys Kona, which is probably my favorite all time coffee...) For my second cup I usually just do one of the pods of Keurig. I hate the waste, but it's a shorter walk, and more importantly it's instant. Half the time there's no pot of coffee ready in the regular coffee machine.
I haven't made coffee at home for years. When I did, though, I don't remember thinking that it was terribly difficult to make a pot in my drip coffee machine. Maybe I'd feel different if I were in the habit of drinking coffee throughout the day rather than just a cup or two each morning.
We have a Keurig and in the beginning we loved the pods and how fantastic it was. The high prices eventually got to us and we have been buying the ground coffee and using the refillable thing. My husband would love to have the K-cups because "it's so much easier!" but I just ask him if we have become so lazy!?
I'm sure out of the loop when it comes to all the fancy-schmancy nowadays...
zeaxmays
11-30-12, 10:06pm
i hate waiting in line at the coffee maker when at my families house.
i always repeat "you need a french press and an electric kettle."
they are the type to buy a new coffee maker each year/fad though, so hopefully the fad will die out soon.
Seems like there's always a product out there that becomes a fad. I think this is one of them. I just think about all those little plastic cups that are, no doubt, being tossed into the earth. :(
youd think with the green fad happening too, people wouldnt be into it.
Originally posted by Zeaxmays.
youd think with the green fad happening too, people wouldnt be into it.Surprising, isn't it. I regularly think the same. Call me old-fashioned, but I'm sticking with my percolator pot! :)
P.S. Taking this time to extend a warm welcome your way, Zeaxmays! So happy to have you!
Wildflower
12-2-12, 3:28am
Went to the doctor last week and was amazed to see a Keurig coffee maker in the waiting room with a variety of flavors of coffee and hot chocolate. I didn't have any, but I think if I had a long wait on a cold day that it would sound pretty good. Still I was surprised to see it - my doctor is always telling me to stay away from caffeine and sugar - that kinda contradicts her advice. ;)
We have a Keurig and yup it does save us money based on how much coffee we used to dump down the drain. We actually tried (wasted money trying) different drip coffee makers to try to find one that made good enough coffee three or four cups at a time, instead of making a full pot all the time, but evidently they design these suckers so that if you try to make less than a full pot the taste suffers, and I'm a stickler for coffee tasting just the way I want it.
But it isn't just about the cost and the flavor - the Keurig is much more convenient, and for busy people on-the-go, there is a real value to convenience.
We didn't like the environmental aspect of the K-cups so we quickly found a brand that has pods for K-cup coffee makers. They have hardly any plastic... just a small, thin ring at the top. The top is covered by the typical foil-like top, but the bottom is just the paper mesh filter holding the coffee grounds in. The "problem" with this design is that as soon as you break open the bag that the pods come in, they're open to the air and so they would go bad pretty quickly, unless you put them in an airtight container. Luckily, we have lots of airtight containers (including the ones we used to keep open pounds of bean coffee in!) Works great. It also helps that they much less expensive - roughly 43c a pod instead of 47c a regular K-cup.
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