Killing our Keurig

[Alan]

Alan, Maxwell House?? Yuk. You're no coffee connoisseur.

I went through a stage about 15 years ago when I only drank the expensive stuff from Starbucks. Once I decided to stop that foolishness it took me a while to re-acclimate myself to my now beloved Maxwell House and I don't want to have to go through that again. One disclaimer though, about once a month I talk myself into getting a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato but at $5 plus for a grande, I kick myself every time.

[catherine]

One disclaimer though, about once a month I talk myself into getting a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato but at $5 plus for a grande, I kick myself every time.

I LOVE Starbucks Caramel Macchiato! I only get it on business trips. There's no Starbucks up here, and even if there were, like you, I don't indulge in those sinful treats very often for cost and calorie reasons. While I'm a big coffee buff, I never "got" the Starbucks thing.. my coffee preferences are driven by how dark a roast it is, and I always choose organic, shade-grown coffee if I can find it. But would I stand in line for 20 minutes to get a grande latte with soy milk and a double shot of vanilla? Nope.

[Tammy]

You all will gag at this — I only drink coffee when I have a headache. I put instant coffee and sugar in a cup, add cold water, stir, and drink it like medicine. Headache is gone.

[SteveinMN]

We recently replaced our dying Cuisinart drip coffeemaker with a Bonavita. My only regrets with the Bonavita are that it makes only four mugs per batch (not six like the C used to make) and that they recommend not putting the thermal carafe in the dishwasher. Otherwise, really good coffee. Might even improve Maxwell House.

I had a French press for a while and thought preparation and cleaning (each time, yes) was too fussy for me compared to a pourover (this from a guy who grinds whole beans for each batch). The filters and the grounds from the pourover go in the compost bin when done (ditto for the Bonavita).

Our kids have a Keurig. He drinks coffee in the mornings; she'll drink hot chocolate in the winter (they have K-cups for that, too). Yes, the pods are wasteful. But the Keurig machine at least is not a mold farm like their old drip coffeemaker was (gotta empty it and let it air out now and then!) and whatever coffee they had on hand often was pretty stale by the time DW and I got to it.

It is possible to buy plastic cups in the "K" format which you can fill and refill with your own coffee/tea/whatever; I suppose a couple/few of those, washed when used, would be a good alternative to lots of plastic cups filling the trash bin.

[frugal-one]

You all will gag at this — I only drink coffee when I have a headache. I put instant coffee and sugar in a cup, add cold water, stir, and drink it like medicine. Headache is gone.

I make decaf iced coffee (Taster’s Choice instant coffee) with Truvia and organic vanilla creamer and others. Tastes good to me.

[happystuff]

I love my morning coffee!! Instant during the week and ground in a french press on the weekends; black - no sugar, no flavors. When I want coffee, I drink coffee. LOL.

[jp1]

I love my French press. Perhaps part of that is that I didn’t realize until approximately 30 seconds ago that I was supposed to clean it. I’ve always just done a quick rinse of both the pot part and the press part, run the garbage disposal for five seconds to get rid of the grounds and call it a day.

I suppose next someone is going to tell me that there’s more to cleaning my coffee cup than rinsing it out and putting it back in the cabinet.

[Alan]

I suppose next someone is going to tell me that there’s more to cleaning my coffee cup than rinsing it out and putting it back in the cabinet.

My grandfather would never allow his coffee cup to be cleaned. The inside was stained from years of use and he insisted it added flavor to his morning brew, he was concerned he would lose that flavor if it were properly cleaned.

[SteveinMN]

run the garbage disposal for five seconds to get rid of the grounds and call it a day.

You might want to run the water for longer than the five seconds (unless you already do). Coffee grounds can grab onto grease deposits in the water line and make a sticky mess (aka "clog"). Ask me how I know....

My grandfather would never allow his coffee cup to be cleaned. The inside was stained from years of use and he insisted it added flavor to his morning brew, he was concerned he would lose that flavor if it were properly cleaned.

Many of the pipes here running from the water mains to houses are made of lead, but -- this may be apocryphal -- the water is hard enough that, over the years, the pipes have acquired a coating that prevents the lead from leaching through. otoh, if you go by the people who write comments in the local newspaper, there apparently is no coating and we're all being subjected to mass lead poisoning.

[Tybee]

Please compost your coffee grounds. Your plants will thank you.