One of my favorite things about the Keurig brand, besides its amazing coffee pod makers, is the K-Cup format for coffee pods.  So many third party companies have embraced this system that you can find just about anything the imagination can conjure in the coffee world.  One shining example of these third party companies is the “Coffee People” brand.  With their “Donut Shop” offering, they’ve creating a fantastic example of slick marketing (seriously, check out the box and tell me it’s not eye-catching) and more importantly, delicious coffee pod products that contain a surprising amount of depth.  Before analyzing the taste, my first impression was that the Donut Shop coffee is most like a traditional cup of “diner” coffee.  It’s the sort of roast that brings back memories of the 89 cent, no-nonsense cup of joe that would get you up and running at any time of day.  The great thing about Donut Shop, though, is that it really runs much deeper than the traditional cup of coffee if you continue to drink it.  I know:  A multi-layered coffee experience like this sounds a bit like a joke when I describe it, but this stuff shouldn’t be underestimated.

The Taste Test

In a more detailed taste-test, the Donut Shop K-Cups deliver on their promise.  During my test, I was greeted with a very bold flavor but without the characterstic bitterness that plagues so many other bold coffees currently on the market.  Added to the initial boldness, the after taste is a really wonderful, subtle, syrup flavor that mixes with a smooth finish.  Overall, you’re definitely in for a stronger, richer experience than you might have gotten with other K-Cups, and coffee pods in general.  I think the Coffee People are one of the few companies that is going to up the ante for the coffee pod craze, raising the bar to a level of quality that may even establish single serving coffee as a more-than-viable alternative to traditional brewing.

Conclusion

I was honestly taken aback at how well the Coffee People pulled this off.  Keurig should be grinning ear to ear with such a solid product that is using their K-Cup system, and I’m hoping they have others lined up for release in the near future.  For now, though, I’ll be making the Coffee People’s products a regular part of my coffee subscription from Amazon, and it should go well alongside my other K-Cup flavors.

Keurig B60 Special Edition Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System

Out of all the coffee pod brewers that I could find that were getting great reviews right out of the gate, the Keurig units were the absolute best performers.  Out of Keurig’s offerings, the B60 seems to be the real winner in terms of build quality, features, and most importantly the quality of the brewing process.  The favorite features among reviewers included one-touch configuration for fast brewing, multiple cup sizes for different amounts of coffee output, the excellent K-Cup coffee pods, and removable drip tray.

AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker

Based on the well-established tradition of french press coffee makers, the AeroPress units are at a real advantage in terms of aesthetics as well as quality brewed coffees.  People really seem to like the fact that this unit uses a gentle air pressure process combined with properly heated water to do its magic.  This is not the same process that is used in the more common single cup coffee makers that you’ll see on the market.  Additionally, while we tend to get caught up in the fancy features on the the Keurig units like the touch screens and digital readouts, there’s a lot to be said for a coffee maker that has fewer mechanical elements.  Since we’re dealing with a french press style brewer here, you’re relying more on the natural pressure that you expend when pressing the handle down than on a mechanical element that has a better chance of breaking down.  This results in a brewer that needs to be serviced far less (if at all), while still giving you a great cup of coffee.  For these reasons, the AeroPress units really deserve a special mention in this list.

Breville BKC600XL Gourmet Single-Cup Coffee Brewer

Last, but definitely not least, we have the Breville series.  Although less known than the Keurigs and Senseos on the market, the Breville’s really deliver.  I actually already had experience with the BKC600XL because a fellow coffee enthusiast owns the unit.  I was quite impressed with the quality of the coffee that this brewer was able to deliver.  One of my favorite things about this unit is the compatibility with the “K-Cup” system that is manufactured by Keurig.  Combined with the programmable LCD screen and rock-solid construction, the Breville name is definitely a great contender.

When I tried a sample cappuccino pack the other day, I must say, I was very pleasantly surprised! Now look, I’m not saying that this is ever going to replace real cappuccino that you pay decent money for in a coffee shop where a barrista carefully heats the water, froths the milk, etc. That being said, I think Senseo has done a fantastic job with their version, and it’s so ridiculously easy to make that the tiny hit you take in quality really doesn’t matter at all in the end. After all, if you want a delicious cappuccino drink at any time and don’t want to brave the line at Starbucks or the crummy weather, you’d be extremely well-served to try these delicious coffee pods.

The Senseo cappuccino pods, like most of the Senseo products, can be purchased in a big 40 count box, although smaller amounts are available if you just want to sample the product and see what all the fuss is about. I have heard of some people actually doubling or tripling up on the amount of pods that they brew at one time in order to get the cappuccino up to their preferred level of strength. When a friend suggested this to me, I figured I’d give it a shot and double up on my next cup. And this brings me nicely to another great thing about these single serve coffee pods in general: You can always start weak and move your way up a level until you hit the desired strength. This is not exactly an easy thing to do with a traditional coffee brewer where you have to ditch the whole pot of coffee if the strength is off.

So there you have it, I was pretty much completely wrong in my initial impressions of the Senseo Cappuccino pods. Although not a perfect replication of the real thing, it the closest that anyone has ever gotten, in my opinion. I would highly recommend these coffee pods to anyone who wants an efficient, no-fuss way to have a cappuccino any time of the day or night without the hassle of waiting in line at an expensive coffee shop.

Advanced User Interfaces

Gone are the days where your only option for a coffee maker was “on” or “off.”  Some of the nicer coffee pod brewers like the Keurig B150/B155 brewer feature touch screen interfaces, allowing the user to directly tap on the display surface to adjust all the parameters.  When you look to Keurig’s marketing, it becomes obvious why these advanced features are being added:  These coffee pod machines are aimed mostly at medium sized businesses and bigger offices.  These are industrial-strength features designed for efficient, constant use.

Perfectly Sized Portions

All the competitors in the coffee pod market, whether they be Senseo, Keurig, or one of the many other companies making a name for themselves in the field, have their own patented single-serving packets.  For instance, Keurig uses a system called the “K-cup” portion packs.  Most of these names are just fun marketing terms that generally refer to a general concept:  Single portions that are already prepared and ready for hot water, cutting down on waste and bringing a maximum of delicious coffee, cocoa, hot chocolate, etc.

Miscellaneous but Useful Features

Not everything needs to be as fancy as a touch-screen or a trademarked single-serving packet, though.  Some of the lesser-noticed features of the advanced coffee pod maker units deserve to be mentioned.  For instance, the ability to brew multiple cup sizes so that the serving size is tailor-made to whatever cup you decide to use.  Another cool one is the ability to feed a direct line from your plumbing right into the coffee pod unit in order to bypass the need to refill the water reservoir.  Water dispenser units have made similar advances over the years, so it’s nice to see the coffee brewing world catching up to this particular convenience.  Last, buy not least, the best coffee pod machines will feature energy-efficient auto-shutff features so that the brewer is not constantly drawing power when it doesn’t need to.  I’ve been blow away in the past by just how many coffee machines, whether they are single-serve or otherwise, don’t have this ability!

Coffee pods are basically one-shot servings of coffee, usually flavored, that can be brewed with very little mess or fuss.  They look similar to teabags, but of course they contain coffee instead.  After a couple minutes of running hot water over these single serving packs, you are rewarded with a tasty beverage that took far less work and hassle than a standard pot of coffee would.  Coffee pods cut down on waste quite a bit because, again, you’re just dealing with one cup at a time.  This also solves the problem of multiple people wanting different types of coffee:  Rather than piling into the car to head to the local Starbucks, you can simply keep multiple flavors stocked in individual pods at home.  You can get variety-packs of the coffee pods in order to try them all and determine what your favorites are, a very efficient way to sample all sorts of delectable, exotic flavors!

You really can’t beat the incredible convenience offered by a perfectly-measured cup of coffee that’s ready to go within a minute or so.  On top of this fact, coffee pods are pretty economically-priced so they make good financial sense, too.  When I picked up my Senseo machine, I was really happy to see that I wasn’t wasting any more coffee.  You probably know how it is:  Brew up a pot and drink half of it, leaving the other half to sit in the pot for a couple days and wasting it.  I was starting to get really annoyed with this, so I knew it was time to make a change and go with a single-serving solution.  What I wasn’t expecting was the insane variety of flavors out there, waiting to be enjoyed with your friends and family!

Anyway, I thought I’d share just why I love these tasty, economical little coffee pod bags.  Although coffee pod may be a strange phrase, the product itself is remarkably straightforward.  It really boils down to the efficiency of a tea bag and the variety of flavors and bold taste that only good coffee can provide.  Whether it’s Hazelnut, Mint, Breakflast Blend, or any of the other plentiful options, I’m sure you’ll find something to satisfy your tastebuds!