I am not a coffee fanatic– actually coffee was a substitute for the sodas and different flavored waters that I was drinking. Every morning I brew up to 1 qt of tea- a blend of any tea that I have (black, green or chai) along with some amazing Pur-eh tea which is a unique Chinese tea that has amazing properties-but inexpensive it isn’t. It’s a little light on the caffeine side of things but it gets my motor running when I head out with the dog for a walk before I hit the reformer or Pilates classes. However in the later part of the day, while I was drinking water, I was also hitting snacks that weren’t always so healthy. Turning to chocolate every 2 hours for that sugar rush to get me through the day wasn’t a wise (or economical) choice. I used to go for coffee drinks almost every afternoon but the price tag on that got steep at the end of the week. Hit that times 4.3 weeks and that bottom line just was too $$$. Returning to exotic teas meant that if I didn’t like those teas or they were left too long in the cup or pot, the flavors changed. With special pots and accessories, and the way that teas had to be treated keep them fresh longer, meant I had to invest time and $$.
I figured there had to be another way. My coffee habit had vanished. I didn’t even drink a cup a month of coffee bar coffee–though if I went out to lunch or dinner, I would drink tea or indulge in a cappucino but that was a rare occasion. I started tapping into conversations about Tassimo and Keurig machines as part of the beverage component that was occasionally pitched to me– but I wasn’t interested initially. However I heard from some friends that a single cup brewing machine might be an effective way of getting my mid-afternoon caffeine rush sans the calories of flavored coffee drinks– even if I skipped the “whip” and went non-fat. Thanks to friends, car dealerships (the benefit of having to get your car serviced) and a few other events, I found that perhaps these machines might be a viable option (and additional machine) in my kitchen.
Talking it over with my partner, between his predilection to full-bodied coffees from various global spots, my homework on single serve brewing machines got to be more intense.
While I could have turned to PR and brands to test drive machines, I didn’t. I wanted to move quickly and I wanted to be free make my own assessments and access a range of products immediately. Evaluating the type of beverages I personally wanted to sample, it was clear I wanted a sophisticated machine that would handle various cup sizes as well as a variety of beverages: cider, hot chocolate, lattes, cappucinos, coffees, teas and even regular coffees that I had around to drink.
While I evaluated the cost/benefit ratio between the various machines, I wound up with a Keurig machine with 5 drink sizes and a sampler array (3 boxes) to test out different flavors. With a Keurig Platinum brewing machine, I had lots of drink sizes, a fast brewing time that was quiet so that if I were on a call, I could still grab a cup of something and head back to the desk. I knew I wanted to organize the array of decaf vs caffeinated drinks along with various flavored coffees, teas, chocolates and ciders. I liked that I could brew up an iced beverage quickly and even transfer it quickly to a blender for a blended drink. So the investment was a bit more than I expected with the machine, 2 packs of assorted coffees, a coffee filter for regular coffee and a carousel to keep things organized, it was an investment over $250– however in comparison to the cappucino machine I used to own about 8 years ago which was equally as pricy.
In comparison with my high-end cappucino machine, the single serve Keurig brewer was less expensive, faster, quieter and offered a greater variety of beverages to drink (and offer guests) than the cappucino machine along with the accessories, special milk and coffee flavors. Given that I can have a great cup of java in about 90 seconds or less, makes it much more likely that I will indulge in a variety of coffees, teas or chocolate beverages. Today I tried a mocha that was as good as any from my favorite coffee bars and didn’t require that I spend the 30 minutes of the round-trip drive, the search for a parking space, standing in line or the $3+ for the coffee drink plus tip and gas used to get there. In about 4 months (or less) averaging a drink a day between my partner and I, the machine will have paid for itself including all the coffee and accessories.
Let me reiterate that I paid for this machine completely myself. I had no contact with Keurig or their PR or marketing people for this review. The only money spent was mine and the beneficiary of this happens to be me and Keurig because I really like the variety of coffees and beverages.
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
FREE Makeup Bag + 12 Free Samples with any $25 Purchase. Code: FROMSEPHORA
Subscribe to RSS headline updates from:
Powered by FeedBurner
If you want to feature content from LA-Story.com, please remember to linkback to the specific page & please email the link to stevie@la-story.com
LA-Story.com, LA-Story Recessionista, Celebrity Stylescope, Celebrity Style Slam Trademark/Copyright: KBP Inc. 2007-12
