Single Serve Coffee

Bunn Trifecta MB for Home Air Infusion Brewer

2012-02-08T12:55:00Z

The Trifecta MB for home use utilizes the same patented Air Infusion technology as the commercial model trifecta to unlock each flavor note for a smooth, deep-bodied coffee or tea experience. The resulting beverage called Full Cup – is a unique, amplified microbrew beverage that the coffee or tea lover can customize to enhance natural flavors from individual coffee and tea origins.

The Bunn Trifecta is not a single serve coffee maker or espresso maker per se, but what it does is make a full cup of coffee or tea that is amazing. Given how well received the barista version of the Trifecta was received last year, we can only imagine the warm reception later this month the home Trifecta will receive, and not just in the form of a hot cup of coffee.

Utilizes patented Air-Infusion technology to produce a rich, Full Cup coffee and tea
Enhances taste and body with adjustable Turbulence Cycle and Infusion Time controls
Allows you to adjust for perceived acidity, sweetness, earthy flavors, extraction level and mouth feel
Presses coffee or tea through a fine-gauge metal filter, preserving oils and aromatics
25 unique brew setting combinations
trifecta MB will be available at BunnAtHome.com beginning February 24, 2012
Price:$499

$5000 Coffee Table Creates Zen Garden Sand Designs

2012-02-07T11:43:52Z

Here's a coffee table we never would have imagined could exist 10 years ago. The body of the table encapsulates electronics and robotics, that sculpt geometric patterns and images into a field of microscopic silicone beads beneath a glass top. The effect is mesmerizing and magical; it is truly Zen-like to watch ever-changing patterns and images appear in the sand.

Total price for a coffee table table sponsorship is at $5000, and you can get other smaller versions as well. We'll have to wait and see how well this Kickstarter project turns out before plopping down 5k.

Constructed from organically grown FSC certified renewable bamboo, which is available in several different styles
The glass top is extremely strong tempered glass, 5/16" thick, as is similar to the high-strength glass used in store windows
Comes with an SD card containing programs for sculpting patterns into the sand
A dimmer switch controls the brightness of the built-in lighting
An optional 3G modem can be built into your table to receive new programs for sculpting via the cellphone network, along with a service plan subscription that will push new designs to the table as they are created
Control the table from your smartphone. With the 3G modem option installed, you can download the iPhone/Android app which we are currently developing and play a compendium of classic games, or send commands via text message to your tables dedicated phone number
Connect a USB cable to your table, if desired, to send commands directly to the table from your computer, rather than programs being automatically loaded in sequence from the SD card

At Zen Table

Single Serve Coffee On the Rise in the US and Europe

2012-02-06T12:43:24Z

The Business Standard has a very exhaustive article Single-cup coffee sales seen growing and we've taken a bunch of the best bits out of it on the topic of single serve coffee growth.

Sara Lee will discontinue Senseo in North America as of March 31, except on select websites. It is working to make the machine more appealing, especially for young people, to tap growth overseas.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc will add the Esio Beverage System to its lineup of coffee machines.
Green Mountain, which controls more than three-quarters of the US market, ranks fourth globally with less than eight per cent.
Green Mountain is bound to maintain its grip on the United States, since its machines exclusively carry many of the nation’s biggest coffee brands, including Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and Folgers.
The vast majority of US households still use traditional ground or instant coffee, and about 36 per cent of people who do not use single-cup brewers said these machines were too expensive.
Worldwide sales of coffee, including fresh and instant, reached $70.86 billion last year, according to Euromonitor, a rise of 17.5 per cent. Sales of single-serve packets accounted for $5.75 billion of that, or 8 per cent, but saw a jump of 31.3 per cent.

So single serve coffee as a category is only at 8% of the total coffee market and growing? Wow - we've come a long way and have a long way to go. It's also interesting to note the Esio Beverage System going to be featured at Walmart. Walmart and other retailers seem to feel that even though K-Cups have taken 75% of the US single serve coffee market there is room for more players.

Keurig RFID-Enabled V-Cup Coffee Brewer at FCC

2012-02-03T12:43:15Z

We've been patiently following the entire RFID K-Cup/V-Cup brewer story at Single Serve Coffee Forums, and comments on earlier posts here at Single Serve Coffee. According to an FCC filing Keurig plans to release an RFID-enabled coffee brewer with the FCC ID YMSKAEFUHRVI1G200. This reveals vey little about the brewer itself, and we're unsure if this brewer(s) would be for consumer or business use.

It also appears Keuring's RFID-enabled brewers will use a new type of coffee pack called V-Cups or VUE Cups. If the V-Cups are indeed RFID-Enabled then they would be very expensive. Prices of K-Cups are anywhere from .55 to .75 a pop, so putting and RFID chip could add at least another .75 to $1 to each V-Cup. Wow.

From the manual included in the filing.

WirelessGoodness.com along with the Single Serve Coffee Forums has loads of pictures besides the two we've included. We think the picture above is probably the most exciting and misleading, as we thought it showed a flat folded V-Cup being put into a RFID-Enabled Keurig brewer. Oh - our old eyes - that's just the brewer handle. After closer inspection it looks like the K-Cup holder or V-Cup holder is probably going to accept the same shape of K-Cup or V-Cup.

We'll let you know more as we find out, but expect more details in the coming weeks as this new V-Cup RFID-Enabled brewer shakes itself free and sees the light of day.

Canadian Grocery Chains Enter Knock-off K-Cup Scene

2012-02-02T12:43:02Z

We received news from our Canadian Correspondent, SH, that Canadian grocery chains have started to imitate a practice which recently popped-up this side of the border: knock-off imitation K-Cups. We’ve seen our fair share of good knock-offs (Rogers Family Company) to the downright awful (Grove Square), so let’s see what SH thought of the first Canadian Knock-off K-Cup to hit store shelves up North.

From SH: I was recently at my local Sobeys (major Canadian grocery chain store) last month and noticed they had come out with their own brand of knock-off K-Cups via their in-house "Our Compliments" brand. There were a total of 3 flavors: Light Roast, Medium Roast & Dark Roast (yes, those are the flavor "names"). Each are sold in 12-packs for $6.99 CAD and are a few dollars cheaper than the usual price of $8.49 for Folgers K-Cups or $8.99 for Van Houtte K-Cups. I snapped a quick pic from my cell phone & decided to try the dark roast.

Aroma was… strange. During brewing, it smelled like an overly burnt roast but after sitting in the cup for a few minutes, it just smelled sour and lost all form of a "coffee" scent, really difficult to describe. Taste did not fare any better as it tasted like a cheap quality freeze-dried coffee you’d get in the bargain bin at your nearest discount shop. Yuck! While there was some attempt to mimic a dark roast, all I could taste was more sour notes and a bland character throughout with very faint notes of hickory in the background. Body was dark brown in color but there was so much "sediment" from the crystals in the cup that no light could shine through when held in front of a light source. Acidity sure was plentiful & was likely the prime cause of the overly sour taste. Mouth feel was rather dull & watery, as expected. If I had to rate this, it wouldn’t score very well and would likely sit way below the 40 mark (and that’s if I’m being overly generous).

While they admit that their product is neither licensed nor originating from Keurig, I would not be surprised to see Keurig/GMCR file a lawsuit against Sobeys much like they did with Rogers Family Company for patent infringement. The design of outer packaging & how it opens up, the plastic cup itself and even the foil top are all VERY similar to real K-Cups.

If you were to show one of these Knock-off K-Cups to someone who has never used a Keurig before (but has seen photos of real K-Cups), they’d likely be inclined to believe it was the real deal. I find this somewhat disturbing since Keurig has come a long way in the past several years to establish an in-store presence in Canadian grocery chains and if a single-serve newbie buys one of these knock-offs by mistake & suspects it was something Keurig produced, they’d likely be so turned off by it that they might abandon the Keurig platform altogether.

Closer inspection of the packaging reveals yet another potential patent/copyright infringement listed in the ingredients… microground coffee. Last time I checked, Starbucks infamously introduced the World to microground coffee with their VIA products. Wonder if Sobeys will also be receiving calls from Starbucks’ lawyers as well? I was curious to see the contents so I tore open a cup expecting a blend of instant freeze-dried coffee crystals as well as super-fine microground coffee grinds. While there are plenty of crystals to be found, I was hard-pressed to find the presence of any microground coffee. What you see in the photos is merely residue from the crystals. Also, another odd ingredient listed is "autolyzed yeast extract". Seriously? What the heck is this? Instant coffee or bread mix? Blech! According to a wiki article, autolyzed yeast extract is used to "concentrate flavor & change texture". Well, if their goal was to create super-sour brown water, they succeeded.

I seriously hope Sobeys decides to pull these knock-off products off its store shelves. Not only is it tarnishing Keurig’s reputation with these inferior products, it’s blemishing its own "Our Compliments" brand which usually produces somewhat decent products. They’ll work in any Keurig brewer, but I strongly recommend you avoid these at all cost. Go spend your $7 on a few drinks at Starbucks instead.

A special thanks to SH for providing this Single Serve Coffee staff news article. We would also like to note he purchased a box of these cups on his own for the purpose of this article.

"Our Compliments" cups will work in all Keurig brewers and are available in 12-packs for $6.99 CAD at Sobeys grocery store chains across Canada. These cups are not available in USA.

Single Serve Coffee Monthly Round-Up for January 2012

2012-02-01T12:43:38Z

January 2012 was a great month and a great start to another amazing year of Single Serve Coffee. We reviewed the CBTL Americano Single Serve Coffee, Espresso, and Hot Beverage System, Carte Noire Americano T-Discs for Tassimo, and Van Houtte JavaNation Vanilla Cupcake K-Cups. We also gave our thoughts on Single Serve Coffee at Retail Stores - Target 2012, and Swiss Miss K-Cups Now at Green Mountain Coffee are finally available.

If you're new to our site and Single Serve Coffee you can also follow Single Serve Coffee each month on Facebook and Twitter for the latest single serve coffee news, reviews, and deals. You can also sign up to receive our weekly email newsletter and catch up on all your Single Serve Coffee news every Monday morning. If you're interested in chatting about all things Single Serve Coffee please check out our Forums. We also have a mobile app offering for Single Serve Coffee available for Android, iPhone, and other smart phones.

CBTL

Classic Coffee Makers

Giant Single Serve Coffee Maker Still Impresses

Coffee Cups & Travel Mugs

TARDIS Time Travel Coffee Mug

Coffee Gadgets & Accessories

General News

K Cup Reviews

Review: Van Houtte JavaNation Vanilla Cupcake K-Cups

Keurig & K-Cups

Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto

Nescafe's Dolce Gusto Ad Campaign for 2012

Mailing List Promotions

Monthly Round-Up

December 2011 Monthly Round-Up for Single Serve Coffee

Nespresso

Nespresso Bringing Kazaar Coffee Capsules back for 2012

Reviews

Single Serve Coffee Deals

Save 15% at Green Mountain Coffee for February 2012

Single Serve Coffee Machines

Single Serve Coffee Rumors

Bunn Trifecta for Home Coming Soon?

T Disc Reviews

Review: Carte Noire Americano T-Discs for Tassimo

Whole Bean and Ground Coffeee

Save 15% at Green Mountain Coffee for February 2012

2012-01-31T12:43:51Z

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. has provided us the promotional code: AM0016-3604

This code offers 15% off the entire store at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. and free standard shipping (no minimum purchase), and is valid until 02.29.12. This discount cannot be combined with any other offer, including Café EXPRESS discounts. This will get you a ton of your favorite K-Cups for a bit cheaper than you normally pay.

Percolator App Puts Coffee in Your Pictures

2012-01-30T11:45:32Z

We've seen a lot of very cool iPhone apps in the past year, but nothing as cool as an app that puts single serve coffee in your pictures. Percolator creates different colored coffee like drops and "percs" up pretty amazing retouched pictures. You control detail with new Grind options, including an auto-contrast and color adjustment option.

There's even two new Brews in the latest version, including the amazing "Treble!" There's opacity controls to blend both image and circles, and amazing animated effects--your percs bubble and dissolve in front of your eyes while you retouch your photo.

It's single serve coffee photo retouching madness!

Bunn Trifecta for Home Coming Soon?

2012-01-27T13:14:07Z

On Twitter / @sweetmarias we've found what appears to be a picture of the home version of the Bunn Trifecta. We're pretty excited to see this machine debut in the coming months, and we're thinking the Housewares show in Chicago Bunn will unveil this machine for home. Maybe they'll debut the machine ever sooner. Not much is known right now, but from the picture above it has a built in grinder, flavor dial, and a portion dial. Thanks to everyone who sent this in and mad props to Josh.

Star Wars Breakfast Beverages Put the Force In Your Morning

2012-01-26T12:57:06Z

Sometime here at Single Serve Coffee we just can't resist the non-single serve coffee options out there to make our week a little better. This set of 3 different morning beverages of coffee, cocoa, and tea allow you to wake up with the galaxy's best offerings.

Vader's Dark Side Roast Coffee is commonly enjoyed by Dark Lords of the Sith while planning new Death Star construction, but is also enjoyed in the break room by your common stormtrooper. A blend of three diverse coffees and two different roasts creates a full-bodied, sharp, cup with spicy undertones and smoky, dark-roasted complexity.
Dagobah Green Tea is the drink of choice of Jedi Masters. If you need a moment alone to ponder the Force, do it while sipping a hot cup of Yoda's favorite green tea.
Hoth Cocoa is guaranteed to warm you all the way to your bones When life gives you snow, melt it into water and use it to make a steaming cup of rich, creamy Hoth Cocoa in the morning or after sledding.

At ThinkGeek

Swiss Miss K-Cups Now at Green Mountain Coffee

2012-01-25T12:58:29Z

Swiss Miss K-Cups are now available at Green Mountain Coffee. The Swiss Miss K-Cups produce a rich and creamy chocolate experience the whole family can enjoy. All you have to do is pop a Swiss Miss K-Cup portion pack into your Keurig brewer, and those after skiing moments will last even longer with your loved ones. Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate cocoa mix is made in a real dairy where milk from local farms is delivered daily, dried and then blended with premium, imported cocoa.

Starbuck's Roasted Blonde Coffee is Not Made of People

2012-01-24T11:43:50Z

Starbuck's has done it again with a name that we think is a bit odd for coffee - Blonde. We know the roast profile is "light" - but Roasted Blonde coffee? Sounds more like coffee made out of people than a great cup of light roasted coffee.

But snarkiness aside - Starbuck's Blonde Roast rounds out their light, medium, and dark roast offerings they offer each day. Pike's Place is the medium roast, and with dark being held by their espresso or Italian roast - we guess they had to get a blonde in there.

We did get to try the new Blonde Roast, and for us - we'll stick with Pike's Place or an Americano. It's a bit too light for our tastes, but some of the rest of the staff thought it was solid. Right now you can get it ground or even in VIA form. Let us know what you think after a cup of Blonde or two.

Single Serve Coffee at Retail Stores - Target 2012

2012-01-23T12:43:29Z

Right now Keurig powered single serve coffee makers control
an entire aisle across from drip coffee makers in most Target stores.

We've been traveling around to various brick and mortar stores, and our goal is to look at the state of single serve coffee from a consumer point of view. First up on our look at single serve coffee is retail giant Target. If you're unfamiliar with Target as a massive retail store, then you probably live somewhere we've never heard of. Even in our home state of Maine, Target has made in roads as far north as Bangor, and from what we've seen Target has stores in almost every state in the nation.

Target has also always been a big fan of single serve coffee. From the beginning of single serve coffee here in the US as far back as 2004, Target has had Senseo, Tassimo, Keurig, and other single serve coffee makers. Anyone remember Melitta coffee pod brewers or Juan Valdez coffee pods? Well - Target does and had them at one time. How about Archer Farms coffee pods? Target even had it's own in house brand of single serve coffee not that long ago.

Across from the single serve coffee brewers and K-Cups are
drip coffee makers. They must be wondering if they're days are numbered.

Now at Target one-half of the entire coffee aisle is dominated by single serve coffee brewers from Keurig and other Keurig licensed machines. Target used to have coffee pods, T-Disc, and other brewers but given how popular K-Cups are we think they just went were the market went - to all K-Cups at the mega consumer level. However across the aisle staring the single serve coffee brewers down are drip brewers, and there's a lot of them.

We're pretty sure the drip coffee makers are wondering given how many single serve coffee makers lie across the aisle if their days of dominance are over. After poking around and asking various people shopping what they thought - most people were engaged with buying K-Cups and looking over their choices. The drip coffee makers didn't even get a glance in the hour we watched the aisle.

So it looks that Target has embraced the K-Cup and also given up a ton of space to promote single serve coffee. We'll let you know how this changes over the next 6-12 months, but we feel the presence of single serve coffee won't shrink but grow.

Starbucks Drive-Through Store Made Out of Shipping Containers

2012-01-20T12:43:31Z

Starbucks' in-house architects have created a new cargo-tecture structure located in Tukwila, Washington. The 4 containers provide about 450 square feet of interior space, and three baristas in roughly the same area that they would occupy in a conventional coffee shop.

The LEED-certified storefront is part of Starbucks' efforts to increase the sustainability, while reducing environmental and operating costs. We really love pre-fab or using pre-made materials instead of wood, bricks, and steel. It also is a pretty stunning design.

Via Gizmodo

Year of Indulgence Giveaway from GMCR Cafe Escapes

2012-01-19T12:55:20Z

In celebration of their Cafe Escapes K-Cups, and how indulgent they are for those special moments during your single serve beverage week - we’re giving to one lucky winner a one-year subscription to Birchbox compliments of Green Mountain Coffee.

What is Birchbox? Every month you’ll receive a hot pink present filled with luxurious samples of high-end beauty products from companies like Laura Mercier, Kiehl’s, and Kerastase. So resolve to take a "you" moment today, and every day in 2012. Brew up a warm mug of Café Escapes to go with it and try your luck today by subscribing to our mailing list below.

How do you win? Simply sign up for the Single Serve Coffee newsletter by using the form below, or by following this link. We'll be drawing the winner randomly from the mailing list on Wed, January 25th at 12am. If you're name is on the list - you have a chance to win!

So make sure you sign up for our newsletter to win, and you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and also sign up and participate in the Single Serve Coffee Forums. Also - you can visit the Cafe Escapes Facebook page for even more chances to win a year of indulgence.

Review: CBTL Americano Single Serve Coffee, Espresso, and Hot Beverage System

2012-01-18T13:12:13Z

CBTL has introduced the Americano single serve coffee, espresso, and hot beverage system recently, and it's packed with features you'll love in a single serve coffee maker. We received the CBTL system from them (thanks for sending) a few weeks ago and have been using it daily since. The machine look and feel is modern, and there's even an adjustable cup stand that just makes sense when you make coffee, espresso, and also hot chocolate with such a machine. We also really love the fact you can use a really tall travel mug to make coffee to go.

Features of the CBTL Americano Single Serve Coffee and Espresso Maker

Twin pressure system provides high pressure (15 bar) for espresso or low (3.5 bar) for coffee and tea
Features automatic beverage proportioning
51 oz water tank
Automatic capsule ejection
Large used capsule storage
Energy saving features
Colors: Saphire Black, Admiral Red and Titanium Silver
Uses coffee capsules to make coffees
Flavored powders are available to mix with hot water for cocoa etc.

The water tank is huge and easy to fill.

We think the water tank is both easy to use and enormous. It's nice to see a well designed but large tank and the overall machine feels solid but we would like to see it feel maybe a bit more premium. At $149.99 you expect the machine to be higher end feeling, and it doesn't let you down on the controls, but the front black plastic feels a bit too shiny.

It's no Apple product, but the machine is boxed up tight
and the capsules and other items are at the bottom.

Brewing Espresso and Coffee with the CBTL Americano

You get a little taste of the wide selection of coffees, espresso, and powders available.

Using the CBTL Americano is really easy. You simply pick a coffee or espresso capsule you want to use, and then raise the level ejecting the previous capsule into the storage bin. The new capsule is place in the top, and you then pull down the lever which puts the capsule into place and then push the beverage button of your choice.

The single serve capsules are packaged 10 per box with a retail price of $5.50. Flavors include four espressos, four coffees and four teas: Italian Espresso; Continental Espresso; Premium Espresso; Premium Decaf Espresso; Viennese Brew; French Brew; House Brew; House Decaf Brew; Chai Tea; English Breakfast Tea; Tropical Passion Tea; and Moroccan Mint Tea. In addition, exclusive powders - the French Deluxe Vanilla and Special Dutch Chocolate - are sold in single serve sachets.

You get an 8, 10, 12, long and short espresso plus iced coffee setting.

We received a variety of capsule with the machine to try and really enjoyed all the varieties of capsules. The Americano can brew a short and long espresso, as well as an 8, 10 and 12-ounce coffee, and a 9-ounce "Iced coffee" setting. We didn't try and iced coffees (as it's 10 degrees out right now), but we did try a bunch of different coffees and espressos.

Here's a sampling of what we tried:

One of the best coffees - the French Brew from CBTL is a classic.

Coffee produced will have a nice creamy top.

The house brew is mild and inviting and will please a wide range of coffee drinkers.

The Premium Espresso is bold and does the job.

You'll get excellent crema on the top and the taste and temperature is just right.

Features We Think Make the CBTL Americano Stand Out

We have to say the coffee cup stand. It has 3 different places to place it in the front of the machine for espresso, coffee, and travel mugs or tall coffee mugs. Great design and great idea.

The coffee stand has 3 height settings.

You can use a tall travel mug with the CBTL Americano.

Final Thoughts on the CBTL Americano

This is an excellent single serve coffee and espresso maker. We did also try some of the powders - the cocoa and it was good as well. The design of the machine is well thought out, with the water reservoir standing out as large at 51 oz. We think the coffees and teas produced all had amazing flavor, and the ease of use because of the coffee capsules make this a great way to get more coffee variety into your life.

We also can't tell you how much it means to have a machine designed to fit almost any coffee mug or travel mug. The ability for the machine to enhance your life but not take away your favorite coffee cups is one many of the other single serve coffee makers could learn from.

The Americano is available at Bed Bath and Beyond as well as online at CBTL.com. Thanks again to CBTL for sending us the Americano to review.

Mr. Coffee Single Serve Coffee Maker Looks Great in White

2012-01-17T12:58:26Z

We've not seen the Mr. Coffee Single Serve Coffee Maker in white, and right off the bat we like it. We think it has an almost ethereal quality - almost Tron like in it's look and feel. Powered by Keurig brewing technology for coffeehouse quality at home, the Mr. Coffee single serve coffee maker is compatible with Keurig K-Cup portion packs. It features a removable drip tray, On/Off Indicator Light, and brews a cup of coffee in just minutes. If you need more details on this coffee maker you can read our full review here.

Giant Single Serve Coffee Maker Still Impresses

2012-01-16T13:14:12Z

We're not really sure how many years this massive single serve coffee maker and hot beverage system has been working at Lanes and Games in Cambridge, MA, but it's size and design is of an age gone by. We remember getting our first non-sanctioned cup of hot cocoa from one of these bad boys, and we also remember sneaking some coffee at bowling to be passed around to friends when in Junior High. We found this machine's coffee to be understated and the shear amount of beverages it offers to be mind blowing. If you want to check it out - stop by Lanes and Games for a Sunday afternoon of pinball and candlepin bowling. Give the machine your money and it will always make you a cup of single serve coffee with a lingering taste of the previous beverage it served.

TARDIS Time Travel Coffee Mug

2012-01-13T12:55:05Z

The TARDIS Time Travel Coffee Mug can transport you and your cup of single serve coffee across multiple times and dimensions so you can enjoy that perfect cup over and over. This unique mug features a rectangular shape and a removable lid, and if you're unfamiliar with the amazing show that is Doctor Who - we recommend you visit the official Doctor Who site, and then set your DVR to Tardis.

Review: Carte Noire Americano T-Discs for Tassimo

2012-01-12T12:43:18Z

The Canadian T-Disc retail scene has been... well, let's just say "unappealing" for the past number of years with only a few minor updates here and there in an mild effort to match what was already being sold in American retail stores. As is usually the case, competition is good and with Starbucks jumping the sinking ship over to Keurig, Kraft finally got the swift kick in the arse it needed to inspire a massive campaign that at long last introduced brand new T-Disc flavors across many countries.

Unfortunately, the powers that be at Kraft still refuse to abandon their country-centric methodology and certain brands remain "geo-blocked" only for sale in their respective countries of origin. It's too bad to see that in an effort to save their sinking ship, they chose to retain the boat anchor that had been weighing them down instead. All gripes aside, our Canadian Correspondent, SH, received a shipment of the new Canadian T-Disc flavors recently and provided us today with the first of many reviews by covering the new Carte Noire Americano T-Discs.

Brewing these T-Discs resulted in strong earthy notes at first which mellowed into cereal notes afterwards. We detected faint notes of molasses on the finish as well. One thing we noticed was the brewing temperature seemed to be off the charts, but upon closer inspection, we were getting 182 degrees on the thermometer. Compared to some of the other T-Discs we've had in the past, these even seemed to remain hotter for longer periods (maybe it was just the crema keeping the heat trapped?). Flavor was medium in strength with predominantly dark chocolate notes blended with subtle nuances of berries buried underneath. Acidity is well-balanced and more present near the end of the tasting experience rather than the first thing you notice.

Body was dark brown in color with shades of deep crimson red & burst of orange when held in front of a light source and there was a surprising amount of crema produced during brewing which yielded a nice top layer in the final cup. While we wouldn't say it was on the level of crema produced by the Dolce Gusto's Americano capsule, it was still a close 2nd place in comparison. Acidity was surprisingly on the milder side of things but still present enough to keep things lively. Mouth feel was smooth yet somewhat oily (as is typically common with Carte Noire T-Discs). Finish was a bit sour while more cereal notes revealed themselves in the aftertaste.

Aroma - 9 - Strong with cereal notes and a faint hint of molasses lurking underneath.
Acidity - 8 - Rather well-balanced overall with more of a presence on the back-end vs. the foreground.
Body - 8 - Dark brown with notes of orange & deep red when held to a light source. Reminded us of the coloring scheme used on the T-Disc label.
Flavor - 9 - A decent enough punch to the tastebuds without being too strong. The reduced boldness of the espresso is present yet things are smooth throughout. Rather enjoyable overall.
Mouth Feel - 8 - Smooth with somewhat oily notes in the background. Slightly sour finish with cereal notes in the aftertaste.
Coffee Drinker - If you enjoy strong mediums but are longing for something bolder, this would be a decent T-Disc. It's not strong enough to be considered a true extra-bold espresso yet not weak enough to be considered a medium. It falls sort of in-between as a watered-down espresso without the watered-down taste. Just what an Americano should be.

Overall Rating: 92 - Exceptional

It's no secret that Carte Noire is considered one of France's top quality coffee brands and we have to admit, we've enjoyed most of what they've produced in the past. We're glad to see they're keeping things in check with regards to quality with this new T-Disc. Its strong aroma, balanced flavor, long-lasting brew temperature and decent crema layer make for a well appreciated addition to the Tassimo's growing repertoire of T-Disc flavors. It shows promise and gives us hope at what's to come.

While some would claim that a huge amount of varieties only makes it harder to find a favorite and leads to headaches, we'd tend to disagree by saying that variety is the "spice of life" and is what was SORELY needed for the Tassimo in countries outside America. While we enjoyed a decent amount of selection online and in retail stores, places like Canada & the UK had to suffer with at most, 10 flavors available in store shelves at any given time and slim pickings on their online Tassimo e-Shops. The introduction of new flavors breaks that bland & boring cycle of repetition, so we're all for change when it comes adding new T-Disc flavors. Who knows? Maybe someday we'll be able to buy every variety in production world-wide? If Nespresso can do so, why not Kraft? (In Kraft's defense, they're slowly making 1 or 2 varieties a year available in other countries although we wish they'd offer more)

Carte Noire Americano T-Discs work in all Tassimo brewers (dual barcodes for home & professional models are on the discs) and are available in 14-packs for $8.49 CAD or lower at various Canadian grocery store chains and online via Tassimo's Canadian e-Shop at Tassimo.ca. These T-Discs are not currently sold in USA.

A special thanks to SH for providing this Single Serve Coffee staff review, and these T-Discs were purchased online for the purpose of this review.

Read how we review and rate single-serve coffee and other single-serve coffee beverages here.

CBTL Americano Single Serve Coffee Maker Arrives for Review

2012-01-11T12:43:53Z

We're very excited that CBTL has sent over their Americano single serve coffee and espresso maker to review. We've had it out of the box for just over a few hours and so far - awesome. We've received a sampler box of flavors to try out, and we'll also compare it to the other Kaldi CBTL machine we've been using over the past 3-4 months.

The CBTL Americano model features six cup sizes, automatic beverage proportioning for consistency cup after cup, a 50 oz water tank, adjustable drip tray, automatic capsule ejection, used capsule storage, and energy saving features and retails for $149.99. The Americano comes in red, black, white and silver, and is initially available only at Bed Bath & Beyond stores and online, and will soon be available at CBTL.com.

Here's the Americano machine at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

We'll have a full review after the upcoming holiday weekend. Thanks again to CBTL for sending us a machine to review.

Nespresso Bringing Kazaar Coffee Capsules back for 2012

2012-01-10T12:55:21Z

We finally have a date on Nespresso bringing back the Kazaar coffee capsules in 2012.

Their Twitter feed had the following to say about the date: "You asked and we listened! Kazaar is coming back on 1/16, available online only – RT if you’re counting down!" These capsules will be available online only and you may also want to check out their Facebook page for updates as well.

We never had the pleasure of the Kazaar - so we look forward to getting a few capsules to try out on 1/16.

Via SingleServeCoffeeForums.com

We Have a Coffee Joulies Winner

2012-01-09T12:43:14Z

That's right - Rose has won a set of Coffee Joulies from Single Serve Coffee. We're pleased the Coffee Joulies will also make her an even better mother than she already is. Congrats again to Rose.

From Rose:

Oh coffee gods you have heard the cry of the new mother and answered. I often times go to make a cup of coffee and find it a bit too hot and by the time it gets to the right temperature my beautiful little baby girl needs me. So after changing a diaper, nursing her, or just playing some peek-a-boo my coffee is now too cool. I haven't been able to enjoy a decent cup at the right temperature since she came home. And believe me, new mommy's need their coffee. These Joulies would allow this mommy to get her coffee fix and still be the best mommy ever. :)

Nescafe's Dolce Gusto Ad Campaign for 2012

2012-01-06T12:43:36Z

We're not sure if this ad campaign for Nescafe's Dolce Gusto single serve coffee maker will connect with audiences or not, but it is indeed interesting. Sure - there's the italian barista who is a stereotype - but then again - he's a handsome devil who's just in love with coffee - is that so wrong? Well it just might be but you'll need to take a view or two yourself to form your own single serve coffee opinion.

Via Sprudge.com

Under Cabinet K-cup Holder Keeps Your Coffee Off the Counter

2012-01-05T11:52:17Z

This under the cabinet K-Cup holder requires no tools, hardware or drilling required for installation, and comes in two configurations. The Elite fits ANY cabinet> XL fits corner or deep cabinets. It hides underneath your cabinets with a high strength adhesive designed & recommended by 3M. The under cabinet K-Cup holder has room for 24 K-Cups, and swings down for easy access, and then swings up and out of the way for unseen for storage. We think of it as the Superhero of K-Cup holders.

At Keurig Under Cabinet K-Cup Holder

Coffee Joulies Take the Burn Out of Hot Coffee

2012-01-04T12:44:57Z

If you're tired of burning your tongue on coffee only to have it get cold a few minutes later then the Coffee Joulies are for you. Each polished stainless steel shell is filled with a special phase change material that melts at 140°F. Put them inside your coffee and they absorb heat when it is too hot and release it back into your coffee to keep it at the perfect temperature. The Set of 5 works with up to 20 oz of coffee, one bean per 4 oz.

Our experience using the Coffee Joulies was good. They work as designed to keep your coffee at a cooler but drinkable temperature than scalding hot, but we also had great luck warming up the Coffee Joulies and putting them in a hot cup of coffee to keep things on the warmer side even longer.

Contest Update: Back in March of 2011 we posted about the amazing Coffee Joulies, and we finally got some to give away. Well - we've had them a little while but needed to test them in a cup or two before sending out. We didn't receive 5 packs of them either - we received 1 pack of 5 Coffee Joulies and we'll announce the winner of that 5 pack this week or next.

Review: Van Houtte JavaNation Vanilla Cupcake K-Cups

2012-01-03T12:43:56Z

Today we review a new concept on the Canadian K-Cup scene that Van Houtte have decided to test out recently… creating a “brand within a brand” and passing it off as something which is completely unrelated to its parent company. When we first heard of JavaNation, we thought this was a new brand acquired by Van Houtte. We dug further and discovered that this was rather a new brand created by Van Houtte in order to introduce some rather unconventional K-Cup flavors. Case in point? Their JavaNation Vanilla Cupcake K-Cups.

Brewing these K-Cups result in strong notes of caramel (wait… what?). Yes, you read that correctly. A caramel scent during brewing which slowly morphs into a vanilla cake scent with sweet tinges of sugary white frosting lingering in the background once the coffee is sitting in the cup. The whole “aromatic musical chairs” bit was rather strange, but hey, the final scent was more or less spot-on. The only reason for point loss here is that we kept thinking this was a caramel coffee instead of vanilla at first. Not too good when the coffee initially doesn’t smell anything like its namesake. It’s almost like brewing a blueberry coffee and having it smell like bananas for the first 5 minutes.

Billed as a light roast, flavor was unfortunately not as strong as the aroma (Ah yes, the Achilles heel of flavored coffees rears its ugly head yet again). We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again… if there’s one thing we hate about flavored coffee, it’s when the flavor fails to match the intensity of the aroma. To Van Houtte’s credit, there IS actually some vanilla flavoring here which serves to represent the cake base of the namesake flavor, however, it’s all but washed away by the sour notes of the strong acidity which was present during every sip and to be honest, it annoyed us to no end.

Body was light brown & amber in color with shades of red when held to a light source. Speaking of acidity, wow… was it ever present here. Major points are lost for this one since the acidic punch washed away what could have been a sweeter vanilla flavor. Mouth feel was smooth yet was bordering on the watery side. We detected very faint oily notes in the bitter finish.

Aroma – 7 – A bizarre morphing scent of caramel which transforms to vanilla & a hint of sweet frosting once the coffee has settled in the cup. Not exactly what we were expecting.
Acidity – 1 – Sorry, but when the acidity is so strong that it impedes the final flavor, we can’t help but sack it in the points department. A major revision is required here.
Body – 8 – Light brown & amber with red notes when held to a light source.
Flavor – 2 – While there IS some vanilla flavoring present here, it doesn’t come near to tasting like the namesake flavor on the packaging. This is due to the overbearing acidity which washes most of the flavoring away.
Mouth Feel – 6 – Smooth yet bordering on the watery side of things. Faint oily notes on the bitter finish.
Coffee Drinker – This one’s best suited for the adventurous types who don’t mind diving headfirst into a new flavor without caring too much about having a full box left-over afterwards. Not exactly to our liking, so “try before you buy” with a smaller size box if possible.

Overall Rating: 74 – Poor

While we have to give credit to Van Houtte for at least putting some effort into creating a new & unique flavor which has never previously been introduced in K-Cup format, we’d have to say they rather missed the mark and an opportunity to refine the flavor/acidity balance. We’re sure a toned-down acidic profile and a bit more vanilla flavoring could have worked wonders here if given the chance. Still, as was discovered recently, you can sample this K-Cup in Canada without busting the proverbial bank. Instead of opting for a full 24-pack, various Canadian grocery store chains have started selling 12-pack boxes for almost half the price. As it stands, we’d suggest going that route vs. committing to a full box just yet.

Van Houtte JavaNation Vanilla Cupcake K-Cups will work in all Keurig models and are available in 24-pack boxes for $15.45 USD at VanHoutte.com and $17.45 CAD at VanHoutte.ca (12-pack boxes are avail. at various Canadian grocery stores for $8.99 CAD).

A special thanks to SH for providing this Single Serve Coffee staff review. We would also like to note we purchased these K-Cups to review ourselves.

Read how we review and rate single-serve coffee and other single-serve coffee beverages here.

December 2011 Monthly Round-Up for Single Serve Coffee

2012-01-02T12:55:35Z

Happy New Year! December 2011 was a pretty amazing month here at Single Serve Coffee. We received the CBTL Americano Single Serve Coffee and Espresso Machine to review, and we reviewed Millstone Hazelnut Cream K-Cups and the Celestial Seasonings Honey Lemon Ginseng Green Tea K-Cups. We'll have lots of news and reviews here in 2012 so stay tuned.

CBTL

CBTL Americano Single Serve Coffee and Espresso Machine

Coffee Cups & Travel Mugs

Coffee Gadgets & Accessories

General News

K Cup Reviews

Keurig & K-Cups

Monthly Round-Up

November 2011 Monthly Round-Up for Single Serve Coffee

Reviews

Single Serve Coffee Europe

Single Serve Coffee Machines

Super Automatic & ESE

Severin S2 One Touch Automatic Single Serve Coffee Machine

Whole Bean and Ground Coffeee

Happy New Year from Single Serve Coffee 2012

2011-12-30T11:09:44Z

The New Year is almost upon us, and we just want to look ahead and think of all the amazing single serve coffee we'll drink in 2012. Thanks again to all of our loyal readers, advertisers, and staff. We love you all, and hope you have an amazing New Years Eve this weekend. Stay safe and we'll see you in the New Year for more single serve coffee.

Dualit Piccolina Single Serve Coffee and Espresso Maker

2011-12-29T11:13:12Z

A different design than the Dualit Rapido, the Dualit Piccolina coffee capsule machine from Dualit is packed full of user friendly features. This machine is only available in Europe (another Caffitaly variant), and is available Online & at John Lewis stores in the UK. It's nice to see how the worldwide counterparts differ in color and tone from the US variants that CBTL is featuring. We think the simple black is nice, but we do miss the bright blue and red CBTL offers here in the US.

A unique twin pressure system provides (15 bar) for making espressos or low pressure (3.5 bar) for longer drinks to suit your coffee preference
No mess - with sealed capsules which drop into an integral drawer when used
Eco-friendly, with auto shut-off and recyclable capsules
Quick to heat up, with coffee dispensed in under two minutes
Easy to use, with drop in capsules, pre-set functions, removable 1.2L water tank, and auto-descale programme
Adjustable spout height and temperature
For frothed or heated milk, partner with the versatile Latteccino to create all you milk based coffee drinks.