With the busy lifestyles most of us lead, it is no wonder that the simplicity, functionality and beauty of K Cups are highly appreciated. K Cups, if you've not heard of them, are made for the Keurig line of coffeemakers and are the specially-designed, pre-measured coffee 'pods' for the Keurigs. Before you go gaga over it, however, know these facts and tips.
What is a K-cup?
The K-cup is the individual pod of moisture-free, vacuum-packed coffee used in the Keurig machines. You will find that each colorful cup exterior is made of plastic, with an easily punctured foil seal through which hot water is injected into the coffee grounds.
Enjoy silt-free coffee because each coffee pod also has a paper filter to keep grounds in the pod, not in your coffee cup.
Basically, you just place the K-Cup in the designated receptacle, let the Keurig coffee maker do its thing and then enjoy the resulting coffee. Some of the many benefits of the Keurig K Cups are:
• Ease of brewing for many types of coffee preferences since you just brew each flavored coffee without worrying about clean-ups.
• Brewing variables are under your control: water volume, water temperature, and brew time. In fact, you have models that allow four brew strengths!
• More than 200 coffee flavors and varieties. K Cups are offered by many specialty houses like Gloria Jean's, Timothy's, Caribou Coffee, Emeril's, Bellacino, Van Houtte, and Diedrich Coffee.
What Varieties are Available?
Did you know that K Cups are also come with decaf and espresso coffees, as well as tea and hot chocolate? Just to name a few of the tea brands, you can choose from Celestial and Twining teas in colors ranging from black to green to white and in flavors like chamomile and French vanilla.
For hot chocolate lovers, Ghiradelli and Bellacino offer luscious white and dark chocolate varieties. Indeed, with K-Cups, flavor is never an issue as you can have one variety of coffee, tea or chocolate a day for virtually the whole year round.
K-Cups come in many sized package options. You may have just a couple of dozens if you are single or the 108-count box if you belong to a large household. And how nice is it to have the option to keep your K Cup selection easy to manage with a K-Cup organizer? This way, you can easily see your choices for the day as well as determine if you are running out of stock.
When purchasing all those delicious varieties, consider your coffee drinking habits. Keep in mind that any type of K-Cup has a shelf life of 6 months (check the expiry date on the label) so hoarding them beyond what you can reasonably consume in six months is a waste of money.
But, nobody's going to blame you for wanting to try so many delicious choices. You might even say that this is the exception to the rule about too much of a good thing is harmful. It's not when it comes to K-Cup Keurig coffee!
Jeen van der Meer is the author of various articles on coffee makers. Free coffee maker reviews at
coffee maker ratings and at
coffee facts.
