The folks at Coffee-mate offered me two of these packages, one for me and one to give away.

Yes, they are bribing me. : )

Here’s what you get.

Coffee-mate Café Collection Coffeehouse gift pack

2 Coffee-mate product coupons (You can see the flavors available on the Coffee-mate Facebook page.)

A Coffee-mate branded ceramic mug.

A stainless steel coffee spoon. (Which doubles as a clamp, to keep your coffee bag closed, and your ground coffee fresh.)

An iPod dock. (Made by Altec Lansing. Pretty nice.)

And a $10 Amazon gift card. (Although, in my package, it was a $10 iTunes certificate. Either way, it’s a nice gift.)

The estimated retail value of all this is $72.00.

How do you get your hands on this Coffee-mate Café Collection Coffeehouse gift pack?

You have to describe the experience of taking your perfect coffee break.

Use the comment function at the end of this post, and describe when, where and how you take a coffee break at home. Where do you sit? What do you see? How do you take your coffee? Are you alone? Are you listening to the radio? Do you have a snack with your coffee? Your cat on your lap? Dogs curled up at your feet?

Describe that moment to us…as you sit down, relax, and enjoy your coffee break at home.

The winner is the person who best captures that special moment.

Who decides which is the best entry? I do. Totally subjective, I know.

How long should your description be? Any length up to 125 words.

Who can enter? Anyone who is over the age of 18 and living in the US. (Sorry about that, Canada.)

When is the deadline? December 23rd . I’ll announce the winner on the 24th.

That’s it.

Sharpen your pencil, describe a beautiful coffee break moment, and add it below.

Good luck!

Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Coffee

Earlier this year Starbucks launched its own brand of instant coffee, VIA.

Not surprisingly, coffee lovers were scandalized by the fact that Starbucks, of all companies, would launch an instant coffee. It didn’t seem to make much sense.

Starbucks countered by saying that their instant coffee was different, and would deliver the same great Starbucks taste as you get from their fresh-brewed coffee.

If the taste is really that good, then VIA would offer the ultimate in one cup coffee making.

Each box contains 12 small sachets of coffee. You simply pour the contents into a cup or mug, then add hot water, and cream and sugar to taste.

The great thing about VIA is that you can put these sachets in your pocket, purse or laptop bag and have them at hand while traveling, or even when at work.

Everything hinges on whether the Starbucks promise holds up.

Is VIA as good as fresh-brewed coffee?

In our humble opinion, it is not. We did some blind comparisons — VIA versus fresh-brewed — and everyone identified which cup contained the instant coffee. There is something about the taste of any instant coffee that always seems to be there.

Granted, if the coffee you get at work or in a hotel is either weak or over-brewed, a cup of VIA would probably be better.

But it does taste like instant coffee, and it isn’t as good as a well-brewed pot of fresh-ground coffee.

Sorry Starbucks, but it just isn’t.

You can buy Starbucks VIA Ready Brew at Amazon.com…

Disclaimer: One Cup Coffee Reviews has an affiliate relationship with Amazon.com

Funny thing about one cup coffee makers…paying more money doesn’t actually deliver a better cup of coffee. Fancy and expensive single serve brewers simply look better, and offer more convenience.

If you have no need for more in the way of aesthetics and bells and whistles, get your hands on a simple filter cone. A plastic one will costs you less than ten bucks, although you can spend a little more for a ceramic or porcelain model.

Watch the video, and see how simple it is.

Using a filter cone has some advantages too.

• You can use any coffee you like, not only those that are available in single serve formats.
• You’ll save a lot of money.
• You have total control over the proportion of ground coffee to water, and over the temperature of the water.

Granted, you’ll have that wet filter to throw away once you’re done. But there really is something to be said for the total simplicity of using a filter cone.

You can buy a filter cone locally, or at Amazon.com.

MicroPress coffee maker

At first sight the MicroPress appears to be a slightly odd coffee maker. You don’t plug it in. You don’t put it on the stove. And you don’t even heat up a kettle of water either.

Instead, you add water to the glass bowl and coffee grinds to a small chamber between the bowl and the top of the mug.

Then you put the whole thing inside your microwave at the high setting for 2 minutes.

The water is heated, pushed down through the coffee and a filter and into the mug below. There is something faintly peculiar about the whole process. That said, the coffee is really very good. Not the best, but a very nice brew.

I won’t be rushing to use the MicroPress every day, but I will be taking it with me when I travel. It would also be perfect for people who have boats, RVs, small kitchenettes or dorm rooms where there is a microwave, but very little storage space.

If you have one yourself, please leave a comment and let us know what you think.

You can find out more about the MicroPress Coffee Maker here…