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

The Dolce Gusto One Cup Coffee Maker

Yes, there is yet another choice out there for lovers of single serve coffee makers.

We have K-cup coffee makers, coffee pod coffee makers, T-Disc coffee makers, to name just three – and now we have the Nescafe Dolce Gusto single serve coffee maker.

The Dolce Gusto uses proprietary coffee capsules. Like K-Cups and T-Discs, these are sealed and contain just the right amount of coffee for a single serving. And you have to use the capsules. You can’t use loose coffee or any other kind of coffee container.

So why might you want the Dolce Gusto?

My first answer would have to be because it looks so amazing. It’s a beautiful piece of design and really does look very different from other coffee makers.

In addition, it’s a good machine… it has solid construction and a 15-bar water pump, which means you get the same quality of espresso you would expect from a coffee shop.

You can use it to make a regular cup of coffee, or espresso-based beverages, like cappuccino.

And it’s fast, making a coffee in under a minute. You can also use its custom-control lever to adjust the strength of each brew. Finally, it has a removable 51-ounce water tank, which allows you to make several coffees without having to refill the tank.

The Dolce Gusto makes single serve coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, shots of espresso, chococinos (hot chocolate) and even iced cappuccinos.

If we have a complaint, it’s that when you use this brewer, it feels a little light in its construction. That said, when I read through customer reviews, there are no complaints about anything breaking or failing in any way.

Most users give the Dolce Gusto a big thumbs up.

Get your Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee Machine at Amazon for $149.99

Keurig Office Pro K-Cup Coffee Maker

The Keurig Office Pro B145 Coffee Brewer works in the same way as any other Keurig brewer. You use K-Cups and brew one cup of coffee at a time.

One cup coffee makes a lot of sense for an office environment, where people may have very different tastes in the types of coffee they enjoy most.

Using the Keurig Office Pro means everyone can get their own stash of the coffees and blends they like best.

If you like flavored coffee, make one cup for yourself.

If someone lined up just behind you wants a herbal tea, they just use a herbal tea K-Cup.

Single serve coffee making was developed for the home market, simply because it`s a more convenient to brew one cup at a time, without the mess and bother of traditional filters and drip brewers.

But, in fact, one cup coffee machinesare an even better investment for a small office, or for a group or team within a larger office.

No more conflicts between caffeinated and decaf. So more arguments over whose turn it is to make the coffee. No more worries about that guy who always grabs a cup before the brew cycle is complete.

The Keurig Office Pro has the same features you find in the Keurig home brewers, but is built to deal with about ten times the usage. It is UL Approved for Commercial Use, and includes the special construction and materials required to meet the UL standards.

Learn more and buy the New Keurig Office Pro K-Cup coffee brewer here…

Bialetti Mocha Pot

Here is another way to make one cup of coffee at a time. The Moka pot above makes more than one cup, but there are other models in smaller sizes.

Not only is a mocha pot one of the simplest and best ways to make a great cup of coffee, but this Bialetti model is also a thing of rare beauty.

Most coffee makers look plain ugly. Even the original, basic Moka pot design was somewhat drab. But this stainless steel beauty will look good anywhere…in your kitchen or on the dinner table after a meal with friends.

A mocha pot makes a coffee that is unmistakably rich, with a taste somewhere between regular drip brew coffee and espresso.

We use our Bialetti on a regular basis. We don’t use it to make straight shots of espresso. But we do use it to make espresso to which we add hot water or hot and frothy milk.

To use a mocha pot, you simply add the water to the bottom section, pour ground coffee into the metal filter, put everything back together and then heat it up on the stove.

In addition to its beautiful design and the quality of the coffee it brews, this mocha pot has a couple of other advantages that might appeal:

- No plastic parts.

- No moving parts or electronics (i.e. nothing to go wrong.)

Basically, the Bialetti Mocha Pot delivers on the promise of all good design – beauty and functionality combined.

Use it to make a coffee for yourself, or when you are entertaining and want something a little more stylish than a regular glass carafe.

Learn more and buy a Bialetti Mocha Pot here…

Black & Decker Brew 'N Go

It’s not fancy, not high-design and not a coffee maker to show off to the neighbours.

But the Black & Decker DCM18 Brew ‘N Go Coffeemaker is a one cup brewer. It makes just one cup at a time and is specifically designed for use with travel mugs. You get a full 15 ounces per brew.

The other significant difference when compared to other one cup coffee makers is that it doesn’t use coffee pods or K-Cups or T-Discs. It’s actually just a drip brewer, albeit smaller than most.

So you buy loose coffee, or grind your own beans, and use it the same way you would use an 8-cup or 10-cup brewer.

But there is no need to buy paper filters, because it comes with a permanent metal filter. Just wash and rinse after each use.

Like I said, this doesn’t compare to some of the more sophisticated one cup coffee makers now available. But if you just want to make one cup of coffee a day before you rush out the door, the price is definitely right.

Even the travel mug is included.

Get the Black & Decker DCM18S Brew ‘n Go Personal Coffeemaker with Travel Mug from Amazon.com

When you purchased your Keurig brewer it probably came with a few K-Cups. After that, you found a store locally that sold boxes of K-Cups, or you ordered them online.

But there is an alternative. Instead of always using K-Cups, you can use the My K-Cup reusable coffee filter.

As you can see from the video, the My K-Cup unit comprises both the holder and a K-Cup sized filter with a fine screen.

Why would you bother?

There are three reasons.

1. It’s handy to have a My K-Cup unit on hand for those times when you unexpectedly run out of K-Cups. There is nothing more frustrating that having a Keurig brewer and not being able to use it.

2. The My K-Cup filter enables you to use any coffee you like. While there are plenty of coffees already available in K-Cups, not EVERY coffee can be found in this format. With the My K-Cup you can buy any coffee you like, grind the beans and still use your Keurig brewer.

3. When you buy coffee by the bag and then use it in your My K-Cup, you will save on the price of the coffee you brew. It’s a matter of only a few pennies per cup, but if you drink a lot of coffee, by the end of a few months the saving could be significant.

Whichever the reason that matters most to you, there is no harm in at least having the My K-Cup filter tucked away in a drawer somewhere. You can keep it to one side and take it out only when you need it.

Buy the My K-Cup Coffee Filter here…

Learn about the Keurig K-Cup brewers here…

Not every one cup coffee maker is either sophisticated or expensive. You can make a fabulous espresso or coffee with the AeroPress.

Here is how I used mine recently. My girlfriend and I took her daughter to Disney World for a week. Before we left, I was suspicious about the quality of coffee we might find at the hotel. I wasn’t even sure if the rooms had coffee makers. (They didn’t.)

In one of our cases I packed my custom coffee-lovers survival kit. It comprised the AeroPress with filters, plus a tin of ground coffee, and a small electric kettle. The sugar and milk I pocketed from the Disney cafeteria. (Sorry about that.)

Each morning I would boil the kettle and add enough ground coffee to the AeroPress for a double espresso. I would then divide the finished espresso between two coffee mugs and then fill to the top of the mug with hot water. When you do that, it’s called an Americano. Then cream and sugar to taste.

After depending on it for a week, I can tell you that the AeroPress does a great job. Really good coffee. And lifesaver when you are traveling.

Watch the video to find out how it works.

You can buy the AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker at Amazon

Keurig K-Cup Brewers

A year ago it was a tough call as to which of the one cup coffee formats would come out on top.

Now the picture is a little clearer. Keurig’s K-Cup coffee makers are flying off the shelves.

This isn’t just a story of success for Keurig. The coffee pod format took a big blow in April when the Senseo line-up of brewers was withdrawn due to some safety concerns. I wrote about this in an earlier post.

Senseo was leading the charge for the coffee pod format and plenty of other manufacturers were happily creating their own pod brewers. And a ton of roasters were offering their coffees in the pod format. With Senseo out on the sidelines, at least for now, a lot of the momentum for coffee pod brewers has been lost.

So how about the other proprietary one cup coffee formats, like the Tassimo with its T-Discs, the Nespresso with its coffee Capsules, and others?

These formats and brewers are fine, but they lose out to the Keurig brewers in some important ways.

First, they don’t offer as broad a range of different coffees.

Second, they don’t have an equivalent of Keurig’s My K-Cup, which allows you to use your own, loose coffee with the Keurig brewers.

Third, the brewers, and the T-Discs and capsules cost more.

Fourth, the Keurig brewers are better built. They are totally solid compared to the flimsy feel of the Tassimo brewers in particular. (That said, the Nespresso brewers are very nicely made, but you have to pay a lot more for them.)

Keurig has achieved excellent penetration with some outstanding brewers and coffees. Even when Senseo comes back, it may be too late for the coffee pod format to catch up.

Keurig brewer reviews:

The Keurig B60

The Keurig B70

The Keurig B40

The Keurig B30

The Breville BKC600XL

Fair Trade Autumn Harvest Blend K-Cups

I’m not a big fan of how retailers herald the change of seasons. Just yesterday I was in a hardware store and found the lawnmowers gone, and replaced by snow blowers. Ouch.

But it is good to see some new K-cup coffees appearing. That’s one of the nice things about the K-Cup format – there are always new choices. And, of course, if you are a big fan of one K-Cup coffee, that doesn’t mean others in your home need to like it as well. You can all choose your own favorites and enjoy them one cup at a time.

The Fair Trade Autumn Harvest Blend from Green Mountain Coffee isn’t a flavored coffee, it’s a blend of coffees and roasts designed to give you that warm, comfy feeling as the cold weather approaches. Crisp, clear and smoky, it makes a delightful brew.

Fair Trade Autumn Harvest Blend is also made with Fair Trade coffee beans, so with every purchase you’ll be supporting the small farmers who grow the beans.

Get it here: Fair Trade Autumn Harvest Blend

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.