Category: Daily Living
So was thinking about getting one of those beverage dispensers that take the discs to make cofee hot chocolate or tea. Does anyone own one and if so are they easy to use? Also do the coffees teas and hot chocolate taste as good as if you just made it from a package? I've heard mixed thoughts on this. Thanks,
Aimee
I used one commercially, we called the discs pods. If you're not a snob it's pretty good. I had paying customers all the time coming back for more espressos and the like.
I've never heard of one for the home, but imagine it's the same thing. Provided each disc or pod or whatever is individually vacuum-sealed you'll be fine. Some say not that good for the environment but I'm sure we've plenty of hipsters to comment on that on here.
Ah. Sounds very similar to the Keurig coffee maker. It uses K-Cups and they offer coffee, tea, hot cocoa, hot apple cider and even iced beverage. You can even use it to make instant soups since it heats up and dispenses the water right into the cup. As long as you don't like your coffee so strong a spoon woud standup straight in it you might find the Keurig convenient, especially if ou don't want to have a whole pot of coffee possibly going to waste in your kitchen.
Coffee pods are one of several sorts of single-serve coffee systems and you can get them for the home. You've got the makers that use the coffee pods, the ones that use k-cups, and I think there's the Tassimo system that uses T-discs, whatever those are. I've used both the coffee pods with a Senseo machine and the K-cups with the Keurig machine. I love the Keurig but k-cups aren't cheap. A box of k-cups will usually sell for like $13.95 for a box of 24. So if you can find some for less than that you have a deal. Coffee pods are more economical at like six to nine bucks for a bag of perhaps 18 pods. Seems all of these machines make a fairly small cup, like about eight ounces or so. I suggest you poke around on Google and find websites that talk about and compare the different single-serve coffee options out there. The coffee pods seem more economical.
Not so economical as buying beans, if you're the coffee junkie I am / drink a pot a day at least.
I'd get a Keurig if I could, but it's true: those K-cups are not cheap. Even though the stuff made in a Keurig is tasty, I can't afford it, so I stick with my packets. Maybe someday, when I actually have money...
The freshest coffee always comes from beans that have just been ground. I've heard that coffee loses 30% of it's flavour right after it's ground and that those pods etc. really aren't high quality. But I must disagree. Mom has a Keurig and the coffee that it makes is delicious. Still, I do want to get a grinder and buy some beans and taste the difference for myself.
I've got a Kureg and love it! The coffee is great. It has an attachment that is sold separately that allows you to use your own ground beans. That's what we do because the cups are pretty pricy as both of us drink coffee like water. I think the cups are waaaaay better though.
I have one of the Senseo systems and have no complaints (I think I saw those in use a lot when I was over in Germany and the Netherlands a few months back). There's also an EcoPod available for it that lets you grind your own beans—which I think I'll snag as soon as I have a coffee grinder of high enough quality.
This is great info thanks. Okay so I'm glad to hear the coffee is good even though I'm not a coffee drinker but my husband is. So do the cocoa and teas taste as good as the coffee? and is one beverage dispenser easier to use more than others? Thanks.
I've enjoyed the hot chocolate, peach tea, black raspberry tea, and apple cider. I want to try the green tea next.
As for ease of use, yes, the Kureg is very easy. The model we have is the 12 cup system so there are lots of options regarding cup size, etc. My mom and I just picked the setting we wanted and it has always defaulted back to that if for some reason the power flickers or something. All we have to do is perioticaly refill the water holder, put the cup in, push a button and voila.
I think the single cup system has fewer options and you just pour the water into the maker, put the cup under, press brue and there's your coffee.
i have one of those systems myself, sure it costs more but man has it been worth it. the hot chocolate it makes is really good too, teas as well.
Cool thanks for the info I may buy one of those very soon.
I actually like my hot chocolate made with milk and not water, so I found the one from the Kurig to be very weak and lacking in taste. I also usually prefer loose teas to bagged ones, as they pack more of a punch. The ones in the pods seemed to be weak, but to be fair, I only tried one or two. I'll definitely need to try more to make a good judgement on those. Can we get one of those empty pods for the Keurig or are they not made for that brand? That would be really cool!
My parents have one, and I hate it. I like coffee to be strong and rich, and the cups just failed to do that. They made coffee flavored hot water. The hot chocolate didn't taste chocolaty, and I never tried the tea because tea should be steeped for long periods of time, and blasting water through dried out tea that has already been brewed, doesn't sound apetizing to me.
You can get one if you want, but I'd say don't waste your money, just get a french press. A lot cheaper, can make only one cup of coffee at a time, and can make it to the exact strength you want it to. As for hot chocolate and tea, make the first with milk and it will be much richer, make the second properly, and you'll never want to use a teabag again.
Hmm, maybe I should get that Bottum Bistro thing from teeccino.com. I was interested in experimenting with a French press. Grandma has an electric one, but this one is the regular manual kind. I was under the impression that they always made strong coffee. Tht's not a problem for me, but I didn't know that you could change the strength.
Its simple coffee chemistry. Change the length you let it steep, and change the grain size, you change the strength of the coffee. Simple as that.