"coffee maker" news and stories

I am obsessed with a coffeemaker, and I don't even drink coffee.

My roommate bought the Keurig B70, and it's great. I think it's the platinum edition, all sleek and shiny and modern. It's a single serving machine, using the individual K-cups (my roommate went crazy and bought a dozen different things to make in it - Timothy's, Ghiarardelli hot cocoa, Celestial Seasonings tea, Green Mountain coffee). To be honest, I'm using it mostly to get hot water for my tea. I'd use it to make hot cocoa, but for some reason you can't buy the K-cups with the Ghiarardelli in them, you have to buy the full-sized packets. Maybe it's because the proportions would be off?

I come from a family that bought Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa in the packets and mixed it with water. It wasn't until later on in my teen years that I even knew that there were people who drank it with - gasp! - milk.

Now I can't make it with anything else but milk. Making it with water just makes it too, well, watery. I've switched to Ghirardelli (though I still get Swiss Miss if the store is out of Ghiradelli), and it just tastes better with milk (even the non-fat stuff I use). My roommate just bought one of the Keurig machines and it comes with "specially formulated" Ghirardelli chocolate for the Keurig maker (though it comes in the regular sized packets and not those individual cups things, so I'm not even sure how you're supposed to make it - do they sell reusable cups you can put the hot chocolate in?), but I'm not going to use water. I like it creamier now.

So, what do you make it with, water or milk? And do you call it "hot chocolate" or "hot cocoa?"

When brewing coffee, there are two factors that play a huge part in the final flavor. The water-to-bean ratio is important, but first you should have fresh beans and they should be ground as soon before brewing as possible. Fresh grounds will have the natural oils of the bean still in them, which will give you the fullest flavor, eliminating much of that flat and bitter aftertaste that can come from stale grounds - and ground coffee can stale very, very quickly. This is why, if you brew coffee at home, it's a good idea to buy a grinder and grind your own beans. Since that's another step between you and coffee in the morning, however, many opt for preground. The all-in-one coffee makers, which have built in grinders, are a good option for anyone who wants to get the best cup of coffee with the least amount of work.

The machines are programmed in advance and they heat water, grind beans and brew your coffee all with the touch of a button. A recent test showed good results from each of three machines. The Melitta preformed well, but had no insulated carafe, which keeps the coffee from becoming burned or overly strong sitting on a heating pad. The Cuisinart made a slightly better cup of coffee than the Melitta, but the Capresso, with a burr grinder to ensure even grounds and smooth flavor, won the test.

All in all, you can't really go wrong with any of the machines from the sound of it, but if you already have a machine you like, look into getting a grinder instead of a whole new machine to really improve the quality of your morning brew.

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While running out to Starbucks is one way to get your coffee fix in a flash, the Cuisinart Coffee on Demand is an even easier way. The small, stylish machine takes up less room than most countertop coffee makers and dispenses one cup of coffee at a time, directly into your mug without the need for a carafe. The way that it works is that the coffee is brewed and stored inside a thermal reservoir inside the machine, which keeps it hot for up to 4 hours.

The product is suggested for entertaining, perhaps so guests can refill their mugs easily at a party, but the real target audience is anyone who has more than one cup of coffee per day. It would work particularly well in an office or home office, where you are likely to "refresh" your coffee every hour or so anyway.

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