All those pods are putting a crimp in coffee sales

[Omaha Steve]

Don't have a Keurig, never will. I drink at least a pot a day.

OS


THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Because single-serve coffee pods are more efficient than drip coffee makers, the demand for coffee has slowed. We’re still drinking plenty of java, but now that we’re making it cup by cup, we’re pouring less of it down the sink.


http://www.omaha.com/money/all-those-pods-are-putting-a-crimp-in-coffee-sales/article_4c483e41-c073-5845-91a3-5ef8b195195c.html

POSTED: TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2015 1:00 AM
Bloomberg News

NEW YORK — Call it the most-disruptive development in the business since Starbucks Corp. began the coffee-shop boom in the late 1980s. It might even be the biggest thing since Luigi Bezzera patented the espresso machine in 1901.

Either way, single-serve brewing machines popularized by Keurig Green Mountain Inc. are now used by more than one in four Americans and are altering the way coffee is consumed. Almost every brand, from Folgers to Dunkin’ Donuts, is sold in disposable 2-inch-by-2-inch plastic pods that yield just one serving. They’re more efficient than drip-brewing pots capable of making 10 cups, some of which isn’t consumed and gets dumped.

While Americans still drink more coffee than any beverage except water, expanded use of single-serve machines has slowed demand growth for a $52 billion market in the United States, the world’s biggest consumer. That’s hurt sales at a time when ample inventories of the commodity have sent prices tumbling.

“The coffee market has lost its best consumer: the kitchen sink,” said Hernando de la Roche, a senior vice president at INTL FCStone Inc. in Miami. “Roasters are telling us that single-cup coffee has been reducing demand.”

FULL story at link.

[FLPanhandle]

1. I love my Keurig

No need to make a pot or half a pot when I only want a single cup.

No mess to clean up.

Choose from lots of options/types of coffee depending on mood.

What's not to like?

[hobbit709]

5. Price for one. If I pay high dollar per pound I want high dollar coffee.

I bet you'll never see authentic Jamaica Blue Mountain in those plastic thingies.

[FLPanhandle]

10. True

We also have a nice drip coffee maker we use after grinding the beans.

However, there are times when I just want one cup and the Keurig is hard to beat for that.

[hobbit709]

14. I am caffeine-based lifeform. If I make a pot, none of it is wasted.

[CherokeeDem]

28. Never heard it put this way...

I am caffeine-based lifeform.

I am of your people!

Love this!!!

[TexasProgresive]

57. I, too, am caffeine-based lifeform.

We should unite. I know the single serve thingies in our coffee give you 12 cups at a greater price than a can which makes several 12 cup pots. Seems like an overpriced gimmick, not to mention the coffee maker.

[CherokeeDem]

63. The single serve thingies...

are not strong enough for me. I like my coffee rich and strong....

I agree the single cups may be convenient but definitely expensive. Besides, I can make a single cup in my French Press, just the way I like it.

[TexasProgresive]

96. That's something I did not consider.

People have differing tastes as to how strong or weak they like their coffee or tea. I like by coffee strong and black. It's why I don't care for Starbucks. Since I drink my coffee neat (unadulterated) it really stands out that Starbucks coffee is an inferior bean roasted too dark that people compensate with added flavorings.

I had French press coffee when in Ireland and found it very good. At home we use an automatic drip pot with a thermo-carafe. It works well for us as we tend to sip on coffee all day. I don't think I would make coffee in one but I wish I could get one of these tiny enamel steel French drip pots. My G.G. Aunt would make the strongest coffee which would be served with lots of hot milk or hot water. It was the first instant coffee.

Just an old man's nostalgia for some of the comforts of his childhood.

http://thecajunconnection.com/frenchdripcoffeepot.html
an enameled steel teapot shaped server. It is topped with a cylinder that has a perforated bottom disk. Regular grind coffee is measured into the cylinder and boiling water is poured over the grinds. The brew then drips into the serving pot. This method produces a strong, oily brew.

[Major Nikon]

149. Starbucks also sells lighter roasts

I'm no fan of Starbucks, but their methods are good. They grind right before brewing, use the right amount of coffee, brew at the right temperature, and they brew into a closed system which retains flavor until serving.

Some people like dark roasts whether or not they add anything to their coffee. With dark roasts you do lose much of the flavors which are in the beans, however the roasting process itself does add flavor. So the difference is you are tasting the roast more than the bean itself. Dark roasts also tend to be less acidic, which is important to many people. I don't like dark roasts, but lots of people do and there are good reasons to do so.

For single serve, one excellent method is the Aeropress. It makes very strong coffee that you add hot water to get whatever strength you want. It makes an excellent cup of brewed coffee and is very easy to use and clean the device.

[Sherman A1]

90. Same here

[customerserviceguy]

16. Bingo

There's no law that says you have to make a full pot when you only want one or two cups. Oh, yeah, it wrecks a filter, but I get a package of 150 at the dollar store.

I can get a whole pound of whole bean gourmet coffee for eight bucks at Chef's Central, it's their store brand, but it's clear that it's made by Unique Coffee Roasters out on Long Island, and it's the same stuff sold in Stop-N-Shop for about 10-11 bucks for a 13 oz. package. Yes, I have to use a coupon, but Chef's Central takes any unexpired coupon, and it's a good use of the Bed, Bath, and Beyond coupons that I get about every two or three weeks.

It's like buying breakfast cereals in the little Snack-Packs that Kellogg's used to sell when I was a kid.

[cherokeeprogressive]

31. Um...

http://www.bluemountaincoffee.com/index.cfm?method=Products_ProductDetail&id=1108

[hobbit709]

34. Not the K-Cups. And 24 cups for $46? A pound of beans at that price will make a lot more than 2 pots

[cherokeeprogressive]

36. Oh, okay.

I was just answering your post about the "plastic thingies" never being filled with your Jamaican coffee.

Besides, I have a couple of the reusable "plastic thingies" and put whatever coffee in them that I'm in the mood for.

[Ms. Toad]

67. You can have both . . .

Grind your own and use a reusable pod. Yum!!!

[Mr.Bill]

79. You can buy a reusable pod for a few bucks

and put whatever kind of coffee in it you want. It baffles me why more people don't do that. It saves a bunch of money.

[malaise]

91. So far so good

You're right

[Freddie]

17. You will pry my Keurig out of my caffeine-deprived hands

Makes better coffee than a drip machine because the grounds are vacuum-sealed. Yes it's more $$ than canned ground coffee but cheaper (and way more convenient) than Starbucks or even 7-11 coffee.

[awoke_in_2003]

49. I really have no dog in the fight one way or the other...

when it comes to K cups, but if the coffee you are getting from them is better than what you make in a drip then you might want to buy a decent coffee (or clean out the drip machine).

[yeoman6987]

20. Those who don't like Keurig

Certainly can't be friendly to water. Much of the coffee made in those old fashioned antiques end up poured down the drain. I think every household should get a Keurig for free just to save water and wasted coffee.

[hobbit709]

22. no one I know pours perfectly good coffee down the drain.

and whatever possible water savings are offset by the plastic in the trash.

[yeoman6987]

25. Nobody I know puts the pods in trash but puts them in

The recycling can. Those old fashioned pots are a water waster. One and done is smart.

[hobbit709]

26. Read reply # 13

[yeoman6987]

27. I read it. Be nice if he gave away all his money then.

A lot I regret in my job but have not returned money either.

[hobbit709]

29. You didn't read the part about #7 plastic.

[yeoman6987]

61. Plastic is recycled. Everything we have is plastic

It used to be steel but I guess plastic was cheaper and durable. Nothing wrong with plastic as long as it is recycled. I've been saving up on plastic bags because they will be banned someday and I don't know how collection of dog waste will happen without it. I am collecting enough for about 10 years 30K bags.

[Bohunk68]

97. I checked the bottom of the package that had been given to me.

I wouldn't consider buying one. There are no recycle images on the package or the plastic unit at all. No 1's or 2's, etc. Not even a 6. So, as far as I can see, they are not recyclable and clog up the landfills. I use a 4-cup Mr. Coffee, which is actually 2-12 0z cups. I grind my beans each and every pot. Get the cheap filters and those decompose in my composter.

[yeoman6987]

100. Understand but what happens when I put it in recycling

I never put in the garbage can. We have two cans one for regular trash and one for recycling.

[Bohunk68]

101. Do you think that the stuff you put in the recycling doesn't get inspected when

it is being separated out at the recycling depots?

[CreekDog]

107. so anything you put in your recycling bin is absolutely recycled?

[yeoman6987]

109. In Maryland yes. We don't play here. We take recycling very seriously.

[shedevil69taz]

114. Uhhh no even here in Maryland

All recyclables still get sorted, and all K-cups end up in the landfill

[CreekDog]

119. Actually, you're wrong, those aren't recyclable

Not in Baltimore

http://publicworks.baltimorecity.gov/Recycling/AcceptableUnacceptableRecycleMaterial.aspx

and Not in Annapolis (Annapolis only accepts recyclable materials and Keurig says not yet)

http://www.annapolis.gov/docs/default-source/public-works-pdfs/residentialreclingflyerlist3-10-2015.pdf?status=Temp&sfvrsn=0.8183462878223509

http://www.keuriggreenmountain.com/en/Sustainability/SustainableProducts/OurProducts/ReducingProductWaste.aspx

Just because you put it in your recycling bin, doesn't mean it's recycled. How many of us need to explain that to you?

[yeoman6987]

123. I am just bummed out about it that's all and a little denial.

[CreekDog]

147. It's okay to be wrong, but it's not okay to post the wrong thing 6 times in a row

while arguing with people that are correcting you.

that's just disruptive.

[yeoman6987]

148. Fair enough. You are right.

I apologize for my being disruptive cuz I was. Sometimes the Taurus in me escapes. Still not cool to try and hijack an OP. Thanks for keeping me in line and back to reality especially.

[shedevil69taz]

108. You may put them there

But the type of plastic that they are...when they get to the sorting facility...they go right into the trash pile anyway, they are not recyclable.

[haikugal]

85. Nothing goes down the drain here...and my French press does fine. :-)

[KittyWampus]

94. French press works fine. I don't usually drink coffee...

but when I do, I use my French Press!

Stay thirty my friends.

[Ilsa]

137. Cold coffee is like flat soda. Reheating doesn't help, IMO. nt

[jberryhill]

153. Do you have the math on that?

If the amount of coffee wasted is reduced, then I'm not sure what you are including in net systematic environmental impact from the coffee plantations on down the line.

As waste, the plastic is pretty much inert. Given the petroleum invested in producing and moving the coffee itself, I'd want to see some numbers on the systematic efficiency and energy cost.

[choie]

65. The pod form of coffee

creates a lot of plastic waste that goes into the environment. That's the biggest con in my book.

[shedevil69taz]

104. The type of plastic the pods are made of

Is completely unrecyclable, bacteria builds up in the internal workings of the machine that ends up in your coffee. In order to use my good coffee that I buy by the pound the single serve refillable accessory is actually more of a pain in the ass...

Three reasons why I went to using a French press...which if you really want to can be used to brew one cup at a time.

[KamaAina]

136. Could they use a different type of plastic?

Or figure out a way to recycle what they do use?

[SeattleVet]

152. The pods I use are 97% compostable...

I have to remove the plastic & foil lid, and the filter material; the coffee and the hard ring go into our yard waste bin to head to the commercial composter.

https://www.gourmet-coffee.com/single-serve.html

I get big box of these at Costco for a decent price. We also have 2 'refillable' pods that we use for our Kona Peaberry and other specialty types of coffees.

[KamaAina]

155. So why doesn't everybody use those?

Of course, people back East would have to start composting; we don't even do it in San Jose.

[jberryhill]

154. What are they using to grow the coffee...

...transport the coffee, fuel the roasters, and move the coffee to market; and

...once there is as estimate of the fossil fuel components of those operations, how does that compare to the petroleum content of the pods?

This reminds me of the "disposable plate" vs. "ceramic plate" argument. While it's easy to see that s disposable plate is thrown out, it is less easy to appreciate that, depending on your wastewater arrangements, that ceramic plate is going to be washed in water that is going to carry detergent into your nearest estuary thousands of times in its lifetime.

[Scootaloo]

2. But more plastic in the wastebasket n/t

[PowerToThePeople]

53. this.

Super bad for then environment.

[RedCappedBandit]

111. The reusable cups are excellent. nt

[shedevil69taz]

115. I find the reusable accessory

To be a huge pain in the ass to use...

[RedCappedBandit]

117. Really? I think it's pretty simple when I'm vising the rents and using theirs.

Put in grinds, press button.. rinse.. repeat..

[Scootaloo]

132. I find that when I want coffee, I can use grounds with no problem

And then if I have extra, i can use it for other stuff - adding coffee to the brownie mix works wonders.

[sufrommich]

3. Those pods are an enviromental packaging mess.nt

[cwydro]

4. I bought one for my mom.

But I make my coffee in a French press.

[OnyxCollie]

81. French press all the way.

I drink a half to three-quarters of a gallon of coffee every day.

[cwydro]

130. I make it strong

and drink it black.

LOVE my French press!

[OnyxCollie]

131. Yep, don't want to mask the bean.

[customerserviceguy]

6. Yep, those 75 cent pods

are really cutting down on waste, all right. If by some chance, my lady and I don't finish the pot, that cup of coffee in the pot that goes down the drain pisses away an entire ten cents. Of course, the four large mugs we took out of the machine cost about forty cents. And we both got plenty of coffee. And I don't buy the cheap crap, I get whole bean stuff from Chef's Central.

This is a foolish sense of economy.

[niyad]

7. who wastes coffee pouring it down the drain??? you put any leftover coffee in a

container in the fridge, and microwave as needed.

in the summer, you make it extra-strength, keep it chilled for iced coffee (and, if really smart, make a tray of coffee ice cubes.) or coffee granitas.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

11. Businesses.

Someone pointed out to me that at at least some Starbucks (and Boston Stokers) when they make some of those blended drinks, they end up pouring off 'leftovers' from each drink down the drain. They said to ask for a 'medium' in a 'large cup'. Presumably because if the employee will let you do that, they'll simply pour the 'leftover' on in to the cup and you'll get more than you paid for.

[niyad]

15. will have to ask my local starbucks about this.

[Hekate]

60. Only barbarians waste coffee at home like that. I do exactly what you do. nt

[roody]

73. Plants love coffee too. Dilute it and water.

[niyad]

124. I run a full pot through the grounds a second time for watering my plants. and, of

course, put the grounds into the pots or the garden. (and the starbucks by me gives away their grounds for us gardeners.)

[frazzled]

129. Oy, you should never reheat coffee

If you're having to do that, just make less (or buy a Keurig).

We brew coffee in an automatic drip machine (Capresso) with a gold filter (no paper filters here). And yes, we generally pour some down the drain each day. (We make 6 1/2 cups for two people, into a thermal carafe, no hotplate ever. But in general, we each drink only 2 to 2 1/2 cups each during the first hour of waking. If there's a cup or so left over, out it goes.)

We bought a Keurig for my mother about 5 years ago, because she was making a pot of coffee and putting the undrunk portion in the fridge (my father doesn't drink coffee, and you can generally not successfully make less than 4 cups in a drip machine). It tasted like hell reheated. It's a great boon for elderly people who only want 1 cup per day. No mess, no cleaning, no waste. So what's good for some people (brewing by their favorite method) isn't necessarily the best thing for others--say, those who are elderly or too infirm to be grinding, brewing, and cleaning daily. And coffee pots and machines need to be kept scrupulously clean, both for taste and health reasons.

[niyad]

8. didn't the guy who invented this wasteful nonsense just comment recently that

he was very sorry he had ever done so?

[Omaha Steve]

13. Inventor of Keurig K-Cups Is Sorry He Ever Came Up With the Idea

http://thestir.cafemom.com/food_party/183373/inventor_of_keurig_kcups_is

Coffee addicts, office dwellers, and anyone who's gotten gifted upon tying the knot are among the gazillions of people who now own a Keurig coffee brewer. Seriously, almost one in three American homes now has a pod-based coffee machine. Why bother with a whole, old school pot of coffee when you can pop one of those convenient little pods into the Keurig and have a neat, clean, mess-free cup of joe? Well, for one thing: Because the guy who invented the K-cup, John Sylvan, now regrets doing so and is firmly opposed to their use. It's true!

In a buzzworthy (no pun intended), eye-opening piece in The Atlantic, Sylvan says, “I feel bad sometimes that I ever did it.”

Not only because K-Cups are becoming more ubiquitous than ever, but because the company's aims to rectify the issue seem half-hearted at best. Last year, Keurig announced they plan to create a fully recyclable version of the K-Cup ... by 2020. But in the meantime, the waste is piling up. Only 5 percent of K-Cups are recyclable, and the rest are made of No. 7 plastic, which is basically just going to sit in landfills.

FULL story at link.

[phil89]

23. Of all the things to worry about

this is really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Somehow I think the Earth will survive coffee pods.

[niyad]

24. you forgot the sarcasm thingy, yes?

[Renew Deal]

103. You haven't seen the double space vs single space thread yet.

[csziggy]

9. I went from a pot to a single serve coffee maker - but no pods

Mine takes a scoop or two of ground coffee, I pour in how much water is needed to make the size cup I use, and get only what I need at that moment. I don't have that garbage associated with a Keurig and I'm not limited to what comes in pods. (http://www.hamiltonbeach.com/single-cup-coffee-makers-the-scoop-single-serve-coffee-maker-49981.html)

Since I started using it instead of a pot type coffee maker, I do waste less coffee. I tried to cut back from two 14 ounce cups a day but that didn't last. I've found that if I have one cup in the morning and one mid-afternoon, I sleep better and I don't have a mid afternoon snack.

Coffee has gotten far too expensive to waste it! Before they blame cutting back on Keurigs they should look at how people have to economize when it doubles or quadruples in price in just a few years.

[tammywammy]

30. I have this single serve coffee pot

http://www.target.com/p/bella-single-brew-coffee-maker-various-colors/-/A-15090060

$20

I use decent coffee and it's a good machine. I bought it for work...there's not a community coffee pot. I also bought a second one for at home, in case I get my act together and make coffee before work. On the weekend I use a French press or Bialetti moka pot. The Bialetti plus one of those milk aerators for foam makes a decent cappuccino.

[csziggy]

33. I looked at that one but didn't like the 8 ounce capacity

The Scoop - which can be found for much less than list price - can make up to 14 ounces at a time. That is exactly the right amount for the mug I usually use, so it works out great.

Now if the Bella had come in a better color for my decor, I might have gotten one anyway. But neither the red or the turquoise match my kitchen!

[tammywammy]

37. Red matches my kitchen!

It fills my mug at work, I think it makes more than just 8 oz, because there room to spare for water just using my regular mug.

The Keurig just seemed expensive and wasteful. Plus, I didn't want to buy the K-Cups. The cups are crap coffee and I'm a coffee snob.

For $20 I'm pleased as punch.

[csziggy]

47. I thought about adding red to my color scheme

But decided not to. I think I paid about $40 for the The Scoop and it fits my needs just perfectly. The stainless steel matches my appliances, so that is good, too.

I'm with you on the Keurig, though I'm not a coffee snob. I'm just cheap and don't want to deal with the waste. We work hard at keeping down the amount of garbage we produce - 1 can of garbage and 4-5 of recycling every 6-8 weeks. A Keurig would probably add another can to our total!

[marym625]

12. That sounds like an awful lot of plastic

I don't own one of those. I think I have had a total of 5 cups of coffee in the last 10 years. Can't they just put a scoop of coffee in there instead? Or make the thing out of something natural instead of plastic?

[customerserviceguy]

21. What natural substance

besides some sort of metal are you going to be able to use in a machine that generates boiling water under pressure? Any sort of paperboard vessel is going to soak through in seconds.

My $30 Hamilton Beach BrewStation from Big Lots is doing me just fine. Even uses the basket filters that come 150 to a pack at the dollar store, and I clean the machine with vinegar from the same store.

It's the yuppie way to pamper yourself, have some frilly little expensive thing just for you.

[marym625]

41. I know there are types of cloth that can handle that heat

I'm not saying people shouldn't use them. Just making an observation and asking a question

[customerserviceguy]

44. Cloth?

With hot liquid? Yes, perhaps a hot solid thing could be suitable for cloth, but I cannot imagine a woven or texturized thing surviving even a minute of boiling hot water under pressure.

Nothing wrong with a paper coffee filter that is at least biodegradable, and takes advantage of its propensity to leak hot fluids.

[marym625]

52. nope. nothing wrong with that.

Just think the plastic should be replaced with it.

[ProfessorGAC]

95. How About Paper

The filters are made of it. While it wouldn't survive multiple uses, it would hold up just fine to run enough water through for one cup of coffee.

Also, lots of consumer product liquids are filtered through paper filters under 30 or 40 pounds of pressure. So, they hold up to pressure too.

[Stardust]

139. San Francisco Bay OneCups are 97% biodegradable - 44 cents per cup. Nt

[Lonusca]

146. thanks for the tip

Just ordered some.

[Stardust]

158. You're welcome. I mention this every time there's a dust up about Keurig, you're the first to

notice. Most just want to bash Keurig. It's one of the stupidest subjects on DU, and I've decided not to read anymore threads about it. Let them gnaw and gnash, there are lots more important things to devote time to.

[Lonusca]

159. The parent company of the SFB brand looks pretty solid as well

Bought the sample pack - I'm sure we will find a flavor we like.

[customerserviceguy]

140. If somebody's built that better mousetrap

then I will applaud the world beating a path to that person's door. Still, I cannot imagine a K-cup being more economical than the gourmet coffee I grind to put in an ordinary paper filter that I can get for three-quarters of a cent.

[Dragonfli]

66. You are right of course, I use a stainless steel filter basket and glass pot to make coffee

I just don't like the taste of plastic and have heard it is bad for you anyway, those k cups are for rich yuppies that don't mind destroying the environment and their health with plastic while having the pleasure of buying coffee beans at ten times the cost per pound.

I will never get it. It makes no sense to me.

mine is similar to this one:
https://www.espressoparts.com/hermiston-pot-with-stainless-cone-filter-20oz?&search_id=2338132

[Ms. Toad]

68. You can buy a re-usable pod.

They lack the convenience, but far better for the environment.

[spinbaby]

99. The new machines won't take them

Keurig has "improved" the machines to only take their brand of pod.

[PCIntern]

143. YouTube is your friend

There's an easy hack.

[Ms. Toad]

150. It would never have crossed my mind to buy one of those.

For that very reason.

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. We had cofffee once from a Keurig

at a game store... Once is the operative word here. Ever since when we find time to go play, I walk to the gas station and buy their coffee. Better, by orders of magnitude and cheaper too.

[longship]

19. They will bring them in by the truck load.

And we all know the ultimate result.


Beware!

[Lex]

32. Here's the easiest and best way for one cup of coffee.

Get this $5 contraption that sits over your coffee cup. Put a filter in the contraption. Then scoop in ground coffee, then pour over hot water. Voila, a fresh cup of coffee. (Melitta makes these for cheap.)

[tammywammy]

39. I used to manage a coffee shop many moon ago that served only pour overs for regular coffee.

The best part, if a customer didn't like the particular coffees we had ground that morning, they could ask for anything we had and we could make it.

[Lex]

42. Yes! Plus they are easy to travel with

or even take camping. Easy to adjust the strength of coffee. And fairly cheap and environmentally friendly, certainly when you compare them to those plastic pods.

[arcane1]

55. There's a place down the street that will charge you 4 bucks just to do that for you.

[pamela]

62. We use this...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BCS13I2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1



I'm not a big coffee drinker but my husband uses this coffee maker and loves it.

[Lex]

69. That one is way prettier

than the Melitta one I have. I like it!

[pamela]

74. It has a neat feature on the bottom, too.

You put the coffee in the filter with hot water and let it steep. Then, when you set the coffee maker on a cup, it pushes open the bottom of the coffee maker and the coffee goes into your cup. I don't think I explained that well but it's pretty cool and it works great. My husband says it's the best tasting coffee he's ever had and I agree. I don't usually even like coffee all that much but this coffee is good. Not as acidic as most coffee.

[Lex]

77. That is a good feature.

I don't have that ability with mine. I'd sometimes like for it to steep more, so I can see that's a really good feature to have. Might have to upgrade mine!

[pinboy3niner]

84. My solution

I also use that plastic cup-top cone, but I place the grounds and water in a Pyrex glass 2-cup measure and nuke in the microwave. Then I can let it steep, or stir it, before pouring into the cone and filter.

[roody]

70. Best yet, fill it with coffee that you just ground. The best.

The filter goes into the compost with the used grounds. Makes wonderful soil.

[pansypoo53219]

89. oh yeah. my good coffee pot died, so i tried my old 1 + it made bad coffee, so i went to your system

tho, i did just find 2 old post WW2 stove top pots. a mini perc + a new fangled drip! both work well.

[FLPanhandle]

35. Who knew Keurig or not is as contentious as Hillary or not on DU?

[pinboy3niner]

40. Do not misunderestimate the importance of coffee!

[customerserviceguy]

46. Or the way Hillary keeps some of us awake at nights. n/t

[CBGLuthier]

38. The only way to get decent coffee where I live is those fucking k cups. So we switched to tea.

I will be damned if I will pay that price and contribute that much plastic to the world.

[hunter]

43. Single serving? It's not something we'd use in our house. Nobody drinks a single serving, ever.

I buy plain unbleached coffee filters. We throw the used filters and grounds in the compost heap. They return to the earth as fertilizer for our garden.

We never pour coffee down the drain.

I would like to grow coffee or something similar in my garden, or buy locally grown coffee, but I guess I'd have to live somewhere like Hawaii or Brazil.

One of my experiments was roasting peas and various other dried legumes in a hot air popcorn maker and grinding those together with coffee beans. It was interesting, but just not the same.

[olddots]

45. convenience , convenience , convenience

[customerserviceguy]

48. Funny, when I went back to this thread after posting

I see a banner ad at the top for Keurig pods.

[Hekate]

64. It's an algorithm. I've noticed whatever's on the page at any given time triggers....

....ads that are related to key-words in the subjects at hand.

They're getting more sophisticated, too.

[customerserviceguy]

71. It's a good thing

that I'm advertising-resistant, because I see this phenomenon all over the Internet.

Lately, I've been doing search for my bio-ancestors, as I'm adopted and finally curious enough, and I get all kinds of ads for DNA testing sites, even though I've signed up for all of them already. At my will, not because I saw some banner ad.

[WillowTree]

50. It isn't necessary to use those horrible K-cups.

I got a couple of these and use my favorite "regular" coffee I my Keurig. Way cheaper and I like the coffee better. Since I only drink one travel tumbler of coffee on my way to work on days that I go to the office (and usually none on days when I don't), it's the simplest choice for me and the fact that it saves money and doesn't put all those icky little plastic cups in the landfills is a very nice bonus.

There are lots of conversions out there that allow for the convenience of the Keurig without the expense or the environmental downside.

[tularetom]

51. I'm the only coffee drinker in the house and I never drink more than one cup a day

I used to get up, make a pot of coffee and read the newspaper. I'd drink a single cup and pour the rest of the pot down the drain. Or sometimes I'd feel guilty about tossing out so much coffee, drink a second cup and send my metabolism into hyperdrive all morning.

I bought a Keurig and now I make one cup per day. I can buy the pods at Costco for something like 30 cents apiece so costwise it's probably a push with the pot I used to make. BTW, I no longer get the newspaper but now I sit down at the puter with my cup.

The only thing missing is the grounds we used to spread in the garden to keep the snails away from the veggies.

[grasswire]

54. those cups have damaged the coffee market in other ways too

Those of us who like to buy whole beans and grind our own are having a harder time finding them at the supermarket. Some chains have removed the bulk coffee bins and grinders entirely. My Kroger store has narrowed the choice dramatically. And it's harder to find bags of whole beans for grinding. Plenty of ground coffee on the shelves, but yuck. Yuck.

[Ms. Toad]

72. I haven't run into that yet.

I buy whole beans and grind as I need for my reusable Keurig pod.

[customerserviceguy]

75. That's sure the case around here

One supermarket in my town often NEVER has whole bean coffee, but the other one does. In any case, I buy most of my coffee at a cookware store called Chef Central. As long as they're unexpired, they'll take a 20% Bed, Bath and Beyond coupon, and that knocks a ten dollar pound package of Black Velvet (a variety of their store brand, made by Unique Coffee Roasters of Long Island) down to eight bucks. Pretty affordable.

I do miss the Pacific Northwest, where I moved from eight years ago this month. You know those groups of 20-25 bins of whole bean coffee? Well, in the NW supermarkets, they often have banks of three different brands of that abundance.

Sigh, NW coffee and NW microbrew, the yin and yang of the daily experience there...

[grasswire]

83. I am in the Pacific northwest.

It has changed since you left! Started about a year ago or so, with markets cutting the whole beans. My Fred Meyers (Kroger owned) is down to two brands of bulk beans. Safeway has cut out bulk beans entirely. And I have heard very unhappy customers ranting to store managers about this trend.

And I have to drink decaf, of which there is even less available in whole beans!

[customerserviceguy]

92. Wow

I guess that will drive business to upscale markets that will carry whole beans. Of course, in the NW, you have a plethora of coffee shops (Peets is my favorite out there) that will sell you what you want.

It's not cheap to buy whole beans from the coffee chains, but it has to be more affordable than these Keurig cups.

[beam me up scottie]

56. I bought a reusable stainless steel K cup filter for my Keurig.

Ekobrew makes a good one.

I get to use my favourite fresh ground beans and save all kinds of money.

[LuvNewcastle]

58. I think I'll stick with my percolator.

I never waste any. Whatever I don't use gets heated back up for next time.

[Hekate]

59. I make (and drink) coffee by the pot. Those teensy pods would be so wasteful...

...in our house. If I wanted to spend that much on my habit, I'd just get a better grade of beans -- and sometimes I do just that.

Mmmm. Measure the Beans into the grinder, catch that aroma, step by step make that sacred brew until I have the first scalding cup between my hands.....

Can Keirig do that? Pfft

[rufus dog]

76. I have an issue with getting a good strong bold cup

Switched to San Francisco Bay K cups. No plastic, biodegradable, allows the water to flow through a mesh bottom.

Still not strong enough, but an improvement over the plastic cups without the impact.


http://www.sanfranciscobaycoffee.com/index.php/onecup-for-keurig-coffee-machines/

[Godhumor]

78. That is what we buy as well

Love that even the sealed bags containing the pods are biodegradable. Decent coffee, too.

[rufus dog]

80. And less expensive

About 35 cents per pod when I pick them up at Costo. Along with the pleasure of huffing the bag.

[drm604]

82. Here's an interesting question, to which I don't pretend to have the answer.

These things cut down on coffee waste, as evidenced by the crimp in coffee sales.

Like any agricultural activity, coffee plantations have environmental costs.

A reduction in coffee sales should ultimately result in a reduction of the growing and harvesting of coffee and therefore should reduce those environmental costs.

However...

The production and disposal of all of those little cups also has environmental costs.

So, environmentally, which is the better situation? Using these things, or not using them. Which has the greater environmental costs? Wasting coffee, or using Keurigs?

I have no idea. Obviously the best practice would be to brew it the old fashioned way and save and reheat the excess, but how will that taste?

[SoCalDem]

86. I never understood the worship of them Instant coffee is instant coffee

even if it comes in a cute (and wasteful) little plastic cup..

[mn9driver]

87. Cheap espresso machine plus a decent grinder.

Equals all the very high quality caffeine I can handle at a much lower price. Pods are a ripoff.

[TeamPooka]

88. single serve packaging will destroy the world. nt

[Omaha Steve]

93. I make a pot of this fresh ground every morning

http://www.goldcoffee.com/

[niyad]

125. did you save a cup for me? I do take cream and sugar.

[99Forever]

98. For 1/3 (or less) the cost of a Keurig...

... it's special "pods" and without adding more freaking little plastic containers to our over-filled landfills, I make delicious single cup with my $39 Mr Coffee espresso maker and Kirkland Columbian Supreme dark roast ($10 for 3 lbs) from Costco.

Having one right now, it's every bit as good as anything I have ever had from Starbucks or any high dollar yuppie coffee machine. But if people want to waste their money, who am I to stop them?

[Atman]

105. We buy only fresh locally roasted whole-bean coffee.

One of our favorites is sold at the local farmers market. But if we can't get that, we have a few local shops which do the roasting right on premises, with the roaster sitting in front of you churning the beans. What an awesome smell! We grind whole been coffee fresh every morning (almost). When coffee is that fresh and good, I have no problem just reheating the leftovers the next morning. Still ten times better than anything from Keurig or *gag* Dunkin' Donuts.

I certainly can't tell people what to spend their money on (Keurig is a massive waste), but I sure as hell which Keurig owners would buy the refillable reusable pods instead of dumping a bazillion of those goddamn cups into landfills every year.

[liberal_at_heart]

106. I buy my coffee beans from Costco, grind them at home, and use a single serve drip coffee machine.

Coffee is expensive. I have to find the least expensive way I can find to consume it.

[RedCappedBandit]

110. Less waste is good. My method is a small french press!

Makes just enough for one or two people to enjoy. And, freshly ground coffee slowly brewed in a french press really does taste better. Keurigs sure are convenient though, and you can use the reusable filters and grind your own coffee so as to minimize the need for those awful plastic cups.

Ideally I'd have both and use the Keurig when I'm in a rush. Maybe when someone I know wants to get rid of their old machine.

[Historic NY]

112. I love my machine, no more waste.....

on pouring it down the drain what a friend had a deli he used to water the plants with the left over coffee. I think the they use to shake if the didn't get their afternoon fix...

[Pisces]

113. The guy who invented the single pod wishes he hadn't due to the amount of trash they make.

These little cups are very bad for the environment. I'll continue to make my full pot of coffee every morning.

[JCMach1]

118. If you want quick tasteless coffee, there's NESCAFE

[Codeine]

120. Goddamned yuppie bullshit.

Between hipster douchebags and yuppie soccer moms simple, decent coffee has been ruined.

[Stargazer09]

121. I don't drink coffee

I've tried many shapes and forms of the stuff, and I just don't like the taste.

The smell, on the other hand, reminds me of home.

With that said, I love my Keurig for hot chocolate. Just pour the mix in the mug, hit a button, and stir. Instant hot chocolate with no need to use the stove or microwave. The kids, even the youngest ones, can select their favorite flavors and make their own.

Bonus: when coffee-addicted family members visit, I no longer feel guilty for not owning a coffeemaker.

[Cosmic Kitten]

122. Stop polluting with plastic "Keurig" cups and coffee filters!

[roody]

145. Coffee filters make fine compost. I like the french press too.

[Cosmic Kitten]

157. Yes indeed! I once composted most all my kitchen scraps.

Coffee and the filters went right into the pile.
Since I moved I can't compost.

[Hiraeth]

126. There really is no need to throw out the left over coffee. You can put in the fridge and then

reheat it as needed.

[MineralMan]

127. If people think about the value of their dollars and

the addition of this waste to the landfills, they will make coffee in other ways. I will never own one of these things. I don't like the resulting coffee, either. I use a drip coffee-maker with a thermos carafe. I pour no coffee down any drain.

[SheilaT]

128. I drink one cup of coffee a day.

Maxwell House Instant. No waste, especially no plastic waste.

I have been completely unable to understand why otherwise sensible people would buy those hideously expensive pods, plus create all the leftover plastic involved.

I also do not get the obsession with "good" coffee. Every time I try one of those, I find it far too bitter for my taste, and I'm already putting cream and sugar in.

[KamaAina]

133. "disposable 2-inch-by-2-inch plastic pods"

The key word there is "disposable". How about "recyclable"? Or "made from X percent post-consumer recycled material"?

[B2G]

134. Plastic is already recyclable.

Just toss them in your recycle bin.

Why is this such a big deal?

[KamaAina]

135. See post 104 upthread.

They need to use a different kind of plastic, or find a way to recycle what they do use.

[trackfan]

138. I like to vary the brewing method every so often.

Right now I use the Keurig at work, and a press at home. Every few years I like to switch to a percolator for a while, just out of boredom with the taste of pressed or drip coffee. For about a year, when I had no working coffee maker, I went with cowboy coffee, which is also good for a change.

[Blue_Tires]

141. Pods are for bad kiddies who don't know how to make a real cup

[Glimmer of Hope]

142. My office has Keurigs on every floor and must dump thousands of those plastics capsules a day.

I didn't know they were non-recyclable until recently. It is sickening!

[Kablooie]

144. There is a Keurig at work but the coffee still tastes like office coffee. Weak and bitter.

I dont' know why people want to drink this stuff.
It's terrible.

[shenmue]

151. You can get one of those plastic widgets

They fit in there and can be reused. You can load it up with coffee powder and don't have to use the little new cups each time.

[MADem]

156. Those pods are environmentally HORRIBLE, and those Keurig style coffee machines grow MOLD.

Biggest rip-off of the 21st Century.

I use a larger melitta cone and an old pitcher. I make enough for everyone and then some, and put the leftover coffee I make in a thermos so people can help themselves throughout the day. Stays hot for 24 hours!

If you only want one cup of coffee, melitta makes a single cup cone. Way cheaper, better coffee, you can zap your water in the microwave if you don't have a kettle. Best of all? NO MOLD ISSUES.


http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/keurig.asp
TRUE: Keurig machines (and similar products) can become moldy if not regularly cleaned.