Coffee Break

Happy New Year! I know I am a few days late, but hey, it is still January.  I've been struggling with what to write about this month.  As I was making a much needed cup of coffee this morning, it came to me: Write about your Christmas present moron!

The fat kids Mom really hit a homerun in the present department this past Christmas.  She hadn't hit such a huge home run since the original NES when I was a kid.  Not only did Mom Clause get my and freaking awesome Leg Lamp like the one in A Christmas Story, she also got me a Keurig.  How hot is that?

 Now if you live under a rock and don't know what a Keurig is, let me tell you:

 Keurig was founded in 1992 by Olaf Keurig. In 2006, they became a subsidiary of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.

 In North America, Keurig claims the following market presence as of 2010:

• 2.5 million beverages dispensed per day
• 200,000 office installations
• 6% of all coffee brewed in offices in the USA

K-Cup machines are all designed to quickly brew a single cup of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or other hot beverage. The grounds (or other brew material) are supplied in a prepared, single-serving unit, called a "K-Cup". Once the machine has warmed up, the user inserts a K-Cup into the machine, places a mug under the spout, and presses the brew button; within 20 to 60 seconds, the beverage is ready. By omitting the K-Cup, users can also dispense a mug of hot water.

Keurig machines brew coffee or tea by piercing the foil seal on top of the plastic K-Cup with a spray nozzle, while simultaneously piercing the bottom of the K-cup with a discharge nozzle. Grounds contained inside the K-cup sit within a paper filter. A measured quantity of hot water is forced through the K-Cup, passing through the grounds and through the filter into the waiting cup or mug below. A brewing temperature of 192 degrees Fahrenheit (89 Celsius) is the default setting, with some models permitting users to reduce the temperature somewhat, per preference.

Now here is why I like the Keurig: Back in the spring time I was house/dog sitting for a friend.  Said friend had the Keurig and I tried it out.  It was simply one of the best home brewed cups of coffee I have ever had.  You see, this fat kid loves coffee, but coffee doesn't love me. It upsets my stomach and such.  This lovely little machines delicious coffee does not.

The Green Mountain Coffee is good of course, as is the Caribou Coffee, and my personal favorite Tully's Kona Coffee.  The only hot chocolate I have tried is the Cafe Escapes and I was not at all impressed.  Side note: I love Kona Coffee.  It is wonderful.

A little history on Kona Coffee:

Kona coffee is the market name for coffee cultivated on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. It is one of the most expensive coffees in the world. Only coffee from the Kona Districts can be described as "Kona". The weather of sunny mornings, cloud or rain in the afternoon, little wind and mild nights combined with porous, mineral rich volcanic soil, creates favorable coffee growing conditions. The loanword for coffee in the Hawaiian language is kope.

As I have rattled on long enough about coffee...one last note.  In the form of creamers...I love the International Delight White Chocolate Raspberry or Amaretto.  Have a fancy cup of coffee at home for pennies a cup.