recommendation: k-cups!

Are you a K-Cupper? I got my hubby a Keurig for Christmas last year thinking it was the silliest thing ever - we have a coffee pot, why do we need another one? But that's what Christmas is about - WANT gifts not NEED gifts, right? And 1 year later, I don't think I could live without it. I'm addicted!

Since we have a coffee pot downstairs in the kitchen - we put it in our bedroom as a treat (read: since I hate walking downstairs at 6:30am to make coffee and am a little lazy and want to pretend that I live in a hotel). Now he can make a cup when he's getting ready and I can make a cup when I get up. If I have the time, I like to sit in bed and slowly wake up with a cup of coffee. The other nice thing is, I really like flavored coffee and he does not, so we can each make our own flavors with no extra work! Its such an awesome treat having it up in our bedroom, despite the fact that the 2nd floor almost always smells like coffee.

It makes a great gift so if you have been thinking about it, I would recommend getting one! We have the Elite 40 which I purchased from Kohls because they always have 15-30% off coupons and if you buy during a Kohls cash time, you get free money for other gifts (or yourself!).

In terms of the actual coffee - no, this is not the exact same as a freshly brewed cup, and if you are super picky, I would suggest trying a cup from a Keurig before buying it. That said, there are all kinds of coffees out there - Folgers, Starbucks, Caribou, Dunkin Donuts, Green Mountain, etc. And each brand makes tons of flavors. Our favorites are:

- Starbucks House Blend
- Starbucks Blonde Blend
- Caribou Medium
- Dunkin Donuts Hazelnut

Right now, Dunkin Donuts has a seasonal k-cup - Peppermint Mocha. If you add a little milk and a spoon of sugar, it taste like the real deal! Note: Dunkin Donuts K-Cups are sold at Dunkin Donuts locations only, not at stores or online (except for sketchy websites). They had a pumpkin spice one in the fall that was nice too. Keurig's website has 250 different types of beverages for the Keurig machines - coffee (regular & decaf and half-caf!), teas, apple cider, hot cocoa, even iced beverages that are meant to be brewed straight into a cup of ice.

In terms of cost, it comes out to under $1 per cup (between $.65 - $.95 depending where you buy, which brand, etc). Now brewing coffee from a bag of grounds or beans is definitely cheaper. But if you don't want all that effort, but want to save money from stopping at a coffee shop every day, then this seems worth it. Caribou is less expensive than Starbucks, and in my opinion, just as good. They also sell k-cup packs at Bed Bath & Beyond where you can use 20% off coupons, but they are often on sale at my local grocery store.

Happy brewing!