Funny Stuff is all around

More and more people are learning to drink coffee these days as it has become a cool trend. And the machines that brew it are trendy and functional too.

Coffee technology has come a long way since the days of the Turkish Ibrik “coffee brewer” which was nothing more than a copper pot and ladle that were super heated to draw out the flavor of the beans. As it didn’t do any filtering, it produced an immensely strong brew and is used in the Middle East quite often still today.
Getting on to more modern times, let’s look at some of the best coffee makers available today.

The most commonly used and perhaps also the largest selling type of coffee maker is the drip model. Drip coffee makers are relatively inexpensive, but can fall at all price points if you look long enough. Drip coffee makers also come in a variety of sizes from single cup coffee makers, to one that brew up to 10 or 12 cups. In addition, a vast variety of new features have been added in line with the latest technology and user-friendly features.

In the modern coffee makers, there are interesting features like LCD screens that display the time, the duration for brewing, temperature, along with a timer. Such screens are especially handy in darker surroundings late at night or in the early mornings when most folks brew their single cup coffee. In addition, features like auto-off are especially useful for bigger households where the busy family can easily forget to turn it off. In the earlier days, coffee used to continue to drip over into the heating plate even after the brewing was complete, causing scorching or worse.

Besides having these user-friendly features and benefits, modern drip coffee and espresso machines are also extremely easy to clean, especially with the introduction of coffee pods. These are basically small paper containers of coffee. Water is made to flow through them and they also have the advantage of providing good filtering for grounds. After the brewing is complete, pull out the coffee pod and throw it out.

There are some models that come with water filters, which are quite expensive but also help improve the results.

Another interesting option in filtering are models that have a permanent type filter for the coffee grounds. These are especially preferred by users who are environmentally conscious and who don’t mind a few grounds getting through into the finished coffee. In fact, there are some models that come with integrated bean grinders, though such devices are more cumbersome to clean up.

In order to decide about the model that will suit your needs and wants, you should ideally study and analyze the features of various models available and compare them against your budget and needs.

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What is a plumbed coffee maker? Well if you have not heard of it before, what about the built in coffee maker? Have you heard of the latter before?

But, do note that built in coffee maker in this case does not refer to black and decker space maker, another very popular built in coffee maker. It refers to the lance larkin brew express Plumbed coffee maker.

There are many differences between the two, the most striking difference is the total automation for the plumbed coffee maker. Other than adding in coffee beans, you basically do not need to do anything to brew a cup of coffee from this coffee brewer.

Everything is installed inside the wall, and the reason this is known as a plumbed brewer is because water is plumbed directly into the coffee brewer, so you do not need to top up any water.

One thing that folks installing this machine must take note is to install the water filter as well. The most popular choice would be brita. Never heard of this water filter before?

Well, would it gives you a better idea if I would to tell you that this is more popularly known as the braun coffee maker water filter? While, not every braun coffee maker comes with this water filter, consumers are encouraged to purchase them to have better quality coffee.

One thing about the lance larkin brew express is necessity of the water filter. You would need to have the water filter in order for this machine to work.

If you would to ask me about the main value add of this plumbed coffee maker, I would list automation and aesthetic as the two main value add. With everything built into the wall and water would be plumbed in automatically, basically all you need to do is to choose the coffee blend and set the brew you prefer.

Like I mentioned, automation is one of its value add, the other one would be the look and feel of this machine.

Many of the consumers have spend thousands of dollars decorating their kitchen.The last thing that they want is to have a brewer that stand out like a sore thumb. The brew express by lance larkin that is totally built into the wall would pose no such problems!

It is totally hidden, and even the surface that are exposed is in dark colors, making it very easy to match into any kitchen theme.

Well, this might not be the best value add and it is really subjected to the preferences and lifestyle of the consumers. For example, a recent survey shows that the
coffee maker uk consumers like is a nespresso. We all thought that if single serve coffee maker is the choice, it should be keurig and Tassimo right?

Apparently, coffee makers that the UK chooses and the rest of the world is very different, so personally preferences for coffee brewers would also differ greatly.

So, while this built in coffee maker might be great for some consumers that are pursuing a look and feel that would not disrupt their kitchen theme, it might be too much for consumers that simply want to brew a cup of coffee!

Personally, I think that while this coffee machine has its value add, one should also evaluate their lifestyle to see if this machine matches their lifestyle before investing in it!

If you are reading forums about coffee machines, then you would have noticed the recent buzz about krupps coffee maker. This buzz has lead to some folks asking me about the special thing about this brewer.

While most of the articles reported positive stuff about this machine, the feedback about krupps coffee maker is quite surprising. For a start, they are saying that this is a machine that cannot be found!

Why is that so? Why would you not be able to find the krupps coffee maker? Well, the main reason is the spelling or mis-spelling of this brewer. I do not know if you would consider this thing special but the story behind it might value add to you.

Here is how it goes, if you are looking for a coffee brewer, price is definitely something that you would look for right? This situation about how many consumers looking for this coffee machine and getting the wrong spelling would tell you how attractive this machine is right?

Now, think about it, if they are so interested to find this brewer, how did they got the spelling wrong? Well, this is mainly because they have never seen the real thing before. SO, when they hear people talking about it, they spelled it krupps coffee maker.

The real spelling should be krups coffee maker. But, we are not interested in the spelling of this coffee machine, we want to know how does this mis-spelling value add to us.

Personally, I think there is only one reason that would drive consumers to be actively looking for this coffee maker even without looking at this machine and that is the price. And the fact is, this krups brewer is very reasonably priced.

Even if I would to share with you that krups or as many of them call it krups coffee maker retails at less than $50, there is nothing special about it right?

But, what if I would to tell you that at this pricing, you would get a full feature drip filter coffee machine that comes with a programmable function, now this is a function that you would not imagine getting for this pricing right?

There is nothing special about this coffee make being mis-spelled, it is at most a strange thing that you have observed from the forum. However, if you would to delve deeper and understand the reason why so many consumers have mis-spelled it, then you would uncover the link behind the good pricing and the whole value for money package.

And yes, the mis-spelling is the special thing that has been buzzing around for this coffee maker. And it is also through this mis-spelling of krupps coffee maker instead of krups coffee maker that we know that this is a very sought after coffee machine.

So, if you are looking for a brewer, now you would know that there is a machine that has programmable function that retails at less than $50, in fact the last I heard it was retailing at $40. And of course, the features of this brewer is much more than the programmable function which would only make this whole package more attractive.

It is okay not to have heard of bloomfield coffee maker as it is not as well known as Bunn, braun or Mr coffee. But would you believe me if I say that you probably have drunk coffee from it before!

The thing about bloomfield coffee maker is it is not as established in the domestic home use market as it is in the business to business market. The fact is, it is actually quite big in the business to business market.

How big it is? Well, we know that all Mac Donald outlets serve hot coffee and they uses a drip filter coffee machine, bloomfield supply to more than 70% of these outlets. Other than Starbucks, no other organization has such wide network of outlets and bloomfield is serving 70% of it.

So, now you can see the size of bloomfield business. Bloomfield also have it own machines that are targeted at the consumers, however, its effort and size is not as established as its commercial business. And I am not lying when I say that you probably have drunk coffee brew from bloomfield before right?

But, would you purchase a bloomfield as compared to a bodum or a Salton Coffee maker? Why am using such a comparison? If I would to use a Bunn or Mr coffee, it is likely that you would be getting the Bunn or Mr coffee.

These companies are brands that have high equity, that is they are very well like by the consumers. And not only that, their technolgy is so much better than bloomfield. So, I am using bodum and salton as a comparison, both of them not as “branded” as the Bunn or Mr coffee.

All three companies are established but not very well known, so if you are buying a machine, which one would you go for? If you chose the bodum coffee maker, then you are someone that does not want to dabble with technology, you are probably going to do a French Press.

But, if you are not into such low technology stuff, then you might likely get the bloomfield coffee maker. It is in the mid range in terms of technology. It has all the strapping of a very basic coffee machine.

The drip filter features, the thermal carafe and a large capacity. But, if you are going to go truly advanced technology then salton coffee maker would be your choice.

Imagine a coffee machine that allows you to program your brewing in your office using just an internet connection and a browser. It also allows you to read the water level of your brewer and know when to refill the water.

After reading all these, it does not seems like bloomfield is a machine that consumers would be actively looking for. Well, it is true that this is not a machine that consumers would look for, in fact, you might not even see it in many of the retail outlets.

It is not well advertised or marketed, so not many people knows about the bloomfield coffee maker, till now, I cannot really articulate a value of bloomfield, but I can tell you that one of the reason Mac Donald is using it is mainly because of its durability.

I guess durability is the greatest value add of bloomfield and if it is something that you are looking for, then this is the machine for you!

Which 6 cup coffee maker would lead one to think about if it is really works? Well, this is a machine that is not make by the usual coffee maker companies, and that is the reason why people are questioning its capability.

If this 6 cup coffee maker are done by companies like bunn or mr coffee, I can assure you that nobody would question its usability. But, as this machine comes from Sanrio, you cannot blame us for thinking if it works!

Sanrio for your information, is the company that owns the world renowned cat -Hello Kitty. And of course, the coffee machine that they are marketing is a Hello Kitty coffee maker.

This coffee machine is so cute that you cannot blame anyone for thinking that it is a toy. The fact is, this is a fully operational drip filter coffee brewer. I guess it is the pink and plastic looking nature of this hello Kitty coffee maker that make one question its coffee making ability.

Sure, this cute brewer is not those fully automatic grind and brew coffee maker or a machine that can produce espresso. However, if you compare it with the basic range of drip filter coffee maker, it is comparable and in my opinion better than them.

It does a 6 cup coffee, comes with a water tank of its own and a warmer plate. These are the basic features that one would get when they purchased a basic drip filter coffee maker.

I know that at this juncture when I mentioned that it is not a grind and brew, some of you might not be interested. You belongs to this coffee snobs group that believes grinding then brewing it serves the freshest coffee, but have you consider the cost involved.

A grind and brew coffee maker would set you back by at least $100 while this cute brewer is retailing at less than $30. I acknowledged that this brewer is not for everyone, but for the ladies that need a cute appliance to match their kitchen decor, this is a machine worth considering.

Personally, I know that different machines appeal to different taste profile and life style of the individuals. This 6 cup coffee maker appeals mainly to the ladies and simple coffee drinker. For those more sophisticated ones, there is always the salton coffee maker.

The Salton coffee maker came up with the technology known as the ICEBOX that allows one to program their coffee brewer anyway in the world while their machine sits in their kitchen.

And they can also program in such a way that when the water level is low, it would alert them via their web browser. Some of you might think that this is advanced technology doing very simple and task that does not really value add much.

This is how it goes, every machine has their own group of followers. If even this toy like hello kitty coffee maker has its own group of followers, the salton coffee maker similarly would have its own fan base that loves to dabble with advanced technology stuff. Think about it, if everyone goes for the same machine, wouldn’t a lot of companies goes out of business?

If you are looking at some coffee maker reviews, then it must be a quest to get a good coffee machine right?

But, do you know that there are many versions of good coffee that these coffee maker reviews would not be able to share with you. In fact, merely purchasing a good coffee machine from one of these reviews might not brew you the coffee you want.

Most of the reviews highlighted espresso machines as some of the finest machines around to brew coffee. However, if you would to believe what these reviews, and purchased these machines, do you know how steep is your learning curve?

Most baristas spend at least 2 months to fully appreciate the process of brewing espresso and that is full time effort, so how much time do you think you would need to understand about brewing espresso on a part time basis?

And that is the thing about coffee maker reviews, it shows you one side of the story, usually the positive side, although many reviews are increasingly inserting negative reports as well. But, personally, I feel that these evaluations are still another form of advertisement for companies to promote their products.

However, recently I come upon a coffee maker review that do nothing like that. It not only skipped the part about saying positive remarks about coffee machines, it does not mentioned coffee makers at all!

The author believe that good coffee is what people are looking for, rather than coffee machines. He feels that many people in the process of looking for a good coffee machine thought that the machine is the answer to great coffee, which in reality is not.

The review features many interesting articles, one of them talks about making coffee without coffee makers, another highlight how one can make cappuccino froth without coffee machines.

We might not think that there are many people out there that would brew coffee without the use of coffee makers, however, the use of coffee socks is the default method of brewing coffee in Asia.

This coffee even operates chain of coffee shops like Starbucks and the outlets it has in Asia is maybe more than Starbucks!

If you asked me on the quality of the coffee, I would only say that it is a matter of profile and for the folks in Asia, they love this coffee and consider it to be their best coffee.

Of course, it is also interesting to know that one can produce cappuccino without the need of machines. The question on your mind is the froth, you probably cannot imagine how one can froth without the use of coffee machine, so it is pretty interesting to learn how to do it in the coffee maker reviews.

There you have it folks, when looking at coffee maker reviews, what do you want? Do you really need that machine that many experts recommended or do you only need good coffee? Personally, I think good coffee is what most of us is looking for, and if you are looking it, then it does not necessarily have to come from some best coffee maker that coffee experts recommends.

The thing is this, every coffee maker has their own followers and their own group of audiences, thus they have add value in their own special way. But, no one can deny that in recent years, single serve coffee maker segment grew faster than any other segments. A testimony that its value add is preferred by many consumers.

There are many reasons to like this single serve coffee maker, and in this article, I would use some examples to highlight why single serve coffee is preferred.

You might not believe it, but for most people choosing coffee machines, the very first thing that they are concerned about is the out look of the machine. Although one would thought that the functions is more important, but according to many research, that is a fact.

And in the look department, color is key to many coffee lovers. This has to do with the matching of the coffee makers with their kitchen decor. For this reason, many people chooses a red coffee maker.

Why is that so? This is because, red and silver are by far the easiest colors to match with any kitchen decor. That is the reason why single serve coffee maker is another popular search by coffee lovers.

However, if you would to talk about look and feel of coffee makers, then single serve coffee brewer is almost unmatchable.

Their colors variety are dazzling and their look and feel is one of the best when compared to any genre of coffee makers. So, if you are looking for a good looking coffee brewer, single serve is definitely one of them.

Next, we come to the operation of a coffee machine. No matter what marketing materials or promotional flyers you read about coffee makers, none of them would tell you that it is difficult to use.

All of them would be touting how easy it is to use their machine, and how it can value add to your lifestyle. The truth is, coffee brewers have all become easier to use over the years.

But, in terms of simplicity, none can match the single serve coffee brewer. How can any coffee machine be able to do anything easier then inserting a coffee pod and pressing a button?

So, here is the second reason on why people wants to buy a single serve coffee maker.

There are many more reasons why the demand of single serve brewers is on the rise. But, I would just do one last one, a value add that I know many people would appreciate.

Single serve machine is very easy to maintain. No matter how easy other coffee makers is, it cannot be easier than dropping away the spent coffee pods and flushing the interior with some water.

Personally, I think that this ease of maintenance where one can clean a single serve machine so easily is one driver behind the single serve brewer high demand.

There you have it, some reasons behind the popularity of the single serve coffee maker…

Now, what is so good and secretive about single serve coffee maker that is not available on their corporate website? Think of it as something that these manufacturers of coffee makers does not really want you to know about.

This caught your interest, right? This is how it is, people are drawn to articles and issues that are mysterious and adventurous, and things that companies tried to hide about single serve coffee maker has all these elements.

This tip or secret lies with in the workings of a single serve coffee maker and just a disclaimer prior to anything, this tip does not work with all the single serve coffee machines.

Personally, I counted 3 brands that these tip would not work and they are Keurig, Nespresso and Tassimo. There must be a few other brands that this tip would not be able to work but usually it is the big brands that have this problem.

Reading till here, you must be real curious on the tip which I am about to share with you and here I am telling you that it is more of a device than a tip. First, let us consider why we uses a single serve coffee maker.

Well, firstly, single serve are very easy to use, nothing can be harder than pressing a button right? Then, their technology to seal the the flavor into their coffee pods then extracting it out is also a reason why they are so popular.

So, we know the value add of single serve coffee brewers, and what are the drawbacks? According to feedback garnered, there is only one single grouse about this coffee maker, the closed system.

Single serve coffee is designed to be a closed system, which would require you to purchase coffee from the coffee maker company. For example, if you purchased a senseo, then you would be using coffee from douwe egberts.

can you imagine how great this single serve coffee machines would be, if we could mitigate this only flaw. To take away this flaw, we would have to make the single serve a “open” system. And this is the tip which we would be sharing with you in this article.

You no longer have to be confined to one brand or blend of coffee, if you are using coffee pods, simply by purchasing another device known as Perfect pod maker, your choice of coffee are limited only by the market availability.

In recent years, there are quite a few brands that are able to make pods, but Perfect Pod maker is still the easiest to use. You simply choose the coffee blend you like, place it into the filter paper, then use the pod maker to seal it into a pod!

With equipment like Perfect pod maker, you can say that you have the “best of both worlds”. You can enjoy any coffee you like (similar to when using filter drip or espresso maker), and you are still enjoying all the value add brought about by the single serve coffee maker.

But, no all single serve coffee brewer can be “open”. The 3 brands highlighted above, Keurig, Nespresso and Tassimo each have their own special pods and not the usual coffee pods.

With their own types of “pods”, none of the pod maker equipment is able to “make” their pods. Thus, they are still a closed system. Therefore, if you are choosing a single serve coffee maker and you are someone that loves variety then it is better to go for a machine that allows you to make your own coffee pods…

What is the “big idea” about single serve coffee maker? Why can’t I get a filter drip coffee maker, a espresso maker or even an under cabinet coffee maker free?

Of course, I can simply tell you that as the author of this article, I like single serve coffee maker, so I am writing about it. But, I would not do this. So, first I would bring you through the merits of this coffee machine, then tell you how I managed to get it free!

Earlier, we mentioned filter drip, espresso and even under cabinet coffee maker, all great coffee machines capable of brewing good coffee, so why are we not talking about them?

I would just use one word to sum up everything -difficult. Yes, the reason why I prefer single serve coffee maker to any other coffee makers is just this -ease of use.

I am sure there are many people that can brew great coffee with filter drip, espresso or under cabinet coffee maker, but unfortunately I am not one of them. And if you are like me, not that great with appliances and does not feel like attending some coffee course, then single serve coffee maker would be your choice coffee machine.

The only thing that you need to know about this single coffee machine is to know where to plug in the machine to the power socket. While this might sounds a little bit exaggerating, once you plug the machine in, all you need to do is to insert the coffee pods and press a button for your coffee.

Personally, there is no simpler way to enjoy your coffee than single serve coffee maker, this is almost like instant coffee! The only difference is of course, the quality is that of roast and ground.

After going through all the value add that single serve coffee maker can bring to your life, you must be wondering how to get hold of one for free. Simple, all you need to do is to use it for a year. After that year, you would earned for yourself a few coffee makers!

Imagine drinking a coffee from starbucks or any other coffee shops at $3.50 per cup, then assuming that you need to have this caffeine fix for a year, and that would be $1277.50. If you use a single serve coffee maker, say, senseo which you can purchase for $100 and uses coffee pods at $0.80 per pods. The total cost comes up to $392.

The technology being the coffee pods is such that the flavor and quality of the coffee is sealed inside the pods, while the ease of using single serve coffee maker ensures that all you need to learn is where to press the button to get your coffee!

There you have it folks, simply by using the single serve coffee maker, you would saved enough monies to buy not one but up to 5 new senseo! And you are doing this without sacrificing the quality of your cuppa or quality of your life.

As the coffee industry shifts toward fair trade practices and organic certification, more farmers are switching from mere flavored and gourmet coffees to organic and sustainable practices. But, what does that mean, and how does it affect the actual coffee? For answers to these questions and tips on where you can find gourmet organic coffee, keep reading.

What Does Organic Mean?

Organic coffee typically indicates it has been certified by the USDA and meets their stringent growing and harvesting standards for organic certification. Therefore, coffee that has been certified as organic has been farmed using methods that have a minimal impact on the environment and little to no reliance on chemical or unnatural methods.

Because coffee is harvested as a seed, buying organic has little-to-no health effects for the consumer. However, purchasing an organic coffee bean means you’re supporting environmentally friendly and sustainable farming methods.

Ethical or Fair Trade Purchasing

Fair trade certification focuses on the labor practices of the coffee farmer and manufacturer. By purchasing fair trade coffee, you’re supporting a trade standard that gives small-industry grower co-ops a standard price for their coffee.

While fair trade doesn’t carry the same environmental standards as organic certification, they do ban the use of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and most pesticides.

Who Makes Organic Coffee?

Green Mountain Coffee Company

The Green Mountain Coffee Company is based out of Vermont and is one of the country’s largest organic and fair trade coffee suppliers. They currently do the bulk of their business as a supplier for office and workplace coffee needs, including K-Cups and instant coffee machines.

Gloria Jean’s Coffee

As a roaster and supplier of 100 percent organic, fair trade coffee, this Australian coffee roaster was awarded the Corporate Green Globe Award by the prestigious Rainforest Alliance.

They sell a range of coffees and roasts while fulfilling their commitment to ethical environmental and social business practices.

Jim’s Organic Coffee

Jim’s Organic Coffee makes a range of blends and roasts that are certified organic and fair trade. The company also sells a Rainforest blend that is shade grown and certified by the Rainforest Alliance. This means the farming methods used to cultivate the coffee don’t destroy natural habitats or the existing rainforest ecosystem around the plantation.

Starbucks

Starbucks, a major coffee retailer all over the world, carries three kinds of organic coffee. They stock their Shade Grown Mexican, Organic Serena Blend and their own Organic Sumatra-Peru blend.