Sales of single-serve coffee have tripled since 2011

[Locutus]

Mother earth loves dem hipsters. Oh, landfills too. :lol:

Coffee snobs are slowly losing ground to the plastic pod people. Americans are opting for quick-and-easy single-cups, like Green Mountain’s GMCR +4.80% Keurig machines, new research finds, rather than drinking traditionally brewed coffee.

Sales of single-serve coffee have tripled since 2011 - MarketWatch

 

[karrie]

I do know a lot of people who use the reusable filter for their Keurig, as their main, day to day brewing, because the other stuff is so expensive.


Personally, that would be too annoying for the amount of coffee I consume.

 

[taxslave]

Of course all these single serve containers are biodegradable or recyclable.

 

[captain morgan]

Of course all these single serve containers are biodegradable or recyclable.

I hope that the coffee beans that go into the biodegradable containers is nothing less than ethically harvested coffee

 

[Kreskin]

We have a Keurig as well as a regular maker. It's nice to have a quickly made single coffee, but gets a little expensive. The machine is also good for just getting hot water fast, to make tea or instant coffee.

 

[CDNBear]

These ignorant contraptions will spell the doom for trying to show North Americans what a real cup of coffee actually tastes like.

 

[Kreskin]

These ignorant contraptions will spell the doom for trying to show North Americans what a real cup of coffee actually tastes like.

A real one, like a Venti Pikes Place?

 

[karrie]

I hope that the coffee beans that go into the biodegradable containers is nothing less than ethically harvested coffee

lol.... My son grew up suffering bouts of very fast, very extreme asthma, that would see him hospitalized at least twice a year. The rest of the time, he had zero asthma symptoms, so he wasn't on a medicine regimen to prevent these attacks, and often didn't have his medications with him when it would start up, or, would take a while for all his meds to start working well enough to help. One of the quickest ways to aid in asthma is strong black coffee.... it opens up the lungs. So, from a young age, he's been drinking strong black coffee to help get him breathing while the meds take effect. And he developed a taste for it. By 7 or 8 years old, he would sneak the occasional cup of coffee, and kid you not, would critique it based on flavour. 'Mom, this one tastes kind of caramelly, what's different?'


It became something I had to defend to people (as their kids even younger sat and sucked down a cola), and thus a source of conversation amongst friends. One year, for his 8th or 9th birthday, a girlfriend sent him a pound of fair trade coffee. He was so tickled, but was confused about what 'fair trade' meant. So, we explained it all, and he trotted off to brew us all up a pot of HIS coffee.


Ten minutes later, we all sat down at the table with our coffee, he takes a sip, and screws his face up. Takes another sip, looks displeased. Then says... "Well, it's not bad coffee, but, I don't think anyone should pay 'fair trade' for it." lol.

 

[petros]

I'll never give up my press.

 

[CDNBear]

A real one, like a Venti Pikes Place?

That's not real, unless you're talking real expensive.

Starbucks is part of the problem.

 

[karrie]

I'll never give up my press.

I love coffee. I have a press, a moka pot, and a drip coffee maker. Hubby makes a pot of drip every morning (because he can set it the night before), so that's what I usually drink, but I can make a dozen different coffee treats at the drop of a hat in this house.


Lately, I keep running short on coffee though, as my 12 year old son has gotten in the habit of taking a travel mug with him to school in the morning. Between him and hubby I'm lucky if I get a cup of coffee for myself.


We assessed the situation long ago and decided if we got a Keurig, the waste would be astronomical.

That's not real, unless you're talking real expensive.

Starbucks is part of the problem.

Mmmm, I have to disagree. Pike Place is one of my favourite dark roasts.

 

[DaSleeper]

We've tried first a Tassimo, then, another contraption like the Keurig......
Both are presently gathering dust on the storeroom shelf in the basement and we're still using the old 8 cup dripper...
We also use a single cup manual dripper, and we can make it strong or light, to taste.
Novelty contraptions......

 

[CDNBear]

Mmmm, I have to disagree. Pike Place is one of my favourite dark roasts.

That's fine, but I've had coffee made in a tin can that makes all Starbucks product taste like what they are, second rate beans over roasted to hide acrid flavours.

The only difference between Starbucks and Timmies is, Starbucks buys slightly better beans, hence the remarkable price difference.

I'll admit it right here, right now, I am a coffee elitist/snob.

 

[karrie]

We've tried first a Tassimo, then, another contraption like the Keurig......
Both are presently gathering dust on the storeroom shelf in the basement and we're still using the old 8 cup dripper...
We also use a single cup manual dripper, and we can make it strong or light, to taste.
Novelty contraptions......

Part of my avoidance of them is my tendency to avoid single purpose kitchen gadgets unless they represent a real time or energy saving (like my electric kettle... faster and cheaper for boiling water), because for every single use gadget, you lose kitchen space. I don't even have a 'single cup manual dripper', even though I've seen them, because I have plenty of mugs, and kitchen sieves. Brew a mug with grounds, pour it through sieve into second cup, done.

That's fine, but I've had coffee made in a tin can that makes all Starbucks product taste like what they are, second rate beans over roasted to hide acrid flavours.

The only difference between Starbucks and Timmies is, Starbucks buys slightly better beans, hence the remarkable price difference.

I'll admit it right here, right now, I am a coffee elitist/snob.

Any product tastes better when it's freshly cooked, coffee beans are no different. Unless you find a company that roasts on site, you're not going to be overly impressed. Catfish coffee in Edmonton was a good one for fresh roasts, they sold at the Farmer's Market. But, it's an issue of quantity consumed for me. I can taste the difference enough to justify paying for on site roasted beans once in a while, but, I'm not willing to have my six cups a day that I drink as I do chores, be premiere beans.

 

[DaSleeper]

Part of my avoidance of them is my tendency to avoid single purpose kitchen gadgets unless they represent a real time or energy saving (like my electric kettle... faster and cheaper for boiling water), because for every single use gadget, you lose kitchen space. I don't even have a 'single cup manual dripper', even though I've seen them, because I have plenty of mugs, and kitchen sieves. Brew a mug with grounds, pour it through sieve into second cup, done.
.

This is the single cup manual dripper I mean, Light or strong to taste.....

 

[CDNBear]

Any product tastes better when it's freshly cooked, coffee beans are no different. Unless you find a company that roasts on site, you're not going to be overly impressed. Catfish coffee in Edmonton was a good one for fresh roasts, they sold at the Farmer's Market. But, it's an issue of quantity consumed for me. I can taste the difference enough to justify paying for on site roasted beans once in a while, but, I'm not willing to have my six cups a day that I drink as I do chores, be premiere beans.

Oh I hear you. We buy everyday beans and special beans as a treat. But our everyday beans still make a superior but cheaper cup of coffee than any chain.

We have a local coffee bar, owned by an actual barista, which I'm sure I have mentioned before. They manage to serve an excellent cup of coffee, at a price just slightly higher than Timmies, and without a doubt, it is head and shoulders above any chain brand.

 

[karrie]

Oh I hear you. We buy everyday beans and special beans as a treat. But our everyday beans still make a superior but cheaper cup of coffee than any chain.

We have a local coffee bar, owned by an actual barista, which I'm sure I have mentioned before. They manage to serve an excellent cup of coffee, at a price just slightly higher than Timmies, and without a doubt, it is head and shoulders above any chain brand.

My family has agreed on Melita Dark Roast that we grind. It seems to be what everyone likes. And my coffee snob sister even approves. lol. It also makes great espresso, so I'm not having to have a bunch of different beans on hand.