Wednesday, June 14, 2023
We aren’t going to just sit here and chat over coffee today. We are literally going to talk about coffee. Let’s get some dialogue going in the comments, ok?
I love coffee. I guess you know that because of my blog’s name. I didn’t start drinking it regularly until my first teaching job and that was coffee from the teachers’ lounge. It was survival coffee! When I left that job four years later, I remember someone saying they would miss the way I made the coffee. I guess I became the one that refilled the coffeemaker even though I really don’t remember doing that!
I dabbled with coffee in Spain with my roommate Krista. We would get our coffee cut in half with milk because it was so strong in the coffee shops. We would often have a piece of chocolate with it. I can’t remember whose idea that was but it was a great one!
Now, I like to start my day with two cups of coffee. I usually don’t finish the dredges of it, so it is probably more like 1.5 cups. I like fat free half and half and lately I have been using a few drops of Trader Joe’s liquid stevia, as well. I don’t like it super sweet, but I like it with a hint of sweetness. I have also used Jordan’s Skinny Syrups. I froth up the half and half a bit and the stevia or skinny syrup and then add the coffee.
Here is what it looks like:
This little Amazon handheld frother has been a game changer.
I currently have my old original (first version!) Keurig sitting on my counter. We have cleaned it several times and I think that is why it’s still running. This is not pretty, but it’s sentimental to me because my Dad picked it out for me for Christmas many years ago. He had gotten one and loved it and thought I would love it, too. He seriously came up with the best gift ideas for me. He picked out this, my Kindle, my breadmaker, and a few other things that I really, really loved. It meant so much to me because it makes you feel seen and known. My Dad loved his coffee, too, and that was something we enjoyed together.
I also have an old basic Mr. Coffee sitting on my counter. So, it’s really too much. I was trying to quit the K cup because of the waste and because I really liked the coffee that Erica brought to the Bachelorette weekend. She brought Ethiopian beans from Trader Joe’s.
I have this little grinder and I decided I really don’t want to grind on the daily. It’s messy and just too much. So, do I get a machine that grinds for you before brewing your coffee?
I have a couple of bags of Dunkin’ Donut brand already ground coffee that I like and I have just been going back and forth between a K cup and a whole pot depending on my mood. Do I get a machine that does both K cups and normal coffee? Does that exist?
Honestly, I think I like the taste of the K cup coffee better and I like a freshly brewed cup. I have been loving Kauai brand.
I have also used this for the Mr. Coffee. It’s pretty good, too.
Erica likes the Cusinart Grind and Brew. She pours in the beans and it grinds them and she also sets a timer and has the coffee set to brew for the time she gets up each morning.
I am at a loss for what to do for my coffee needs. When I renovate my kitchen, I will definitely want something more aesthetically pleasing.
I am open to your suggestions. Mason is the only other one that drinks coffee in my house and he only has one cup a day.
I sometimes have an afternoon coffee and that is really nice. I also make an iced coffee in the late morning or afternoon with my protein shake.
Let’s talk about this issue in the comments!
Thank you in advance!
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
I LOVE coffee too and it is typically 1-2 cups each day for me- both in the morning. I can’t do caffeine after 12noon or I will have trouble sleeping. We have a Keurig and that keeps me happy but from time to time I wonder if we should grind our own beans and try different coffees. My hubby is a big fan of a Columbian roast and I like flavored coffees. To save on calories, recently, I switched to pure black coffee- such an adjustment!
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Same! I find that I am ok with a 3 pm coffee, but I usually only drink half or so. It was a big adjustment when I stopped putting sweetener in my coffee, but you do grow used to the taste. I could never just go straight black coffee, though!
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Yes, it exists! I think it is called the k-duo. Life changing. Unfortunately not that aesthetically pleasing so I shove mine in a corner of the kitchen.
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When we renovate I would love to have one of those pull down and hide appliances things! I will look into that!
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We have our Nespresso and as an end of the year teaching gift, I purchased myself a Mochamaster. It brews the best coffee. If your looking for something that does both, there are lots of duel brewers for k-cups and your own beans.
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I have never heard of a Mochamaster! It sounds cool and I will look it up! I guess it’s been so long since I have shopped for a coffeemaker that I have no idea what is even out there! Ha!
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I’m not too picky about coffee – I use a standard coffee maker and good old Folgers! I’ve had a Keurig, actually two. One broke and the other someone borrowed and never returned. I kinda wish I had it because I’d like to try some of the K Cups I keep hearing about. I love that your Keurig was a gift from your dad – I’d cherish it!
xo,
Kellyann
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I guess I’m not either and I do like to try new things. You are a classic! Maybe you can also find a Keurig on sale? K cups are good to have.
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Well, I do want to create some sort of a coffee bar. We have a Bonavita coffee maker from Williams-Sonoma that has been great. I use Starbucks Komodo Dragon or Sumatra that I get from their store. It’s strong and we like it that way, cut w/ whole milk. Nothing fancy but very strong and good! I drink about 1 and a half cups in the morning and sometimes a cup of tea (English black tea) w/ milk and honey in the afternoon. I love the story of your gifts from your dad. So special!
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I would love a coffee bar in a separate area of the kitchen, but I just don’t have the space. I have heard that Williams Sonoma carries some great coffee maker brands. It sounds like you like a very dark roast. I think I am a more of a medium roast gal, but I may like that! Thank you – yes, I am very sentimental about that.
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I’ve had the coffee makers you have now, and I had the Keurig duo with the pot on one side and a space for k-cups on the other. I’m back to using a smaller Keurig again, because it’s mostly just me who drinks the coffee now. The boys do all occasionally have a cup, but most days it’s just me. My all time favorite coffee is the Costco brand k-cup. It’s the best by far, and I’ve tried all the brands, fancy and otherwise. I don’t know what it is, but it just tastes so amazing to me. I’ll probably never have a fancy coffeemaker, because I don’t like to do too much to my coffee. I do like to sweeten mine up a bit with a special creamer that I love, but that’s it. A k-cup just makes more sense for me right now, so I’m sticking with it, though I may need a replacement one soon.
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Curious about your creamer 😊 Is it homemade, or do you mean you just buy a flavored creamer at the store?
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I use fat free half and half and a tiny drop of liquid stevia right now. I have used Jordan’s Skinny Syrups, too.
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I love the Costco Kirkland Breakfast Blend but I have been experimenting with different kids lately. I really like Tully’s and Kuaui. I agree on the k cups making sense for only one person who drinks coffee.
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I used to have a Mr. Coffee and finally bought a Keurig, had it for many years. It died and I bought another Keurig an updated one. I drink two cups of black coffee of the morning and of the afternoon I have another cup but I use creamer and skinny syrup in it. That one is my sweet treat for the day.
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I really like the taste of Keurig coffee, but my friend says she tastes plastic. I just think it tastes so good with each freshly brewed cup. It’s good when only one person is drinking coffee in the house, too.
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I have a Keurig that is at least 12 years old and a few years ago we switched from the pods to the little plastic filters that look like a strainer, so we can use our own ground coffee. That way the coffee is always fresh because it seemed like some of the pods were old or stale. I ordered the little plastic filters from Amazon and actually just also got the little tiny paper filters to go in the plastic filter and we can put all of that right into our compost.
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Same – mine is about that age, too. I can’t make the reusable pods taste good. I don’t know what I am doing wrong. I have seen the tiny paper filters and maybe those would help?
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I absolutely love coffee, and didn’t start drinking it until my 30’s! We have a regular coffee pot that I pull out if we have a crowd, but usually use a Nespresso Vertuo machine. When we lived in England, I started drinking instant coffee in the afternoon. It’s much more common over there to drink instant, probably because everyone has an electric kettle for tea. Now I still drink instant if I don’t think I’ll drink the full cup, especially in the mornings before a walk. I just add a splash of milk to my coffee. And that’s my coffee routine! Great idea for a post!
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I have heard the Vertuo is good! I don’t mind instant. I think it can be ok. Thank you!
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I have seen a couple of those dual coffee pots on Instagram. Different people have posted about them. One of the brands that people seem to like the most is by Phillips. I have my beloved Nespresso and I also have a semi automatic Jura Capressa. My Jura Capressa Tony bought for our anniversary back in 2010 so it’s 13 years old and it grinds the beans and then tamps them and then brews them, but it’s a big machine and I’ve actually put it away and put it into semi retirement lol —at the beach house I have a Nespresso that I use 100% of the time for me. I also have a Keurig Cuisinart machine that is super nice and I have a Cuisinart coffee pot. When my mom comes with me, I pull out the Cuisinart coffee pot because she will drink a pot of coffee in the morning and I will also pull out the Cuisinart Keurig because she loves K cups. I think once you have gone to nespresso, it’s really hard to go back to K cups. Just in my opinion. I love a good cup of coffee in the morning while I’m sitting on my patio and then I love to have an iced latte later in the Morning (during summer mainly)
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Oh, that is good to know and Phillips is not that expensive usually. Interesting. I think it’s good to keep some options. My SIL has a Nespresso and I had a cup at Thanksgiving and it was good.
Thanks for all the info!
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I am a huge coffee drinker, Sweden is like the would leader when it comes to coffee consumption, I think the average is like 4 cups per day. And we’re talking real brewed coffee, not soppy Starbucks candy coffee 😁.
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OH, I didn’t know that! Anymore, I think Starbucks’s is so bad! It’s never hot enough, either.
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I always loved the aroma of coffee when I was a kid when my parents used a percolator for coffee! I didn’t start drinking it until I was about 25 and for a long time would have it mornings, afternoons and even a cup after dinner. Now it’s 2 cups with cream in the morning and another cup around 3 o’clock in the winter and a cold brew in the summer. I like the Kirkland colombian cold brew cans with a touch of skinny vanilla syrup and a splash of cream. We have a Kuerig that we use daily, a Cuisinart grind and brew for when we have a crowd and a Nespresso machine for espressos. I feel like I need to get rid of one, but can’t do it!
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That is a great smell! That sounds about like my coffee habits. I have not tried the Kirkland, but would like that, I’m sure. I think I can see why having options would be good. I just wish I had room for a coffee corner!
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I’ve been drinking coffee since I was a teen. We used a Kuerig for years and loved it! But we were frustrated with the cleaning process, the k cups, etc so we recently made the switch to a pour over system. It takes slightly longer to brew, but is easy and makes a great cup of coffee! It also takes up very little space. I keep the pour over in the cabinet so the only thing that sits out is my beautiful electric tea kettle. My husband and I each have one cup in the morning with creamer and sometimes an iced coffee in the afternoon (in the summer) or a chai latte ( in the winter). I tried for over a year to use all natural creamer, but ultimately went back to CoffeeMate. Their new flavor, Kahlua, is delicious! My husband still prefers a natural creamer like Natural Bliss or Dunkin.
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Wow! I was late to the coffee game, but it also wasn’t popular with teens when I was growing up. I have a pour over system and did it for a while. My friend Dan likes that system. I think I would like it more with an electric kettle and that would also help me to drink more tea. I think I didn’t get the right type of grounds for pour over. I think they have to be not too ground? OH, I bet Kahlua is delicious! I love Dunkin Extra Creamy, but stopped using it to go with a less caloric cream.
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I love coffee too! I have a newer model Keurig at home, and I drink 1-2cups on weekdays and 3+ cups on weekend days. I love the SB Caramel k cups. We realized tiny ants were going into the water tank and drowning, and that was gross! I check the water tank every time now. I like the idea of a fresh cup every time, so I don’t think I’d go back to a regular coffee machine. During the school year, I take a cup of coffee to school and add a PP usually the Cafe Latte one to it when there’s a little left. I make iced coffee using Nescafé instant coffee mixed with water. I water it down a little more, add Splenda, Torani syrup, and 1/2 and 1/2. To me, it’s almost as good as a SB iced coffee. I have to start frothing milk again. For k cups, I also like DD Turtle Love. I try to drink tea before bed, and it’s okay, but I love coffee more!
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Yes! Oh no! I will now have to check for ants! I really like K cups, too. I will have to try some of the brands/flavors you mention here. Thank you!
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I love this post 🙂 I love coffee too. This had me thinking back — and I don’t think I started drinking coffee until after I had kids…which makes sense 😆
For many years, pre-kids, I’d stop for a large fountain coke at the gas station. Then, I transitioned to Diet Coke. I’m thinking I’ve always had something to drink whether it’s Diet Coke or coffee. I’ve for sure been drinking coffee for at least 13 years
Last fall, our coffee pot quit working. It was the pretty white one …drew Barrymore collection. I hadn’t had it long. Anyway, Travis went to Walmart, and came home with one that’s kuerig and coffee pot combined
You do such a good job about writing about little topics…I could definitely write about coffee and didn’t even realize it. It’s funny how people are particular about their coffee…myself, included I guess. I love that your dad was such a thoughtful gift giver. How sweet
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Well, I would love to read your post about coffee. I am always looking for new coffee tips. I write about little things because my life is not that exciting! Ha! I was never a cold drink in the morning person that I can recall. I guess I just drank water until I developed a love of coffee.
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I think I just didn’t know how to drink coffee . Haha
Yesterday I got an iced coffee before we left julep farm and it hit the spot. I need to try iced coffee more.
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I probably didn’t either. I feel the same. I need to experiment more with iced coffee. Do a coffee post! I love to hear what people order, too.
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