K-cup Review: Cafe Escapes Cafe Caramel

Sorry about the bad quality.  

Ok, lets get this straight.  I love caramel.  It's probably my favorite chocolate filling (assuming the chocolate isn't too sweet) and it's even good with tea!  There's nothing quite like pure sweetness and creaminess to end your day.  It's kinda nice thinking that there's an option using a Keurig, although the Cafe Escapes are obscenely expensive for instant coffee and hot chocolate (that's right, Keurig is obscenely expensive.  Who would have thunk it?).

Outsides:  Standard K-cup.  You'll smell the caramel when it brews and it looks more like hot chocolate than....I really have no idea if this is supposed to have coffee in it or not.

Insides:  It starts out good:  Sweet, creamy and not overpowering in flavor.  And then this weird aftertaste kicks in, probably because they use a non-dairy creamer (mixed with non-fat milk so screw you Lactose-intolerant people).  There's maybe a hint of instant coffee in here but this is probably good for non-coffee drinkers assuming you have no taste.  But man, that aftertaste.  It's not much but it kinda tastes like soap in your mouth.  You know what, this is awful.  It's creamy, I'll give it that.  But it's a little too sweet and just tastes so fake.  You could probably buy caramel-flavored hot chocolate that doesn't taste like drain cleaner instead.

Overall:  Sorry Cafe Escapes.  I appreciate your free samples but try making better products first.

My Rating:  Pass.  Here's the site:  Green Mountain's Cafe Escape Subsite.  

K-cup review: Emril's Big Easy Bold Coffee

I like Emril.  He's a good balance between all of the other Food Network stars, making good food that the whole family loves and isn't the most terribly unhealthy for them.  He also is one of the biggest sell-outs, but his products are generally pretty tasty.  If you get a sample pack, this will undoubtedly be in there with all of the other dark roasts.


Outsides:  Ok chefs, you know how to make a coffee that smells good while brewing.  It's not quite the 10/10 that was the Wolfgang Puck Breakfast in Bed, but it smells bold.   The K-cup is blue (don't know if that makes any difference to anyone who doesn't put them all in a grocery bag, but it's easier to find) and the coffee is...dark.  I think it smells slightly sweet for a dark roast.

Insides:  This was the first K-cup coffee I absolutely loved.  It's rich, smokey and slightly sweet, but doesn't have that much angry bitterness or acidity that a lot of dark roasts have.  Emril is right in that this is extremely bold, but isn't offensive.  I feel like there's a hint of chocolate in there but reguardless, this is incredibly smooth.  If you love dark or medium roasts, full-flavored coffee or BAM, you'll love this.

Overall:  This is an essential for dark-roast lovers. It's rich, smooth, smokey, sweet and not extremely bitter.  Even if you don't like dark roasts, get this for your guests.

My Rating:  Buy it!  Here's the site:  Green Mountain's K-cup site.

TasTEA Time! Lipton Green Tea with Honey

So, what made me pick the Honey Lipton next is the list of ingredients because it definitely doesn't contain just green tea and honey.  Other than the green tea, it has orange peel, licorice root, chamomile and chicory.

Outsides:  Still paper outside, saran inside.  The tea is a normal green tea color but has a hint of orange in the scent.  Orange and chamomile actually.  If i hadn't read the ingredients before, I would have been confused.

Insides:  Surprisingly, this is my favorite one yet.  The orange give a nice tang paired with the green tea, but isn't overpowering or paired with spices.  The licorice, chicory and chamomile are more background flavors, experienced more when you let the tea sit in your mouth as opposed to a hearty swig.  The one complain is that this doesn't really scream "Honey" to me, maybe a light citrus or calming green tea.  The chamomile adds a bit to the sweetness but the tea itself isn't overly floral, which is what i associate with honey.  Still, it's good.

Overall:  I like it.  It definitely hides any problems you might find with the green tea and it's nice and flavorful.  Try it out.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the site:  Lipton Home.

TasTEA Time! Honest Tea Honey Green Tea

Oh Honest Tea.  Fun fact:  This is one of Barack Obama's favorite drinks (I also think the Tea Party slanders the good name of tea).  It's all natural, organic and even Fair Trade!  Heck yes I'll pay full price for you!  Plus they're generally delicious.

Outsides:  PET Bottle.  It's this nice yellow-green color and smells like green tea.

Insides:  It's slightly sweet with a hint of floral and plant flavors.  This is the "Just a Tad Sweet" variety, which still has sugar but is cut in half compared to brands like Snapple and Lipton.  I'm actually a big fan of this since quite honestly, a lot of those teas are too sweet.  This has decent quality tea leaves with a hint of honey flavoring and a little sugar, making it extremely refreshing and naturally better for you.

Overall:  It's a repeat buy from me, but I recommend most people try it first since it isn't as sweet.  Still, check it out as well as the other Honest Tea flavors.

My Rating:  Buy it!  Here's the site.

K-cup Review: Timothy's Kahlua-flavored coffee

After I buy more K-cups, I always think "That's enough.  I should have enough coffee to last me a while."  These things are kinda pricey and I have a whole grocery bag full of them.  But when i went to Big Lots the other day, I saw this and the Green Mountain Sumatra Reserve and swore in my head.  I have enough coffee, I thought.  I'm not even sure if they're going to be good, I thought.  And yet, here I am with 36 more K-cups.  I justify this by "I'm just stocking up for the schoolyear" and with the Kahlua one, White Russians are some of my favorite drinks.  

Outsides:  As you guessed, this is your standard K-cup.  This coffee smells unlike any other coffee I've brewed in that it's a combination of sweet smells.  There isn't so much of the coffee smell, but it serves as this undertone for the vanilla, caramel and rum.  

Insides:  So, this is one of the more unique coffees I've tried on the Keurig because it tastes like a coffee mix and yet it also tastes like normal coffee.  I've added cream and sugar and have to say, this tastes like what you want those Cappuccino Coolers to taste like except those instant coffees are awful.  It's a bit of the opposite of most flavored coffees in that this Kahlua coffee has an undertone of coffee with the flavors taking the main stage.  Quite honestly, it tastes like a White Russian made with Kahlua; creamy, smooth and with a light coffee flavor.  Plus it's non-alcoholic, which can be taken as both a good and bad thing.  

Overall:  If you're a fan of light-roasts or have guests that like light-roasts, this is definitely a crowd-pleaser.  It's fun, sweet and a great pick-me-up.  Get it if you can!

My Rating:  Buy it!  Here's the Bed, Bath and Beyond website with it.    

BONUS!


Here are some pictures of my babies.  I've had them for a few weeks but just never took good pictures of them (these ones aren't good either).  Their names are Otto and Selena, Otto has a bigger white dot on his chest and belly and Selena is almost all black.  They're both incredibly sweet and get well with our dogs as well as Thomas and Anya.

This one's Otto BTW

TasTEA Time! Hsin Tung Vita-lite Green Tea Powder (or Komatcha)

If you have any familiarity with asian culture, you'll notice that green tea flavored things and even green tea are really...GREEN.  Like, a really beautiful, slightly yellow lime green.  This is because they often use Matcha, a green tea powder made by the milling of shade-grown green tea.  Unlike normal tea that you steep, you stick a spoonful in, add some warm water and have tea!  It also can be used to make things like green tea ice cream, cookies, buns, dango, cheesecake and other sweet and savory dishes, giving it a refreshing flavor.

This was found during one of my various Oriental Market Adventures but unlike my normal adventures which cause me to have sporadic purchases, I actually wanted matcha.  I really wanted to get it at a legitimate tea shop, but have to admit that this was a great bargain.  I got a 300 g container (about 10-12 oz) for 11 bucks, which probably isn't the highest quality matcha but I'll take that over 20 dollars for 4 oz.  Matcha is also extremely healthy since it's the whole tea leaf as opposed to just the nutrients steeped out.  Wikipedia says that it could have up to 137 times the amount of antioxidants than normal green tea.  This company likes to brag about how it has folic acid, betacaratine, fiber, vitamin b, c and e as well as all the other tea stuff.  It also has a lot of L-theanine which helps boost your metabolism and mental health state.

Outsides:  The box it's in is a nice thick cardboard encasing a nice thick foil bag.  I feel like I need to do something with said foil bag because it's just so...useless.  It's not going to keep my tea fresh and it's a pain to get the tea out.  Note:  Please read the brewing instructions before making your tea!  The tea itself is dark green and not opaque at all (in fact, it's very murky).  It smells nice and fresh.

Inside:  Without sugar, the tea is slightly sweet with this plant-like flavor.  With a bit of sugar added though, it gets a little bitter.  It's kind of this nice, refreshing plant-like flavor that can be drunk by itself, but seems to really shine when you add dairy to it.  I mean, I'm all for plain green tea but when you combine the refreshingness of the green tea with some creaminess of milk, it makes the perfect combo.

Coincidently, I am now addicted to Matcha Lattes (Strong-brewed matcha with half-and-half and sugar).  I think they're healthier than coffee and actually give you a nice energy boost, plus I just can't help but feel happy after drinking one.

I feel like it's important to note that Matcha can be a bit of an acquired taste.  I remember trying green tea ice cream and thinking it tasted like grass (which might also be due to low-grade komatcha), but then re-trying matcha in wafer form (matcha cream with wafers covered in white chocolate) and it being my favorite one.  I had it again with bubble tea and thought it was one of the best summer treats.  But it does taste kinda planty so non-adventurous people should be weary.  Maybe try a green tea bun first or some good-quality matcha sweet.

Overall: I think this is some great value and I've been drinking it like crazy.  Yeah, go on and buy it.  It's healthy, delicious and works great on giving you energy.  If you like matcha, you'll find a use for this.

My Rating:  Buy it!  So, it's not on the actual website but here's what it looks like.  Hsin Tung Yang is the company name.

K-cup review: Green Mountain Nantucket Blend

Two things about Green Mountain.  First, it is the company that owns Keurig so if anyone knows what goes into making a great cup of coffee with the Keurig system, it should be them.  Green Mountain also has a bit of personal meaning to me.  When I went to Allegheny, there was a student-run coffee shop called Grounds for Change that served this coffee.  It wasn't amazing coffee by any stretch, although it is fair trade and tastes better than the crap they had in the cafeteria (or the Starbucks we have at Pitt).  But it's nice knowing that I can make a cup of my ex-college life in about a minute.

Nantucket Blend is basically their medium-blend normal coffee.  It's probably the most popular one they sell and you can find it anywhere.  It's a good way to start out with Green Mountain and you'll probably get a sample of it if you buy a Keurig.

Outsides:  Normal K-cup.  It's pointless for me to say the color past normal coffee and it smells a little smokey.

Insides:  Thankfully, i was right about Green Mountain knowing what they were doing with their coffee.  It's a little smokey, a little acidic and a little sweet, but has a nice balance between the three.  It tastes a bit light, but still has a prevalent coffee flavor.  Overall, it's what you'd want out of a basic coffee, a little dimension and a fair amount of flavor.

Overall:  You can find it everywhere and pretty much anyone who drinks coffee should like it.  It's not amazing, but it's solid enough to get a buy out of me.

My Rating:  Buy it!  Here's the site.  I've also got their Dark Magic and Breakfast Blend for later reviews.