Trader Joe's Joe coffee

Let's make this clear.  I got this super cheap coffee for the BF.  He used to not care about what kind of coffee he drank until I started using my press.  I try to use single-source beans at least.  I might get some roasted from the local coffee shop.  But when I buy crappy coffee, I buy it for him.

He is starting to tell what is "good" coffee and what it "bad" coffee, so there might be hope for him yet.

Outsides:  Trader Joes Joe is supposed to be an incredibly smooth cup of coffee and a medium roast, but there isn't as much flowery language involved as with the Bali Blue Moon.  It smells like a lot of cheap coffees, robust with a nice roasty topnote and a bitter bottom note.  I put 3 tablespoons in 10 oz of water for slightly less than 4 minutes.  It looks like coffee and smells like cheap coffee.

Inside:  This one definately has a fuller body than the Bali one with a pleasant roasty note.  It's still fairly bitter meaning I might have to reduce the steeping time by another 30 seconds but the other flavors do a better job at masking it.  It actually finishes cleanly.  Although I can think of individually-sourced coffee that does a better job in terms of flavor, this one isn't too bad for something on the super cheap spectrum.

Tilt:  This coffee is $4.99 for 14 oz at Trader Joes so it's pretty riddiculously cheap even if you have to use a bit extra to make it acceptable.  It's a decent blend to have around for those people like my boyfriend who just don't give two rat's butts about how it tastes.  It's also strong enough that you might be able to make an ok iced coffee with it.

Overall:  I mean, Trader Joes does give a full refund if you're not satisfied so what's the worst that can happen?

My Rating:  Try it!

Trader Joe's aka. Yuppie Mart is a grocery store that's fairly overrated.  It's not too expensive though so check it out.

Trader Joe's Bali Blue Moon coffee

 

A few months ago, I traded in my Keurig for a much more practical two-cup (16 oz) french press, partially because K-cups were a waste of money and partially because I heard that french presses were one of the best ways to brew coffee.   Since then, I've become pretty good at using it, developing a system even more precise than the way I brew my tea and trying out some sample blends at the supermarket.  I also went to Trader Joes and ended up getting two of their coffees, the Joe blend and Bali Blue Moon.  The Bali was supposed to be a gift for my boyfriend's brother but I figured it would be a good thing to try out.

Outsides:  Bali Blue Moon is labled as a medium roast that is very full-bodied, rich and smooth and supposed to make a clean, smooth cup of coffee with a chocolaty finish.  The cool thing about Trader Joes coffees is that you grind them in store (or buy them whole bean and grind them at home), so they should have a lot of flavor when you take them home.  At first, the coffee smells robust and sweet but then you're hit with a slightly pungent bitter smell.  I've had to play around with the press method for making this a few times but best way I've found is adding 3 tablespoons for 8-10 oz of water, starting the timer at 4 minutes right before you pour in the water and making sure you press down at 30 seconds (if you want to make 16 oz, use 5 tablespoons).  I like drinking my coffee with a foam so that's what you see there.  The sweetness in the smell is still there as well as the bitterness, but the rich robust smell isn't as...robust.

Insides:  First off, this is a bit of a pain to press.  I usually add 2 tablespoons for 8 oz and start my 4 minute timer after I put on the lid, but that resulted in it tasting weak yet bitter.  I think I got it right this time as it does taste like something that's drinkable.  It has a sweet top note with a touch of roasty malted flavor but is quickly followed by a harsh bitterness that I just can't get rid of.  As for the claims on the package, the aftertaste does remind me of dark chocolate but it really does lack smoothness and has a medium body to it.

Tilt:  This was one of the more expensive coffees at Trader Joes being $8.99 for 13 oz.  Although this isn't a bad price for coffee, you do have to use more coffee per cup to make something acceptable (this was true with the Joe blend as well but at least that one is cheap as dirt).  I mean, this is just bad.  I can't give any reccomendations on what to do with it.  It's too light to be used for iced coffee but too bitter for anything else.  It might be good to someone who likes Starbucks though.

Overall:  I was skeptical of the brother's taste in a lot of things but hearing this was his favorite blend from Trader Joes just put another nail of the coffin for me.  Someone just take this away from me!  Blegh.

My Rating:  Pass.

Trader Joes coffee can be bought at Trader Joes in America (and I think it's Aldi Sud in Europe).  Coincidentally, they offer a full refund on their products which is actually quite nice.  The cookie butter they sell there is pretty amazing.

K-cup Reviews: Revv

Outsides:  Your standard K-cup.  It smells slightly smoky and like man-coffee.

Insides:  This one's actually really interesting.  The base is a medium to slightly dark roast coffee that's smoky and slightly sweet with not too much bitterness, but then there's this herbal aftertaste of rosemary and basil.  Maybe I got a fluke, because I'm looking at the product description site right now and they're talking about caramel and chocolate, but this is more reminiscent of smoky wood and fresh herbs.  I have to say though, this is really delicious.  You don't taste the herbs in the coffee but what you do taste is something bold and smoky and basically what you want in a coffee and then you get a lovely aftertaste.  

Overall:  Emril, you have a challenger for my personal favorite K-cup.  It's a little unique but completely in a possitive way and I can't see anyone disliking it unless they just dislike coffee.

My Rating:  Buy it!  Here's the site:  Revv K-cup

K-cup Review: Gloria Jean Butter Toffee

Gloria Jean is one of the more famous flavored K-cup makers (and apparently makes legitimate coffee items like French Presses) and have extra bold blends as well as neat flavors like Butter Toffee and Mudslide.  I have their Hazelnut coffee to review but was just curious about this one.  Toffee is pretty much the crunchy version of caramel and I love caramel!

Outsides:  Your average K-cup.  This smells really nice, like a candy or cake.

Insides:  Meh.  It's ok, but I feel like other companies do flavored coffee better.  For one thing, the coffee's really weak.  It's like I'm drinking caramel-scented water.  The flavoring is nice, sweet smelling and...there, but there really isn't much to say other than this is not a flavored coffee. 

Overall:  If you know someone who doesn't like coffee, they might like this (with creamer and sugar), but for people who want real flavored coffee (in this variety), check out Wolfgang Puck Caramel Cream Single Cup Coffee Pods,.  Just pass on this one.

My Rating:  Pass.  Here's a product site:  Keurig K-Cup 18-Pk. Gloria Jean's Butter Toffee Coffee

K-cup Reviews: Brooklyn Bean Roastery Boardwalk Blend

Ah, nothing like a hot cup of coffee at midnight.  This is supposed to be an extra bold medium roast, and the website description gives little more than poetry, so I can't tell you what to expect.

Outside:  It's lighter than the other BBR coffee I tried.  It also smells more like a dark roast.

Insides:  This is actually quite nice cold (I'm drinking it 8 hours after I brewed it).  While it was hot, I felt that it tasted like a dark roast but it has a lot less emphasis on the smoky, acidic favors and more on just being robust and aromatic.  I'm going to put out there that I think this would make a really nice iced coffee (assuming you're willing to brew 2-3 K-cups to make a pitcher).  It's not too harsh but still strong.

Overall:  It's surprising what a night of sleep can do to a cup of coffee.  This is another decent, but not brilliant, cup of coffee from the Brooklyn Bean Roastary.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the site:  BBR Boardwalk Blend

K-cup Review: Green Mountain Coffee Island Coconut

Check out my sweet cow pajama pants!  Blogger fashion, woo!

Outsides:  Your average K-cup.  It smells like coffee and coconut mixed together.

Insides:  This one has more of a balance between the coconut flavor and coffee than the Doughnut shop did.  It's a light roast, but the flavor is lighter and makes this a coffee with a slight coconut flavor as opposed to coconut with some coffee.  The coffee has more of a sweet note to it, but that's how a lot of mild coffees are.  Not a bad coconut coffee.

Overall:  It's a good flavor if you like coconut.  The coffee and flavor are well balanced and I'm looking forward to trying more flavored blends from Green Mountain.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's a product page:  Green Mountain Island Coconut

K-cup reviews: Brooklyn Bean Roastery Cyclone

So, I basically got all of this company's regular flavors in my sample pack.  This company looks interesting.  For one thing, they have extra bold medium roasts as well as dark roasts.  I've seen this on a few coffees but not many K-cups.  They also only can be ordered online, but are relatively cheap.  So what's a Cyclone?  Apparently, it's a roller coaster on Conney Island.   This one's supposed to be an extra bold dark roast with an espresso kick.

Outsides:  Brooklyn Bean Roastery doesn't do anything with their K-cups to make them special.  However, one thing I noticed when brewing this is how dark the coffee was when it dripped down.  Most of them are kind of tan colored but this was dark.  It smells like it does have a hint of espresso to it.

Insides:  So, this one's a little interesting.  It starts off fairly bland for the first second or so, but build up with this smoky and sweet flavor.  I don't know if I'd call this Extra Bold, but it is a nice man-coffee without being in your face about it.  I've brewed espresso in the Keurig before, and after this, I might just mix it with my coffee.  

Overall:  It's not quite as robust as I would have liked it, but it's still very nice and I recommend it for people who like coffee espresso blends.  And it lives up to it's name, giving a roller coaster of flavors and a nice ride.

My Rating:  Try it!  I'll give you their official website:  Brooklyn Bean Roastery Products

K-cup Reviews: Wolfgang Puck Creme Caramel

 

The 35 pack had a ton of Wolfgang Puck (in fact, the two it didn't include are the two I already have).  I was a little confused as to what the Creme Caramel is.  Is it supposed to be normal coffee or something like that Cafe Caramel?   Anyway, I (usually) like caramel and the few WP coffees I've tried have been good.

Outsides:  Your standard K-cup.  Whenever it brews, it's not as pungent as the Breakfast in Bed, but it does give off a nice sweet smell.

Insides:  One of the nice things about this is the balance between the caramel flavor and the coffee base.  It's not a very strong coffee base, but it's still rich and has a nice sweet, roasty flavor to it.  The caramel flavor isn't overpowering or fake tasting.  It's a flavored light roast, but tastes like real coffee as opposed to some of the gimmicky concoctions Keurig has.

Overall:  It's a pretty solid light caramel flavored coffee.  Try it out!

My rating:  Try it!  "Caramel Flavored Single Cup Coffee Pod (Pack of 18)"

K-cup reviews: Coffee People's Doughnut shop Decaf

I work two jobs, one at Big Lots and another at the university health sciences library.  It's been a bit of a rough week for me since I had a good 26 hours at one job and 20 hours at another, but that means extra money that I need and can use to help pay for my school.  But there are hard days and sometimes, you just want to enjoy a nice hot beverage.  Sometimes it's tea, sometimes it's coffee.  I was really in the mood for coffee but had to wake up at 7 in order to get to my other job so as exciting as that 35 pack was, I had to pick the one decaf I had.   

Outsides:  A normal K-cup.  This is one of those K-cups that actually smells nice while it's brewing.  

Insides:  So, this tastes pretty much how you'd want a doughnut shop coffee to taste.  It focuses more on the sweet, mild flavors of coffee but is still rich and slightly fragrant.  I actually think this is a pretty satisfying cup of coffee, especially with a pastry.  Plus, I wasn't up until four in the morning when I drank it. 

Overall:  If you like the original Coffee People Doughnut Shop coffee, you'll like this one.  Heck, if you like doughnut house blends like Duncan Doughnuts or Panera, you'll like this.  Plus, no caffeine, so you can drink it late at night or while pregnant or give it to your kids!

My Rating:  Buy it!  Keurig K-Cup Portion Pack Coffee People Original Donut Shop Decaf

K-cup reviews: Caribou Coffee Obsidian

Yesterday, I ordered a 35 variety pack of K-cups that SHOULD all be different as well as a 22 pack tea sampler.  I can't really help but brag since I got those two items as well as a 2-disk copy of the Dark Knight and an HDMI cable for 27 dollars (through a mixture of me getting free prime shipping for 6 months and forgetting that I had a 12 dollar credit left over).  The company I got the variety pack from is called Crazy Cups and hopefully, they deliver on their promises.  I did get this so I'd have a bigger variety of things to review but honestly, there's a lot of K-cup flavors I want to try but the big packs are expensive.  Most of the ones I review end up being good, but a lot of times, I buy by a trusted brand and things that don't look completely gimmicky.  Hopefully, the variety pack will bring some good and bad K-cups to light.

Anyway, I've heard a lot of good things about Obsidian.  I've seen it on a lot of best K-cups lists and it's a bit strange that it's discontinued (although Caribou has a Columbian blend that I'm assuming is similar).  Obviously, it's supposed to be dark and bold, which is saying a lot because normal Caribou Blend is quite bold.  Let's see how this is.

Outsides:  Your normal K-cup.  The coffee does give off a nice scent when brewed, a mixtures of sweetness and acidity.  When in the cup, it smells like a sweet, fruity-smelling dark roast.

Insides:  So, this coffee is very robust.  It tastes almost woody and a bit smoky, but isn't as strong as the Caribou blend in terms of the barbaque taste.  There's this acidic taste at the end, but it isn't overpowering and adds a bit of depth.  The sweetness seems to be more in scent than in the flavor because the coffee is rich, dark and almost savory.  This is definitely a "man" coffee.    

Overall:  So, I like this better than the Caribou Blend and it's definitely one of the more complex coffees available in a k-cup.  It's not for everyone but if you like dark roasts or manly coffee, this is definitely worth it. 

My Rating:  Buy it!  Unfortunately, it looks like it's discontinued but if you see the Columbian Blend, that's probably the closest one to it.  

K-cup Review: Newman's Own Extra Bold Special Blend

First off, Newman's Own makes some amazing cookies.  I love Oreos and all, but these taste like homebaked cookies and that puts them above anything.  They're also Fair-Trade and Organic Certified, wo theoretically you can feel good buying them.  Other than that, apparently, this is extra bold.  I guess that's cool.

Outsides:  Normal K-cup.  It's dark and it actually smells very nice.  Kinda sweet, a little smoky, all the good things about coffee.

Insides:  I would consider this coffee bold but not extra bold.  It's thick and slightly sweet with a slight acidic finish.  There's really not much to say, I mean, it's good coffee.  

Overall:  If you want a feel-good alternative to your normal dark roast, this one's pretty good.  

My Rating:  Try it!  You can purchase it here:  Keurig K-Cup 18-Pk. Newman's Own Extra Bold Coffee

K-cup reviews: Green Mountain Coffee Iced Nantucket Blend

So, this is the last of the Brew Over Ice samples I got.  I'm pretty confident about this one because it's just plain coffee.  I mean, you can screw up flavorings but Green Mountain Coffee Nantucket Blend is pretty solid.  Hopefully the iced version will taste similar to the original.  

Outsides:  It's your average K-cup.  It looks like normal coffee and smells like a slightly more acidic version of the original.

Insides:  It's not bad.  The coffee was probably put in at double strength and holds well with ice and cream.  It is a little more bitter and acidic, but not really to the point of hindering the taste experience.  Like the original, the coffee is a little smokey, a little sweet and a generally nice medium roast.  

Overall:  Just to recap, you should avoid the Vanilla Iced Coffee and Ice Sweet Tea but should try the Iced Half and Half and Iced Nantucket Blend.  It's not amazing, but it's good for an iced coffee fix.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's a link:  Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Gourmet Single Cup Coffee Nantucket Blend Iced Coffee Green Mountain Coffee 12 K-Cups

K-cup Reviews: Green Mountain Breakfast Blend

Ok Green Mountain, I'm back here reviewing something that isn't iced.  Breakfast Blends are supposed to be more mild than regular coffee and this particular one is a light roast (I've seen others that are medium roasts).  In my experience, they also tend to be sweeter and appeal more to people who aren't really coffee snobs (no offense to people who are).  Let's see how this one is.

Ousides:  Your average K-cup.  It's still dark and it's a lighter, sweeter smelling coffee than the Nantucket.

Insides:   The coffee is light and sweet but not as robust as I would like it.  My amount of cream practically overwhelms the flavor.  However, it does taste like normal, drip-brewed coffee and is still more robust than a lot of the light-roasts I've had on the Keurig.  When I say it's not as robust as I would have liked, that's a personal preference and honestly, this is still a pretty good coffee.  It's not that complex, just a little sweet and would be good for people who like more mild roasts.

Overall:  I'd say try it out.  It's not my thing but it's still a decent quality coffee.  Check it out.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's a site:  Keurig K-Cup 18-Pk. Green Mountain Coffee Breakfast Blend Coffee

K-cup Review: Timothy's Decaf Columbian

You know, I keep avoiding decaf coffees.  It's not that I find them bad, I just always figued that coffee = caffeine and that was the end of it.  But today after work, I really wanted a cup of coffee.  Normally, I wouldn't care whether it had caffeine or not, but I have to wake up at 7 to go back to my job so staying up until 3 would cause me to have a bad time.  Timothy's is the same brand responsible for the Kahlua coffee, so it would be interesting to see how they handle dark roasts.

Outsides:  A blue K-cup but nothing out of the ordinary.  The coffee is dark and actually smells very smokey and rich, which is a good sign.

Insides:  I am going to preface this by telling you two things that may have affected the taste of this without being the coffee's fault.  1)  My machine stalled.  Occasionally, my machine will not spit out coffee like it's supposed to and will store extra water in it's container or something.  This normally doesn't effect the taste unless it adds the extra water, but I think I replaced the cup in time to prevent that.  2)  I only have non-dairy creamer.  Like, powder creamer.  It works great for tea but I prefer using half-and-half for coffee.

That all being said, this tastes really acidic to me.  Oh, it's slightly smokey and actually pretty sweet, but it also tastes like someone added some lemon juice to the coffee.  I know some people like coffee like this (Starbucks has a business selling it) but I prefer sweet or smokey flavors over the harsh flavor of acid.  But you know what, this is in every sample pack they put out for the Keurig.  Try it for yourself because maybe I screwed up.

Overall:  I don't care for it.  I drank it and maybe it's my fault it tastes so awful, but I don't recommend getting this.

My Rating:  Pass.  Here's the site:  Timothy's

K-cup reviews: Green Mountain Brew Over Ice French Vanilla Iced Coffee

Ok, I've got a confession to make:  I hate iced coffee.  It's actually not really the coffee's fault, it's because I hate it when the ice melts and makes my coffee watery.  There are solutions to this, drinking cold coffee without ice or adding ice cream instead of it, but on a hot day, I'll just order the hot equivalent (unless I'm at Panera's where I can get cold coffee through their fountain <3).   But how do you make iced coffee at home, you may ask.  Well, it's very simple.  You make a lot of coffee, put it in fridge or freezer until cold then add your stuff to it.  But now, we have the Keurig way!

I feel like I have to tell you guys how I brewed it because my mom got these K-cups and I'm sure it's a little more in-depth than just pressing a button and BINGO!  Iced coffee!  Looking at the website (also no instructions) I saw that people brewed the coffee in the cream and sugar, waited a bit then added the ice.  I brewed the coffee under the 9 oz setting and did as above.  Maybe that's wrong, but if it turns out horribly then I'll gladly take some blame for that.

Outsides:  It looks like coffee (duh) that came from a normal K-cup.  It also has a strong vanilla smell.

Insides:  After adding the ice, the coffee's still pretty strong and pretty decent except for this weird aftertaste (therefore my brewing method was not at fault).  It reminds me of those mixers you add booze to;  sweet, creamy and a little fake, but with those, at least you have the booze to get you drunk enough to not notice it. If  I magically ignore that aftertaste, I'd say it's ok but nut spectacular (it's not gonna stop me from buying iced coffees from Panera anytime soon).  The vanilla flavor is too fake and the coffee is just a tad too bitter to work well for iced.

Overall:  I think this is a gimmick.  If you want iced coffee, break out that drip brew, get some decent coffee and stick it in the refrigerator.  Don't pay a stupid amount of money for this.

My Rating:  Pass.  Here's the site:  Keurig's Brew Over Ice Subsite.

K-cup Reviews: Cafe Escapes Cafe Vanilla

I'm probably going to need some tea after this...

So, I got a free sample of the new Cafe Escapes Cafe Vanilla and Cafe Caramel.  As shocking as this may sound, the Cafe Caramel is horrible.  And you know what?  I don't have that much hope for this one either.  The one saving grace is that this is both naturally and artificially flavored as opposed to the CC's artificial only.  I'm not even a big fan of vanilla.  Oh, it's good mixed in with things or in the background, but it's just so...vanilla.

Outsides:  Your standard K-cup.  The liquid is a lighter color than the caramel and smells equally of instant coffee and vanilla.

Insides:  This one's better.  It still has a bit of that aftertaste but it's not as prevalent.  The vanilla flavoring isn't overpowering either and goes well with the hint of coffee that's in here.  It's not terribly offensive and I daresay that it's better than a lot of the cappuccino coolers that mix instant coffee with flavors, but I can't say it's amazing.  I think the natural vanilla helped though.

Overall:  I can drink this.  I don't feel the need to and personally prefer making real coffee if I want something that kinda tastes like coffee, but it's better than the other one.  Heck, I'll even suggest that this is kinda good.  Try and see if you can snag a sample.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the site:  Cafe Escapes

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.

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

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.

K-Cup Reviews: Coffee People Donut Shop Coconut Mocha

Yes, I'm going back to reviewing tea soon, but it was a rough day at work.  You see, I work 2 jobs:  One at Big Lots during weekdays and the other at Pitt during the weekends, which is great because the worst days at BL are during the weekends.  People are cranky, think they're the center of the universe and all shop on the same day.  I haven't had that many bad days at BL after not working weekends, but I guess everyone wanted to do their last minute shopping and dear god, it was a doosey.  All I really want to do is have some of this fru-fru flavored coffee and relax (probably make a cup of tea later).

I was excited about this for three reasons.  First, Coffee People is generally a good brand.  If you look at the Keurig website and other venders, you'll notice that the Coffee People Donut Shop is usually at or near the top of the list.  It's also a medium roast, which is a bit unique for a lot of flavored coffees because they tend to be light roasts.  Last but certainly not least, it's coconut and chocolate!  I mean, that sounds delicious, like a Mounds bar without the sugar.

Outside:  It's your average K-cup, but it does have a pretty cool design on the lid.  Sadly, this does not amaze me with its brewing smell, just a little bit of coconut but the coffee itself smells like coconut.

Insides:  The coffee isn't the strongest in the flavor department, but is very smooth and slightly sweet.  The coconut flavor is more in the smell than in the coffee, but that's actually pretty nice since it isn't overpowering.  and the chocolate serves a a nice background flavor.  It's not very bitter or acidic and tastes more like a cookie than coffee.

Overall:  I think it's solid and a fun flavor to boot.  The coffee's a bit light, but if you're just looking for something different or need a cool flavor to mix into your collection, check it out.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the website.