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 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 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 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.

K-cup reviews: Wolfgang Puck Breakfast in Bed

So, you guys want another K-cup review?  I'm guessing so and I don't blame you.  I've seen a few sites that do these, but they're usually into the exotic ones while it's just me, your average coffee and tea drinker who has no real bias towards Keurig past the fact that they're overpriced as hell, reviewing these K-cups.  I also feel really fancy having Wolfgang Puck coffee.  

Outside:  Your average K-cup.  The first thing you will notice is that this smells AMAZING when you brew it, like that perfect coffee smell.  It doesn't really carry over when you have it in a cup, but it has a medium dark color.  Also, the box says this is a medium roast coffee which seems unique for Breakfast blends because they tend to be light roasts.

Insides:  It's nice.  Definitely on the lighter side of medium roast but nice.  It's not very strong but still is a fairly satisfying cup of coffee.  The bitterness is very low with several sweet notes that come through.  Actually, the sweet dominates any other flavor, so this is probably a good coffee to get if you want a person-neutral coffee (for people who don't like really strong coffee).  It's not complex or multidimensional, but that's ok.

Overall:  From what I've seen, all the K-cups cost the same.  Not across different stores, but one brand costs the same as the others.  This isn't a bad one to get if you want your coffee to taste like coffee and really, the smell is quite nice to get out of bed to.  

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the coffee site, which I'm assuming has the K-cups somewhere.  

K-cup reviews: Caribou Coffee Caribou Blend

So, I honestly couldn't figure out what I wanted to review today.  It's not that I don't have tea because dear god, do I have a lot of tea and will probably review some later.  No, right now is coffee time.

I was (and currently am) writing my opinion on the Keurig brewing system and K-cups, but it basically depends on how much you want to spend on crappy coffee that gets brewed in about 30 seconds.  Right now however, I'm in a good mood.  I got my particular Keurig for free and found out later that it's a little broken.  Sometimes, it won't dispense the water it heats up, leaving me with no coffee the first few times and watered down when it does work.  Well, it did that.  Every day for about three days.  But today, it started working again and that means I can have a terrible cup of coffee!

I have not drank anything from a Caribou coffee, but I imagine that it's just like Starbucks in that the coffee is pretty bad for the price your paying for it (I know there's special blends and whatnot, but they have coffee carts all around school and believe me, it sucks).  

Outsides:  If you've never seen a K-cup, it's basically a plastic cup with foil on the top that gets poked by the machine.  They're pretty wasteful, but more on that later.  The coffee itself is dark and smells smokey.

Insides:  So, this tastes like coffee that I like to classify as "Man-coffee".  It's really smokey, kinda strong (although it said it was a medium roast) and pretty bitter.  There's touches of sweetness in this particular blend, like bittersweet chocolate, but ultimately it tastes more like coffee you've left by a campfire.  And you know what?  That's kinda appealing to me.  

I like this coffee but for a weird reason.  It's bad coffee, but slightly more endearing bad coffee than crappy coffee-cart Starbucks.  It's bitter and smokey and strong, but it also has some richness and sweetness and multidimensionality.  I don't think it tastes good but much like the oolong, it's in a sea of coffees that are either too terrible to drink or tastes like nothing (mostly the later).  It's so bad it's good, which is not going to get any of you to buy it, but is exactly what I think about it.

Overall:  I don't know.  It's in a lot of sample packs which I honestly recommend you to get even if you don't think you'll like a lot of coffees.  I can't give it a buy on its own just because it really isn't going to appeal to everyone.  But if you want a coffee that makes you feel like you're going to work in the steel mills, then this is the coffee to try.

My Rating:  Try it! (in a sample pack first to see if you like it)  Here's the site.  I've heard good things about the Obsidian, but I guess that is now the Columbia.  Also, see that $150 machine?  That's the one I think I got for free (even though it's kinda broken).