Coffee Reviews

The quality of the water is critical to how good a cup of coffee you can brew.  If you have hard, nasty tasting water, your cup will taste similar to yak poop, no other way around it.  Water in different areas come from underground sources like aquifers and wells, and that water soaks up a great deal of dissolved minerals.  I've you've ever tasted really irony or limey water, you know what I mean: it is just terrible.  These dissolved minerals don't go away when you heat your water.... they taint your coffee cup's flavor and aftertaste. 

We've all seen the condemning news reports telling us how expensive bottled water is no better than ordinary city tap water.  That may indeed be the case, but what's important is where that city tap comes from.  If you have water that is drawn mainly from rain-fed lakes and streams, you have water that is most likely soft and free of the dissolved solids we're trying to avoid.  If you have water that comes from wet, swampy areas (Southern Florida comes to mind) that is even better:  this water has passed through a great deal of vegetation.  The water takes on a bit of tannin from the wood and vegetation, which has a positive effect on the resulting cup of coffee.  The water is very slightly acid, which works magic on the coffee.  Don't ask me for the scientific explanation, I don't have one.  If you call down to your city's water department and they tell you your water is drawn from wells or an aquifer, chances are good that the water will contain more dissolved solids and be slightly alkaline. This does NOT mean the water is unhealthy to drink. It just means the water might have more of an aftertaste than other sources.  If you hear travelers or out-of-town guests comment about the taste of your water, you can be assured the water is having an effect on your coffee.    

What about a "Brita" filter or something similar?  It is possible to pull out the stuff that makes your water taste funny.  Countertop/faucet mounted filters use a carbon filter to "scrub" your water and reduce aftertaste. These filters can't work magic on really bad tasting water. I once lived in an area where the drinking water came from limestone aquifers and limestone-lined manmade lakes. This water was absolutely horrid.    I found that I had to go all the way and buy a real, multistage filter to get all the stuff out.  The unit pictured makes chemically pure water.   The filter goes for  130 dollars in December, 2022.  The unit filters slowly, but the water it produces is absolutely pure.  There will be no dissolved solids of any kind in the water.... much like distilled water.  It has no flavor at all, and there's no "quench" from this water.  Funny, but what it does do is yield a cup of coffee that is flavored purely by the bean.  Nothing to color the taste, it is a case of what you brew is what you get.  Is this preferred?  If you could make your coffee with sanitized rainwater or treated water from surface lakes and streams, I'd say no.  But if you have water with lots of dissolved solids and you don't want to buy water from the supermarket, a little filter system like this is worth the trouble.  Click on the photo to be taken to the vendor who makes/sells these.  I've dealt with them for many years and they are straight shooters. The relationship of water to your brew is very important.  Where you get it, or more importantly how it comes to you is critical for getting the most from your brews.  In upcoming tips, I'll talk about making a great drip ... with common coffee makers, and some no-so-common coffee makers.

As the hot coffee hits the powder, a reaction occurs.  The powder in the cup begins to pop and sputter to life, creating a blanket of foam about a half inch thick.  As a man who grew up in the United States, I am reminded of a popular candy called "Pop Rocks" that would sputter and crack once exposed to whatever corrosive qualities my saliva contained.   You can give it a few stirs with a stick or a spoon to mix in all the powder, and you wind up with a cup of mocha latte that looks and smells pretty good.  There's still a few pops and cracks, but that fades quickly leaving a nice cup of foamy drink.  A little squirt of canned whipped cream makes this an impressive looking treat.
The impressive fireworks aside, how does this powdered "latte" foam actually taste?  The best way is to tell you what it is NOT: 

1.  It is NOT truly frothed whole milk with lots of fat and all the things that make a latte like this stick to your ribs, among other places. 

2.  It is NOT Cremora on steroids.  It has a true coating quality that offers the impression of something containing significant milkfat.  There's mocha flavoring in the powder as well, and while it isn't overhelmingly "malted" it is a pleasant taste that works well with the brewed coffee. 

3.  It is NOT an uncompromising replacement for a coffee house mocha latte.  You want the real deal, you've got to put on your coat and go get it or invest in a whole lot more equipment than a Keurig. 

4.  It is NOT expensive in calories.  Gevalia clams 80 calories per serving.  You have to stay away from any extra sugar or whipped cream to stay on that target. 5.  It is NOT expensive in money, relatively speaking.  At the time of this writing, Amazon.com was selling in bulk (36 cups) for 1.22 a cup.  compare this to 4-6 dollars for a store made beverage and it's a good deal.  Compare it to a nice, simple cup of really good Joe and yeah ... it's a bit of extra change. Gevalia did very well with this tricked out powder and K-cup combination.  It is a worthy, quick and easy cup that you can offer a guest or whip up for yourself.  It is a great way to avoid a fattening desert and it will leave you feeling quite happy that you've had something naughty to drink. The Coffee Whisperer recommends Gevalia's Mocha Latte for Keurig!

I had a cup of the standard drip, prepared "regular" which means sugar and cream.  It tasted quite satisfying, a dark, full bodied roast that stood up to the add ins.  Maybe it was the cool air, but I recall the smell of the brew to be particularly attractive.  It was full and fresh, just a few minutes old.  I had it with a glazed donut of some design and called it breakfast.  A happy memory which always leaves me wondering why "Timmy's" as the locals sometime call their stores haven't tried a legitimate expansion into the United States.  There's always room for good coffee and donuts in my opinion. I was brought back to this experience when I saw Tim Horton's cups in the supermarket.  I was only able to snag a decaf box, as all the regular seemed snapped up. (Hmmm.... maybe people DO know about Horton goodness here in the Southern United States).  While I would have preferred the regular for a test drive, I've been sampling the decaf over the past few days. I was wondering if this K version of this memorable cup could live up to my expectations.  Rarely does popular coffee outlets make the jump to the Keurig Universe without bumps and jolts.  Horton's was not an exception. The actual cup is a rigid side version, not one with the expanding folds that are filtering into the market.  It worked without issue in my machine, and when set to the large mug size offered a slightly weak looking cup of decaf coffee. The flavor of the coffee was a bit on the bright side, more of a medium roast than anything taking on a lot of roast characteristics.  It was by no means bold.  This particular K-cup yields better when set to a medium mug setting, and there's no way to steal a second brew.  I want to say that the decaffeination process steals a good bit of personality from these beans and what you get is a cup that tastes ... just okay.  Not horrible and I will finish the box, but not something you make a special trip for.  And it is certainly not in agreement with the robust and heat-giving cups that the real Horton's serve north of the border. This is not complete thumbs down.  It is a satisfactory cup of decaf, just nothing to write home about.  Especially if your home is in Canada.  I will keep an eye open for the caffeinated version at my local store and see if that fares any better. 

Update: verdict on Horton's regular coffee k-cup I was able to find and sample Tim Horton's regular coffee in K-Cup.  Again, it was satisfactory, but not a coffee that you would want to drive across town for.  It is not the cup you'll get at a Tim Horton's Bake Shop.  The brewed cup is overly bright and thin, with some grassy aftertastes that I did not find overly pleasing.  Like the decaf version, this cup is simply "okay," but not a brand you would consider paying a premium for.  Is it the exact same stuff they brew in the restaurants?  Perhaps, but the translation to the Keurig system and the very short brew time may limit how well this brew can match the store brewed cup. 

The upshot:  If you have access to Timmy's, simply drive in and grab a cup, maybe some baked goods.  You'll spend about the same money as you would on a 12 pack of these cups and have a much better time.

The work-around is to enjoy something rare and expensive for a *short* while. Maybe RENT a supercar for a few hours (and pray you don't get into an accident) or spend an afternoon shopping for the perfect 10-thousand-dollar handbag. This gives you a "taste" of the rare and expensive, without having to take out a second mortgage on your house. 

Lifeboost Coffee offers a similar solution to sample what would otherwise be too expensive for most mortals. They offer a sampler of highly regarded single-origin coffees that will give you a taste of what is usually reserved for the very well heeled. It is their "Luxe" sampler of coffees.