There was a time where I actually didn’t like the taste of coffee. I would drink a frappucino every once in a while, but let’s be honest those things taste more like a milkshake than actual coffee. But times have changed, and one of the reasons why I now like coffee is because I actually enjoy the taste. I usually add a tiny bit of creamer or a small amount of milk but that’s about it. I’m not sure how much of a pick me up it gives me but mentally the caffeine definitely helps.
You’ve probably read the truism over and over that if you cut out that $5 cup of coffee you could end up with $100,000 in retirement or some absurd amount like that. I’ve never cared about the little things when it comes to personal finance, but I do care about the big things like starting multiple sources of income or figuring out the asset allocation that will determine 90% of your investment returns. Coffee isn’t one of the big things but it’s still an expense that nearly every American has to deal with.
Generally, I don’t mind paying a price premium for a product if the quality is there. If the coffee I bought at Starbucks tasted 10 times better than the pods I use with my Keurig machine then I’d be all for it. But I actually think they taste about the same.
My New Keurig Machine
A few months ago, we got a Keurig machine as a gift and at first, I was a little skeptical. But after using it for a few months, it is basically my new best friend. We got the Keurig K60/K65 Single Serve Coffee Maker and it has worked really well so far. We had a couple problems with clogging but once we started using filtered water, they all went away.
The machine is pretty simple to use and it has settings for brew temperature, size of the cup, etc. One of the cool features that I like is that you can set it to turn off and on at certain times. Since I only drink coffee in the morning, I set it to turn on at 7 am and turn off 2 hours afterwards. That way, it’s already on and ready to brew when I go to work. And on the weekends when I wake up around 8:30 am, it’s also on and ready to brew. It only takes about 2-3 mins to warm up but still it’s nice to not have to wait.
Keurig K60/K65 Single Serve Coffee Maker
The actual brew process only takes about 15-30 seconds depending on the size of the cup you want and you can even make hot or iced coffee. For iced coffee, you fill up your cup with ice and set it to the 6 oz sizing. Make sure you do it in a plastic cup or traveler mug since you don’t want the hot liquid and ice to mix in a glass cup. After the brew process is done, I usually top off with a couple more pieces of ice, add a bit of creamer and you have an awesome ice coffee.
The Pods
Keurig machines are so easy and simple to use because they use small plastic pods that make clean-up and brewing super easy. All you have to do is put a new pod in, brew and then throw it in the trash. No mess, no hassle, I like that. I was a little weary of the pod pricing at first but I actually found some great pods on Amazon called San Francisco Bay Coffee. They look a little different than normal pods but they work exactly the same and taste great.
Normal pods are enclosed in a plastic cup with an aluminum foil type cover but the San Francisco Bay pods have more of a filter type bottom and aluminum cover. I actually prefer these because when you open up a new bag (they’re packaged in groups of 8) it actually smells like coffee. If you buy an 80 pack on Amazon the pods end up only costing 36 cents each!
Here are some of my favorite flavors:
San Francisco Bay Coffee Breakfast Blend
San Francisco Bay Coffee Fog Chaser
San Francisco Bay Coffee French Roast
Readers, what do you think about the Keurig brewing system? Have you ever tried making an iced coffee or heard of San Francisco Bay Coffee Pods?
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I love the efficiency and inexpensive cost of Keurig, but I haven’t found any k-cups that I love as much as a fresh ground cup of really good coffee.
Yea I don’t think you’ll be able to quite match the taste but you can get pretty damn close!
I find the pods just too expensive, but you can also buy refillable pods on amazon that you put your own ground coffee into that cuts the price way down.
36 cents for a pod?? That seems pretty damn cheap to me for some good coffee. I tried the reusable pods but after all the loading, cleaning, etc you might as well just make a regular cup of coffee. It kind of defeats the purpose of a Keurig.
I don’t mind paying 36 cents a pod so that I can have good tasting coffee ready in about 45 seconds every morning 🙂 But if you did wanna pay less you could do something like this (my last awesome slick deal!): https://slickdeals.net/f/6988754-48-count-starbucks-k-cups-coffee-for-keurig-brewers-various-roasts-22-or-less-free-shipping?p=68599614#post68599614
I’m totally of the other stripe… my quest for espresso/cap/latte excellence at home has recently let me to spend $1200 on a grinder. Yeah, just the grinder.
If you aren’t going to do something obsessively, it’s just not worth doing!
Even with my seemingly lavish spends on espresso machines and grinders over the years, I figure I’ve saved myself over $25,000. (20 year time-frame… yeah I’m old) And generally avoiding multiple daily visits to places like “five-bucks”.
There are always ways to spend a lot of money on hobbies if you’re determined enough. $1,200 does seem like a lot for a grinder since you can do it for free at the store but what do I know? I drink K-cups 🙂
This was a pretty interesting Planet Money podcast on the Stradavarius violion. Different things obviously, but I think the same concept applies…
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/05/09/310447054/episode-538-is-a-stradivarius-just-a-violin
If you grind your beans at the store, you can’t be sure to get the right grind. Also, the oils from the beans oxidize very quickly. It only takes 15-30 minutes for the oils to start turning rancid. Sealed containers are the only way to go. That’s why so many people grind fresh.
Espresso is as much of an art as it is a beverage. Balancing the beans with the grind with the tamp pressure and all of those are affected by humidity, altitude, and barometric pressure. If you were here I could easily demonstrate how even something that seems as inane as tamp pressure can give you a beautiful coffee or something that’s undrinkable.
As for your sited reference with musical instruments, I just so happen to be a career violin/violist. When you spend 30+ years 3-8 hours a day with an instrument you can hear and feel things that other less trained individuals can’t.
Musicians love them because of the way they sound and feel. An instrument like this is not just something you play. It becomes an extension of who you are. Your soul. Your voice. Musicians spend more time with their strad then they do their spouse.
So it should be an easy assumption to make that they might just be hearing/feeling more than you can.
I know what you mean but I do think a lot of it is mental 🙂 I’m a very logical person so if I can’t tell the difference, I go with the cheaper option. Next time I’m in your area, I’ll take you up on that cup of espresso!
I am impressed to see that you can save so much money by using a cofee maker, but I think it would still be better without drinking any coffee, especially since cofee is linked to so many health risks in the long term.
The bulk of scientific research shows there are far more benefits both short and long-term with coffee/caffeine consumption. It takes only one google search and 5 minutes checking the references to prove this.
I’ll happily drink my coffee every day and enjoy the reduced risk of diabetes, stroke, Parkinsons, faster metabolism, heightened senses, and increased physical performance.
Like with most things in life, it’s all about moderation. If you drink 3 cups a day, that probably isn’t too good for your body. If you have 1 cup a day or so you’re probably going to be just fine. Those types of studies are always changing though so I don’t know how much stock I’d put in that. There are just so many different variables at play: causation vs. correlation.
Keurigs are a life saver plus supermarkets and other stores always have deals on various K cups flavors. If you’re an avid coffee drinker, getting a Keurig is a good investment, I’ve had one for almost three years now