Minibru Coffee Mug, reviewed

A french press is one of my favorite tools to make a great cup of coffee. You can brew any type of bean or roast in there and get good results, and they’re easy to use. The only problem with a french press is that they’re typically designed to brew a whole pot. Now some are smaller than others, but if you only want one cup of coffee you might find yourself looking for an alternative. The Minibru Coffee Mug is one possible solution: a single-serving french press inside of a mug that promises to let you brew a great cup of coffee and drink it, too.

I recently got a Minibru and couldn’t wait to try it out. The instructions are simple: add coarsely ground coffee to the coffee line, add water to the water line, brew for 3 minutes, press and drink. I tried it exactly as written and my first few cups were terrible and incredibly weak. I watched a video on how to use the Minibru and noticed that they were using a lot more coffee than I was, so I decided to deviate from the directions and see if I could encourage a better performance out of the mug.

Continue reading »

Brew Coffee with Bling: Cuisinart Crystal Limited Edition Coffeemaker

What features do you look for when you are shopping for a new coffee machine? Do you look for form, function – or both? If form is high on your list and you like a little sparkle in your kitchen, than the Cuisinart Crystal Limited Edition Coffeemaker might be just the right machine for you. The coffeemaker is studded with dozens of tiny, sparkling Swarovski crystals that give it a very unique, blingy look. It comes in black and white, and should look good in just about any kitchen.

All talk of bling aside, this coffeemaker isn’t just about the window-dressing (although that does up the pricetag a big). It actually won ShopSmart (a division of Consumer Reports) magazine’s pick for top coffee maker, thanks to some great features. The coffeemaker has a large carafe that can brew up to 14 cups at a time, but is adjustable enough that you can also use it to brew a single cup. It lets you choose regular or bold brew strength and has “an advanced heater design” that brews hotter coffee than its competitors. The machine also happens to be extremely easy to use, so you won’t be reaching for a manual every morning just to work it.

You’re still paying a premium for the crystals here, but you’ll probably get your money’s worth out of a blingy coffeemaker because it will be such a conversation starter. If you want to get the features without the sparkle, you can opt for a plainer version of this coffeemaker instead.

ManaTea Infuser

Manatees might not get the adoration that dolphins and some other sea creatures get, but the plump marine mammals are adorable in their own right, too. They’re even more adorable when they’re miniaturized – and that is exactly what the ManaTea Infuser delivers. These nearly irresistible tea infusers are shaped like manatees and hang gently from the side of your mug as you steep your tea. The infuser is molded from food-safe silicone and the tale slides off to allow you to fill or empty the infuser. The expression on the face of the ManaTea is one of bliss – as though he is happy as a clam to be relaxing in a warm cup of delicious tea. I suspect that it will make me want to drink a lot more tea, because I just can’t say no to a face like that.

Consumer Reports tests K-Cup Alternatives

Single serve coffee makers are, hands down, the most convenient way to make coffee at home. The Keurig machine takes just a few minutes to warm up, the coffee is prepacked and and there is virtually no cleanup. The downside is that K-cups are fairly expensive (unless you are a very savvy shopper) and they can add up quickly if you drink a lot of coffee. Consumer Reports recently (March 2013) set out to see if there are K-cup alternatives that would work as well, but that could save you a little money in the long run.

They estimated that someone who drinks one K-cup a day ends up spending somewhere from $220-$275 on the little cups over the course of the year. They tested both disposable and reusable cups that work with Keurig machines but that are designed to be filled with coffee by the user. The original K-cups were still winners when it came to convenience, but they found at least one good alternative that could save you some cash in the long run.

Simple Cups are disposable cups that you fill with your own coffee. They cost less than the K-cups, but not by much. CR estimated that a cup-a-day drinker would still spend around $185 a year with these, including your own coffee. EZ Cups are reusable cups with disposable filters inside, and you also use your own coffee. They turned out to run about $135 a year, including coffee. Neither model was as easy to use as a K-cup and could be difficult to close.

The winner when it came to saving money and ease of use was the Keurig K-Cup Adapter, with its reusable cup and filter system. It’s only about $18, so your only cost after that is the coffee, at about $80 a year. It does require cleaning, but it offers a good value and was Consumer Reports top pick for a K-cup alternative.

Tea to My Heart Infuser

Tea infusers have a lot more personality these days then they used to, and you’ll even find some that are specially designed for the holidays. The Tea to My Heart Infuser is a design that I’ve seen that is perfect for Valentine’s Day. The silicone infuser has a heart with an arrow through it. The main portion of the infuser is the heart, which opens to allow you to put loose leave tea inside. The shaft of the arrow is about 8-inches long, so it will be easy to retrieve even in large mugs. It’s also machine washable, so it is easy to clean.

While this would make a good Valentine’s Day gift (along with some nice tea), it is a gift that will keep on giving because it will last a lot longer than a box of chocolates will. And your loved one will always think of you when they’re having another cuppa.