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.

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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.

Zevro Incred-a-brew Direct Immersion Coffee Maker

If you are a coffee lover, you have probably used a french press at least a few times and know that you can make some great coffee with them. There are only a few small downsides: it can be difficult to clean them and it can be hard to get out all of the coffee without getting any grounds in that last cup. These are small things and aren’t going to stop me from using my french press anytime soon, but they are enough to make me keep my eyes open for other brewing options. The Incred-a-brew Direct Immersion Coffee Maker from Zevro is just one of these choices – and it looks like a good one.  I’ve used their Simpliss-a-Tea tea maker, which features the same design, many times with great results.

The Incred-a-brew Direct Immersion Coffee Maker lets you steep your ground coffee in hot water (much like a french press), but instead of pressing the grounds through the coffee and then pouring from the top, you can actually dispense the coffee directly into your cup through the bottom of the coffee maker. The gadget has a very cool release valve on the top that that dispenses the coffee directly into a cup when you place it on top of one – and, more importantly, it instantly stops the flow when you lift the coffee maker. It only makes one (large) cup of coffee at a time, so it is great when you want a single serving and it doesn’t take quite as much babysitting as a pour-over filter set up.

Real Simple tests Single Serve Coffee Makers

Pod coffee makers are more popular now than ever. They offer convenience, but the quality of the coffee offered with them is higher than it has ever been, making them more appealing to coffee lovers as well as convenience seekers. In the latest issue of Real Simple magazine, they asked the owner of a popular NYC cafe to test 29 models and see how they performed. Then, they narrowed the selection down to just five winners.

• Best for a full house: Keurig Special Edition Brewing System (which I have), which boasts one of the largest selections of coffee and the largest reservoir (48 oz), so you can brew multiple cups easily.
• Best Budget: Mr Coffee Single Serve, which is only able to brew one cup at a time, but is inexpensive and still offers many coffee options.
• Best for Small Spaces: Nespresso Pixie, which features a beautiful and sleek design and brews espresso, for those seeking a richer coffee. The coffee selection is limited, but high quality
• Best All Around: Nescafe Dolce Gusto Genio took this category for being affordable, easy to use and offering the flexibility of brewing a few cups at a time. It’s cute, but the coffee selection is limited.
• Best Espresso: De’Longhi Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Maker EC279 brews quality espresso at the touch of a button, and even has a milk steamer so you can turn your shot into a latte. It’s very affordable compared to larger espresso machines, easy to use and offers a big espresso selection.

Keurig Special Edition Brewing System, review

I remember when single serve coffee makers first came out. The coffee was terrible and I just couldn’t see the value in the machines when it took so little time to brew a pot of real coffee. Time passed and the coffee in those one-cup machines got better. Not only did the coffee get better, but the technology behind it improved to the point where I was very impressed by how much a Keurig machine impressed me the first time I used one.

This special edition brewer is the first Keurig I’ve had in my kitchen, and it is earning its spot on the countertop beside some of my other coffee makers. It is very fast, reliable and is especially handy when I don’t want a whole pot of coffee. The Special Edition is special for a couple of reasons, many of which I outlined in a previous review on Baking Bites. The machine has a large water reservoir and brews coffee (or tea, actually) in three sizes: 6oz, 8oz, and 10oz. I tend to stick to 8oz for most coffees. All of the Keurigs have similar coffee brewing abilities and can brew cup after cup rapidly as long as the basins are filled and will perform consistently over time. With the special edition, you are able to program water temperature and choose an Auto On/Off. The machine also has chrome accents and blue back-lit screen that Keurig says – and I would admit that I agree when I compare it with more basic models – gives the machine an “upscale” appearance. This model isn’t that much more expensive than other models, so it’s all a matter of personal preference when picking one out and I have had no complaints about the basic models (although I do like the chrome on this one) I’ve used in terms of basic functionality.