The folks over at AlpineValleyCoffee just listed one heck of a deal going on right now through March in celebration of the NCAA Tournament.

 They are offering free shipping, a whopping $1.50 discount per box, PLUS 20 free k-cup samples with each order of 6 boxes or more of 24 / 25 pack k-cups.

To get this offer you need to use the coupon code MM28 during checkout.

Here's the k-cup deal as they list it:

• Free Shipping
• 20 Free K-cup Samples
• $1.50 off per box
  

I for one have enough k-cup coffee at the moment, but I'm heading over there today to take advantage of this deal anyhow!

Heck, I figured it out and they are not only giving you free shipping, but are giving you a total savings of around $21.95 (and that's without shipping included yet! I bet the free shipping saves you another $7 - $9 on top of that!)

I love this time of March! Let the madness begin.

I myself love the smooth creamy taste of Irish Creme ... and to be honest, I'm not a big "flavored coffee" kind of person. But there is something that can't be beat about that perfect cup.

I for one will be celebrating today with a cup of Gloria Jean's Irish Creme. I hope you will to! Drink a cup for me while you're at it.

Timothy's Hazelnut definitely catches the nose with a nutty (pure Hazelnut) aroma.  The taste though does less to the senses.  For me, the coffee was a small bit bitter and I only tasted a lit hazelnut flavor.  As with most flavored K-Cup coffees Timothy's Hazelnut is a medium roast (the Green Mountain Hazelnut is an exception being a dark roast.)  According to Timothy's website the Hazelnut has, "a luscious combination of roasted hazelnut and French vanilla cream. Perfect for dessert! Our best-selling flavored coffee."  Maybe for me, I was expecting a pure hazelnut and the tinginess of the vanilla cream caught me off-guard.

Regardless, Timothy's Hazelnut is popular among many K-Cup lovers (although I suggest these people give Green Mountain's Hazelnut Dark a try.)  I have spoken to a few people who have surprisingly converted to Green Mountain's version even though they still love many other Timothy K-Cups.

What do you think?  If you have tried both Timothy's Hazelnut and Green Mountain's Hazelnut Dark - which one did you prefer?  Write me a comment below.  Love to hear your opinion.     

As I brewed the Dark Magic K-Cup coffee though I could sense the deep roasted coffee from its heavy, intense aroma.  Yet I knew it was a powerhouse when I dropped a few teaspoonfuls of milk in the cup and the coffee remained dark brown - even a few more drops and the coffee barely turned a caramelly brown.   Now that's a deep, dark coffee!

Green Mountain defines their Dark Magic K-Cups as, " Spellbinding complexity. Deep, dark and intense. Enjoy our most popular Extra Bold coffee."  I agree wholeheartedly with the "deep, dark and intense" since my milk -adding test proved all three characteristics were true for this K-Cup.  The aroma was intense, the taste was what I expect from a dark roast and the overall experience was intensely BOLD.  The Green Mountain Dark Magic is also available in decaf.

Now - how does it compare to Double Black Diamond?  I think it is a toss-up.  If I was eager to try a really dark and seriously bold coffee, I would reach for either one and be pleased by both.  What do you think? If you have tried both of Green Mountain's big and extra bold K-Cups: Double Black Diamond and Dark Magic - which one do you think fulfills the dream for a truly deep, dark and intense coffee?

Until next time - enjoy a perfect cup of coffee! 

Caribou Coffee Company is a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ with ticker symbol (CBOU.)  According to Google Finance...

"As of December 31, 2006, Caribou has 464 coffeehouses, including 24 franchised locations. The Company has coffeehouses in 18 states and the District of Columbia and international markets, including 193 coffeehouses in Minnesota and 62 coffeehouses in Illinois. Caribou also sells its products to grocery stores and mass merchandisers, office coffee providers, airlines, hotels, sports and entertainment venues, college campuses, and the Company licenses third parties to use the Caribou Coffee brand on food and merchandise."

In Cincinnati, Caribou has a few coffeehouses which visit often mainly because they have some outstanding dark roasted coffee and they offer free wireless Internet if you purchase a cup of coffee (whereas at Starbucks you have to PAY for access even with buying their expensive coffee!!!)  

Caribou Coffee follows social responsibility like Green Mountain and takes care of the environment.  It's pretty cool.  According to www.cariboucoffee.com, the company...

In addition to buying Rainforest Alliance, Fair Trade and Organic certified coffee, we partner with local community efforts as a part of our sustainability program. For every pound of coffee we buy, we allocate funds to support agriculturally and socially responsible initiatives in coffee-producing communities around the world. We continue building clinics and schools and investing in reforestation efforts, water-cleaning and similar programs.

Caribou Coffee offers a number of exceptional K-Cup coffees including the following:

• Daybreak Morning Blend
• Columbia
• Fair Trade
• Caribou Blend
  
• Caribou Blend Decaf
• Sumatra
• Sumatra Decaf
• French Roast 
  

I personally like the Caribou Blend and the French Roast.  Caribou Coffee is unique although I wish they also packaged as a K-Cup their Reindeer Blend at least during the Holidays and the FireSide.  They are incredible.

I recommend buying a K-Cup pack today. You won't be disappointed.

Nevertheless, beyond my personal opinion, Green Mountain's Our Blend is described as, "smooth and aromatic blend made exclusively from American coffees."  American coffees tend to have light body, simplicity and sharp acidity. They are typically thought of as having bright flavors with a clean, crisp finish.  Since it is a blend, the mix is well-balanced.   The "Our Blend" coffee is a light/medium roast. 

You have to try it for yourself.  A good rule of thumb is if you like fine restaurant coffee, then you may prefer the Green Mountain Our Blend K-Cups.   For me, I will stick with other outstanding coffee from Green Mountain.  

Nevertheless, I thought it would be of interest to you to read a bit about the various characteristics of coffee grown from different regions.  So I turn to an excellent guide that I found at http://txcoffeetraders.stores.yahoo.net/recoch.html:

• Ethiopian Coffees have a rich, wild, winey character. Moka is actually a port in Yemen. Moka Harrar is the real mocha flavor which is now confused with chocolate.

• Indonesian coffees have a full-bodied, heavier earthiness best represented by the Sumatran coffees. Real gutsy and smooth in the darker roasts.

• Central and South American coffees are light and mild in character, having a pleasant flavor and aroma recognized by most people.

• African coffees tend to have a sharp, winey character similar to Ethiopians. Kenya best represents the true African coffee taste.
  

The Green Mountain Breakfast Blend K-Cup is smooth, caramelly and well-balanced.  It is a light/medium roast but still holds up to some low-fat milk with wreaking havoc on its superb flavor.  Green Mountain claims that its Breakfast Blend Coffee K-Cups is its most popular one.  I would certainly understand this since many coffee drinkers prefer light/medium roasts to dark and bold varieties. 

I love coffee (that's simple) so sometimes I prefer a light/medium roast yet my tendency is to go BOLD!

In about all of the reviews I have read about Green Mountain's Breakfast Blend coffee, the overwhelming statement was "smooth."   It is definitely a smooth coffee.  But what in the world does "smooth" coffee mean?

The "smooth" characteristic is related to the acidity of the coffee.  But acidity is different that the chemistry reference.  Instead acidity is a very desirable characteristic that describes the brightness of coffee. A coffee with more acidity has a sharp, pleasing aftertaste.

According to Gourmet-coffee-zone.com,

"Because the term acidity may have an unpleasant connotation, you will see more common and acceptable terms such as "bright" or "lively" to describe a coffee with higher acidity. A coffee with lower acidity would be considered smooth. A higher acidity would be considered lively. A coffee without any acidity is less desirable, and is generally described as "flat".

So, in the case of Green Mountain's Breakfast Blend K-Cups, expect a coffee with lower acidity and therefore a coffee with less sharpness and a balanced (no one flavor overpowers another) taste.

If you are looking for a good all-around coffee, try Green Mountain's Breakfast Blend Coffee K-Cups!

]]>K-Cup Coffee Review: Green Mountain's PBS Blendhttp://www.singleservecoffeereviews.com/journal/2008/1/12/k-cup-coffee-review-green-mountains-pbs-blend.htmlCoffee Addict2008-01-12T14:59:42ZGreen Mountain's PBS Blend is a medium roast with a rich finish and a bit of bitterness.  It has a smooth flavor.  The coffee originates from Mexico.  According to Green Mountain, its PBS Blend is "sweetly balanced and smooth, with full flavor and a rich finish."  The "sweetly" aspect is where I noticed some bitterness even with some milk as a base the bitter ness still emerged slightly.

Like Heifer Hope Blend and National WildLife Blend, Green Mountain's PBS Blend K-Cups are certified fair trade and organic.  Green Mountain offers a large number of certified fair trade coffees and really has embraced a socially responsible approach to coffee buying.

As the name implies, Green Mountain's PBS Blend was developed in association with PBS (Public broadcasting System) who brings the public television viewers great educational shows like Sesame Street and others.  I am quite familiar with PBS (and they are on my charity donation list) because I have a young daughter who loves many of the kid's shows.  Because of its significance I have pulled the full explanation behind the PBS Blend directly from Green Mountain's website (www.greenmountaincoffee.com)...

"A trusted community resource, PBS uses the power of noncommercial television, the Internet and other media to enrich the lives of all Americans through independent, original and enlightening programs and educational services that inspire people to be more — more informed, empowered, and engaged. By crafting a delicious, Fair Trade Certified™ coffee in support of PBS, we are able to offer you a blend that brings these values to life in the form of better coffee and a better life for the farmers who grow it. When you purchase PBS Blend you are helping to provide a delicious new way for the public to support this important cause."

In my opinion, Green Mountain's PBS Blend is a delicious medium roast with the usual floral notes common from central American coffees.  The bitterness at the finish is faint and not so overpowering that it overwhelms the other enjoyable flavors.  It's definitely worth a try and it supports an excellent cause.

Enjoy! 

]]>K-Cup Coffee Review: Green Mountain's Heifer Hope Blendhttp://www.singleservecoffeereviews.com/journal/2008/1/11/k-cup-coffee-review-green-mountains-heifer-hope-blend.htmlCoffee Addict2008-01-11T14:43:13ZGreen Mountain's Heifer Hope Blend is not my personal "perfect" cup of coffee although it may be for you.  Heifer Hope Blend K-Cup Coffee is a light roast which is why a particularly don't enjoy it (I tend to naturally favor darker coffees.)  The blend consists of a "vibrant blend of spicy Guatemalan, full-bodied Sumatran and spirited Mexican coffees." 

When I read the blend I was actually surprised that I didn't enjoy it more.  Sumatra is one of my favorites with its earthy, medium tones.  I have tried some Mexican coffee from Starbucks and absolutely loved it even to a point where I bought a pound of whole bean.  The blend must have a greater percentage of the Guatemalan beans since i tend to not favor the citrus, spicy and floral notes of most Central Americans coffees.  The Mexican one I tried at Starbucks actually surprised me for this reason (and they don't produce it any more!)

I have read many other reviews from across the Web and have seen mixed reviews.  Some people were calling it a "consistent performing smooth and full-bodied" while others referred to it as "too bitter."  I would have to side towards the "smooth and full-bodied" but add the "light" factor to help people who favor dark and bold coffees to steer clear of it.

The great thing about Green Mountain's Heifer Hope Blend K-Cups though is that it is fair trade and organic coffee. In addition, Heifer Hope Blend supports a worthy cause.  According to the K-Cup box, "Heifer International helps people help themselves by providing a sustainable source of food and income."  Whether than welfare, Heifer International gives people the dignity to hep themselves achieve a level of self-sustainability and livelihood.  That's cool.

Just a side note: Green Mountain has been exceptional with emphasizing fair trade, organic and socially responsible coffees.  I particularly find this impressive.  Although I still choose my K-Cups based on taste (I am of course in search of the perfect "K" cup) I do like the idea that I am also supporting good causes and a company with a social conscience. Try Green Mountain's Heifer Hope Blend