The Keurig Cafe--Open Anytime

 

                                                                         
There is nothing like always having the freshest coffee possible every time you fill your cup. Single serve coffee makers are a dream come true for anyone who loves coffee (and tea and hot chocolate) and enjoys drinking fresh cups throughout the day or night. Making a pot of coffee may make sense sometimes but the reality is a good portion of what’s in the carafe becomes undrinkable in a short time and has to be (or should be) dumped.

Keurig’s new Platinum Single Serve Brewer is quiet and quick (under one minute) and with five cup size options (including one for iced beverages) it brews a fresh streaming beverage equally ready for travel mug or delicate porcelain cup.   

There are other helpful features including Auto On/Off, Digital Clock, easily removable drip tray, Adjustable Temperature Control and the "Set Your Favorite Cup Size" option. The removable water reservoir holds up to 60 oz, enough for ten cups.

So yes, the machine is great but how about what you make in it? There are about 200 different varieties of K-cups and enough brands, Timothy’s, Green Mountain Coffee (Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is Keurig’s parent company), Van Houtte, Gloria Jean’s, Coffee People, Newman’s Own, Caribou, Emeril and more with enough types (dark, bold, mild, medium, flavored, decaffeinated--good selection of dark and bold decaf types--we may not want the caffeine but some of us still want rich flavor--, half-caff, Kona, Seasonal, Fair Trade, Organic, etc) to please anyone. Brewing tea in the Keurig is also a pleasure. The tea comes out delicious and there are teas from Celestial Seasonings, Bigelow, Twining’s, and hot chocolates in white, milk or dark.

Another option we especially like is the My K-Cup. Sold separately, you can spoon your favorite loose coffee into the My K-Cup and brew just like you would the disposable K-Cups, only you can wash it and re-use it.

The Keurig Platinum lives up to expectations and more.

Suggested retail price: $169.95

If you are short on space you might consider the mini-Keurig—right at home in  vacation homes, cabins, college dorms, boats, RVs, or home office desktops. This machine is simpler than the larger models but the principle is the same. The mini-Keurig heats and brews an 8 ounce cup in under 3 minutes. (You add fresh water for every cup.) This very portable brewer is available in black, white and red.

Suggested retail price: $89.95

 www.Keurig.com

Gourmet Hot Chocolate

     It takes more time and energy to make hot chocolate by hand, but the results are worth it. Taking the time to think about the food you are preparing and going to consume is a better way to eat and live anyway. For instance, hot chocolate made with real gourmet chocolate pieces and milk. You can buy these delectable beverages at  Caribou Coffee locations. (They have more than 500 coffeehouses across the nation- markets including Minneapolis, Chicago, D.C., Atlanta, Denver, Cleveland, Columbus, Raleigh, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Charlotte. Some locations have drive-thrus and/or meeting rooms as well as WiFi.) Caribou Coffee was founded in 1992 and is the second largest company-owned gourmet coffeehouse operator in the world.

There may not be a Caribou Coffee shop near where you live, but you can still have access to their new luxurious all natural gourmet chocolate to make your own hot chocolate from scratch using Guittard Dark, Milk or White chocolate. These chocolates are all-natural, kosher, gluten-free and were created exclusively for Caribou coffee by Guittard Chocolate Company, the oldest family-owned and operated chocolate company in the U.S. They still use  traditional French processing methods.

   Directions how to hand-melt the chocolate pieces into milk or soy milk are on the 12 oz tins, which sell for $9.99 each. Now you can make a delicious, rich, really home-made hot chocolate at home. If you are going to have hot chocolate, have an outstanding hot chocolate.

http://www.cariboucoffee.com/

Luxurious Hot Chocolate

Do you love premium chocolate? Spain’s Valor Chocolates is one of Europe’s most renowned chocolatiers so when they come out with a superlative hot chocolate beverage—instant no less—you might want to pay attention. Taza To Go, from the U.S. arm of Spain’s acclaimed Chocolates Valor, comes in a handy pouch with an easy-pour spout in two sizes, 13.52 and 30.43 ounces.

Valeriano Lopez Lloret founded Chocolates Valor, a small family business in 1881. Valor continues to make chocolates in the traditional method using the finest ingredients and a high percentage of cocoa. Valor has more than 60 superb chocolate items and is famous for chocolate with Marcona almonds, sugar free chocolates and Taza to Go.

Taza to Go is not only a delicious, sophisticated hot chocolate beverage, it is a scrumptious addition to other beverages—coffee, milk—it also makes a luscious sauce, a topping for ice cream and other desserts, or as a fondue.

This ready-to-serve rich hot chocolate is thick and creamy and has traditionally been a breakfast and dessert drink in Spain, where it is customary to melt a fine bar of dark chocolate into fresh milk to create a decadent chocolate a la taza. You can have Taza to Go.

www.valorchocolate.com

http://www.tienda.com/

Chocolate Delicioso de México

Hot Chocolate is an amazingly comforting beverage on a chilly day. But maybe you would like a hot chocolate with a taste that is a bit more intriguing. But one that also has some history behind it.
ABUELITA, which translated means “grandma,” is a cinnamon-infused Mexican chocolate that has been a favorite in Mexico for generations. With the perfect blend of cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon-- an essential ingredient in Mexican kitchens for generations-- and sugar, ABUELITA, now brought to you by Nestle, is the number one brand in the Mexican chocolate category in the U.S. This authentic chocolate offers a convenient way to enjoy traditional Hispanic recipes in the comfort of your home. Delivering distinctively delicious flavor, this one-of-a-kind chocolate is available in three forms:

ABUELITA Chocolate Tablets
Heated and stirred with milk over a hot stove, these traditional chocolate tablets contain the perfect blend of chocolate and cinnamon (6 tabs, 12 x 19 oz., SRP $2.34).

ABUELITA Chocolate Syrup
Drizzled over ice cream or on fruit, or mixed into chocolate milk or a milkshake, this convenient no-drip bottle allows you to enjoy the delicious taste of ABUELITA cold (22 oz., SRP $2.23).

ABUELITA Instant Chocolate Drink
Perfect on-the-go or at home, these single serve instant cocoa envelopes can be dissolved in milk or water, delivering a steaming cup of hot chocolate in minutes (10 packets, 12 x 10 oz., SRP $2.41).

A word about the packaging. The image on the front portrays a grandmother (ie. Abuelita). Sara García is the name of the woman on the actual package. In the '40s, she played the role of Abuelita Luisa García in a television drama series. After the '40s, she played many roles in which she was a symbol of love and kindness. Her success was so great that she became known to everyone as "The Abuelita of Mexican cinema."

So, lift a cup of Abuelita Hot Chocolate to Sara García and whomever you wish, and enjoy.

(To find a store that carries this delicious chocolate go to http://www.nestle-abuelita.com/ and enter your zip code)