Keurig – The Only Single Cup Brewer To Be Carried By Walmart

When you select a Keurig Single Cup Coffee maker, you are getting the best! This fact has been gaining increased recognition as the sales of these appliances continue to grow. Keurig dominates the market and garners high marks for the durability of its brewers and for their consistency in brewing a great cup of coffee. In May of 2009, Walmart and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters announced their distribution partnership in which the Keurig Gourmet Single Cup Coffee Makers and patented K-Cups will be offered in over 3,000 Walmart stores.

John Whoriskey, Vice President and General Manager of Keurig’s At Home business, said, “Our new partnership with Walmart continues to reinforce the growth of the Keurig brewing revolution going on across the United States. Walmart understands the growing consumer demand for single-cup technology and chose to add Keurig as the only single-cup offering currently in their coffee maker lineup. More importantly, Walmart customers now have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of Keurig’s single-cup brewing technology, quality, and value.”

The Keurig Elite B40 model will be carried in Walmart, as well as a variety of K-Cups from Green Mountain Coffee, Tulleys, Newman’s Own Organics, Timothy’s, and Gloria Jean Coffee. This will undoubtedly please customers who will be able to immediately experience the wide array of choices of roasts and blends of coffee as well as cocoa and tea. There are now over 200 different selections available in K-cups and the number of varieties and different brands continues to grow.

Because of this new partnership, Linda Hefner, Executive Vice President of Home at Walmart says, “…Walmart customers can now bring home the best in single-cup brewing. Our customer looks to Walmart for great brands and a compelling assortment at a superior value. Walmart is proud to partner with Keurig.”

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, which purchased Keurig, is recognized as a leader in the specialty coffee industry and has been applauded for its innovative brewing technology and award winning coffees. It has been praised for its socially responsible business practices in which it supports local and global communities by purchasing Fair Trade Certified coffee and donating at least 5 percent of its pre-tax profits to various social and environmental projects. It is also making news as a “Green Company” by offsetting 100% of its direct greenhouse gas emissions.

Walmart is committed to a philosophy of giving back locally by supporting numerous causes in their neighborhoods that are important to their customers. Last year, the company gave more than $378 million to local communities in the United States. It is anticipated that this new distribution partnership will bring the Keurig brewers to many more consumers and also benefit the numerous socially responsible activities of these two companies.

Booming Growth Of Green Mountain And Keurig Single Cup Brewers

Hot stocks are certainly in demand today – just like a great cup of coffee, made quickly. One of the really good growth stocks now is Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, a rapidly growing company that owns the Keurig company. This collaboration of genius is responsible for the Keurig brewers and the development of the patented K-Cups of coffee, tea, and cocoa. There has to be several good reasons for the company’s fantastic growth, which has envious Starbucks sitting on the sidelines. These reasons are basic and responsible for Keurig’s continued domination of the single cup brewing market.

• The high quality of the product – the Keurig brewers
• The durability and reliability of the coffee makers. They have won consistent high ratings for this.
• The variety and availability of K-Cups from top name coffee roasters
• The wide selection of teas and cocoa that are also available in K-Cups.

When you buy a Keurig Single Cup Coffee Maker, you are purchasing the best of its kind. The market for these appliances has grown tremendously over the past year and the Keurig brewers have won raves for their durability, reliability, and consistently making a great cup of coffee. There are five different models but they all have the same brewing mechanism. The price is determined by the additional features of each, such as a programmable clock or a larger water reservoir. Keurig, which is outselling all other brands, captured 4 out of 5 of the top spots on the latest list of best selling single cup brewers.

Just as consumers want a reliable coffee maker, one that won’t die on the kitchen counter after a few months use, they also want good coffee to brew. They want to be able to buy this coffee easily without waiting weeks for an order to arrive. K-Cups are available in many grocery stores, retail and specialty stores as well as on-line. Due to a recent agreement between Green Mountain and Walmart, you’ll soon be able to buy both the brewers and the K-Cups at this retail giant.

And as for variety – you have plenty of it with the K-Cups! Did you know there are over 200 different roasts or blends of coffees and teas, plus some cocoas, too?  There’s a big best seller in Timothy’s White Hot Chocolate with its creamy richness and lush chocolate flavor, which has been a long time favorite. One of the newer flavored coffees in a K-Cup is the Fair Trade Wild Mountain Blueberry, a sweet combination of buttery caramel with sun-kissed wild blueberries. Sounds crazy but it tastes great.

Now, there’s an additional feature which increases the usefulness of the Keurig single cup machine – the My K-Cup Reusable Filter. This allows you to use your favorite ground gourmet coffee in your brewer, as well as K-Cups. The filter will work with the Keurig Elite B40, the Special Edition B60, the Platinum B70 model, as well as the Breville BKC600XL Gourmet Single Cup machine. Take a look at the #1 best selling single cup coffee makers – you’ll be glad you did!

Stock up on these limited time K-cups

Some coffees, especially flavored blends, are only available at specific times of the year. We expect to see certain holiday blends usually from late Fall through January, or whenever the supply runs out; while other coffees can be found only during the Spring or Summer months. So, once you understand this cycle and know when your favorite will appear, stock up when it does! These two seasonal blends have become big favorites.

Just Out For Spring
Fair Trade Island Coconut k-cup is a lush blend of lightly roasted coffee with the aroma of fresh grated coconut for a truly yummy taste. A review by Single Serve Coffee says, “You can almost feel the coconut oil on your tongue after each sip. The coffee has a wonderful aroma of coconut as well – almost hypnotic….What’s great about the Fair Trade Coconut K-Cups is there also continues to be a slight nose of coconut followed by a great taste of coconut flavor. The two are matched up perfectly….We can’t help but recommend this interesting and flavorful coffee.”

This is a Spring release by Green Mountain Coffee and is a limited edition, which means that it will not be available year round. Laments one lover of this blend, “I want to say how much I love GMC’s COCONUT coffee!!! We have a Green Mountain Coffee counter where I work and I drink it every day; even if I am not working, I’ll come in for a cup. I am upset every year around mid-summer when the Coconut is discontinued ‘til next Spring. Now I am even more disappointed I can’t buy it on-line in between seasons. PLEASE OFFER FAIR TRADE COCONUT ALL YEAR!!!”  This wish is echoed by many, who really enjoy the unique blend and want a cup or two 365 days a year. One avid fan says, “I stash Island Coconut in my freezer and only take it out for rare occasions. This morning’s rare occasion was I ran out of other coffee. What could have been a complete disaster was saved by the best flavored coffee ever made. The flavor takes you straight to the tropics. As if I really need to say it – I wish it was available all year long.”

Summer Blend
Fair Trade Raspberry Rhapsody is bursting with a smooth raspberry flavor that has captivated many. It is a limited edition coffee from Green Mountain Roasters, and like the berry, it appears only during the summer. Many coffee fans are calling for its availability year round. Says one, “I love this coffee! It is refreshing, smells wonderful and keeps me awake after lunch. I have tried other raspberry flavored brands but they don’t even come close to this. I still have 3 boxes left but I logged on today to order more in hopes that it would last me until next year – but it’s already sold out! That should tell you something. I can’t stress enough how I would love to have it available year round.”

Says another, “I absolutely love this blend of coffee! Wish it wasn’t a limited edition. I’m stocking up.”  One devotee buys it up in batches and stores it in his freezer for a touch of Summer on those cold, dreary, winter mornings. There’s a rumor going around that this summer favorite may not be continued. If this is true, woe to those who failed to tuck away a few bags or boxes of K-Cups!

So a word to the wise – Stock up on these limited edition, seasonal blends when they first appear. Don’t miss out on having those cups of really special coffee just because you failed to plan ahead!

Green Mountain Coffee is Growing

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters began in 1981 in a small Vermont cafe that roasted and sold its own coffee. The blends became so popular, that the tiny company gradually began selling to other restaurants. Then it launched its own coffee mail order business, grew rapidly, and the company went public in 1993. In 2006, it bought Keurig, a company that makes and sells single cup coffee makers and accessories. Green Mountain had sales of $341.7 million for the fiscal year which ended Sept. 2007 and a net income of $12.8 million, according to Business Wire on 9/15/2008.

Now, with more than 1000 employees, Green Mountain sells whole bean and ground coffee, hot cocoa and teas, mostly to wholesale and mail order customers in the eastern US. In September 2008, Green Mountain Coffee reached an agreement to buy Tully’s Coffee for $40.3 million. Green Mountain will continue to employ the people who now work in Tully’s and will lease the roasting and distribution center in Seattle. Everyone will also be retained at the Tully’s headquarters in Seattle, a familiar brightly colored building with a neon green sign, which is quite visible rising over Interstate 5. Tom O’Keefe, founder and co-chairman of Tully’s, commented, “I have great respect for Green Mountain and their commitment to produce a quality product coupled with their concern and care for all their employees.”

Tully’s wholesale business distributes coffee and other products to office coffee services, food service distributors, and more than 5000 supermarkets in the Western US. Tully’s will pay Green Mountain one dollar a year to continue to use the Tully’s name on its 150+ retail stores in the US and for its international stores. An international joint venture is scheduled to open the first two Tully’s stores in Singapore this year. There are about 350 Tully’s shops in Japan but the Seattle company has already sold that business and receives no royalties.

Green Mountain’s president and CEO, Lawrence Blanford, said “We’re delighted to be adding an outstanding specialty coffee brand such as Tully’s to our coffee roasting family”. He continued “Tully’s wholesale sales over the past 12 months …of  $30.4 million are up 35 %, driven by growing supermarket distribution to 5000 doors in 20 states, primarily in the western part of the nation and K-Cup portion pack sales.” This purchase of a West Coast company should help expand Green Mountain’s presence in this part of the US. Says Blanford, “

Tully’s will provide GMCR with a complementary West Coast brand and business infrastructure, furthering our plans to establish the company and its proprietary Keurig single cup brewing system throughout North America.”

There is a large variety of Tully’s coffee packaged in K-cups for use with your Keurig Single Cup Coffee Maker. Try Tully’s Evergreen Blend, which is Fair Trade Certified Organic, or its full-bodied Sumatra or Kona Blend

Mocha Java – History in Your Coffee Cup

Mocha Java is a world famous blend which has been delighting coffee drinkers for centuries. It is believed that the first species of coffee Arabica was grown in southwest Arabia well over 1000 years ago. The coffee bush was indigenous to Ethiopia and Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula. Virtually all Yemen coffee comes from these ancient “heirloom” varieties of Arabica, which first appeared there centuries ago. All are grown at elevations above 5,000 feet.

Coffee from Yemen is very distinctive and beans are produced in several different growing districts. Each area’s coffee has different qualities and characteristics.

• Mattari is  full-bodied, fragrant with a very hard, oval bean that is grown at high altitude. It is known, too, as Adeni.
• Hirazi is thought by some to be Yemen’s finest coffee, and it comes from the area’s second highest mountain range.
• Full-bodied, heady, and powerful are descriptive terms for this coffee.
• Dhamari comes from the mountains surrounding the provincial capital of Dhamari. It is a  rounded bean, brews coffee with excellent flavor and is also known as Anisi.
• Ismaili is more famous for its great flavor and produces small, round, pea-like beans.

The name ‘Mocha’ has become permanently attached to all of these coffee beans, which could more accurately be described as Yemen or Arabian.

Much of the Yemen Mocha coffee is raised under primitive conditions, just as it has been for hundreds of years, without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. All Yemen coffee is dry-processed. The ripe coffee cherries are harvested by hand and dried in layers on the rooftops of ancient stone houses. They are husked by millstones, which, in some areas, are still turned by camels or donkeys.  Then they are winnowed, screened, and cleaned by hand.

Historians speculate that Mocha Java could be the very first coffee blend, made from a mix of beans from Yemen and Java, an Indonesian island. How it happened, no one is sure. Some say that it was an accident – a delicious one- it has turned out. It occurred in the ancient Yemen seaport of Al-Makha, when coffee beans from Yemen or a nearby area in North –East Africa were mistakenly combined with Javanese coffee. Recognized now as the oldest blend in the world, it became extremely popular with Arabs and everywhere ‘Turkish style’ coffee was drunk. Saudi-Arabians especially loved it and were willing to pay premium prices then, just as today.

The first coffee in Java was introduced by the Dutch in the late 1600’s and it was later exported to Europe. Here the beverage brewed from the Java beans became the drink of the wealthy. When the Europeans got a taste of the coffee made from the mixture of beans from Yemen and Java, it became the big favorite. Kegs of coffee beans made the voyage on sailing ships through the Red Sea to Europe. During the long journey, the beans mellowed and aged to make the fine coffee we know today as ‘Mocha Java’.

There is no chocolate in this blend and the name often is misleading for those who don’t know its true origins. One fan added a bit of cocoa to her brew and thinks the result is delightful. Here’s her comment: “I find it irresistible when adding one-half teaspoon of cocoa powder (unsweetened) to the medium sized cup (7.25 ounces). It adds another layer of taste that brings it up to a more sophisticated level”.

For more information about coffee and K-cups visit www.greatcoffee.com

Mocha Java – A Blend of the Ages

This coffee blend is the oldest in the world, made with beans that first appeared thousands of years ago in Yemen and Ethiopia. The native beans of the “coffee shrub of Arabia” or Arabica coffee was first cultivated by the Ethiopian highlanders. As the Arab world began expanding its trade horizons, the beans traveled to Northern Africa, where villagers started crops.

Around 1454, the Sheikh Jarnal-al-Din al-Dhabhani, mufti of Aden, was the first to adopt the use of coffee. Its popularity spread to Mecca and Medina and then to Cairo, Damascus, Baghdad, and Istanbul. From there, the coffee beans entered the Indian markets and the popularity of the beverage brewed from them grew.

The Dutch began growing coffee from beans in their forts in India and took the first young plants to Java in Indonesia. The plants flourished, usually grown in the highlands, and large coffee estates developed. Within a few years, the Dutch colonies in Java became the main suppliers of coffee to Europe. Their beans were often aged three years or more, which increased the flavor, producing a brew that was deep and full-bodied.

The coffee we know today as Mocha has been grown for centuries in the mountains and high hills of Yemen, in the southwestern tip of the Arabian peninsula. It has been called Moka, Mocca, and Moca and was once shipped from the ancient sea port of Mokka, sometimes called Al-Makha. Legend has it that in this seaport, Mocha beans were accidentally mixed with the larger coffee beans from Java. This unexpected blend was a big hit when introduced in Europe and became known as Mocha Java.

Today, the Mocha coffee is grown on the same trees that cling to the dry mountainsides, without pesticides or fertilizers, and are processed as they have been for centuries. In the fall, the coffee cherries are harvested by hand and then spread out in the sun to dry on the roofs of the ancient stone houses. During the winter, if it rains, water is collected in little reservoirs and used to keep the small coffee trees alive.

All Mocha coffee beans from Yemen are dried with the bean left inside the coffee cherry. After it has dried, it is removed by millstones that are often still turned round and round by donkeys or camels. You may notice that many beans have a rough, jagged appearance due to this process. The husks of the cherry are usually broken neatly in half by the millstones and are used to make a sweet drink called ‘qish’.

Today, many roasters use between 25% to 50% Mocha beans in their blends. The addition of Mocha to an espresso blend significantly increases its body and aroma. Coffee drinkers, often confused by, ‘Mocha’, in this blend’s name, expect a brew with chocolate overtones. You won’t find that but you will get a smooth, mellow cup of coffee, full of flavor and steeped in history.

Don’t Miss These Extra Bold Roasts

Green Mountain K-cups

Green Mountain Roasters has packaged several varieties of coffee in K-Cups, ideal if you want a fresh cup of coffee that’s full of bold, robust flavor. These Extra Bold Roasts are vacuum packed in K-Cups, containing 30% more ground coffee than the regular size.

Extra Bold Roasts Available In K-Cups
There is no difficulty finding K-Cups as they are now available in department and specialty stores. They will soon be in certain grocery chains and can be ordered from several online sources, including Amazon.com, as well as individual coffee roasters.

Green Mountain Extra Bold Kenyan AA
The beans for this full-bodied coffee come from the slopes of Mt. Kenya and a lush valley near Lake Victoria. Raised by Kenyan farmers on tiny plots of land, the beans are hand picked, sorted, and sold in small individual lots at auction in Nairobi. These coffee beans, some of the finest in the world, are graded according to guidelines of the Coffee Board of Kenya. The largest beans are generally Kenya AA and the theory is that they contain more of the special oils which give coffee its aroma and flavor. This Green Mountain Roast is balanced and delicious, with a medium to heavy body.

Green Mountain Extra Bold Double Black Diamond
This is Green Mountain darkest Extra Bold blend and is a heavy bodied coffee with a robust flavor. Reviewers call this a REAL cup of coffee and rate it on a darkness scale of 1 to 10 as an 11. If you crave strong coffee, you won’t go wrong with this one.

Green Mountain Hazelnut Dark Roast Extra Bold
This popular flavored coffee is intense with a buttery, sweet taste and  the rich aroma of toasted hazelnuts. This darker roast gives this coffee a more deep, satisfying flavor. It’s a favorite with many, and even coffee drinkers who aren’t fans of flavored coffee, ask for a second cup.

In addition, these blends are also available in Extra Bold Roasts in K-Cups:
Newman’s Own Special Blend Extra Bold – Certified Fair Trade Organic
Sumatran Reserve Extra Bold – Certified Fair Trade Organic
Green Mountain Extra Bold Espresso Blend – Certified Fair Trade Organic
Green Mountain Extra Bold Dark Magic
Green Mountain Extra Bold Kona Blend
Green Mountain Extra Bold Dark Magic Decaf

These Extra Bold Roasts are full of exciting flavor and make a great cup of coffee in less than a minute with the single cup Keurig machine.

The Keurig Mini B30 Personal One Cup Coffee Brewer

I love my Keurig B70 but thought I might share a little about the Keurig Mini B30 for people who are looking for a more economical machine.

Keurig B30 mini

The new Keurig Mini Personal One Cup Coffee Brewer is great for coffee drinkers on the go. This compact little machine, new in 2008, is lightweight, sleek, and comes with its own travel bag. Well built and durable, it’s a great traveling companion on trips, to a vacation home, a boat, in an RV or camper. Like its larger cousins, it can produce a single cup of coffee in seconds, and is at home in a college dorm or on your desk at the office. With its smaller footprint, it takes up less space on your kitchen counter but turns out a delicious cup to get you started in the morning

The Mini comes in bright red, quite snazzy, as well as black and white. It operates very quietly and uses K-Cups, the containers of vacuum packed coffees, designed for the Keurig machine. You never have to worry about freshness as the K-Cups are sealed tightly. You can select coffee from a variety of top notch roasters like Timothy’s, Green Mountain Coffee, Newman’s Own Organic Coffee, Emeril’s, Caribou Coffee, and the list goes on. Green Teas, Black Teas, Herbal Teas are also packaged in K-Cups, with such well known names as Bigelow, Celestial Seasonings, and Twinings. You will be surprised at the varieties of coffee and tea that are available for use in your Mini machine. Another plus, it can be used to make hot cocoa! Once used, the K-Cups are thrown away and you have no grounds or filters to mess with.

Using The Single Cup Mini System

• Select a K-Cup of your favorite coffee.
• Push the button on the top of the Mini and pop in the K-Cup.
• Fill the water reservoir with 8 ounces of water.
• Shut the water reservoir lid.
• Place your cup or mug on the small tray at the base of the brewer.
• The cup sensors detect that your mug is in place.
• Press the brew button.
• The water heats quickly.
• The K-Cup is pierced inside the machine.
• Streams of hot water, under pressure, pass through the coffee to produce your brew.
• A filter inside the K-Cup filters the coffee, which appears in your cup in less than a minute.
• No mess – just remove the used K-Cup and toss it into the trash.
• Your Mini Brewer is immediately ready to deliver another steaming cup of coffee.

Economically priced at $79.95, the Keurig Mini Personal Brewer, the B30, is available in a variety of department and specialty stores. From the convenience of home, you can order it online from greatcoffee.com. With an order, there’s a free introductory package of K-Cups and no charge for shipping. Don’t miss out on this great offer or the chance to enjoy the ease and convenience of a one cup brewer.

Do you own a Keurig B30? Would love to hear your comments on this model.

What is your Favorite Keurig Machine

What is your favorite Keurig One cup brewing machine. Let us know by using the poll below.


		

An Update On The Keurig And Tassimo Single Cup Brewing Systems

Single serve coffee brewing systems are growing in popularity and consumers are often puzzled as they try to select the machine that will best meet their needs. One of the most important questions that should be remembered is “Which machine makes the best tasting coffee?” Budget is another important question as well as the availability of coffee to use once the brewer has been purchased. Reviews of the various machines can be very helpful and a great deal of information is available now on the internet.

Amazon.com is a place to order coffee brewers on line and it awards stars for overall performance. There is also coffee information and reports on brewing systems on CoffeeDetective.com, while reviews appear regularly on CoffeeReview.com. Consumer Reports publishes research on coffee makers of all sizes, as does Single Serve Coffee, on line.

10 Best Selling Single Cup Brewing Systems 2008
Single Serve Coffee (singleservecoffee.com) released a list in December 2008 of the 10 Best Selling Single Serve Coffee Makers, which included three machines made by Keurig and two Tassimo brewers.

• The Keurig B60, the “Special Edition”, was the top seller
• Second place went to the Keurig B40, the “Elite”.
• The fourth best seller was the new Keurig Mini B30, which was just recently introduced.
• The #7 spot was captured by the larger Keurig B70, the “Platinum” model.
• The Tassimo machine, TA1400, made by Braun made the list in the #5 spot.
• The newer Tassimo Suprema, manufactured by Bosch, not Braun, ranked # 9.
• The Breville Gourmet K-Cup Brewer, also made by Keurig, was #10.

Keurig has a reputation for making a durable machine, which can brew a good cup of coffee, and stand up to years of daily use. Tassimo has been on the market about two years and the original model was made by Braun. When the Keurig brewing system was compared to the Braun Tassimo, all the models: the Keurig B40,Keurig B60, and Keurig B70 performed better in:

• The speed with which a cup of coffee was brewed. Keurig made coffee in less than 60 seconds.
• The noise made while the machine was brewing was loud with the Tassimo.
• Water had to be heated for each cup with the Tassimo brewer.
• The Keurig had hot water in its reservoir, ready to make another cup, after the first was done. The Tassimo required re-heating time.
• The brewhead on the Tassimo was stiff and required two hands to operate.
• There was water spill back after brewing a cup with the Tassimo. This made cleanup necessary.
• Until recently, users of the Tassimo machine had limited choices of T-Discs for brewing coffee, tea, or cocoa.
• Users complained that the coffee brewed by the Tassimo machine was weak or stale tasting.

K-Cups or T-Discs

• All Keurig Brewing systems use K-Cups, small containers of vacuum packed coffee, tea, or cocoa. Today, there are over 200 varieties of coffee from premium roasters, plus quality brands of tea and cocoa.
• Tassimo uses T-discs, which are specially prepared for use with these machines. There are more varieties of coffee available now from Starbuck’s and Seattle’s Best, as well as supplies for making lattes, cappuccinos, espresso, tea, and cocoa.

The newer Tassimo model, manufactured by Bosch, has eliminated some of the earlier problems and is being sold as a hot beverage system. The Keurig One Cup Brewing systems remain focused on producing a great cup of coffee and they all do it well.