Life has changed a lot over the last 50 years, because modern technology has taken over our lives. No matter where you go or what you do, you will see evidence that modern technology has paved the way. Rotary dial telephones that made and received calls are now I-phones containing multiple functions. Instamatic cameras that were considered modern because they took film cartridges have given way to digital models with no film at all. And what about Dad’s big black-and-white console TV that has now become a wall-mounted plasma. It’s safe to say that anyone locked away for the last half century wouldn’t recognize the world today.
Are you old enough to remember your parents brewing up a pot of Folgers or Butternut coffee in the old chrome percolator? If you are, you’ll also be able to remember how ecstatic people were in the ’70s when drip coffee makers took over the scene. In recent years we’ve seen the next major step in coffee making with the advent of single-cup coffee brewers. Instead of the traditional ground coffee, the new brewers operate using coffee pods or k-cups. These are pre-measured portions of coffee sealed inside packets for freshness and less mess. You can get many different kinds of coffees in these pods in many different gourmet coffee brands and flavors.
It used to be that making coffee wasn’t quite as simple as it is now. You had to get up, put water and grounds in the pot, plug it in, and wait half an hour for it to brew. People would get out of bed and rush to the coffee pot in order to get it going. No way could they get a fresh, hot cup of gourmet coffee in under a minute like we can do today with one-cup brewers. We no longer have to wait for entire pots of coffee to brew, and we aren’t stuck with partial pots of cold, stale coffee which we have to throw out. Just pour in fresh water, pop in a pod, and push the brew button. That’s all there is to it. If you’ve ever heard the old phrase “the best thing since sliced bread”, you’ll know they were talking about single-cup coffee makers.
The original one-cup pod coffee makers were introduced by Senseo. As the trend caught on, other companies started producing brewers of their own including Black and Decker, Melitta, and Keurig. Instead of using coffee pods, Keurig makes what they call k-cups that are unique to their coffee brewers. Irregardless if you use pods or k-cups, you’ll find a huge selection of different coffees, teas, hot chocolates, and espressos that you can try. Manufactured by renowned gourmet coffee and chocolate companies, like Green Mountain, Kona, Wolfgang Puck, Millstone, and Van Houtte and Godiva, these pre-measured packets are designed to please every taste.
As we’ve come to expect, anything new that comes onto the market is going to be a little bit more expensive, and single-cup coffee makers are no exception. If you talk to someone who’s been using one, however, you’re sure to be told that the coffee you get with one of these brewing systems is worth the extra expense. You can buy a small, personal-sized brewer for under $100 or something larger with more features for around $300. The k-cups and coffee pods that are used in these brewing systems are also a little more costly than regular coffee, but you’re paying for the convenience of having pre-measured, fresh coffee that just pops into a machine.
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