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When you look at these single cup brewers, you have to first decide what is most important to YOU.  Are you primarily looking for a single cup machine that brews great coffee or do you want one that will turn out lattes, cappuccinos, and macchiatos – with coffee almost an after thought.

The Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto can be viewed more as a hot beverage system, as itl brews  specialty coffee drinks. The Keurig Platinum brews COFFEE and there is a large variety of brews and roasts available to use with this machine. Compare the features of each model and select which will best meet your needs.

Features Of The Keurig Platinum

• Brews over 200 different coffees, teas, and cocoa.
• Uses K-Cups, which contain an exact portion, perfect for one cup.
• Automatic Brewing System – Makes single cup coffee with a push of a button.
• Takes less than 60 seconds to brew.
• Auto-Off feature
• Adjustable brew temperature
• Digital Clock with programmable on/off control
• Has blue back-lit LCD Display and water reservoir.
• After initial heating time of 3 minutes, machine will brew in 60 seconds and is immediately ready to make another cup.Set your favorite cup sizes.
• Brews 4 cup sizes
• 5.25 ounces for a bold cup of coffee
• 7.25 ounces for the traditional brew strength
• 9.25 ounces for taller mugs
• 11.25 ounces for tall travel mugs (Keurig recommends that you use the taller cup options with an Extra-Bold K-Cup
• Has 60 ounce removable water reservoir.
• Makes up to 6 cups before refilling reservoir.
• Water level sensor.
• De-scale indicator for long life of machine.
• Price 169.99

Now compare the Platinum Single Cup Coffee Maker with the Krups beverage system.

Features Of The Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto

• Brews 8 beverages
• Café Lungo
• Café Lungo-mild
• Café Lungo-Decaf
• Espresso
• Cappuccino
• Cappuccino Ice
• Latte Macchiato
• Chococino – Hot chocolate
• Uses Nescafe Capsules of coffee and powdered milk for coffee and milk drinks.
• The Water is heated in a minute due to Krups Thermoblock technology.
• Custom Control Lever is manually controlled by you.
• Brews espresso with 15 bars of pressure.
• Removable Water Reservoir
• Water reservoir holds 51 ounces.
• Auto-Off Control
• Adjustable height drip tray for different sized cups or glasses
• Has stainless steel drip tray cover that is removable and dishwasher safe.
• Available in 3 colors: black, red, white
• Price $169.99

The Krups machine and the Keurig Platinum are similarly priced but their functions differ. Decide which features between the two brewers that are the most important to YOU!

As the popularity of the single cup coffee makers increases, the types of roasts and blends also increases to satisfy the ever-growing demand for variety. You can enjoy many different types of coffee without lots of expense. You don’t have to purchase 12 or 16 ounces of beans or ground coffee just to try something new.  

The Keurig brewers make coffee using K-Cups while Tassimo uses T-pods and the other brands use coffee pods. By far, the largest variety of coffee is vacuum packed in K-Cups. This, is just one of the many reasons why Keurig outsells all other brands. In addition to having the largest selection of coffee, K-Cups are also available with cocoa and quite a large number of teas. Well respected names like Celestial Seasonings, Twinings, and Bigelow have packaged many of their best selling teas in K-Cups. So you can enjoy coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon, and a delicious cup of cocoa at bedtime – all made with your Keurig brewer.

Celestial Seasoning teas has many old favorites like:

• Sleepytime, with its delicate and soothing chamomile
• Lemon Zinger, a tangy herbal blend with piquant lemon
• India Spice Chai, a robust black tea with the citrusy tang of bergamot and aromatic spices
• Mandarin Orange Spic, a mellow blend of tea with a delicious mandarin flavor

Timothy’s

• Orange Indulgence has a wonderful aroma with a fruity bouquet. It’s a blend of fine white tea, with a touch of ripe apricot and sweet orange.
• Timothy’s Chinese Green Tea is extremely popular and is a light bodied blend of Gunpowder Green Tea. It has a subtle fragrance and a mellow, sweet flavor.
• Timothy’s Cranberry Twist Green Tea blends the tang of fresh cranberries with green tea; combining the health benefits of cranberries with the antioxidants of the tea.

Gloria Jean, a respected coffee roaster also offers several delicious teas in K-Cups:

• Gloria Jean’s Serenity Green, a blend of Chinese and Japanese green teas for an aromatic aroma and a lush flavor.
• Pomegranate Berry Fusion, a refreshing and flavorful, brimming with antioxidants and a crush of mixed berries.
• Masala Chai Black Tea, a hearty black tea, full of spices with a complex aroma of cardamom, star anise, cinnamon, and ginger.
• Passion Fruit Tea is has a wonderful aroma and is full of lush, fruity flavor blended with a delicate green tea for a delightful brew.

There are also several wonderful teas from Bigelow, both black and green varieties in K-Cups.

When it comes to that bedtime cup of cocoa, take a look at just a few of your choices:

• Green Mountain Roasters is now packaging a dark chocolate cocoa as well as a creamy milk chocolate cocoa which are already big hits.
• Timothy’s has made their long time favorite, White Hot Chocolate available in a K-Cup and it’s a best seller.
• Bellaccino and Gloria Jean also have cocoa in K-cups so the hot chocolate lover has quite a few to choose from – and they are all delicious!

There are over 200 different types of coffee, tea, and cocoa available in K-Cups, so get yourself a Keurig brewer and start sampling!

Now say you’re one of those coffee lovers who bought a single serve coffee maker that was NOT a Keurig brewer – and then you saw the light. Now you have a Keurig machine that uses K-Cups but you’re stuck with boxes of coffee pods designed for the other machine. Waste no more! There’s a solution to the problem which lets you use up those pods with your Keurig brewer. Plus, if there is a very special flavor or roast that is available only in a pod, that you just must have, you can continue enjoying it.

The Perfect Pod Holster has been designed especially for the Keurig machine, making it the only single serve brewer that is able to use THREE different coffee brewing methods:

• K-Cups
• Reusable My K-Cup Filter with your favorite gourmet coffee
• Perfect Pod Holster using coffee pods

You can use any pod that is 55 mm or larger. The holster has a self-tamping spring which helps extract the coffee. Also, make your own pods by utilizing the Perfect Pod Maker. The coffee brewed with the Holster is good and the system is quite easy to use.

How To Use The Perfect Pod Holster

• Remove the K-Cup holder from the brewer. This is not difficult as it pops right out, leaving a space for the Perfect Pod Holster.
• Make a mushroom-like cap of the coffee pod.
• Place the coffee pod into the Perfect Pod Holster.
• Put the cap on the Holster.
• Make sure the coffee pod is pressed hard against the cap.
• Put the Perfect Pod Holster into your favorite Keurig brewer such as the B60 just like you would do with a K cup.
• Push the brew button.
• The Keurig brewer punches a hole in the coffee pod, just like a K-Cup.
• Your coffee is ready in less than 60 seconds.
• Throw away the used pod.

Advantages Of Using The Perfect Pod Holster

• Allows you to use any coffee pod in the Keurig brewer.
• Easy to use
• You can make more pods with the Perfect Pod Maker
• Economical as it offers different options

The Perfect Pod Holster has attracted many fans who enjoy its versatility and ease of use. Says one, “HATS OFF to the genius who figured out how to put a coffee pod into the K-Cup one cup coffee maker! I was a little skeptical but the Pod Holster WORKS! Now the coffee costs about half as much as before, it is still incredibly tasty and convenient and everything that goes in the trash is biodegradable…” Another says, “Great alternative to making coffee and using existing single tea bags! I bought this along with the Perfect Pod Maker and LOVE it. I can create pods using my own coffee. It works great on my Keurig  B60.”  So this option allows you to use both K-Cups and coffee pods and enjoy even more flavors and blends.

The Green Mountain Signature Blends have been customer favorites for years and are sure to delight the most discerning coffee connoisseur. There are some old favorites, like Breakfast Blend, the Vermont Country and Nantucket Blends, as well as newer roasts such as Fair Trade Rain Tree Forest. Green Mountain searches out the finest Arabica beans from coffee producing regions around the world and carefully roasts them to the peak of flavor to make these blends.

The Signature Blend coffees are available in bags of ground or whole beans and also in K-Cups. With the Keurig single cup coffee maker, and K-Cups, you can have an endless variety of coffee – economically! Here is a short description of some blends in K Cups.

Breakfast Blend
The Green Mountain Breakfast Blend is a mellow, smooth way to get your morning going. It is a classic blend of crisp beans from Central American with the body and depth of those from Indonesia. This coffee is a big favorite and Lindsey Bolger, Green Mountain Director of Coffee Sourcing & Relationships, describes Breakfast Blend as “A great balance of vibrance and sweetness. The right body brings harmony to sparkling acidity and toasted nut tones.”

Nantucket Blend
This is a complex mélange of four unique coffees from around the globe. It mingles the brightness of Central American beans with the deep, full, flavors of Indonesia and the berry tones of East African beans. A dash of French Roast adds a smokey, sweet finish. Kenneth Davids of Coffee Review says it is “ …a classically refreshing, light-footed morning cup.’’

Vermont Country Blend
This blend of dark and light beans has many fans who enjoy its wonderful aroma and smooth, rich taste. Often used with a Keurig brewer for ‘In Room Coffee’, it has started the day pleasantly for travelers from the Northern Pacific Coast to visitors in a B and B on the Atlantic shore. Once you have experienced Vermont Country, you will want it again,again, and again. Says one fan, “I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this coffee. I do not like the really strong bold coffees but I am more of a medium coffee lover with little acidity and smooth taste. Vermont Country Blend is awesone if that is what your are looking for. I have a hard time drinking it slow. I drink the coffee to the very bottom and really enjoy it.”

The Signature Selection is a good place for you to start sampling the different Green Mountain coffees that are now available in K-Cups. There will be additional reviews of other Signature Blends in this delightful family. You will want to try them all in your Keurig brewer.