K-cup review: Harvest Blend

It's been a long time since I commented on new k-cup flavours that I've found or acquired, and then I keep forgetting which ones I've tried, so I really do need to get back to it.

This time is Van Houtte's Harvest Blend.

Brewing it up it smelled a bit on the strong side (yes, I'm a wimp, I admit it. That's why there are different coffees, because so many people have different tastes). It's not flavoured, it's just a blend of coffee, and with a touch of sugar and some almond milk, it's really very nice. I'm quite impressed.

Verdict: 4 mugs

K-cup review: Timothy's Mexican organic

Finally I'm getting into some of the non-flavoured coffees, and I havent been keen on too many so far. I rarely like the organic ones, I find most of them are too.. dark roasted? Bitter? Something for my tastes.

Yes, I'm a coffee heathen (or heretic.. perhaps both), cope. I like my coffees lightly roasted. I like my black tea barely brewed too, so at least I'm consistant.

This one is probably the best organic I've found to my taste thus far. Hunh. Go Mexico! ;)

4 travel mugs out of 5.

K-cup review: Van Houtte Creme Caramel

It smelled so good brewing too. It had all that sweet rich smell that I expected out of something labelled creme caramel. And then? The first sip?

Nothing. It gave up all its flavour in the smell and none of it in the tasting. So disappointing. Once I got past that, it was an adequate cup of coffee, but nothing special and barely flavoured. Woe. Woe woe.

2 travel mugs out of 5.

K-cup review: Gloria Jean's Mudslide

I think this is the first flavour I couldnt finish. The first time I drank it, I was mostly asleep and went 'enh', the second time I was quite awake and the 'enh' went to 'eww'. All I could smell or taste was some messed up interpretation of coconut. It just.. no. Bad. Not to my taste at all.

1 travel mug out of 5.

K-cup review: Van Houtte Creme brulee

Alright, I had hoped I'd like this.. but I didn't. It's just not very good. It's not sweet or creamy, there's not much smell to it, there's just not much of anything to it beyond a kinda enh cup of coffee. It is for flavours like this that sound so promising and I just don't like that I'm keeping these records. I'm certain someone out there things its awesomesauce, but I am not that person.

2 travel mugs out of 5.

K-cup review: Van Houtte Madagascar vanilla nut

I really wasn't hoping for much. Vanilla has a tendency to be kinda enh and I'm not often a fan of generic 'nut' flavour in my coffee, and somehow labelling it 'Madagascar' just seems like an excuse for a longer label. (Pecan seems to be a notable exception). This is, however, surprisingly good. It's not overly exciting, it's just solidly flavoured coffee flavoured. A little sweeter than regular coffee, nothing zowee, but nothing bad either. I dont think I'd dance in the kitchen for it, but I certainly wouldnt pour it down the sink either.

3 travel mugs out of 5.

K-cup review: Van Houtte Spicy Mayan Chocolate

I do have to admit that this is the second time I've had this coffee, and I was too half asleep drinking it the first time to manage to come up with comments on it. I'm not sure I'm all that much more awake this time, but at least I'm half asleep with a coffee and a editing window in front of me. It's progress!

I'm not sure why it's supposed to be spicy. I think the name just sounds good. Perhaps there's hints of some sort of spice, but mostly this just screams chocolate at me. And for once, chocolate that doesnt have a nut component to it. It's closer to chocolate in my coffee (without being the cloying of actually tossing hot chocolate mix in there) than I think any other chocolate flavour I've tried. It's pretty pleasant really, and I do wonder how it'd do in a mocha. I think all the subtleties would be lost.

4 travel mugs out of 5.

K-cup review: Gloria Jean's Mudslide

I was expecting a lot out of a coffee named 'Mudslide', with the creamy alcoholic drink of the same name resonating in my thoughts, I took a sip. Yeah. Nothing. Not exciting, not creamy, Kahlua inspired. Perhaps I've been spoiled by Timothy's Kahlua coffee pods, but this one just didn't match up to expectations. Perhaps when I try it again there might be more oomph.

2 travel mugs out of 5.

K-cup review: Van Houtte Winter Blend

There are some distinct disadvantages to taking all my k-cup photos with the cell phone barely caffinated. Mostly those disadvantages have something to do with the photos being blurry as all hell. Squint. It helps.

Another 'normal' coffee, no flavour in this one. It's.. well.. just sort of normal. There's nothing spectacular about it, it's a very mild roast. It doesnt offend, it doesnt excite it just sort of exists. I wouldn't turn it down, but I don't know that I'd actively go out and buy it.

3 travel mugs out of 5.

K-cup review: Raspberry Chocolate Truffle

Well, I know I said I don't much care for chocolate in my coffee. This is one spot where I'm glad I kept trying it just in case. Clearly raspberry offsets the chocolate quite nicely. It smelled delicious brewing and it was pretty damn good to drink too.

4 travel mugs out of 5.

K-cup review: Timothy's Donut Blend

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Originally uploaded by Jazmin_

Someday I'll figure out how to make the photos from my phone not be blurry. Perhaps taking them when I'm not half asleep wanting a coffee would help.

Not flavoured, I do actually drink 'normal' coffee now and then. My first sip I was expecting a Tim Horton's clone.. and it's not. There's a little edge that the Tim's doesn't have.

Waiting a few minutes and reaching for it again still mostly asleep and no longer expecting it to be something it isn't.. it's very nice. Really mellow, really lightly roasted. Just gentle.

4 travel mugs out of 5.

K-cup review: Van Houtte Chocolate Almond

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Originally uploaded by Jazmin_

I probably should have known better. I'm not a huge fan of chocolate coffee (although I keep drinking it in optimism that someday it'll be how my taste buds hope) and I'm not big fan of almond in my coffee.

Put the two together? It's enh. It's not terrible, but it's not for me. I hope I didn't order too many of them.

2 travel mugs out of 5.

K-cup review: Green Mountain Coffee Hot Cocoa

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Originally uploaded by Jazmin_

Blogger and I seem to be having disagreements about how to post photos, which might mean a whole swack of articles all at once, or some without photos or something. Very odd, computers are very irritating.

Anyhow, I was so very very excited to find a box of these locally, as I kept wanting to try the Cocoa and it kept being sold out online anywhere I was ordering from. Lo and behold, there was a box at the local Future Shop. Which is akin to a Best Buy.

I have to say that I never once would have looked at Future Shop for k-cups. But we were walking through the kitchen appliance section on the way to the cash and they were right there. A better selection than the grocery store. Crazy.

Anyhow, these are.. very cloying. Sweet and milky and cloying. Better than the white hot chocolate, but I couldnt finish a whole mug. I think I'd be happier with a shot of coffee in with it to cut the sweet cloy. I'm not sad that we got them, but it'll take some fiddling to drink all of them.

3 travel mugs out of 5.

K-cup review: Gloria Jean's Butter Toffee

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Originally uploaded by Jazmin_

Oh my goodness. Oh. My. Goodness. I could stand by the coffee maker while this brews and sniff. It smells so very very good. So good. It tastes pretty good too, surprisingly so for a US supplier.

Which isn't a slam against US coffee roasters, but the starbucks tradition tends to be towards a darker roast, and my tastes prefer a lighter roast. I end up tasting burnt very very easily (much to the dismay of my spouse who does all the cooking).

Very nice coffee, high on the list. 4 travel mugs out of 5.

K-cup review: Emeril's Vanilla Bean BAM!

Well the name in and of itself makes me smile. Which is entirely the point of Emeril's coffee being named as such, I'm certain. I have to admit I didn't really feel thrilled about wickedly branded coffee for the sake of branding, but it's perfectly adequate. It's a light roast, there's not much flavour, but it doesn't offend either. It just tastes mellow coffee-esque.

Which to be honest, is just fine by me. I didn't need sugar, which means it was flavoured enough. Of course french vanilla is a pretty non-flavour in coffee anyhow. Very neutral. 3 travel mugs out of 5.