Year End 2012 – CoffeeCow Gift Ideas

It's hard to believe that 2013 is right around the corner! With the year winding down comes gift-giving, and we've got you covered. Your coffee-loving friends and family will adore these gifts from CoffeeCow:

Single Serve Coffee & Brewers: Who doesn't love convenience? Brew a delicious, gourmet cup of coffee in under a minute with single serve coffee brands & brewers. We know that your loved ones will appreciate the gift - not only of the coffee, but of the time it will save them. Check out the Keurig starter collections we carry at CoffeeCow.com.

CoffeeCow Cow Wear, Pantry & more! If you know someone in your life is a CoffeeCow Fan, why not browse our Cow Wear selection? We also carry pantry supplies, including delicious coffee flavorings, candy, bulk items & more!

Gift Certificates: Unsure what to get the special coffee-lover in your life? A CoffeeCow Gift Certificate may be just what you need! Our gift certificates are good for any purchase and we have a large variety of coffee, brewers and other products to choose from.

Whether you’re in pursuit of a gift for the coffee enthusiast in your life, the person that has everything or even for yourself, make sure to add CoffeeCow.com to your shopping list.

Free shipping for Cyber Monday, stay tuned for more details!

Black Ivory Coffee - for the Coffee Enthusiast or Extremist?

Been to the zoo lately? When you think of elephants, you probably think of safari adventures, a daytrip to the zoo or maybe a thrilling evening at the circus. Thanks to The Anantara Hotels, Resorts and Spas, we can also think of coffee. Why? Because they serve a specialty coffee called Black Ivory, brewed from naturally refined beans. In fact, you couldn’t get more natural than this, considering the refining process is feeding elephants Thai Arabica coffee beans and waiting for the beans to – erhm – come back out.

All poop jokes aside, this newest animal poop coffee craze, along with the 2010 introduction of “cat poop coffee” or Kopi Luwak, got us thinking – how far would you go to try the best, most expensive coffee on the market? Do you think coffee enthusiasts everywhere are clamoring to get their hands on a cup of this java or is it the extremists looking for the next fad?

Advice from your friends at CoffeeCow.com – if you’re looking to try a sip of this coffee, just be careful who you purchase it from as people have been known to sell faux Black Ivory coffee. It’s no wonder why since the real deal sells for about $50 a cup and $1,100 for just two pounds!

If Black Ivory ever comes out in a K-Cup, we’ll be sure to let you know. For now, check out our current K-Cup selection today!

The Art of Coffee Cupping

What is coffee cupping? Are there people out there who drink coffee on a professional level?

Coffee cupping, much like wine tasting, is the art of tasting and describing different types of coffee. This procedure can be done informally by anyone at anytime, anywhere. Nowadays, the coffee cupping procedure is considered standard industry practice. At CoffeeCow.com, we enjoy helping our customers decide on their coffee purchase with our coffee tasting reviews. It’s especially helpful when you’re looking to try a new coffee blend or roast, as we’ll cover coffee characteristics such as aroma, “mouthfeel” and (of course) taste.

There’s an app for that! The coffee cupping app has been available since 2010 for iPhones and iPads. It’s said to be an intuitive app, allowing you to record the different types of coffee you taste throughout your day. The coffee cupping app specifically records all the characteristics of coffee so that you can store the information for future reference.

One more thing – they DO exist! “Master Tasters” are professional coffee tasters.

Whether you consider yourself a professional “Master Taster” or just the average Joe who loves a cup o’ Joe, CoffeeCow encourages you to take a stab at the art of coffee cupping!

Happy National Coffee Day from CoffeeCow!

National Coffee Day is September 29th and we’re celebrating! Enjoy free FedEx Smart Post shipping September 28th – 30th on any size order. All you need to do is enter promo code COFFEEDAY when placing an order to take advantage of this offer.

Speaking of National Coffee Day – what is the origin of this holiday and what do others do to celebrate?

Did you know National Coffee Day is actually International Coffee Day? Celebrated annually with e-cards and free or discounted coffee (though not always on September 29th for other countries), National Coffee Day is celebrated all around the world! Fair trade coffee is also heavily promoted on this day, along with raising awareness for troubles that coffee farmers face growing coffee berries. Though the exact origin of the holiday is unknown, National Coffee Day was first celebrated in Japan, 1983. It wasn’t until 2005 that National Coffee Day was publicly announced in the US.

So CoffeeCow Fans, we encourage you to join us - make sure you take that coffee break on Saturday and pay tribute to your favorite beverage! Don’t forget about FREE shipping on any size CoffeeCow.com order.

K-Cups and Pods: Is There a Difference?

People say K-Cups when they mean pods, pods when they mean K-Cups and the occasional fusion of the two (K-Cup pod or pod K-Cup). Question is - is there really a difference?

The Skinny on K-Cups

K-Cups are small “cups” filled with coffee for Keurig single-serve brewers, king of the single portion coffee. Only K-Cups will fit in the Keurig, but it’s not unheard of to purchase pod coffee or tea, open the pod and use a My K-Cup reusable coffee filter to brew the pod coffee. To brew coffee or tea, the Keurig machine punctures two holes in the K-Cup (one in the top and one in the bottom), sends heated water through the top to the bottom and right down into your favorite mug.

The Rundown on Coffee Pods

Coffee pods are like tea bags or sachets. These sachets are filled with coffee or tea for use in pod brewers or even directly in your cup! We suggest purchasing individually wrapped pods for freshness. Pod coffee is the most environmentally friendly of all single portion selections currently available on the market because both the filter and grounds are biodegradable and compostable. Brewed similar to K-Cup coffee, pod coffee is brewed with heated water passing through the coffee grounds and into your cup, no punctures necessary.

Why They’re Both Great Choices

Both K-Cups and pods are easy to use, affordable, convenient and offer a large and wonderful variety of coffee, tea and even more to choose from! Other options are coffee bags, coffee capsules, and T-Discs, but we’ll save that for another blog…

Browse our wide variety of K-Cups or pod coffee today at CoffeeCow.com!

CoffeeCow Reviews Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Herbal Tea K-Cups

If you’re looking for that perfect cup of tea before bed but fear the effect that even the slightest bit of caffeine can have on your sleep, we may have a solution for you. Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Herbal Tea K-Cups – do these K-Cups live up to their “sleepytime” name? We taste-tested (and sleep-tested) to find out!

General Information:

Celestial Seasonings’ Sleepytime Herbal Tea contains 24 single serve cups per box for use in your Keurig machine.
The Test:

Since it’s starting to get chilly outside, we just had to get cozy and ready for bed before beginning our testing!  Once comfy in cow-print pajamas, it was time for a soothing cup of tea.
As the Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Herbal Tea K-Cup began to brew, we noticed the pleasant aroma of chamomile and spearmint filling the room and became instantly relaxed. Ah, we were already starting to feel sleepy! Once our Keurig machine was finished performing its magic, mugs were picked up & brought it in for that first sip. The steam caressed our faces as we tasted the tender floral flavor - this tea was incredibly soothing and just right.

The Result:

On a scale from 1-5, we rate this tea a 5! Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Herbal Tea K-Cups passes our sleep-testing with flying colors and IS called “sleepytime” for a good reason. It lives up to its name because it’s a wonderfully tasting and smelling tea that will not keep you up at night. Add a dollop of milk or nothing at all - this tea is perfect any way you choose to fix it.
Go ahead and inhale the pleasant aroma and exhale the worry when you sip on Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Herbal Tea. Just be careful you don’t fall asleep with a partially full mug in your hands.

Visit CoffeeCow.com to view a list of tea K-Cups today!

Keurig = Excellence: The History of Keurig & the Inner Workings of K-Cup Technology

It’s not just CoffeeCow that believes Keurig is excellent…the actual name “Keurig” means excellence in Dutch!

Keurig began in the early 1990’s by two coffee-lovers with a vision, Peter Dragone and John Sylvan, and was then purchased by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters in 2006. As they say, the rest is history! Keurig is now king of the single serve brewers, all thanks to its patented K-Cup brewing technology.

So, how does it all come together, making you a steaming hot cup of deliciousness every time?

The K-Cup itself is a plastic cup consisting of a filter and coffee grounds. Once the Keurig is warmed up and you pop a K-Cup into the machine, two holes are pierced simultaneously - one on top of the K-Cup with a spray nozzle and another on the bottom with a discharge nozzle. A measured quantity of water comes from the spray nozzle and is forced through the hole at the top. The water passes through the coffee grounds and filter then comes back through the bottom discharge nozzle where you have your favorite mug, eagerly waiting.

Visit CoffeeCow today to browse all types of Keurig brewers to satisfy your needs – even right down to the color!