Posted on 12/15/2005 8:33:20 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
A half dozen production lines operate 12 hours a day, cutting small filters and stuffing them into tiny cups, dropping in 2 or 3 grams of coffee and sealing them before whisking them into boxes.
The scores of little coffee containers, known around Green Mountain Coffee Roasters as K-Cups, rolling off the line every few minutes represent what the small specialty brewer hopes will be a revolution in the way Americans brew their favorite roast at home.
The diminutive cups are a self-contained coffee brewing system that can be popped into a relatively new brand of coffee maker to produce a single cup of steaming java. Gone, promoters of the systems say, are the days of a full pot of coffee slowly burning before it's thrown down the sink.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. isn't alone. Brewers large and small, as well as appliance manufacturers, are getting in on the act and pushing the brewing systems as an ideal gift this holiday season for a population addicted to convenience.
"It's an instance of quality meets convenience," said T.J. Whalen, marketing vice president at Green Mountain Coffee. Green Mountain and other small specialty brewers like it are trying to capture the higher end of the market with their more expensive brews and their fancier brewing systems. But companies from Procter & Gamble Co.'s Folgers brand to Sara Lee Corp.'s Senseo and Kraft Foods Inc.'s Maxwell House also are trying to capitalize on what a number of companies believe is an emerging trend in the home kitchen.
The machines have taken off in offices, but a critical mass is only just beginning to be reached where consumers might consider buying them for their homes. Companies as diverse as Mr. Coffee, Black & Decker, Krups and Keurig now make systems that can brew single cups of coffee in as little as 30 seconds using coffee pods -- pockets of grounds that look like oversized tea bags -- and individual cups manufactured by the roasters and food companies.
"We know from different market research that there is a reasonable potential behind this segment," said Lars Atorf, a spokesman for Procter & Gamble's coffee products, including the gourmet oriented Millstone brand. "We can definitely see where awareness is rising in the U.S."
The major brands are hoping that the connection with the gourmet coffee industry can give them an entree to that lucrative part of the market.
The 2005 National Coffee Drinking Trends survey by the National Coffee Association of USA found that more than 172 million American adults consumed coffee and 15 percent -- some 32 million -- said they drank gourmet coffee daily. That's grown from 9 percent six years ago.
That survey also found that nearly two-thirds of consumers were aware of single-serve brewing systems, but only 2 percent reported owning one and 14 percent said they were very or somewhat likely to buy one.
Jon Harris, vice president of Sara Lee Food & Beverage, said the machines are not intended to replace Starbucks stores or the corner coffee shop. He said Sara Lee's hope is that the Senseo brand will complement the ubiquitous coffee houses around the country.
"People are looking for that experience at home," Harris said.
The brewing systems have only been mass-marketed for the past couple of years and there are skeptics about whether they'll take off. Peter Greene, vice president of the NPD Group home appliance marketing research firm, believes they'll never replace the familiar automatic drip coffee makers.
"I don't think your everyday coffee drinker and the majority of the population are going to go in this way," he said. He noted there are limitations to the technology and no uniform pod or cup fits all machines.
And the machines are more expensive than the typical automatic drip system.
A basic Senseo brewing machine is being sold online for $69.99. The higher-end Keurig machine is being sold for between $99.95 and $279.95 for a version that's also marketed for office use.
The coffee that goes into them isn't cheap, either. At a Safeway supermarket in Washington, D.C., this week, a package of Senseo pods good for 18 cups was $3.99, a 13-ounce vacuum-packed brick of Folgers coffee went for $3.95. A box of 24 of Green Mountain's K-Cups is available online for $13.95, while a 12-ounce bag of beans goes for $8.19.
Still, NPD Group's market tracking has determined that a little better than 4.5 percent of the estimated 27 million coffee brewing appliances sold this year will be single-serve systems, up from roughly 1.5 percent of the market last year.
"It all depends on how you define success," Greene said. "I'd say these are going to be a success, but only 5 percent of the market."
But some of the disadvantages of the systems can be especially amplified in homes where people often expect a superior brew, said a coffee reviewer. One are the machines themselves. There's no industry standard, at least not yet, and the coffee pod or cup that works in one machine often isn't compatible with another.
And the other issue, a bigger one for a coffee aficionado like Ken Davids, editor of Coffee Review, is the coffee that goes into the machines. Quality varies widely, he said.
"Some of these coffees taste flat-out stale," Davids said late last month as he was halfway through blind tastings produced from the single-serve machines.
Davids is not impressed, although there are some decent coffees available.
"It's a cafe-at-home if you consider powdered milk, sugar and instant as a cappuccino," he said. "If you consider freshly brewed espresso and fresh-frothed milk a cappuccino, it's not."
What is this morning coffee thing I see people drinking? Doesn't everyone start their day with a cold Sundrop? ;)
My Starbucks beans are less than a week old. What makes your beans different or better? I have tried beans from everywhere and still prefer Starbucks. It is my experience on various forums (like this) that the subject of Starbucks hits a ploitical chord in people and people (like passive Hank) have issues that are more political than having issues about bean quality. It is all very amusing for me.
I eat fish 6 or 7 days/week (job-related), but man I love a good burger!
Ever done a Fatburger down in L.A.? I hear that's a chain now; I used to go to the original one (on Western? Figuroa? I forget) where a white guy could very likely get hurt at the time, and probably killed now.
Damn. Now I'm hungry.
Hey - wait a minute!
Larry, who the hell drinks coffee with a hamburger anyway, much less a synthoburger slider?
Were they roasted a week ago, or did you buy them a week ago?
I have no issues with Starbucks politcally. And I will defend their right to take up every street corner that has neither a gas station or a McDonalds. But I will not stand by and let them sell the world on their coffee. Much like Seattle's music, the coffee is polluting the world (except for Zoka!)...
Ever try that $175/lb stuff that's crapped out by cats? There was a whole thread on that the other day, complete with some yahoo attempting to say Charbucks was better than cat-crapped coffee.
As if.
Just like that guy.
In and Out are great hamburgers. I love them.
Now, I will have to wait for passive Hank to say I am crazy, that Carl's Jr. burgers are mo better for me, but even better if I slaughter a cow and make them fresh according to his recipe.
Never been to Fatburger. I did go to the original Tommy's once, after a Dodgers game. Absolutely brilliant. Of course, that was long before I'd heard of In-n-Out or cholesterol.
And I live 1 1/4 miles from the nearest InO. And 3/4 of a mile from the nearest Starbucks.
You can get one for ~$15 at Amazon. The ritual is satisfying to perform. The clean-up easy.
No, that stuff is crap.
There was a great thread about that stuff over at CG a while back. I'd hate to think about what I was drinking...
http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/general/186861
A real man just walks up and takes a bite out of one on the hoof. Like a lizard's tail, it grows back eventually.
But the Melitta cup top brewers are about $3 at Longs. And they make a really good cup as well.
One of the Tommy's, on Sunset I think, was about a 15 minute walk from my high school. We'd head there now and then for the chiliburgers. Man, one of those was a project.
Hey. If Starbucks didn't put out good product, they wouldn't be as successful as they are. The market demands their product. A lot of people fear Starbucks because of their perceived politics. I have no fear of Starbucks. It's a free country.
My beans are always oily, a sign of freshness in coffee beans.
Is that right next to Big Kahuna Burger? :-)
The very best fast food I ever had was Henderson's Chicken in south Dallas. Always best to be armed going in. All they sold was fried chicken and chicken parts. Used the same grease all week, and cooked it just about 30 seconds too long to get it nice and crispy. Served on a bed of french fries with two slices of white bread to soak up the grease, with pickle slices and a jalapeno on top.
The trick was to squeeze the jalapeno juice over the fries and make french fry sandwiches with the bread to go with the chicken. Damn, it was good!
And you're right, I've never actually ordered White Castle coffee. Coke or diet Coke is the only drink that goes with sliders.
"There is no problem with Starbucks beans."
Oh, yes there is. The biggest is I've yet to have a cup there that wasn't stale - once you've grown used to *fresh* beans, you cannot drink Starbucks. They store their beans at room temp, and that kills the taste, good coffee should be frozen until used. Of course, so many people load up their coffee with sugar and cream and flavoring, it hardly matters.
Their blends are also too bland, they cater to the broad majority, Starbucks has no personality to their blends whatsoever. Even Peet's has them beat there - while I don't like most of their blends, at least they have a character to them.
My daily brew is Safeway cappuchino blend, stored in the freezer, fresh brewed, one or two cups at home, the rest comes with me to work. A little half and half or heavy whipping cream: heaven. Safeway's beans are surprisingly good and affordable - yes, they're stored at room temp, but in sealed bags - if you freeze them as soon as you open the bag, they tend to keep just fine. It's a dark blend, but never bitter, very smooth, and very distinctive. It's even better in a cappuchino machine.
Freeze dried coffee is simply out. Can't and won't drink it. Yes, I'm a coffee snob. It's like tea - once you've had GOOD tea, you can't go back to Lipton's.
Shameless plug: http://www.kaladi.com, and http://silverhookcoffee.com/ (owned by my brother). Great stuff!
That's the only way I've made drip coffee for over 5 years, if I'm not making espresso. Melitta filter cone, Costco filter and 195-degree water.
Makes a great cup, and cleanup takes about 3 seconds. Plus, you can make everyone's cup of coffee as strong or weak as they like it, if you buy a few extra Melitta cones.
You're a smart guy.
Oil is there because the internal temperature of the bean got too hot during roasting. But you can believe whatever of Starbucks' propaganda you want.
As far as the business thing goes.
Explain Microsoft.
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