You know every once in a while you just have to say what is on your mind...I am about to, so if you've got your feelin's on your sleeve...well, just write me back and tell me what for...ok?  And always, always remember that I love each of you in your own special way...with that in mind, here goes! :o)

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If you look closely you can see the end...or maybe not...

The K-Cup Invasion

The latest question of the day is<>

Well when is The Alpaca Bean gonna make K-Cups???

I reckon I could be fairly gross and say, "I really do not know any ladies that big!"...but I am not so I will not say such a thing! 

       The real answer:  The Alpaca Bean Coffee company probably will not move in that direction any time soon because of some simple factors...

       First, the containers for the K-cup cannot be recycled, thus causing a tremendous environmental hazard and also filling up landfills if they become very successful. Having worked my previous professional career dealing with such problems, I do not wish to make the problems worse on my watch. To give you a sense of what I speak of...have you ever ridden down a stretch of highway and seen signs in the yards of regular folks that say, "SAY NO TO A REGIONAL LANDFILL !!!" If you have then you are beginning to get the picture...you see we are running out of land that is suitable to bury our trash...and unless you want the next one next door...well we need to be aware of this problem.

       Next, it is more expensive...more expensive for the coffee roaster, and more expensive for the consumer. Now if you are a mega-company then you can mass produce these little gems and sell them to folks at a rate that will make you an even bigger mega-company...but if you are a small time mom and pop operation, well, it is out of the question.  If you are the consumer and you do not give a flip about that, you buy one of these nifty k-cups and pop it into the maker and "brew" up a single cup of coffee at twice the price.

       The quality of taste is not where it needs to be, at least not yet...it is, by all accounts, a weaker brew that does not really meet the standards of a good drip cup.  But again, if all you want is a cup of joe quickly, then the k-cup may be your "cup of tea" indeed.

       Finally, and as you probably can tell by all my previous articles, the k-cup is not about community and comradery...it is about single...single cup, single enjoyment, single everything...and hey, if you like a solitary existence...then the k-cup might be for you! :o)

       By now you are probably saying that I have stretched this about as far as I can...but my point simply stated is...the K-Cup is fine for certain folk and the brewed pot is fine for others.  It just is a fact that you cannot serve a community very well one shot at a time...but to each his own...maybe some day The Alpaca Bean Coffee Company will be so big and so expansive that it will also promote the K-Cup...but I must say it will be The Alpaca Bean Coffee Company of another generation...and it will not be led by someone that had to fight the battles of waste disposal, litter, and pollution.  Maybe when the k-cup is recyclable and its byproducts are useful to man and womankind...well maybe then this older generation will become k-cup fans...you never know...

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Pros and Cons of the K-Cup

The pros

It is easy to make. All you have to do is add some water to the reservoir if needed - because the machine can hold more then just one cup -, insert a K-cup (that has the coffee inside) in a slot, put a cup on the plate of the machine and push a button.

It is a fast brewing

. After the above steps, the coffee brews right in the cup, in under a minute. No more waiting. In a hurry, just pop a lid on the cup and hop in the car.

 

It only makes one cup

. If that's all you need to drink, then that's all it makes. No more left over coffee that gets wasted. If you need another cup, then you have to start it all over.   

... and the cons

'Til next time...and yes...I am biased...can you tell?? :o)