Coffee, Again

Maybe I am too old and I miss the point, but there seems to be something wrong in the world of personal coffee brewing. It’s not that I think I am an authority on coffee; I know what I like but I know that preferences are personal. What I don’t understand is why people are embracing top-dollar single cup coffee makers.

The most common reason for their use and popularity is convenience. Yet, the amount of additional waste created for the sake of spending less time making a cup of coffee seems to be extreme. I’m not a “tree hugger” but I have accepted responsibility for the waste I produce for the convenience of not making my own soup from scratch or food for my cat. I don’t keep a goat or cow out back so I can have milk without using having to buy plastic bottled products. Seems to me that there’s a range of convenience; some things are practical and others come closer to being a matter of disregard for reality. That the big name Keurig can be fitted with a reusable device thus eliminating the need for disposable containers makes more sense.

I hadn’t paid any attention before and was stunned when I saw the cost of the little prefilled coffee things for the Keurig; almost $10 for 4.2 ounces of coffee? Fifty dollars a pound for coffee? Does the desire for variety of choice justify paying that much for convenience? I bet it’d be much cheaper to buy some imitation hazelnut flavoring or ground cinnamon in the spice section of a grocery store.
Makes no sense for me to promote that idea that there are much less expensive single cup coffee makers; $12 versus $100. As with everything, it’s about personal preference and choice. I drove English sports cars (’66 and ’67 MGB) in a past life and there weren’t too many less practical vehicles in the cold and wet than cars with Lucas electrics.

The bottom line, as we tend to say now, is that it makes no sense to add additional plastic to our waste. My Kitchen Selective single cup coffee maker with a reusable filter makes coffee equal to the single cup French press I formerly used. Water is heated to 190 degrees. I can use as much or as little coffee of any variety. I can add flavorings if I wish. And the coffee, roasted locally, costs me $10 a pound.