My opinion on K-Cups

I started by writing my text objectively by describing the technology of K-Cups, the advantages, disadvantages and its impact on the industry.

Then, I ended with a reflection on what will happen when a big player like Kraft or Procter and Gamble breaks the monopoly of Green Mountain Coffee Roaster ( by the way Van Houtte was bought for $920 million by Green Mountain, so Van Houtte, it's them ). I was almost done when I got sick of myself and deleted the text.

K-Cups technology is the worst crap I have seen in the coffee industry! The only advantage I see is speed. You put the cup in and click, press the button. Wow! Are we in such a hurry?

I don't want to sound like a guilty environmentalist, but...

On the environmental side of k-cups, there is no one who will convince me that this way of doing things is clean. I don't consider myself an environmentalist who makes everyone feel guilty, but in this case, it's quite blatant. We have to throw away the cups! No recycling possible, no composting possible. An office of 20 people who drink coffee in K-cups because no one agrees on the dishes will throw away a big bag every week (Everyone washes their cup, everyone pays for their K-Cups… No quibble…)

In Gaspésie, like everywhere else anyway, waste management is a taboo subject. However, source reduction is an inexpensive and very effective solution to reduce the volume of waste. It's small gestures that make the difference. And hop! The K-Cup in the trash...

Questionable freshness

In addition, K-Cup ads bombard our ears with the notion of “ fresh coffee ”. My ears ring every time. They're right, it's fresh brewed. If I flush the toilet, I can say without misrepresentation that the water in my toilet is freshly flushed. But what about the content? The coffee may be 8 months old, dried 4 weeks before being packaged and stored, and finally end up in your hands. We cannot talk about the freshness of the coffee. Freshly brewed old coffee would be more accurate. It is impossible to pack freshly roasted coffee in k-cups. The gas emitted would cause the film to explode. This coffee is far from fresh!

A ridiculously high price per kg

I add more with the price per cup. People travel miles to shop in big box stores and chase the savings. Wal-Mart, Maxi, Super C, etc. But when it comes to discussing K-Cup, we seem to lose basic math. For $12-13 you can buy around 18 k-cups. $0.72 per cup. Given that there is 10g per k-cup, the coffee comes to $72/kg. For $72 per kg you can drink great wines from the best terroirs on the planet!!!! For your information, the coffee stock market broke another record last week, at US$3.00/lbs. So $6.60/kg. We agree that they have found a way to sell their coffee for more than 10 times the price and to attach consumers to their thing (you would think it was the printer business). In addition to selling the coffee makers very expensive ($150). A great strategy that benefits the patent holder.

And speaking of consumer attachment, forget about coffee selection. You have to buy the k-cups. Well yes, for around $13 you can buy reusable filters. Have you tried it? We quickly forget it in the cupboard because it doesn't work so well. You have to use very fine grinding and dose it at 7-8 g so that it doesn't overflow. Additionally, the water flow is calibrated based on the original k-cup which contains a paper filter. With the reusable, the water passes too quickly and you end up with a mega-deposit at the bottom of the cup. By doing this, in addition to being bad, you lose the only advantage of the Keurig (time, speed of preparation and cleanliness). “Yes, but there is a large selection. » Perhaps, but we remain attached to the cup at $0.72.

The conclusion

In short, I'm getting a little carried away and I wouldn't want to preach and pillory all K-cup drinkers. I understand and see the only advantage of this system: speed and simplicity. I can only be saddened by this and question myself about the decision-making criteria of the consumers that we are. Have we become so lazy? Is our time so limited? When will the epipen style k-cup come?

The k-cup will perhaps allow the emergence of a select, united and fraternal club, possessing a secret hand sign, which will have the gift of stopping time to prepare an old-fashioned coffee and enjoy it . In the darkness of a garage, to the sound of a purring roaster, the members of the club will prepare a small quantity of this precious beverage. A kettle, a scale, a piston. Water, coffee. Nothing complicated, no technology. And the members’ grandchildren, once they reach the age of initiation, will say: “Wow, is that what coffee tastes like?” ". Yes, my child, in my time, we could drink it every day... Until multinationals took control of the marketing and purchasing of green coffee and the last roasters closed their doors...

On a less dramatic note, here's what I suggest

Get a Kalita , Chemex , or even a V60 . Don't forget your filters, a good kettle, a scale and a manual grinder (take the time to make a good coffee, deserve it, so that you can fully appreciate it). Choose one of our good coffees from the Prestige range and that’s it! You will be ready for a real tasting experience.

Do as the old saying goes, “All good things come to those who are patient.” »

2023 update

Expert on the subject James Hoffmann supports us on the fact that K-Cups and Pods are real garbage. And the myth behind them being more eco-friendly than filter coffee is absolutely ridiculous.

Coffee Pods Are Good For The Planet Now?! https://youtu.be/i8B8wDsORz4

- Dany