Customer Review: Keurig B66 Model
Wanted the newest... Replaced a B50, which served us well, and will be recycled to a member of the family. This unit has 3 cup sizes... the largest doesn't fill a mug, thus the 4 star rating. It's going to take at least two brewings to fill a travel mug. The unit works just fine, no problems yet. Easy, convenient, and no wasting pots of coffee. The garden can only drink so much coffee... We drink a medium amount of coffee, but these units have opened up a whole new world of taste and flavor. The My K-Cup came with this unit, so this would be a worthwhile extra purchase. It also works just fine.
Over the centuries, people have found different methods to get the most flavors from the coffee bean into their cup:
Drip: Probably the most popular method in the United States, this semi-automatic brewing style produces a smooth flavor that is clear of sediment. Some people use a gold mesh filter to allow more of the aromatic oils to pass through. Many people notice an improvement in aroma and taste when they use fresh, filtered or spring water (not distilled) rather than tap water. Two tablespoons of coarsely ground coffee per six ounces of water is a frequently recommended ratio. Drip machines are manufactured with options ranging from manual operation to an on-board automatic grinder and timer that lets you literally "wake up and smell the coffee". All drip machines operate by distributing nearly boiling water over the grounds, to drip down into a carafe or thermos below. Placing the coffee in a thermos can preserve most of the aromatics for up to a few hours. Some machines don't distribute the water at the recommended range of 195 to 205 F; this can affect the aroma and flavor dramatically.
Vacuum Pot: This elegant brewing technique appears to have originated in France or Germany in the 1830's. The basic design is two glass chambers connected via a "sealed" siphon tube. Heating the water in the bottom chamber, filled to full, forces the water into the top chamber, where it infuses the grounds for 4-5 minutes (use 2 tablespoons of a medium-fine grind per cup of water-too fine will clog the filter). When enough water in the bottom chamber has been pushed up into the upper chamber that the bottom of the siphon tube is exposed, the heated vapor then "gurgles" up through the tube and agitates the coffee brew. Allowing the gurgling to continue more than 1-2 minutes produces a stronger brew in the upper chamber, and creates a stronger vacuum in the bottom chamber. Removing the heat then reverses the vapor pressure and pulls the coffee liquid through a filter and back down the siphon tube into the lower chamber again, leaving the extracted coffee grounds nearly dry. Advocates of this style say it provides great observations of basic physics as well as smooth, aromatic and flavorful coffee.
Pot Press, French Press This style produces a bold tasting coffee, as the oils, and some of the sediment, is poured into the cup. Because some sediment is in the poured coffee, don't go for the last drop! Use about 2 tablespoons of coarsely ground coffee per cup of water. Too fine a grind can clog the filter and allow too much sediment to seep into the cup. Pour water, just off the boil, over the grounds inside the press and stir gently. Cover with the filter and let steep for 4-5 minutes, then slowly press the filter down to the bottom. The coffee should be either served or poured into a thermos immediately, as the grounds will otherwise continue to steep, so that it doesn't become over-extracted and bitter.
Grover Sheffield. For great freshly roasted Fair-trade and organic coffees, and specialty coffees like Costa Rican, Kona and Jamaica Blue Mountain, I recommend http://www.naturalcoffeeshop.com
Keurig Coffee Filter