Keurig B155 Coffee Maker

Due to their ease of use and single-serving nature, Keurig brewers have become popular in homes, office break rooms, customer waiting areas and other places where people want quick, convenient coffee, tea and cocoa that suits their personal flavor and caffeine preferences. The Keurig B155 is intended for homes and small-to-medium offices.

Basic Features of the Keurig B155

The Keurig B155 is a single-serving, automatic home or office coffeemaker with an interactive touch-screen and easy to remove / clean components. It features neutral colors and a fairly modern, clean aesthetic.

Pros to the Keurig B155

Each Keurig B155 coffeemaker comes with clear, easy-to-use instructions and ample product literature.

Marko Goodwin

There are many advantages to selecting a Keurig B155 for home or office use. These include:

• An easy-to-use, full-color, interactive display screen.
• Multiple language settings (English, French and Spanish).
• The ability to brew four different drink sizes.
• A quick brew time of about 30 seconds to one minute.
• An ability to rapidly heat a relatively large water reservoir (about four minutes to fully warm a reservoir filled with cool tap water).
• A quiet brew cycle.
• A comprehensive user guide and product literature that includes flavor guides for extra-bold, dark-roast, medium-roast, light-roast, flavored coffee, decaf coffee, organic/Fair Trade coffee, tea and hot cocoa.
• A range of compatible brands and beverages, including Green mountain Coffee, Dietrich, Gloria Jean's Coffee & Tea, Timothy's, Van Houten, Tully's, Coffee People, Newman's Own (organic), Caribou Coffee, Emeril's Gourmet Coffee, Bellaccino, Celestial Seasonings, Bigelow and Twinings.
• During testing, there was no discernible flavor residue when switching between coffee and tea flavors.

Cons to the Keurig B155

Despite all its good points, there are several potential cons to selecting a Keurig B155 coffee brewing system.

• Keurig brewers require the use of Keurig products, or "K-cups." Although the selection of available K-cups is wide, it may not encompass all your favorite coffees and teas.
• If you insert a new K-cup into the Keurig brewer and leave it for a minute before brewing, the brewer "forgets" that the fresh K-cup has been inserted and will prompt you to add a new one. However, this glitch can be corrected by opening and shutting the K-cup latch again.
• Those interested in greening their coffee habit may find the use of a single-serve package for each cup of coffee to be objectionable.
• Sharp parts and occasional drips of hot liquids may make it inappropriate for use around unsupervised children.
• Some users have complaints that the unit size is too large or bulky.
• Although there are multiple language settings, there is no way to make selections using metric measurements.

Overall Recommendation

I would recommend the Keurig B155 to small offices. It allows for quick, quiet brewing of a wide range of coffees and it has a large enough water reservoir to prevent the "It's your turn to refill it" argument from becoming a major problem.

I would also recommend it to offices with customer or patient waiting areas, such as doctors offices. It's a good way for your customers to enjoy the beverage of their choosing while they wait, and it is intuitive enough that most first-time users can figure it out very quickly.

This item was provided by the manufacturer for testing and then returned to the manufacturer.

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Booze News: May 9, 2012

Fun stuff in the news this week. Beyond all of this, don't forget that the Manhattan Cocktail Classic kicks off Friday.

Try This...

Strawberry-Basil-Gin Lemonade - I am still on a lemonade kick so this recipe on Imbibe last week caught my eye. Definitely worth a taste.

Glenfiddich Tasting on Everest - You can join Glenfiddich tomorrow for a live whisky tasting that will be hosted from Mount Everest - specifically Everest Base Camp at 5364 meters. This worldwide event will also include a panel at The London Stock Exchange and they will be sampling from the Scotch producer's single malt reserves. Check out the link for live streaming locations. The event is supposed to begin May 10 at 7pm BST, which to my calculations makes that 2pm EDT. I wonder how whisky tastes at that altitude...

The Get Drunk Spray - Try it if you want, though I see no point for multiple reasons, least of which is that you're skipping the best part of the drink... the taste. It seems that another 'bright' idea popped up somewhere once again and this time it is a mouth spray that instantly gets you drunk. The feeling lasts for only a few seconds and you will need about 1,000 squirts to equal one real drink. Again, the point?

Read This...

James Beard Foundation Awards - Monday night the best of the best in the food world were announced and below are the highlights from the drink side...

• Best Beverage Book - Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, with Cocktails, Recipes, & Formulas by Brad Thomas Parsons
• Wine, Spirits, and Other Beverages Journalism Award - Sarah Karnasiewicz of Imbibe for "Fizzy Business"
• Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional - Paul Grieco of Terroir in NYC
• Outstanding Wine Program - No. 9 Park in Boston
• Outstanding Bar Program - PDT in NYC

Who the Hell Invented Gin Anyways? -The Accidental Hedonist examines the conflicting histories behind gin's true origins.

Arizona Landmark Whiskey Row Devastated by Fire - A portion of Prescott, Arizona's famous Whiskey Row succumbed to a large fire on Tuesday. This article on AZFamily.com has some amazing photos of the blaze and an update on the establishments that were destroyed.

Top 10 Emerging Whisky Trends - The Drinks Business breaks down the latest swings in the whisky market. On the list are women whisky drinkers, Japanese and Indian whiskies, twice burnt barrels and double distilling Irish whiskey, among others.

The Serious Eats Guide to Mezcal - If mezcal remains a mystery to you, do yourself a favor and read this article by Michael Dietsch (A Dash of Bitters blogger).

Twisted Sister's Mariachi Mash Up - Back in March I mentioned that Hornitos Tequila was pairing up with big hair band Twisted Sister to do a mariachi remake of "We're Not Gonna Take It." The video was released last week and it is a fun minute and a half of your time. Those two ladies in the background? The winner of the contest and her friend who got to party with the band for the taping. Check out the title link for the YouTube video.

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Maya Magic

The Maya Magic cocktail is a tropical twist on the Cosmopolitan. The twist is combination of Van Gogh Pineapple and Vanilla vodkas, two excellent flavored vodkas. Try a Maya Magic for summer parties, a lazy afternoon in the sun or on Cinco de Mayo, it's an explosion of flavor that will kick your tastebuds into high gear.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Van Gogh Pineapple Vodka
• 1 oz Van gogh Vanilla Vodka
• 1/2 oz triple sec
• 1/2 oz cranberry juice
• pineapple slice for garnish

Preparation:

1. Pour ingredients into cocktail shaker, and add crushed ice.
2. Let stand for five seconds, and then shake vigorously for five seconds.
3. Strain into a martini glass.
4. Garnish with a pineapple slice.

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Flat White Recipe

A "flat white" is an espresso drink made with a shot of espresso and two shots of steamed milk. It takes a little bit of skill tom prepare, but once you've mastered it, it's easy to make flat white espresso drinks again and again.

Prep Time: 3?minutes

Cook Time: 5?minutes

Total Time: 8?minutes

Yield: One serving

Ingredients:

• One shot espresso
• Two shots foamed milk

Preparation:

1. Pull one shot espresso.
2. While pulling the shot, froth the milk. As the milk froths, use a spoon to fold the microbubbles from the top of the steaming pitcher to the bottom of the steaming pitcher. This will create a smoother, more velvety texture for your drink.
3. Combine the two ingredients. (Latte art optional.) Your flat white should have about 1/4 inch steamed milk on top.

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Tea Party Menus

Planning a tea party menu for an afternoon tea (also called high tea or low tea) may seem daunting at first, but it's really fairly simple.

Depending on the occasion, your afternoon tea menu can be as sparse as tea and cream scones (a type of afternoon tea menu known as "cream tea") or elaborate enough that it includes multiple types of teas, scones, finger sandwiches and other treats. Either way, these tips for planning your tea party menu are sure to help you find the perfect combination of food and drink for your next afternoon tea.

Tea

With so much of a focus on the foods in afternoon tea, it can be easy to overlook the tea. However, the tea or teas you serve are just as important as the foods, if not more so. I highly recommend selecting from this list of top teas for afternoon tea, as most of them pair very well with a range of foods found on afternoon tea menus. Try to select bold teas for rich or strongly flavored foods or more delicate teas for more subtle foods. Consider including at least one caffeine-free tisane ("herbal tea") or a decaf option, in case some guests are sensitive to caffeine.

Milk, sugar and lemon are optional ingredients that your guests can add to their own tea. Depending on the type or types of tea on your tea party menu, you might want to offer milk, sugar and lemon or only one or two additives. (Although some Americans like to add cream to their tea, this is not traditional in England. Also, adding milk to Earl Grey is not common in England, as the dairy tends to clash with the bergmot flavor in the tea.)

Scones & Scone Toppings

Scones are one of the most popular foods for tea party menus. They can be sweet or savory, and complex or plain. From basic cream scones to savory cheddar herb scones to sweet cinnamon scones, there are scone recipes for any style of tea party. If you're planning a tea party menu for girls, consider serving raspberry scones, which are naturally pink when you mash the raspberries a bit as you stir and knead the dough.

Be sure to pair your scones with appropriate scones toppings and spreads. When in doubt, go with basics like Devonshire cream, clotted cream or lemon curd.

Finger Sandwiches

Finger sandwiches (also known as "tea sandwiches") are often served at full tea, a heavier style of afternoon tea menu. Classic afternoon tea finger sandwiches include egg salad tea sandwiches, cucumber tea sandwiches, smoked salmon finger sandwiches, roast beef finger sandwiches, ham finger sandwiches and chicken salad finger sandwiches. (These types of simple recipes tend to work well for kids' tea parties.)

However, you can venture beyond these more traditional tea sandwiches with other tea sandwich recipes, like watercress tea sandwiches or buttered radish finger sandwiches. Just be sure to keep the intensity of the flavors in your finger sandwiches comparable to the level of flavor in your tea and sweets.

Other Sweets

Other sweets (besides sweet scones) are often served at full tea or light tea. Common types of sweets found on tea party menus include various types of sponge cakes, Madeleines, cupcakes (which are ideal for kids' tea parties) and trifles. Be careful not to have too much overlap in the types of sweets you serve. Ideally, your sweets menu will include a variety of flavors, such as seasonal fruit (or, in the cooler months, preserves), cream, vanilla and/or chocolate.

Other Savories

In addition to finger sandwiches, some tea party menus include other savories, such as savory scones, soups, quiches or lighter savory snacks, like seasoned nuts or cheese and crackers. If you are throwing a themed tea party, careful selection of other savories can help add to your theme.

Other Beverages

For kids' tea party menus, consider serving iced tea, juice or punch. For adult tea parties, you might consider offering champagne or a tea cocktail.

More Tea Party Menu Planning Tips

• Think about color and texture when you plan your tea party menu. Carefully selected colors can relate to a tea party theme, the current season or other concepts, or they can simply be another way to make your tea party menu enjoyable for your guests. Similarly, a variety of textures adds to the enjoyment of the foods you serve.
• Seasonal ingredients can add flavor and color to your tea party menu. Consider using fresh fruit, herbs and edible flowers to enliven your menu. One example of seasonal ingredients as a focus for an afternoon tea menu is strawberry tea, a type of afternoon tea menu that includes fresh strawberries.
• Consider testing each recipe at least once before your tea party. This way, you will know exactly what each food or drink tastes like beforehand and can tweak recipes or change your menu as needed.
• Be sure to have enough food for your entire party. Plan out how much each guest is likely to eat and then make slightly more.
• If you're on a budget, be sure to plan your menu carefully, opting for slightly less expensive options in your recipe selections. For example, raisin scones are far cheaper to make than cherry scones, and egg salad finger sandwiches far less expensive to serve than shrimp salad tea sandwiches.
• If you're short on time, consider buying some items instead of preparing them yourself, and opt for dishes that can be prepared in advance, such as finger sandwiches that won't get soggy or sweets that can be refrigerated until they are ready to be served.
• Read up on how to host a tea party for more tips.

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Ginger Love "Tea" Review

Ginger is a popular ingredient in many foods and drinks. It is commonly used to make ginger tea, which sometimes refers to tea with ginger and sometimes refers to a ginger tisane.

I recently had the opportunity to taste an instant ginger "tea" called Ginger Love. Ginger Love is a caffeine-free, powdered drink that compares favorably to most instant drinks on the market, and is naturally refreshing thanks to its core ingredients of ginger and citrus.

Have you tried Ginger Love? Share your thoughts on it with other About.com readers in the comments below!

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Spring Fling: Ginger Tea

Continuing with the spring fling drinks, I think it is time to revive an "older" drink that fits the bill perfectly and is an excellent example of bridging the gap between winter and summer. The cocktail of the day, then, is the Hennessy Ginger Tea.

Photo c Hennessy

It has been three years now since I was first introduced to this but it remains a favorite because of how it marries cognac with herbs. The main ingredients of the drink are Hennessey VSOP, chilled green tea, and fresh mint and ginger. The result is one of the most refreshing brandy drinks you will find, complete with snappy flavors that enliven the taste buds. It is simple, yes, and those drinks are some of our favorites.

Hennessy Ginger Tea recipe...

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