It was immediately evident when I popped this k-cup into my Keurig single cup coffee brewer and hit the start button that this was not an ordinary coffee. As the coffee brewed, the aroma was more like that of a sweet pecan pie. I added my customary liquid cream and a dash of sugar and took a sip. It was really quite delicious and not at all what I expected. It has a nice caramel color and flavor is that of a light to medium roasted coffee with a sweet butterscotch flavor. The aroma is quite bold and livens the senses. It had folks at the office asking “what was that coffee!?”

My final conclusion is that this coffee should be considered as a flavored coffee. People who enjoy a vanilla, caramel or pecan flavored coffee will most likely enjoy a cup Timothy’s Kahlua coffee as well. People unfamiliar with Kahlua may be hesitant to give this a try, but if you like a good flavored coffee, it’s worth the chance.

Coffee Creates a Great Social Setting

What can coffee do? Coffee is a powerful social tool–it can be used in business, in building relationships and in other social settings.

One of the reasons I always keep a Keurig both in my office and my home is because I believe that coffee can tear down social barriers. Being able to make a single cup of coffee for whomever I’m getting to know shows that I really want to invest in them. There’s no need for anyone to feel guilty–I’m not making a whole pot of coffee that will get poured down the drain. And, there’s no need for anyone to feel obliged to drink disgusting left-over-from-the-morning coffee that’s left in the carafe. Being able to make coffee that’s specifically for the person who’s going to drink it gives a special sense of hospitality and gives them flexibility in choosing what type of coffee they’d like: bold, subtle, decaf or flavored.

When I have people overnight house guests or dinner guests, it’s so nice to be able to treat each of them to their own individual cup of coffee. Perhaps my affection for Keurig is bordering on obsession–I even have one of the little one-cup Keurigs in my guest room with a basket full of various tea, coffee and hot chocolate K-Cups so my guests can enjoy their own hot drink before bed or as soon as they wake up… without feeling like they’re “bothering” me.

Coffee has become a cultural sign of welcome and pleasant exchanges. Offering coffee to guests, clients and friends sends a very clear message that you’re happy to have them in your life!

This study furthers the expanding body of evidence that coffee and tea protect against heart disease, but no added benefit against a stroke.

In one of the largest and longest studies ever conducted examining the impact of coffee and tea drinking on heart health, more than 37,000 people in the Netherlands were examined over the course of 13 years.

The study found:

• Individuals who drank 2-4 cups of coffee a day had about 20% lower risk of heart disease than those who drank less or no coffee at all.
• Moderate coffee drinkers were associated with a reduction in death from heart disease (however not statistically significant).

The study showed that heavy coffee drinkers, those who drink between one and six cups of coffee per day, did experience “withdrawal-like” symptoms (headache, tiredness) when given a placebo drink instead of coffee, but that when they were given actual coffee with 100mg of caffeine, they did not show any increases in alertness.

The finding then, is that heavy coffee drinkers may be drinking coffee in order to curb the withdrawal effects of consuming such high amounts of caffeine. They could, in theory, receive the same benefits from simply giving up coffee all together.

What do you think? Is coffee a circular process or does it really pick you up even though you drink it every day?

The GE coffee makers are a traditional 12-cupe slow drip machine with a warming plate under the glass carafe. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the GE-branded appliances catch fire. One of the fires reported was sever enough to have damaged countertops, cabinet and wall.

The coffee makers were sold in both black and white at Walmart stores from March 2008 through January 2010.

If you have one of these faulty coffee makers (model numbers 169164 in black and 169165 in white) get rid of it now or risk a nasty kitchen fire. We’d suggest replacing it with a Keurig brewing system, the most popular single-serving brewing system on the market, but that’s entirely up to you.