The Baratza Virtuoso Preciso costs $300 and is rated at a 0 for quality, a 5 for usability, a 1 for cost versus value, a 7 for aesthetics, and a 1 overall.

Most people praise the Baratza Virtuoso Preciso for being a great product and a reliable coffee grinder. Yes, this grinder is heavy duty with a good design. It will grind coffee with precision, and when it works correctly, it is a good machine to have on hand.

Unfortunately, the Baratza Virtuoso Preciso fails to live up to standards. The grinder became defective after only three months, where it was then replaced by the manufacturer with a new grinder that became defective within six months after being replaced.

According to the manufacturer, this grinder has a 5% failure rate because of cracks in the adjustment ring and issues in the gearbox. Based on the manufacturer’s warranty, they will deliver a replacement grinder to your door free of charge and will pay to return the failed equipment back to the manufacturer.

Still, if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of replacing a fairly expensive grinder several times in the life of the machine, it may be worth your while to consider another brand of grinder instead.

See original post: Baratza Virtuoso Preciso, Robert Fitts

Baratza Virtuoso Preciso Grinder Review is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

If you own a Keurig brewing system, then you are quite familiar with the use of K Cups to brew a convenient, quick cup of Joe. Some disadvantages to the use of this brewing system are that the K Cups are both expensive and wasteful. You can find more information at:  Pros and Cons of the K Cup.

But all of these K Cup issues can be fixed with the use of one simple product:  Ekobrew Reusable Kcup Filter.

This reusable filter has a much larger capacity than other reusable filters. While other filters may have just one or two water injection points, the Ekobrew functions with a special cone that will completely saturate and better extract each cup of coffee.

When it comes to the quality of coffee that you are brewing, you can now brew with your own fresh roasted coffee at home! You also won’t have to worry about waste because of constantly throwing out used plastic K Cups. You will be able to reuse your K Cup filter again and again.

As you may have gathered, when it comes to cost this reusable method will save you serious money. You can buy any coffee you would like instead of purchasing expensive K Cups that are premade. Buy coffee online or from the roaster that you prefer.

Last but not least, you will now have control over how strong you brew your coffee. The reusable filter is much deeper than other reusable K Cups, so you can make your coffee stronger to your liking.

See original post: The Reuseable K Cup Filter :: How To Reuse K Cups

Tips to Reuse K Cups is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

If you find yourself mindlessly chugging coffee and then tossing and turning all night long, keep in mind that there’s an app for that.

A new app for the smartphone called Caffeine Zone will help you to determine how much caffeine you are drinking all day long and when you should drink your last cup of Joe so that you can sleep well through the night.

Many people don’t fully understand how caffeine is absorbed by the body and how long it will stay in your system. It’s important to understand how various levels of caffeine will affect you and your ability to function in the day and rest at night.

The researchers who created Caffeine Zone analyzed numerous studies to find that most people are optimally alert with anywhere from 200 to 400 mg of caffeine in their system. But to sleep well, you must have less than 100 mg of caffeine in your blood.

The free app for the iPhone will prompt you to type in how much caffeine you have consumed and how fast you drank the caffeinated beverage. The app will then create a graph of the caffeine in your system, showing you whether or not you have hit your desired “caffeine zone”. The graph will also depict what level you need to reach before bedtime in order to sleep well.

Regulate Your Coffee Drinking with the Caffeine Zone App is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

If you are a fan of iced coffee, check out four reviews for the new cold-brewed coffees from Wolfgang Puck. Wolfgang Puck already offers several types of coffee, including ground coffee beans, K Cups for single serve coffee, and cold brewed coffee served in glass bottles.

The four flavors of cold coffee in glass bottles include:

• Organic Vanilla Fusion: This drink is a blend of organic milk, espresso, and Tahitian vanilla. A single bottle is 120 calories. The coffee has a strong aroma of vanilla with heavy flavors of coffee and cream and a hint of sea salt. The drink itself is very sweet with a noticeable vanilla flavor that overpowers the taste of coffee.
• Organic Café au Lait: This basic coffee drink has 120 calories and is made with espresso and low-fat milk. The beverage is creamy, bold, and sweet with a rich texture and a slight hint of bitterness.
• Organic Crème Caramel Coffee: This cold coffee is blended with organic milk, espresso, vanilla, and natural caramel flavoring and weighs in at 120 calories per bottle. This beverage is stronger than the Vanilla Fusion drink with subtle coffee undertones.
• Organic Double Blend Mocha: This coffee drink is made with espresso, low-fat milk, sea salt, and organic Dutch processed cocoa powder and has 120 calories per bottle. The beverage is overall strong and balanced between the chocolate milk and espresso flavors.

See original post: Wolfgang Puck Iced Coffee Reviews

Wolfgang Puck Iced Coffee Review is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

Starbucks has recently introduced their new lighter blonde roast for new and old customers who prefer a lighter taste in their brew. Now Starbucks has teamed up with the French Press manufacturer Bodum to customize a Blonde Travel Press that will brew 4 cups of French Press coffee on the go.

Bodum has already manufactured a regular Travel French Press, but this product now holds the Starbucks trademark emblem. The Travel Press serves as both an on-the-go coffee press and travel mug that is accented with white and yellow to promote the new blonde roast created by Starbucks.

To use the Travel Press, all you have to do is pour coarse coffee grounds into the mug, add hot water, and steep for 4 minutes. Once the coffee is done steeping, you will press down the built-in plunger to enjoy a fresh cup of French Press coffee in your mug in under 5 minutes.

The Travel Press is 16 ounces and is insulated in a double wall mug to keep the coffee hot for a longer period of time. The mug also features a non-slip silicone grip that will prevent your hands from getting too hot as you sip on your coffee in the morning. The mug also features a spill-resistant lid, making it an ideal choice to take with you when commuting to and from work.

Starbucks Introduces the Customized Blonde Roast Travel Press is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

A new coffee product is on the market – namely, a coffee inhaler called AeroShot, now available in France, New York, Massachusetts, and online.

The small coffee inhaler comes in a container that looks like a lipstick tube. The inhaler costs $2.99 and contains 100 mg of caffeine powder. As you may have guessed, the airborne caffeine particles will coat your mouth and throat, where they will then be swallowed and absorbed into your system. The particles quickly dissolve and are large enough so that they do not risk reaching the lungs.

The AeroShot was designed by a biomedical engineering professor named David Edwards. Edwards confirms that the product is safe, but an FDA review has been called by the senator of New York, Charles Schumer. However, Edwards argues that any claims that inhaling caffeine could be harmful are related to hysteria due to the introduction of a new product to the market.

Many critics of the AeroShot believe that it will be used as a common drug by partiers. Instead of drinking 10 cups of coffee, you can inhale the same amount of caffeine using the inhaler in a much shorter amount of time.

A safe intake of the product is three inhalers worth of caffeine, which is 300 mg – equivalent to 3 cups of coffee.

See original post: AreoShot Coffee Inhalers

AeroShot Coffee Inhalers: The Better Way to Enjoy Your Brew? is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

Beyond the obvious of Starbucks and other commercial coffee chains, do you have an independent coffee shop in your area that you are absolutely devoted to? A hidden gem providing coffee delights in your city? If so, you may want to enter your favorite little café into the Krups Best Brew Awards 2012.

This is an award designed by Krups to honor the best of the best in coffee shops in:

• New York City
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• Chicago
• Boston
• Philadelphia
• Dallas
• San Francisco
• Atlanta
• Washington DC

If you want to vote and put in your two cents, all you have to do is go directly to the KRUPS USA Facebook page. Of course, voting is only limited to coffee shops already on the list from the awards from last year, but you can still provide a positive review of your favorite independent coffee shop if it isn’t on the official Krups list.

Voting goes until February 24, 2012, so it’s time to start spreading the word if you are hoping to promote a coffee shop that you love. Krups is also looking for the best baristas to sit on the Krups Coffee Council, where they are given the honor of entry to year-round regional events and promotions, new product demonstrations, media opportunities, and much more.

See original post: KRUPS Looking for Best Coffee Shops and Baristas in the US

Krups Is On the Lookout for the Best Baristas and Coffee Shops in the US is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

For years, coffee has had a bad reputation when it comes to the health of the heart. But the good news for coffee drinkers out there is that it doesn’t pose any risk to your heart when consumed in moderation.

Some studies have theorized that coffee drinking could affect the health of the heart, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Even in people who don’t drink coffee regularly, drinking two caffeinated cups of coffee will increase blood pressure only temporarily. This side effect is minimal and usually does not occur among people who drink coffee habitually.

Coffee can temporarily increase your heart rate, but it has not been associated with abnormal heart rhythms.

Drinking unfiltered coffee, like French Press coffee, has been rumored to contain oils that will increase levels of bad cholesterol – but these chemicals are removed when brewing filtered coffee. So, the majority of coffee that is consumed doesn’t have any effect on cholesterol whatsoever.

Even amongst studies that show that coffee could contribute to arterial stiffness, other research disproves these findings by showing that drinking two cups of coffee a day can actually help stiff arteries to relax.

If you want to know the truth about how coffee affects your heart, it’s time to dispel rumors once and for all. Coffee has not been proven to cause high blood pressure. Even if you have high blood pressure, you can still continue to enjoy your favorite brew every day. Just don’t overdo it…

Coffee Isn’t Bad for the Ticker: What a Relief! is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

A coffee machine vendor from South Florida was recently sentenced to a year in federal prison for business fraud through his national coffee vending machine company.

James Cummings pled guilty to conspiracy through mail fraud and was sentenced to pay back $137,679 in restitution. Cummings was able to receive a reduced sentence because he testified against colleague and fellow conspirator Manuel Rodriguez, who was thought to be the ringleader of the scheme.

Cummings works as a salesman for three different coffee vending companies out of Florida. The companies were:

• M & D Gourmet Coffee Inc.
• Coffee Heaven LLC
• Divino Trio Coffee & Vending Company

The crime? Cummings and Rodriguez were accused of misleading customers about how much money they could make from buying coffee vending machines and setting them up in high-traffic locations. Victims of the scheme believed that they lost anywhere from $15,000-$192,000 since the machines were actually placed in low traffic areas or were never delivered at all.

The companies listed above offered franchising for individuals willing to invest in the “18+ billion dollar specialty coffee business” – with no experience related to coffee necessary. The franchises claimed to offer advanced automatic specialty coffee machines, the best coffee products available in the world, and sales to the largest worldwide buying market.

Coffee Machine Vendor Sentenced for Fraud is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee

The Francis! Francis! espresso machine costs $500 and is rated at a 3 for quality, a 7 for usability, a 3 for cost versus value, an 8 for aesthetics, and a 3 overall. This espresso machine makes great coffee and is fairly user-friendly, but it is overall unreliable so that it is not worth the trouble.

The advantage of the machine is that it is a beautiful product that is easy to use. It also has a drawer to catch drips from brewing that is easy to remove and quickly clean. The water for the steam also heats up fairly quickly. The machine can make a great cup of espresso when using Illy espresso pods.

However, the big drawback to the Francis! Francis! espresso machine is reliability. A machine that is this expensive should not have that many repair issues in such a short amount of time. Some of the repair issues included a thermometer that broke after six months, water leaking from the filter, and a pump malfunction that wouldn’t produce coffee, probably related to a broken seal.

This model is highly unreliable, even after being repaired several times. Specifically, the X1 model can easily overheat because the heater will run, even when the interior reservoir is not completely full.

See original post: Francis! Francis! X1, Josh Alwitt

Francis! Francis! Espresso Machine Review is a post from: Chuggin McCoffee