I have been using the Keurig machine lately. Do you know what a Keurig machine is? I didn't until this last Christmas. Our son got us a Keurig machine to make fresh coffee a cup at a time. He did it because my husband usually makes a cup of coffee at a time by putting a teaspoon of Folgers instant into a mug and using our hot water heater faucet to fill the cup. Voila! a cup of coffee instantly. Well, my son has his own Keurig and he doesn't think our way of ;making coffee is very tasty. Indeed, when we are visiting his home, I must admit that that coffee tastes pretty darn good in the morning. So, now we can have this instant delight. Granted the little individual cups (called K-cups) of coffee needed in this machine are a bit expensive -- about 50 to 70 cents per cup. Still some people spend $4 or $5 a cup when they go to Starbucks for a fancy latte.
There is something about this machine that goes against my current feelings about making a smaller carbon footprint. To package the coffee powder to make a single cup of coffee seems excessive and I question whether this machine is very efficient in heating the water and in its power usage. But when I consider that I often made a whole pot of coffee by the French press method and then it sat there and went to waste because neither my husband or I could drink the whole pot, maybe this is not so bad. I do know that the coffee really tastes good.
