Bunn My Cafe Home Pod Brewer Unboxing

Here's a quick slideshow of the unboxing of the Bunn My Cafe Home Pod Brewer. We'll provide more details about the operation of this brewer in our next post.

Top 25 Selling Coffee Pods for 2010

Here's a list of our top 25 selling coffee pods for the year 2010.  Which of your favorites are on this list?

1. Fratello French Saigon Dark
2. Fratello Dixie Voodoo
3. The Coffee Artisan Dark Side
4. Fratello Brazil Sete Cachoeiras Estate
5. Fratello Dixie Voodoo Natural Decaf
6. The Coffee Artisan Papua New Guinea
7. The Coffee Artisan Artisan Blend
8. The Coffee Artisan Organic Mexican Altura Decaf
9. Cafejo Espresso Italiano
10. Fratello Sumatra Organic Fair Trade
11. Cafejo French Roast
12. Fratello House French Dark
13. Fratello Kahlua & Cream
14. The Coffee Artisan 100% Hawaiian Kona Extra Fancy
15. Fratello Colombian Natural Decaf
16. Fratello Ethiopian Idido Misty Valley
17. Fratello Costa Rican Tarrazu Rio Jorco + Palmares
18. Fratello Colombian Tolima + Huila Pitalito
19. Fratello Brazil Daterra Sweet Blue
20. The Coffee Artisan 100% Jamaican Blue Mountain
21. Cafejo Adrenaline Explosion
22. Fratello Marachesh Blend
23. Fratello Gunsmoke
24. Fratello Hawaiian Hazelnut
25. Cafejo Espresso Italiano GOLD

Coffee Certification Programs

There is a lot to know and learn about how your coffee is grown, bought and sold before it ever reaches your coffee maker.  Many different ceritification programs exist that attempt to insure your coffee is grown responsibly or organically, that farmers are paid a fair price or that your coffee can be traced transparently from farm to your cup.  Here are some facts and information about the most common programs out there.  By knowing what these programs offer, you can make a more educated decision when it comes to your coffee consumption.


Direct Trade
Direct trade is a relatively new term used by coffee roasters who source their green coffee through a direct relationship with the coffee farmer. This approach cuts out any middlemen and usually results in the highest possible wage being paid to the farmer while giving the roaster the most control over the specific lot or part of the estate on which the coffee is grown.

Direct trade is also what you could call 'relationship' coffee because of the mutually beneficial relationships forged between grower and roaster. Many of the roasters and famers strive to insure things like education, healthcare and other programs are provided for the families that work on the farm.

While Direct Trade coffee isn't an 'official' certification program like Fair Trade, it typically means the farmers are getting paid the highest price for their crop.

Some of our Direct Trade coffees: Fratello Nicaraguan Los Placeres, Fratello Costa Rican Rio Jorco, Fratello Guatemala Montecristo


Fair Trade
Fair Trade is an internationally recognized program that helps coffee farmers to gain direct access to international markets, as well as to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace. By participating in this program, Fair Trade farmers are able to receive a fair price for their coffee.

Typically, most small family coffee growers live in remote locations, and depend on middlemen to purchase their coffee. These middlemen usually pay the grower a low price that makes it hard for the grower to thrive, let alone survive. Fair Trade guarantees farmers a set minimum price for their coffee and connects local coffee cooperatives directly with importers.

The hope is to create conditions for long-term sustainability. Through the Fair Trade program, farmers earn a better income and can then invest in their land, education, healthcare and faming techniques which will increase the quality of their harvest.

All purchases must be at or above the Fair Trade Minimum Price as set by FLO (price varies by coffee type and origin). If the ICE futures market price is higher than the Fair Trade Minimum Price, buyers shall pay the ICE market price plus a relevant origin premium, a social premium of USD $0.10 per pound and, when applicable, a minimum Organic Differential of USD $0.20 per pound.

Many Fair Trade coffees also carry an organic certification.

Pounds Certified in 2009: 183 Million

Some of our Fair Trade coffees: Baronet Fair Trade Organic French Roast, Baronet Fair Trade Organic Small Village Blend, Reunion Island *EXTRA BOLD* FTO Privateer Dark, Reunion Island Colombia FTO

Rainforest Alliance
More than 25 million people in the tropics depend on coffee, a crop that is the economic backbone of many countries and the world's second most traded commodity after oil. Coffee is farmed on about 12 million hectares (30 million acres) worldwide, an area larger than Portugal and nearly the size of England. Most of the farms are in areas regarded as high priorities for conservation.

In 1993, the Rainforest Alliance and its partner groups in the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) demonstrated that traditional, forested coffee farms are havens for wildlife. Now, coffee lovers everywhere can support farmers who maintain these rainforest refuges simply by buying beans stamped with the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal of approval.

Rainforest Alliance certification helps farmers bear the erratic swings in the global market by giving them the keys to improved farm management, negotiating leverage and access to premium markets. By implementing the SAN sustainable farm-management system, farmers can control costs, gain efficiencies and improve crop quality.

Certification is one way to guarantee that coffee farms maintain wildlife habitat and other environmental benefits, while protecting the livelihoods of coffee farmers.

Pounds Certified in 2009: 370 million

Some of our Rainforest Alliance coffees:Fratello Panama Diamond Mountain Esmeralda, Fratello Guatemala Montecristo, Reunion Island *EXTRA BOLD* Organic Holiday Blend

Organic
The goal of Organic certification programs is to create a verified sustainable agriculture system that produces food in harmony with nature, supports biodiversity and enhances soil health. This is accomplished through the implementation of Organic Farming and processing practices.

Organic coffee is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture.  Third-party certification organizations verify that organic farmers abide by the law.

In order for coffee to be certified and sold as organic in the United States, it must be produced in accordance with U.S. standards for organic production and certified by an agency accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. requirements for organic coffee production include farming without synthetic pesticides or other prohibited substances for three years and a sustainable crop rotation plan to prevent erosion, the depletion of soil nutrients, and control for pests.

Average price differentials of USD $0.255¢ (+/-) per pound are paid to producers.

Pounds Certified in 2009: 93.7 million

Some of our Organic coffees: Fratello Sumatra Aceh Organic, Fratello Organic Dixie Voodoo, The Coffee Artisan Organic Mexican Altura Decaf

UTZ CERTIFIED
UTZ CERTIFIED is responsible for creating an open and transparent marketplace for agricultural products. In just over five years UTZ CERTIFIED has grown to be one of the leading coffee certification programs worldwide, and is now expanding to become a multi-commodity program. UTZ CERTIFIED's vision is to achieve sustainable agricultural supply chains, that meet the growing needs and expectations of farmers, the food industry and consumers alike.

With its in-depth Code of Conduct, the program gives independent assurance of sustainable production and sourcing and offers online real-time traceability of agricultural products back to their origin. Worldwide, the concept of coffee quality among consumers is growing. Taste is important, but there is also growing interest in the conditions in which the coffee was made. Food legislation in Europe, America and Japan is also moving in the direction of transparency of origin and traceability of the final product.

The UTZ CERTIFIED program provides the assurance of responsible coffee production and sourcing that coffee drinkers expect. It answers two crucial questions for the global coffee chain:

-Where does the coffee come from?
-How was it produced?

Pounds Certified in 2009: 800 million certified. 180 million purchased as Utz Certified

Sources: SCAA Sustainability Council (2010), UTZ CERTIFIED, Rainforest Alliance, TransFair USA

Why Pods?

Pod vs. K-Cup vs. T-Disc - The Great Debate

I'm sure you've thought about it a little if not a lot.  Whether you are looking to buy your first single-serve coffee machine or are already an established user looking at the myriad options out there it is getting harder to make the right choice.  While it is hard to go wrong with any of the formats out there, I'd like to explain why I think that coffee pods are the right choice for most people as compared to K-Cups or T-Discs.

Cost
Cost is certainly a big factor in most people's buying decision.  You want to spend as little as possible for a machine that has all of the features you want.  You also want that machine to be reliable, to be reasonably quiet and to produce a great cup of coffee.  On the cost side, all 3 of the major single-serve formats allow you to enter the game for a purchase price around $100.  You can spend a lot more and a little less, but for most the $100 price point is a happy spot.  At this price point you see the new Bunn My Cafe MC in the pod brewer area, the Keurig B40 for K-Cups and the Tassimo T20 Home Brewer (after $30 rebate).



Coffee Pod



The other side of cost is the coffee itself.  Many people focus on the cost of the brewer and not on the cost of the coffee they will be drinking over the life of the brewer.  With a typical box of 18 coffee pods selling on line for $6.99 that equates to about $0.39 per cup.  K-Cups are a bit more costly with the typical 24-count box selling for $11.99 or $0.50 per cup.  T-Discs come in at $8.99 for 16 or $0.56 per cup and higher.  If you drink 2 cups a day for a year your coffee cost looks like this:

Pods: 365 x 2 x 0.39 = $284.70

K-Cups: 365 x 2 x $0.50 = $365.00

T-Discs: 365 x 2 x $0.56 = $408.80

With coffee pods, you've essentially paid for your machine in a year.  Drink more than 2 cups a day and the savings are even more dramatic.

Reliability, Features & Ease of Use



T-Disc



Relibility is certainly important to everyone.  You want a machine that will last and brew your coffee without problems.  When you get up at 5:30 am and want a hot cuppa, you don't need a machine that will cause problems.  You also want it to be easy to use and have the ability to choose cup size and brew strength, etc.  Keurig lets you select cup size and is easy to use.  Selecting cup size essentially dictates brew strength, but you can also buy Extra Bold K-Cups which contain more coffee.  Pod machines like the Bunn My Cafe are easy to use, let you select your strength by choosing normal or "pulse" brew operation and the abillity to select your cup size based on how much water you add.  Tassimo produces coffee based on a program which is determined by a barcode on the T-Disc.  This produces a very consistent cup but does not allow you to customize it to your own tastes.



K-Cup



Reliability has been a problem of late with the Keurig line.  Pod brewers have historically been quite reliable as have the Tassimo machines.  Warranties vary by brand but most are from 1 to 3 years.



Variety

Variety is a bit dependent on what you are looking for.  By sheer volume, coffee pods have the most variety of coffee and tea since the pod is an open format that any roaster can freely enter.  Literally hundreds of coffee and tea pods are available (mostly on line) and are made from some of the best single origin and micro-lots available.  If you've only ever tried the Senseo branded coffee pods, you're really unaware of what is out there.  Keurig also has a good variety of coffee and tea products and has now also introduced drinks like hot cider and hot chocolate.  Most would agree that using your pod brewer or Keurig as a hot water dispenser for a packet of hot chocolate or cider is both cheaper and better tasting.  The Tassimo has the least variety of total products, but the most variety in terms of the drinks it can produce.  From espresso to coffee, lattes & macchiatos, the Tassimo can give you Milk-based beverages using Milk T-Discs.  The downside here is that the shelf-stable milk products don't deliver that fresh milk taste most people are accustomed to.

Quality



What really matters is the quality of the beverage in your cup, right?  Here I can unequivocally say that coffee pods deliver the goods.  You can only find exclusive single-origin coffee and micro-lots from the top farms in the pod format.  Both K-Cup and T-Disc coffees, while good, don't give you that "WOW" factor that the best pods can provide.  Want 100% Kona or Jamaican Blue Mountain in a K-Cup or T-Disc - it doesn't exist.  Pod machines and K-Cup machines do give you some options to brew your own favorite coffee.  Pod machines like the Bunn allow you to easily brew home made pods and the Keurig platform has devices like the Solofill Cup to let you brew any ground coffee.  The Tassimo has no such devices so you are stuck with their choices.

Availability



Keurig is the hands-down winner in terms of the ability to find coffee in traditional brick & mortar retail stores and supermarkets.  You won't find all of the varieties that exist and you'll also pay a premium for their 12 and 18 count packages, but in a pinch you can run to the store and easily find K-Cups.  On line, you can buy K-Cups from any Keurig Authorized Dealer and find all of the varieties.  Pods, on the other hand are much harder to find in stores and usually it is only the Senseo brand.  On line, many retailers including http://www.thecoffeeartisan.com/ offer a great variety of individually wrapped pods.  A few T-Disc products can be found in stores, but the rest can be found on  line.

Environment



A lot of attention has been paid lately to the environmental impact of single-serve coffee.  You can say on the plus side, that it reduces water use and wasted coffee that would otherwise be thrown away.  On the down side, people look at all of the wate associated with the individual plastic K-Cups and T-Discs that end up in our landfills.  Did you know that Keurig estimates that 5 BILLION K-Cups will make their way into landfills in 2011?  Only the pod format can say that their product is fully compostable and biodegradable.  While the pod wrapper is not yet recyclable, the pod itself can be composted and later used as fertilizer in your garden.  K-Cups and T-Discs must be thrown away and landfilled.

The Bottom Line



While you will need to reach your own decisions, I believe the right choice for most people is to select a quality pod brewer like the new Bunn My Cafe MC and using the highest quality coffee pods from roasters like Fratello and The Coffee Artisan.  Your up-front and long-term cost of ownership will be the lowest, your cup quality will be the highest, the number of available coffees that can be shipped to your doorstep are the greatest and you have the least impact on our environment.  Another plus for pods is your ability to support local small businesses.  Many companies like The Coffee Artisan and Fratello Coffee Roasters are extremely small local companies that are dwarfed by a company like Keurig.  These companies are focused on bringing you the best of what coffee can be and not simply trying to reach the masses by offering a lesser quality product to reach the masses.  What's in your cup - artisan roasted single origin specialty coffee or Folgers?



Keurig may be the leader in terms of their advertising budget, but I think a good pod brewer and quality coffee pods really hold the advantage.  You may not even have been aware of the choices out there, but I hope after reading this article you think a little harder about which choice is right for you.

Please share your comments below, we'd love to hear from you.

Chad Elliott



The Coffee Artisan

http://www.thecoffeeartisan.com/