If you’ve got a Keurig® K-Cup® or Vue® brewer, there are lots of options for trying something new to “Renew Your Brew.” Things like flavored coffees – Limited Edition Island Coconut comes to mind – and Brew Over Ice flavors like lemonade, iced coffee, and iced tea. (You did know that every Keurig® brewer can make iced beverages, right?)

The point is, single-serve packs are a really convenient way to enjoy a great cup of coffee any time of day. But being able to use your brewer to make iced coffee, iced tea, lemonade and other fruit drinks is a little like discovering that your washing machine can also fold and do ironing. Sigh…if only.

So in case you need a little more motivation, here are 10 Ways to Renew Your Brew that you may see floating around as you travel through cyberspace in the next few weeks. And if you do try something new – beverage related or not – please leave a comment; we’d love to hear about it.

10 Ways to Renew Your Brew

1. Start chillin’ with your Keurig® brewer. Enjoy iced coffee, iced tea, and more.

2. Raise a mug to Mom. Order a special Mother’s Day Brewer Bundle to make her morning easy.

3. Think outside the bean. Try Brew Over Ice lemonade by Green Mountain Naturals® and other fruit brews.

4. Stockpile your favorite flavors with 15% off storewide, now through May 7. Just use keycode RENEWBREW at check-out.

5. Give a gift of good taste to someone special (see #4 regarding storewide sale).

6. Take a sip to paradise with Green Mountain Coffee® Island Coconut® seasonal coffee.

7. Get a special delivery. Café Express® members enjoy regular automatic delivery of their favorite items AND save 15% on every order.

8. Get a newer brewer. Check out the Keurig® Vue® V500.

9. Make time for tea with Bigelow and Celestial Seasonings K-Cup® and Vue® packs.

10. Try something new to you. Fair Trade Certified™ selections, Tully’s Hawaiian Blend, and more!

You know where to find all these great options, but here’s a shortcut to get you started: www.GreenMountainCoffee.com

 

Do you have what it takes to answer all of our icy trivia? Visit our Twitter page to test your knowledge on our first Brew Over Ice Twitter Trivia for a chance to win cool prizes! Download the official contest rules here. The first round kicks off next Wednesday, February 13th! www.twitter.com/brewoverice

Happiness comes from lots of things in life; a smile from a stranger, an email from a friend, or your favorite seasonal Green Mountain Coffee® flavors - like Fair Trade Gingerbread and Fair Trade Spicy Eggnog - coming back into rotation.

I'd never made whoopie pies before, but I had my heart set on creating them using Fair Trade Gingerbread coffee since the moment we decided that would be this month's flavor. Can I tell you a secret? Whoopie Pies are now a full on obsession!

They're way easier than I ever imagined. You'll be able to bake up a dozen saucer-sized whoopie pies with tangy, creamy filling in no time at all. They'll make a fabulous impression beside all the sugar cookies and shortbread that make an appearance this time of year.

Imagine the oohs and ahs you'll garner when you present a tray of these festive Gingerbread Coffee Whoopie pies with Gingerbread Cream Cheese filling decorated with red, white, and green sprinkles!

Fair Trade Gingerbread Coffee Whoopie Pies with Gingerbread Cream Cheese Filling

Makes 12 saucer-sized pies

 

 

Ingredients

For the Pies

• 1/4 cup Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Gingerbread Coffee
• 1/4 cup butter flavored shortening
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (also known as graham flour)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup full flavor molasses
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

For the Filling

• 1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons Fair Trade Gingerbread Coffee
• Holiday Sprinkles (optional)

Directions

 

For the Pies

Brew one 4 oz cup of Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Gingerbread Coffee and set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, add vegetable shortening and softened butter, and mix on medium speed until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times. Add brown sugar and beat again until well mixed, then do the same with the egg.

In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine whole wheat pastry flour, kosher salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Stir with a whisk for one minute (this aerates the flour so there is no need to sift), then set aside.

Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture in the large mixing bowl and mix on low speed to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl often. When fully incorporated, add molasses to the mixture and mix on low speed again until fully combined.

Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix on low again. Scrape the sides of the bowl and make sure all the flour is mixed in. When this is done, add the buttermilk and cooled coffee and mix on low speed until these last two ingredients are well mixed-in.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then, using a large cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop, spoon 6 portions of batter onto the sheet, well spaced apart as they will spread.

Remove cream cheese for the filling from the refrigerator at this time and leave it on the counter. It will soften while you bake off the pies. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove immediately.

Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a moment, then carefully peel the parchment paper away from each pie half. Place the cookie on a cooling rack to continue cooling, and continue baking the rest of the pies.

 

For the Filling

Once all the pies are baked and are cooling, begin to make the filling. In a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whip cream cheese on high for about a minute.

One cup at a time, sift the powdered sugar and add it to the cream cheese, mixing on low at first, then on high to fully incorporate and whip.

When all the powdered sugar is mixed in, add vanilla extract and Fair Trade Gingerbread Coffee to the mixture. Whip on medium speed until the filling reaches the consistency you'd like.

If you find the filling too thick for your liking, add half and half or whipping cream one tablespoon at a time, mixing after each tablespoon, until you reach your desired consistency.

Spoon filling onto one half of a whoopie pie and spread with the back of the spoon in a circular motion towards the outside of the cookie. Top with a second cookie and press slightly so that the filling is visible from the edges.

If you would like, hold the pie over a baking tray and lightly coat the filling with holiday sprinkles. The tray will catch any sprinkles that don't stick to the filling and make for easy clean up.

Refrigerate the pies until ready to serve, up to two days.

 

[Psst - if you go over to Bluebonnets & Brownies, there's a Gingerbread coffee giveaway going on, too!  Go on over and check-it out!]

These days, a healthy choice doesn't have to be a hard decision between what's good, and what's good for you. 

That's why we're thrilled to introduce Wellness Brewed™ beverages, a new line of K-Cup® packs that are a delicious complement to your wellness lifestyle. Taking care of yourself can be as easy as the touch of a button on your Keurig® brewer, and as satisfying as knowing you've done the right thing.  Because when wellness is balanced by goodness, both your body and your tastebuds benefit.

This new collection of six beverages includes two new Brew Over Ice favorites, Strawberry Pomegranate and Acai Berry from Vitamin Burst™, as well as Fair Trade Certified™ Green Mountain Coffee® Antioxidant Blend,  Green Mountain Coffee® Focus Blend™, and two Celestial Seasonings® Antioxidant Max™ Green Teas that are available in Blackberry Pomegranate and Blood Orange Star Fruit flavors. Shop now and explore these wonderfully craveable beverages!

 

They're here: the dog days of summer. If you're like me, you're craving fall (and Fair Trade Pumpkin Spice K-Cup® packs) like crazy. But we're not quite there. These last few weeks of summer's warmth and late sunsets are just the time to savor Green Mountain Coffee's Brew Over Ice flavors.

Around our house, we adore all the Brew Over Ice choices, from Nantucket Blend Iced Coffee to Strawberry Pomegranate Vitamin Burst™, but we decided to harness the inherent dessert qualities of Brew Over Ice Hazelnut coffee to make one last summery treat - Brew Over Ice Hazelnut and Cream Ice Pops! Just a few simple ingredients and one press of your Keurig® brewer's button will have you on the way to an indulgent sweet treat that's easy too. We love this novel approach to "iced" coffee. I can see making many more ice pops this way with all the Brew Over Ice flavors! I used my Zoku Pop Maker to create these ice pops, but you can use any ice pop mold you like. It'll just take longer to freeze each layer.

 

 

Green Mountain Coffee® Brew Over Ice Hazelnut & Cream Ice Pops

makes 4 ice pops

Ingredients

6 oz Green Mountain Coffee® Brew Over Ice Hazelnut coffee

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

6 oz Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss Vanilla Creamer

Directions

Brew one 6 oz cup of Green Mountain Coffee® Brew Over Ice Hazelnut coffee in your Keurig® brewer. Pour the cup into a small saucepan and add sugar.

Stir the coffee-sugar mixture frequently over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved completely. Pour the coffee back into a ceramic mug and place it in the refrigerator. Allow the coffee to cool completely before you make the ice pops. When the coffee is cool, use a measuring cup or funnel to pour coffee into each pop mold about 1/3 of the way up.

Place in the freezer and allow to freeze completely before starting the next layer.

When the first layer is frozen, repeat this step with Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss creamer, pouring it on top of the first layer, another 1/3 of the way up the pop mold. Place back in the freezer and allow to freeze completely.

Once the second layer is frozen, finish with another coffee layer.

If you'd rather have ice pops in a hurry, and don't care about the striped look, simply mix the coffee and creamer together and freeze all at once.

 Some things just belong together: peanut butter and jelly, sugar and spice, Sting and Trudy, salt and pepper, Sweet and Creamy Nutty Hazelnut Iced Coffee and French Vanilla iced coffee….

 Trust me, that last pair needs to be added to this list as another perfect combination.

 Why?

As some of you already know, I love a good glass of Brew Over Ice coffee in the summer, and I’m always searching for new ways to drink it. It was a stroke of genius (or maybe just a mild heat stroke) that inspired me to combine two of my beloved icy brews into one fabulous summer indulgence: the Creamy Vanilla Hazelnut Iced Coffee.

 It’s simple to make, and even simpler to drink, and perfectly blends two of my favorite flavors, vanilla and Hazelnut. Here’s the easy recipe.

1. Brew 2 K-Cup® packs of Sweet and Creamy Nutty Hazelnut Iced Coffee on the 6 oz. setting without ice into a mug (or cup) and then carefully pour the brew into a standard ice-cube tray (remember: it's hot).
2. Place into the freezer and wait until the Sweet and Creamy Cubes are frozen.
3. Take your frozen Sweet and Creamy cubes and put them in a 16 oz. plastic tumbler (as you would with normal ice cubes for any Brew Over Ice beverage), and place under your Keurig® brewer.
4. Pop a Green Mountain Coffee® French Vanilla Iced Coffee K-Cup® pack into your brewer and brew at the 6 oz. setting, over the Sweet and Creamy Cubes. As the coffee brews, it will melt some of the Sweet and Creamy cubes, expertly blending the Hazelnut and French Vanilla flavors. Add simple syrup to taste.

 

 

And that’s it! You have yourself a delightful Creamy Vanilla Hazelnut Iced Coffee! It’s easy, pretty, delicious… A perfect summer pairing!

That’s right Brew Over Ice fans! It’s time to take your Keurig® brewer experience to an entirely new level of refreshment. We are very excited to announce the addition of naturally sweetened, caffeine free Vitamin Burst® K-Cup® packs to our Brew Over Ice family of beverages. Check out both of our unique fruit flavors Strawberry Pomegranate and Acai Berry . Let us know what you think!

(Pssst. Save $1 on Vitamin Burst K-Cup® packs. Valid until July 24th)

 

 

Alright, let’s admit it: There are some things in life that just go well together. We here at Green Mountain Coffee® particularly enjoy the combination of cream and coffee (or a nice Brew Over Ice beverage) to help us deal with a particularly hot day. This Fourth of July we’ve decided to share a favorite way to enjoy coffee and or fruit flavored treats on a day that calls for cold refreshment. Introducing the Café Vanilla Pop and the Sweet Raspberry Tea Pop! We hope you will make these popsicle recipes a part of your Fourth of July celebration.

Café Vanilla Pop Recipe

• 1 Café Escapes® Café Vanilla K-Cup® pack, brewed using the 4 oz. setting
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 cup of ice

Stir sugar into hot coffee until dissolved.

Add ice & blend in blender.

Pour blended mix into popsicle mold, freeze and enjoy!

*Additions (mini choc. chips) Add handful before freezing popsicles.

 

Sweet Raspberry Tea Pop Recipe

• 1 Celestial Seasonings® Sweet Raspberry Iced Tea K-Cup® pack, brewed using the 4 oz. setting
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 cup of ice

Stir sugar into hot tea until dissolved.

Add ice & blend in blender.

Pour blended mix into popsicle mold, freeze and enjoy!

 

- Psst - remember to check out our Fourth of July Storewide Sale for some great deals on these Popsicle ingredients!

Here on the PR team, we’re all super excited about a recent…doctor’s visit.

Before you assume I’m about to go seriously TMI and tell you about my last physical, let me assure you that I’m not talking about my general practitioner…or any old doctor. I’m talking about THE doctor: Dr. Gadget. Last Friday, the “Guru of Giveaways” featured Keurig® Platinum Brewer and Brew Over Ice K-Cup® packs on The View’s hottest summertime gadgets segment.

 “What it’s all about is this new system that they’ve got with the K-Cup®!” Dr. Gadget said, demonstrating how to Brew Over Ice with Whoopi Goldberg and Elizabeth Hasselback.

Both Elizabeth and Dr. Gadget noted that the Brew Over Ice K-Cup® packs, ranging in variety from Celestial Seasonings® Perfect Iced Teas to The Original Donut Shop® Sweet & Creamy iced coffee, are specially formulated to retain their flavor when brewed directly over ice.

“You guys know how when you take coffee and put it over ice it gets all watered down?” Dr. Gadget asked the cheering crowd. “Well, not anymore!”

And here in Vermont where the mercury has been regularly rising to a staggering 99°F lately, we are so thankful for that.

The lucky studio audience on set that day got a brewer and K-Cup® packs to take home. No surprise there, as Dr. Gadget gives away more than $200,000 worth of products on average to The View’s audiences, according to his website. He even coined the phrase, “Everybody Gets One!” (Seriously, he did. I thought it was Oprah, too.) Anyway, we’re all thrilled to have the doctor’s approval; he even described Brew Over Ice as “perfectly blended” with a “great formula”!

Want to beat the heat in your area? Get in on this cool (literally) summertime trend ASAP! I’ve been sipping away on my Sweet & Creamy Nutty Hazelnut iced coffee in the office every day, and I think you need some in your life. You can get this tasty summer cool-down in a cup at our website, and check us out on The View in the clip below—we come in at 2:32.

Stay cool!

 

Yesterday was not only the first official day of summer, but here in Vermont the temperature reached a record-breaking 95 degrees! While we native Vermonters are used to winter conditions – it can snow anytime between November and April around these parts – this heat wave is really throwing us for a loop. We know how to keep warm with a down snowsuit, a hand-knit hat, and a steamy mug of coffee but keeping cool is a new phenomenon altogether.

As someone who drives a non-air-conditioned truck, and whose house is kept cool by a series of fans and open windows, beating the heat can be a bit of an art form. These past two days have seen me relying on my Keurig® brewer to chill me out, brewing cup after cup (after cup, after cup) of my favorite Brew Over Ice iced beverages.  I’ve been drinking my favorite summer treat, Brew Over Ice Nantucket Blend Iced Coffee, to both cool me down, and perk me up.  Until today.

You can imagine my horror today when I realized I was not the only one at the office using Brew Over Ice to beat this week’s heat – when I went to the break room to make myself a cup, I discovered the box of Nantucket Blend Iced coffee was completely empty! After frantically searching for just one more K-Cup® pack, I had to accept that I was going to find a different way to refresh myself.

I decided to try and fend off my disappointment, and the high temperatures, with the Original Donut Shop’s new Sweet and Creamy Nutty Hazelnut Iced Coffee. After all, it was sitting right next to my beloved Nantucket Blend on the shelf. I filled up my plastic cup with ice, popped the K-Cup® pack in the brewer, and pressed the 8-oz. brew setting. I took a curious first sip, and then another deep slurp. The mix of toasty hazelnut and coffee flavors, and the sweet cream notes was the perfect way to beat the heat, and give me that afternoon perk I craved.

I think I’ve just found the best way for a Vermonter to keep cool in the summer months - how are you beating the heat today?

 

Despite the recent rains, I have been able to enjoy the sunny days Vermont has had in May to prepare my gardens for the summer and fall.

This past weekend, I got a brief reprieve from the weather long enough to head out into the backyard to weed and map out my garden plans. I turned on the radio just loud enough to hear at the garden below, put on my garden shoes and gloves, and began clearing away the brush that had accumulated over the past year.

I've only been trying my hand at gardening at home for the past couple of years, so I still consider myself somewhat of a beginner. In the past, my green thumb experience included watering my indoor spider plants occasionally and growing a couple of potted herbs. However, I've graduated to cultivating a small garden of Gladiolas, daisies, bleeding hearts, dahlias and an area for some strawberries - not bad for someone who couldn’t recognize the names of simple flowers before.

By about midday, I had the garden cleaned up and ready for planting. I spent about an hour or so transplanting flowers and plants that were given to me from my mother’s garden as well as planting some new bulbs I had purchased. I only hope the plants take and the bulbs come up.

I realized later in the afternoon that I had neglected to put on enough sun screen and my fair skin was turning a bright shade of pink.

To relieve my skin from the sun, I ran inside and opened the refrigerator; first to feel the cool air and second to grab the iced coffee I had made earlier in the morning using my French press. I am particular about my coffee and enjoy the process of grinding and brewing it myself. This morning, I knew I would enjoy an iced coffee after gardening so I increased the ratio of coffee to water and added a few extra scoops of freshly ground Nantucket Blend®. This would ensure that after I added ice that I would not dilute the great blend.

That cup of iced coffee was the perfect conclusion to a day of hard work in the yard. The caffeine perked me up a bit so that I could finish cleaning up my garden supplies. Afterward, I grabbed my recent travel magazine, poured another refreshing Green Mountain Coffee® iced coffee and spent the remainder of the afternoon lounging on my back patio in the shade. Here's hoping the weather is nice next weekend so I can start on my tomato garden.

I am an iced coffee fanatic, so you can image my excitement that the Original Donut Shop™ Coffee now has two new Brew Over Ice flavors, Sweet and Creamy Iced Coffee K-Cup® packs, available in Regular and Nutty Hazelnut.

Both are very welcome additions to our Brew Over Ice line of iced coffees for your Keurig® Brewer. I usually add cream and sugar to my iced coffee because I like them sweet and creamy but these two coffees are already just the way I like them, with a dash of cream and sugar.  Just pop one in your Keurig brewer, brew over ice using the 6-ounce setting, and enjoy!

Simply put: Sweet and Creamy is iced coffee made easy. 

I wasn't going to waste a second of the gorgeous spring weather, so I gathered a couple of buddies for some pickup games at the rec park. It was nice to shed sweaters and raincoats in favor of a t-shirt and shorts as we took in the warm sunshine. We started off with some half-field soccer and finished up by just throwing a Frisbee around for the last couple hours - just how a nice spring afternoon should be spent.

Honestly, one of my favorite parts of playing with close friends on the weekends is the sideline banter. Even though we don't take our games all that seriously, we all have a bit of a competitive side that tends to come out as we play. The amount of good-natured trash talk that's thrown around during our water breaks is hilarious and makes the games much more fun. Minor boasting turns into bragging, and soon enough it just goes straight to outright insults.

We had all gotten so used to the cool, rainy weather that we all forgot how hot it gets running around in the sun all day. By the end of the afternoon, we were all a little burned, or parched, or both and looking for a cool place to relax. I invited everyone back to my house, which happens to be the closest and the one with by far the best selection of iced tea and iced coffee (might have something to do with working for a coffee company...) . Luckily, I stocked up on plenty of K-Cup® packs for my Keurig® brewer before the weekend, so I had plenty to go around.

Some of my friends are relative newcomers to the one-touch convenience of the Keurig® system, and they were especially surprised by the Brew Over Ice varieties. It only took a quick demo before I had requests for both iced tea and iced coffee - vital caffeine supplements to help us recover from our post-sports malaise.

All in all, it was a great afternoon with the guys that I hope we can keep going all spring and summer long. Here's to hoping that Mother Nature is willing to play along with the good weather...

You know, this spring's weather has been a bit perplexing to me. A few weeks back it seemed like warm, sunny days had arrived for good, but since then the weather hasn't been able to make up its mind if it's spring or not. One minute I'll be enjoying a beautiful, 70-degree day, and then next it's suddenly cold, damp and cloudy. All of this inconsistency has made it really difficult to enjoy one of my favorite seasonal activities - grilling.

But this past weekend I decided to hedge my bets on the weather and break out the old charcoal grill. With my eye on the sky, I rounded up the wife and kids and told them to get ready for the first delicious barbecue fare of the season. The second I mentioned grilling, the kids, Spencer and Sabrina were instantly asking to help.

I have to laugh every time the kids want to be included with the barbecue, because it's almost impossible to get them to participate when I'm cooking a regular dinner in the kitchen. If there's an oven involved, neither of them are anywhere to be seen, but mention "BBQ" and they're suddenly aspiring chefs. I can't blame the kids for their enthusiasm for grilling though - meat and vegetables cooking over an open flame is what I live for in the summertime.

With my wife's supervision, I set the little ones to work shucking corn, cutting veggies and brewing some delicious Half  & Half iced tea with our Keurig® Brewer . Meanwhile, I headed out into the yard to get the grill started - all the while hoping that our first barbecue of the season wouldn't be called on account of rain.

Luckily, the clouds cleared up immediately - just in time for the kids to run outside with a couple of pitchers of delicious iced tea. I got the fire started as Sabrina poured a few glasses of Sweet Raspberry and Southern Sweet Perfect iced tea. As the weather began to warm up, I remembered just how great a cold glass of iced tea is during a summer barbecue. In fact, both of those flavors reminded me of when I was a kid and it was my dad manning the grill - cooking up incredible burgers and hot dogs.

Seems that I wasn't the only person in my neighborhood impatient for the weather to clear up. As the evening wore on, I got some serious whiffs of grilled steak and chicken wafting down my street. It's official - barbecue season is finally here. Now we'll just see if Mother Nature is willing to play along.

Looking for great barbeque recipes? Check out these flame broiled recipes with an interesting Coffee twist  from Green Mountain Coffee’s participation in the Safeway Barbecue Battle last summer.

Mother’s Day is the perfect day to recognize your mom for all of her kindness. It is also the perfect day to recognize other moms like your wife, sister, grandmother, or even a favorite aunt. The day gives us all time to reflect on all of the amazing things these important women have done for us and their children.

But what to get someone who’s done so much?  I find it hard to shop for my mom and I am always looking for perfect gift ideas. I am also always on the look-out for the perfect Mother’s Day gift for my wife. I was recently browsing GreenMountainCoffee.com for ideas and had a few things that caught my eye.

For my own mother, who has always liked and collected, on a small scale, hand-made pottery, there is a good selection of fun ceramic mugs and a few choice hand-thrown artisan-crafted pieces. She is a fan of the Native American style glazes and when I saw the Mocha Red River Mug, I immediately thought of her. I think it is the perfect addition to her eclectic pottery collection.  I was also partially persuaded to purchase this for my mother based on the amount of positive reviews it’s received.

Chocolate is always a good way to go for the women in my life. A chocolate cake made from the Molten Chocolate cake mix may be just the right way to say, “Thank you” to my Wife Natasha.  

While looking around on GreenMountainCoffee.com, I noticed there is currently a bundled offer -- buy a Keurig Platinum brewer and get free K-Cup packs plus a Brew Over Ice tumbler - that is hard to refuse. I can easily see my mother, wife or sister using this every day and smiling each time she brews.

Happy Mother’s Day!

You may have heard, but today it was announced that the line of Keurig^® Single Cup Brewers is expanding with the addition of the Keurig^® Vue^™ brewer, a premium new platform designed with the ability to brew stronger, brew bigger, and brew hotter.

 

The new Vue^™ brewer, paired with new Vue^™ packs*, comes with all the ease and convenience of the existing Keurig^® K-Cup^® system with added customizable features so you have control over the strength, size, and temperature of your coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and iced beverages, as well as new frothy café beverages.

 

Pretty nice, right?

 

To say the least, I can't wait for the Keurig® Vue™ Brewer to be available for purchase in the coming weeks.  It has a lot of options that I’ve been dreaming about in a single cup coffee maker:

 

• Stronger Coffee: The Vue^™ brewer adjusts water pressure, timing, and airflow so I can have the stronger brew I love in the mornings – at any size.
• Bigger Coffee:  I can now brew into my large, stainless steel travel mug with new Vue^™ packs specially formulated to brew a bigger cup up to 18-oz.  I’m ready to fill my travel mug with a strong cup of my favorite Green Mountain Coffee® variety, Breakfast Blend.
• Hotter Beverages: Now, we can choose a temperature range between 187 and 197 degrees Fahrenheit to really customize our cups.  My wife Natasha enjoys drinking Celestial Seasonings Green Tea and always likes the water to be extra hot to let the tea seep. It’s like the designers had her in mind when they created the new Keurig® Vue™ Brewer!
• And much more:  A few Sundays back, I was enjoying some Dark Magic Extra Bold with Natasha with a plate full of crêpes (I like to think I am an expert at making crêpes).  We decided to add some homemade whipped cream to the coffee and crêpes – just to mix things up. Suddenly, Natasha looked at me and said, “Wouldn’t it be great if our Keurig® brewer could make a cappuccino?” Good news: The Vue™ brewer can!  With exclusive two-step Barista Prima^® Café beverages, I can now enjoy a cappuccino on the weekend when I am eating my crêpes with the family.

 

The Keurig® K-Cup® Brewer and the Keurig® Vue™ Brewer complement each other so well!  Deliciously simple and brewing what I like, the way I like it – what a pair!

 

*Just a reminder: The Keurig® Vue™ Brewer is not compatible with K-Cup® packs; they use Vue™ packs.

Your smart phone is about to start brewing!  Introducing K-Cup® Finder, your free mobile reference for K-Cup® portion packs.

What exactly does it feature?  Since you asked:

• Over 100 varieties represented including Green Mountain Coffee® and other brands


• New varieties added as they are released


• See reviews and ratings from other K-Cup® fans, and share your reviews with other K-Cup Finder app users and on Twitter


• Sort and filter by brand, roast, and attributes (Fair Trade, Kosher, Organic, and more)


• It's not just for coffee– find teas, hot cocoa, Brew Over Ice beverages, and other specialty and seasonal varieties


• Create a favorites list of blends for future reference, with your rating and notes


• Receive promotional offers and discounts


• Links to buy varieties online direct from us


• Work on your iPhone, iTouch, and iPad

We’d love for you to tell us what you like... and what you don't.  Let us know in the comments below or at our Feedback Form.

Water views, great music, worthy causes, a full moon, beautiful sunrises, and spectacular sunsets – just some of the things you would have encountered if you were in Nantucket, Burlington, or Stowe this past weekend.  Green Mountain Coffee® was involved in events at all three locales, and all were equally awe-inspiring and successful.

On Nantucket, the Boston Pops, featuring special guest Carly Simon, headlined a fundraising concert for the Nantucket Cottage Hospital.  In addition to sponsoring the event, a team of Green Mountain Coffee brand ambassadors was on hand giving away cups of Keurig® brewed hot and Brew Over Ice favorites to eager attendees, as the music washed over beautiful Jetties Beach.  Naturally, Nantucket Blend® was one of the varieties of K-Cup® portion packs that were featured.

In Burlington, the 4-day Lake Champlain Maritime Festival took place, drawing thousands to the idyllic Waterfront Park and multiple other venues along the shores of the lake.  As part of the larger festival, Vermont’s own Grace Potter and the Nocturnals headlined their own mini-festival called Grand Point North.  There was nothing mini about the caliber of invited talent however, as amazing acts like Fitz and the Tantrums and the incomparable Taj Mahal took turns electrifying the huge crowds.  Country music star Kenny Chesney even joined the Grace on stage to close out the festival’s last set for an ecstatic throng of fans.  Green Mountain Coffee sponsored both festivals, and provided complimentary sampling stations in the artist hospitality tent and the VIP tent, as well as multiple bags of coffee for the artists' welcome bags.  Just think, Taj Mahal and Kenny Chesney could be enjoying some Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Organic House Blend on their tour buses right now…

The beautiful setting of the von Trapp Family Lodge was the starting point for the 100 on 100 Heart of Vermont Relay.  Beginning in the beguiling hills above Stowe and winding its way along 100 miles of Route 100 all the way to Okemo Resort, this relay is a local and regional favorite.  Nearly 150 teams consisting of 6 runners each compete for top billing and bragging rights, while raising money for the Long Trail Association and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Vermont.

Those are just a few examples of the ways we've  been joining local events and getting the chance to chat with you all, face to face.  Hope to see you at an event real soon!

Having survived our first 100-degree spell this summer, our iced machine has certainly earned its keep.  We’ve brewed, brewed, and brewed some more – and have stumbled upon some n’ice ideas to make this summer’s iced coffees – like Brew Over Ice Nantucket Blend® or French Vanilla -  even more brew-tiful.  Here are some of our favorites:

1. Vanilla Infused Simple Syrup: No sugar clumps and it adds an extra burst of vanilla flavor?  Yes, please!  Here’s how to do it:
   
   
   
   1. Split a vanilla bean lengthwise into halves and place in a heatproof jar or bottle.
   
   
   2. In a saucepan combine 1:2 ratio of sugar and water.
   
   
   3. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar dissolves.
   
   
   4. Pour the hot syrup over the jar/bottle and let it soak up the vanilla-goodness for up to 10 hours.
   
   
   5. Store in the refrigerator (up to a week – but it doesn’t last that long around here anyway).
   
   
   
   


2. Coffee iced cubes: Okay, you’ve heard us extol the wonders of this little cube before.  As Brew Over Ice coffee is made so the flavor won’t be diluted when the ice melts, this a great way to plus-up your coffee kick for those who have other coffee makers– or even add a different flavor to your go-to iced brew.
   
   
   
   1. Brew your favorite blend (love to use Fair Trade Wild Mountain Blueberry™ for this one) into a cup.
   
   
   2. Pour the coffee into an ice cube tray and place in the freezer.
   
   
   3. Pop the cubes out when you’re ready – just brew over it like you would with ice (Brew Over Ice (coffee cubes)).
   
   
   
   


3. Iced (cream) coffee:  Lots of people reach for cream and sugar when they make their iced coffee – so why not add a scoop of ice cream as a shortcut?  We love to use a scoop of Ben & Jerry’s Fair Trade Vanilla, or, if you’re into a adventure, Coffee HEATH® Bar crunch!

What do you do to make your iced coffee uniquely yours?

Last weekend, a team of Green Mountain Coffee and Brew Over Ice foodies rolled into Washington, D.C. fueled with the idea that coffee, tea, and BBQ would make for a winning combination at the Safeway Barbeque Battle.  After three days of late nights, early mornings, and more coffee around the brewer than we can count, the results are in:

Flatlander BBQ’s Celestial Seasoning Sweet Southern Tea Perfect Iced Tea-rubbed and Brew Over Ice Nantucket Iced coffee sauce-smothered pork ribs took 3rd place in the Barbeque Battle!  These caffeinated ribs garnered our team a pig-topped trophy and $500, which will be donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Washington, D.C., the marquee charity of the event.  To top it all off, it turns out we placed 9th out of 41 teams, competing among some of the top teams in the country. “Wow,” would be an understatement.

Wanting to spread BBQ coffee revelations around and to thank you all for cheering us on, it’s time to share our recipes in time for everyone to enjoy them during the Fourth of July.  Look below to learn how to make our Coffee-Rubbed Brisket, Half-and-Half Chicken, Nantucket Blend-Rubbed Pork Shoulder and award-winning Sweet Tea Ribs.  Not to mention our Jalapeño Coffee Barbecue and Tricky Barbeque Saucel!  Read the recipes below:

 

Coffee-Rubbed Brisket

RUB:
2 Tablespoons Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Organic Sumatran Reserve OR Nantucket Blend K-Cup® Portion Packs

2 Tablespoons paprika

2 Tablespoons light brown sugar (Fair Trade Certified™)

2 Tablespoons coarse salt

4 Tablespoons ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon ground ancho chili powder

1 Tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

Open the portion packs and empty the contents into a bowl with other ingredients.  Mix well.

MOP:

1/2 cup apple juice

4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

TECHNIQUE:

Trim a full packer brisket of most exterior fat and silverskin, or you can use just the brisket flat

Coat the brisket with a thin layer of yellow mustard and then coat with coffee rub, rubbing it into the meat.  Wrap in plastic wrap or place in a large resalable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.

Rest the meat at room temperature before grilling, about 1 hour. Prepare grill for indirect medium-low heat, about 250 degrees.
Put the brisket, fatty-side up, on the grill away from the heat; cover the grill. Baste or spray the brisket with the mop whenever the surface looks dry, about once every hour. Keep the temperature of the grill or smoker around 250 degrees, adding charcoal as necessary.

After 4 hours of cooking, put the brisket in an aluminum foil pan, fatty side up; return brisket to the grill away from the heat. Cover the grill; continue cooking. Continue mopping the brisket if it looks dry. If your grill has a temperature gauge, it should stay about 250 degrees during the entire cooking time. If using charcoal, add fresh coals about once an hour.

Cook until severely browned and blackened in spots or very well-done (about 190 degrees on an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the brisket), 6 to 8 hours total.

Remove the pan from the heat; let rest 20 minutes. Trim any excess fat; slice brisket across the grain. Serve with barbecue sauce.

Sweet Tea Ribs

RUB:

4 Celestial Seasonings Southern Style Sweet Tea Brew Over Ice K-Cup® Portion Packs

1 Tablespoons paprika

1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon Tiny Spice Company Citrus Pepper OR substitute 1 teaspoon black pepper

Peel the foil off the portion packs, empty into a spice or coffee grinder, and grind until powdery.  Mix with the paprika, salt and pepper.

MOP:

1/2 cup apple juice

4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

TECHNIQUE:

Pat ribs dry and trim the membrane from the underside.

Coat ribs with a thin layer of yellow mustard and then rub the tea mixture into the ribs

Wrap in plastic wrap or place in a large resalable plastic bag and let marinate for at least 4 hours.

Rest the meat at room temperature before grilling, about 30 minutes. Prepare grill for indirect medium-low heat, about 250 degrees.
Put the ribs, bone side down, on the grill away from the heat; cover the grill. Baste or spray the ribs with the mop whenever the surface looks dry, about once every hour.  Keep the temperature of the grill or smoker around 250 degrees, adding charcoal as necessary.

After 3 hours of cooking, wrap the ribs in aluminum foil and return ribs to the grill away from the heat. Cover the grill; continue cooking. If your grill has a temperature gauge, it should stay about 250 degrees during the entire cooking time. If using charcoal, add fresh coals about once an hour.

Cook until the ribs are flexible when you try to pick them up using tongs or oven mitts, 5 to 6 hours total.  They should not be falling off the bone, but tender and flexible.

Remove the ribs from the heat; let rest 20 minutes. Place on grill directly above coals and baste generously on both sides with sauce, turning frequently to prevent burning.  Remove from grill and cut into portions.

 

Chicken Rub

2 Celestial Seasonings Half & Half Brew Over Ice K-Cup® Portion Packs

4 Tablespoons Mrs. Dash Salt-Free Seasoning

1 Tablespoon paprika

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

Empty the portion packs into a coffee or spice grinder and grind until powdery.  Mix with other ingredients.

TECHNIQUE:

Use the rub on your favorite cut of chicken or a whole chicken: if using a cut with skin, be sure to get under the skin.

Barbecue or grill chicken as you normally would.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nantucket Blend-Rubbed Pork Shoulder

RUB:

1 Green Mountain Coffee Nantucket Blend Brew Over Ice K-Cup® Portion Packs

3 Tablespoons light brown sugar (Fair Trade Certified™)

1 Tablespoon Tiny Spice Company Citrus Pepper (or substitute black pepper)

½ teaspoon anise seed

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon anise seed

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Open the portion packs and empty the contents into a bowl with other ingredients.  Mix well.

MOP:

1/2 cup apple juice

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

4 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

TECHNIQUE:

Trim a pork shoulder (Boston Butt) of  most visible fat and silverskin.

Rub with a thin layer of yellow mustard and then cover with coffee rub

Wrap in plastic wrap or place in a large plastic bag and let marinate overnight

Rest the meat at room temperature before grilling, about 1 hour. Prepare grill for indirect medium-low heat, about 250 degrees.
Put the pork shoulder, fatty-side up, on the grill away from the heat; cover the grill. Baste or spray the brisket with the mop whenever the surface looks dry, about once every hour.  Keep the temperature of the grill or smoker around 250 degrees, adding charcoal as necessary.
After 4 hours of cooking, put the pork shoulder in an aluminum foil pan, add ½ cup apple juice and cover tightly with aluminum foil; return shoulder to the grill away from the heat. Cover the grill; continue cooking. If your grill has a temperature gauge, it should stay about 250 degrees during the entire cooking time. If using charcoal, add fresh coals about once an hour.

Cook until severely the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees on an instant read thermometer, 6 to 8 hours total.

Remove the pan from the heat; let rest 20 minutes. Using heat-proof gloves or forks, pull pork apart in foil pan, using the jus in pan to moisten and flavor the meat.  Remove any connective tissue or fat that didn’t cook out.  Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce.

Tricky Barbecue Sauce

2 Tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard (we use Fox Meadow Farm 3-Peppercorn Dijon from Vermont)

2 Tablespoons yellow mustard (we use Fox Meadow Farm Vermont Maple Mustard)

1 cup cider vinegar

¼ cup low sodium soy sauce

¼ cup regular soy sauce

2 cups ketchup

2 cups honey (Champlain Valley Apiaries Honey)

1 Nantucket Brew Over Ice K-Cup® Portion Pack brewed on 6-oz setting without ice

3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon paprika

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon maple sugar OR 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons maple syrup

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

¼ teaspoon ancho chili powder

Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a light boil.  Boil while continuously stirring for about 15 minutes, or until thickened.

 

Jalapeno-Coffee Barbecue Sauce

2 Green Mountain Coffee Nantucket Blend Brew Over Ice K-Cup® Portion Packs brewed on 4oz setting

1 cup ketchup

¼ cup molasses

2 Tablespoons orange juice

2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 jalapeno peppers, pierced all over with a fork

3 shots hot sauce

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except hot sauce.  Cook, stirring frequently, over low heat until slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes

Remove from heat and let cool.  Discard peppers and season with hot sauce to taste.