Dark Chocolate K-Cup Packs

Even though the cooler months are coming to an end, a nice mug of Hot Cocoa from our Keurig^® brewer can be a warm welcome on a chilly morning or a ray of sunshine on a grey, uninviting day.

When our family comes home from a late afternoon walk and everyone’s hands and noses are a little cold, there isn’t a more comforting feeling than a warm drink in your hands.  Typically, I love sipping on Swiss Miss^® Cocoa K-Cup^® and Dad likes to sit back with a strong cup of coffee, but on weekend afternoons, the whole family gravitates towards hot cocoa. And every weekend we end up in the same debate: which is the best K-Cup^® hot cocoa?

We keep a variety of Café Escapes^® K-Cup® packs on hand - Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and even Café Mocha for when we need a little extra kick. Now that we’ve discovered the Swiss Miss^® Cocoa K-Cup^® pack, we keep those stocked up for when the nieces and nephews come over, too!

The kids love the Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa, which is rich and creamy, and Dad goes for the sophisticated flavor of the Cafe Escapes Dark Chocolate. I prefer the Milk Chocolate - classic, sweet, and really decadent!

No matter how long we discuss it, there’s really no way to settle this debate - each flavor has its own appeal. You just have to try them for yourself.

In our family, the best hot cocoa K-Cup^® pack is topped with a healthy dollop of whipped cream. I sometimes add extra goodies, like marshmallows, sprinkles, a stick of cinnamon, or a little cocoa sprinkled lightly over everything. Yum!

Love ballads on the radio, heart shaped cookies at the bakery, and pink and red decorations everywhere. Yes, it’s that time of year again! Single or attached- it’s hard not to like the holiday of love. (Probably because of all the chocolate!) If you’re struggling to find the perfect gift for your Valentine, or you just want to take advantage of all the delicious seasonal goodies, than look no further! Here are our top picks for chocolate day - whoops, we mean Valentine’s Day!

Green Mountain Coffee® Chocolate Raspberry Truffle There's something deeply satisfying about the pairing of deep, dark chocolate and raspberries. It’s even more satisfying when you pair it with a bunch of your close girlfriends and a romantic comedy!

 

Heritage Chocolate Dipped Shortbread This sweet, flaky and over-the-top delight proves that you can never have enough of a good thing. Seriously. The 18-ct box may not be enough! But, if you find yourself searching for a richer chocolate experience, sip on Café Escapes® Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa while you’re snacking.

Green Mountain Coffee® Golden French Toast® Okay, so this isn’t exactly chocolate but it’s seriously delicious so it made it on the list. And because we left nothing out- cinnamon (check), maple aroma (check), buttery goodness (check) - it’s going to smell as incredible as it tastes! If you’re feeling creative, check out Bluebonnets & Brownies’ post for a mouth-watering Blondies recipe using Golden French Toast® K-Cup® packs!

By: Hannah P., PR intern

With Fair Trade Island Coconut® now officially our new summer seasonal flavor, it seems like a good time to share our recipe for a tropical treat.  Three words: Chocolate and coconut.  Yes, please!

Mocha Coconut: Bagged

• Brew a pot of Fair Trade Certified^™ Island Coconut.


• Fill a large mug ¾ full with hot Island Coconut coffee.


• Fill the remainder of the mug with hot chocolate (we love Lake Champlain Chocolate’s Fair Trade Organic Hot Cocoa).


• Add sugar to taste and stir.


• Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings (optional – but very tasty).

Mocha Coconut: K-Cup® portion pack

• Brew a portion pack of Fair Trade Certified^™ Island Coconut into a large cup.


• Brew a portion pack of Dark or Milk Chocolate Café Escapes® Hot Cocoa into the same cup.


• Add sugar and half & half to taste. Stir.

• Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings (optional).

Simple and oh-so delicious on a chilly summer night … or day.  Really, we’ll sip on this drink any day of the week! If you make this at home, remember to take a picture and share it on our Facebook page!

What would March be without a coffee recipe dedicated to St. Patrick's Day?  Thankfully, our fabulous team at our at our Visitors Center and Cafe in Waterbury, Vermont offered us not one, but two coffee recipes that sing of the Emerald Isle: An Irish Cream and a Mudslide.  Of course, the classic versions of both of these drinks (like this one from our own Doug) involve whiskey or Irish cream, but we thought you'd all appreciate a little non-alcoholic version to share with the family.

Irish Coffee:

• Brew or pour six ounces of hot, fresh brewed coffee (like Fair Trade Vermont Country Blend) into a large mug
  
  
  
  • Use an Irish coffee glass for a traditional feel
  
  
  
  


• Add 1 ½ ounces of your favorite Irish cream syrup, such as Monin, and stir.


• Add steamed heavy cream until it reaches the top of the mug.


• Take a sip through the cream, check for a milk mustache, and enjoy!

Waterbury Mudslide:

• Pour one (or even two or three) shots of Dark Magic® Espresso Blend into a mug
  
  
  
  • For a Keurig: Brew a Dark Magic Espresso Blend K-Cup® portion pack on the smallest brew setting
  
  
  
  


• Add 1 ½ ounces of your favorite Irish cream syrup, such as Monin


• Add steamed chocolate milk and stir.


• Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings!

Been craving an even richer, deeper, darker K-Cup® portion pack? An intense flavor and complexity that sings of the world’s finest coffee house brews? Good news: Our friends at Barista Prima Coffeehouse™ have a new K-Cup® collection made to satiate just that feeling.

As an exclusive collection of the world’s finest Arabica coffees roasted in the tradition of Europe's most celebrated coffee houses, Barista Prima Coffeehouse brings you rich, deep-roasted brews in convenient, single serve K-Cups®.  Bold and complex, yet perfectly balanced, each cup reflects the consummate artistry and handcrafted care that only the most skilled baristas can deliver.  This select line is comprised of four richly flavored brews:

Colombia

• High altitude treasure from a land of legendary coffee. A prized coffee, born of the mountains in a land steeped in the coffee-growing tradition. Accented by bright, bold fruit notes and a distinctive hint of walnut, this deep-roasted cup possesses a sweet, full-bodied finish that elevates satisfaction into a realm all its own.

French Roast

• A sweet, smoky love song to the cafés of Paris. This intensely bold yet gracefully-bodied cup provides indisputable proof of our roast masters' artistry. The absolute finest Arabica beans are heated to the very edge of noir - then meticulously eased back to reveal their rich, full-flavored complexity. The result? A daringly dark, smoky-sweet brew with a surprisingly light mouthfeel.

House Blend

• The timeless perfection of your best-loved coffee house cup. Classically balanced, with a lively splash of citrus, subtle hints of bittersweet chocolate and a well rounded, toasted-nut finish. Its roasty sweet, supremely satisfying taste evokes all the familiar comforts of your favorite coffee house.

Italian Roast

• A deep, dark-roasted delight, done right. This robust, heavy-bodied cup with its ripe fruit and berry notes epitomizes the time-honored Italian tradition of dark-roasted coffeehouse brews. Bold yet ideally balanced, with a subtle hint of smokiness and a bright clean finish, our Italian Roast is a hearty and flavorful testament to the art of dark roasting.

The small team of Barista Prima™ coffee experts spent years in search of a way to recreate the intense flavor and complexity of the world’s finest coffee house brews.  They worked tirelessly to develop exquisite blends that could meet their own impossibly high expectations so they and you could be proud to serve it to family and friends.  And now, it’s here and ready to satisfy your need for coffee house richness at home.

Now available online for $19.45 for a 24ct box.

I was thrilled when I went to our Factory Outlet this morning and saw Spring Revival™ Blend as one of the featured coffees. This coffee has sweet aromas, balanced flavors, and a compelling story of hope behind it.

The floral top notes of this Fair Trade Certified™ blend come from Rwanda, a country still recovering from a brutal civil war. I had the honor of traveling to Rwanda with our chief coffee buyer, Lindsey Bolger, a few years back and it was a life-changing experience. I saw how our business, and the relationships we have with producers, are making a difference to people who survived unimaginable horrors. When you choose Spring Revival Blend, you join us in supporting Rwanda’s economic revival, and the small farmers who are recovering by producing extraordinary beans.

Our connection to Rwandan coffee began in 2002, when we hosted a group of Rwandan farmers and industry leaders in Waterbury, Vermont. They toured our roasting facility, participated in a cupping, and explored ways to connect with U.S. consumers.

Our chief coffee buyer, Lindsey, then made the first of six trips to Rwanda to train farmers in cupping and sensory evaluation. She helped them detect defects and understand the quality expectations of the demanding specialty coffee market. In 2008, Lindsey’s protégées were asked to be judges for Africa’s first Cup of Excellence^® coffee competition. Their participation was a dramatic illustration of Rwanda’s meteoric rise on the international coffee scene.

Today, Rwanda is one of the hottest origins in specialty coffee, with a well-deserved reputation for high-quality beans. Fair Trade prices, and the training offered by industry experts like Lindsey, are allowing farmers to make a living off their small plots of land.

We are proud to work with the Clinton Global Initiative, TransFair USA, the Cordes Foundation, and the hardworking, small farmers of Rwanda to bring you Fair Trade Certified Spring Revival Blend.

Spring Revival Blend offers a fresh flavor profile evocative of spring, bursting with aromatic floral and dark chocolate notes. Kenneth Davids, editor of the independent Coffee Review, awarded Spring Revival Blend an outstanding score of 90 on a 100-point scale. The coffee is available in 10-ounce bags, 2.2 ounce fractional packages, and K-Cup® portion packs for Keurig® Single-Cup Brewers through June 4, 2010 at participating retailers and at http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/.