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Friday, November 30, 2012

The post where I blog about coffee.

I never used to be much of a coffee drinker. I much preferred my caffeine come from a bottle of Dr Pepper. I loved the smell of coffee, not so much the taste. Sorry to all you Starbucks lovers out there, but that stuff is overpriced burnt nastiness. I think that's what turned me off of coffee for so long, the one time that I tried to drink Starbucks. Blech.

The flavored cappuccino from Sheetz slowly began luring me over to the Dark Side: Italian Creme Cake, Vanilla Spiced Chai, and the holy grail of cappucino, CAKE BATTER. Still, I wouldn't call myself a "coffee drinker."



This summer I tried an iced coffee from Dunkin' Donuts for the first time. I love everything about DD and their delicious, delicious coffee, especially in the summer when I can get it over ice and be refreshed and energized at the same time. I love that they offer free flavor shots; I love it even more that one of those flavors is coconut. (Tangent: Coconut is one of those things that you love or hate, and I am firmly in the camp of love. I wish everything everywhere tasted like coconut all the time.)

Still, coffee was an occasional treat, not an everyday requirement. I never wanted to be one of those people that stumbled around in the morning, zombie-like, grumbling and growling at every unfortunate soul who happened to cross their path before they brewed that life-giving elixir.

Then I was introduced to the wonder that is a Keurig machine. This brilliant little device brews single cups of coffee, and the cups come in dozens of delicious flavors. You can even make hot chocolate, hot apple cider, or tea. Between this genius machine and the magic that is flavored coffee creamer (umm, hello, Heath bar? Almond Joy? Salted caramel mocha? Yes, yes, and drooool.) I was hooked. I'm certainly not a snarling zombie without it, but I do enjoy the morning pick-me-up.

My friend Mandie told me about this site called BzzAgent -- you sign up, fill out some surveys, and they send you free samples of stuff to "buzz" about. (Word-of-mouth marketing campaigns.) It sounded perfect for me--I love free stuff, surveys, and I'll tell anyone who'll listen when I find a product I like.) So I signed up and was matched almost immediately with the Green Mountain Coffee Wellness Collection campaign.



There are two different brews in the collection: Focus Blend, which contains 50 mg of L-Theanine per serving, and Antioxidant Blend, containing vitamins C & E. I was a little skeptical before trying the coffee that it might have a weird "vitamin-y" taste to it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Both blends (medium roast) have a smooth, mellow taste that isn't overpowering or bitter. (And serve as the perfect vehicle for some flavored creamer.)

I can't speak to the clinical effectiveness of either brew, because, well, I'm not a scientist. But I can say that every other person in my family had awful nasty colds last week, and I never got so much as a sniffle. I have no idea whether the antioxidants in the coffee contributed to that or not, but either way it was delicious.

One of the things BzzAgent sends in your BzzKit is a coupon for the product to hand out. So if anyone feels inspired to try the Wellness Collection, here's a code for $3 off:

Go to GreenMountainCoffee.com/wellness or Keurig.com and enter code GMCBEWELL

(I don't get any money from BzzAgent or Green Mountain for reviewing their product. Just the delicious coffee that came in my BzzKit.)


1 comment:

  1. I never was a big coffee-drinker either, and I can take it or leave it; but I do rather enjoy Tim Hortons coffee (a "Canadian Dunkin Donuts" if you will) when blended with French Vanilla Liquid Coffee Mate. (I do NOT however like that kind that is gooey-liquidy that doesn't need refrigeration. It's not as good).

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