Coffee People Variety Pack Extra Bold, for Keurig Brewers, 22-Count K-Cups (Pack of 2) Review.
"What a great K-cup sampler..." 2008-08-13
By Diane Kistner (Georgia)
We've had our Keurig B60 about nine months now, and we've tried a number of the highest rated K-cups, so I wanted to set up subscriptions on Amazon for the varieties we want to have on hand on a regular basis.
I'd never tried Coffee People K-cups before, so I ordered the two variety packs they offer: the Extra Bold (that has five French Roast Decaf K-cups) and the Extra Bold Flavored (all "the real thing"). We will need to order three different packs per month, and I was looking for something different. At first I didn't think we'd use the decaffeinated ones, but then I realized there are times when we really want a cup of coffee at night (like the rare times we break down and buy that ice cream or cheesecake) but don't want the caffeine that late. So nothing's going to go to waste....
I am so impressed with the Coffee People coffees I've tried so far, and I know that we'll be including the Extra Bold Flavored pack in our once-monthly subscription. I haven't tried the Kafe-lua or Vanilla Avalanche yet, but if they are even half as good as the Chai Coffee and Berry Blast from that pack, I'll be in heaven.
My DH loves Tully's French Roast, which comes closest to having that "strong bite" that he was used to pre-Keurig (with the crap coffee), but I have a feeling he may decide that Coffee People's Black Tiger is at least tied for first place. I love it!
Speaking of pre-Keurig: When we first got our Keurig, we had to get used to the difference between cheap coffee brewed with unfiltered water in a Mr. Coffee and the Keurig K-cup coffees. At first, we thought the latter were awfully weak and not as flavorful. Those K-cups with very, very strong, even bitter flavors were the ones we were drawn to. After we'd been drinking K-cups a while, I had a cup of coffee in my doctor's office and realized that what we had been thinking was "strong" coffee was really coffee laden with pesticide taste--bleeccchhhhhh!!!
Now that my palate is becoming more accustomed to the good stuff, I'm beginning to be able to discriminate more between the subtle differences in these coffees. For example, the Tully's Sumatra is excellent and so is the Gloria Jean's Sumatra; however, of the two, I find the Gloria Jean's to be "earthy" while the Tully's is more "muddy."
Being able to discriminate in this way is what makes me really love the Coffee People's K-cups, because the coffees are rich and flavorful but, at the same time, smooth and balanced and not at all harsh; each has a decidedly different character. Also, the Extra Bolds lend themselves well to making a double cup using the small setting on our Keurig B60, run through the same K-cup two times. (If I feel like super-strong, I'll just run it through once. DH is a one-time brewer.)
The variety packs are a real winner, too. It's nice to be able to sample the different coffees without having to buy 50 K-cups of the same variety. Once you decide on which you are in love with, you can then buy the 50-packs of just the flavors you most prefer. What a winner....
"New combo is great" 2010-01-25
By Neil L. Cohen
The new combo of flavors is great. Jet Fuel, Black Tiger, Extra Bold Organic, and Wake-Up Call are all good. This package used to have french roast and FR decaf in it. The latest I received had the 4 I listed.
"New Variety" 2010-03-10
By a reader (Bay Area, CA)
Just wanted to point out that many of these reviews refer to what must have been an older variety pack. The current pack (as of March 2010) contains Organic, Jet Fuel, Wake Up Call and Black Tiger, so no flavored coffees and no decaf. I really like all of them - nice, dark roasts, but each one has a distinct flavor. I've had some Coffee People varieties that I find somewhat burnt tasting, but these four are a great selection.
"Great Way to Taste Test Bold Dark Coffee!" 2008-07-14
By JM (SoCal, United States)
I like really dark bold coffee! The only mfr I have found so far that is dark enough for me is of this product. I especially like the black tiger, which I had purchased before, but wanted to try their different flavors. I did taste tests, 2 cups at a time, 1 black tiger (the control group) and the other cup one of the other flavors. All were good with no bitter/acid taste. I still like the black tiger the best, it is the most bold/dark and most flavorful if you like your coffee dark and strong, but the other flavors were still more "bold" than other companies.
"Bold variety is the best" 2008-09-12
By Roy Rothstein (cumming, Ga)
My wife loves bold coffee and this is our second order on this blend of coffees. She thinks that it is the best. She had been drinking expresso before this and has now switched.
By Diane Kistner (Georgia)
We've had our Keurig B60 about nine months now, and we've tried a number of the highest rated K-cups, so I wanted to set up subscriptions on Amazon for the varieties we want to have on hand on a regular basis.
I'd never tried Coffee People K-cups before, so I ordered the two variety packs they offer: the Extra Bold (that has five French Roast Decaf K-cups) and the Extra Bold Flavored (all "the real thing"). We will need to order three different packs per month, and I was looking for something different. At first I didn't think we'd use the decaffeinated ones, but then I realized there are times when we really want a cup of coffee at night (like the rare times we break down and buy that ice cream or cheesecake) but don't want the caffeine that late. So nothing's going to go to waste....
I am so impressed with the Coffee People coffees I've tried so far, and I know that we'll be including the Extra Bold Flavored pack in our once-monthly subscription. I haven't tried the Kafe-lua or Vanilla Avalanche yet, but if they are even half as good as the Chai Coffee and Berry Blast from that pack, I'll be in heaven.
My DH loves Tully's French Roast, which comes closest to having that "strong bite" that he was used to pre-Keurig (with the crap coffee), but I have a feeling he may decide that Coffee People's Black Tiger is at least tied for first place. I love it!
Speaking of pre-Keurig: When we first got our Keurig, we had to get used to the difference between cheap coffee brewed with unfiltered water in a Mr. Coffee and the Keurig K-cup coffees. At first, we thought the latter were awfully weak and not as flavorful. Those K-cups with very, very strong, even bitter flavors were the ones we were drawn to. After we'd been drinking K-cups a while, I had a cup of coffee in my doctor's office and realized that what we had been thinking was "strong" coffee was really coffee laden with pesticide taste--bleeccchhhhhh!!!
Now that my palate is becoming more accustomed to the good stuff, I'm beginning to be able to discriminate more between the subtle differences in these coffees. For example, the Tully's Sumatra is excellent and so is the Gloria Jean's Sumatra; however, of the two, I find the Gloria Jean's to be "earthy" while the Tully's is more "muddy."
Being able to discriminate in this way is what makes me really love the Coffee People's K-cups, because the coffees are rich and flavorful but, at the same time, smooth and balanced and not at all harsh; each has a decidedly different character. Also, the Extra Bolds lend themselves well to making a double cup using the small setting on our Keurig B60, run through the same K-cup two times. (If I feel like super-strong, I'll just run it through once. DH is a one-time brewer.)
The variety packs are a real winner, too. It's nice to be able to sample the different coffees without having to buy 50 K-cups of the same variety. Once you decide on which you are in love with, you can then buy the 50-packs of just the flavors you most prefer. What a winner....
By Neil L. Cohen
The new combo of flavors is great. Jet Fuel, Black Tiger, Extra Bold Organic, and Wake-Up Call are all good. This package used to have french roast and FR decaf in it. The latest I received had the 4 I listed.
By a reader (Bay Area, CA)
Just wanted to point out that many of these reviews refer to what must have been an older variety pack. The current pack (as of March 2010) contains Organic, Jet Fuel, Wake Up Call and Black Tiger, so no flavored coffees and no decaf. I really like all of them - nice, dark roasts, but each one has a distinct flavor. I've had some Coffee People varieties that I find somewhat burnt tasting, but these four are a great selection.
By JM (SoCal, United States)
I like really dark bold coffee! The only mfr I have found so far that is dark enough for me is of this product. I especially like the black tiger, which I had purchased before, but wanted to try their different flavors. I did taste tests, 2 cups at a time, 1 black tiger (the control group) and the other cup one of the other flavors. All were good with no bitter/acid taste. I still like the black tiger the best, it is the most bold/dark and most flavorful if you like your coffee dark and strong, but the other flavors were still more "bold" than other companies.
By Roy Rothstein (cumming, Ga)
My wife loves bold coffee and this is our second order on this blend of coffees. She thinks that it is the best. She had been drinking expresso before this and has now switched.
