How, indeed?
Many, many years later I have a confession.
I've put the tea bags away (for the most part). Like many Americans, I am a coffee drinker.
Today, in the United States, it is National Coffee Day. To celebrate, a number of chains selling coffee have specials.
But there is an underside to National Coffee Day. Its name is K-Cup, and I have a Konfession.
I use them. Yes, I hang my head in shame, but we all have our vices. I love them. In theory.
A K-Cup is a single serve convenient way to make coffee, and right now they are quite popular in our country. They are easy - you stick them in a special coffee maker, close the lid, add water and a couple of minutes later, coffee! (maybe not the best coffee, but coffee). When you have company, your guest can choose their favorite.
Shown above, you can see the problem. They consist of ground coffee, filter, and lots and lots of plastic. Which, incidentally, is not recyclable. Yet.
So into landfills they go, because few of us have the time or patience to disassemble our K-Cups. Which, actually, I used to do (somewhat) back when I practiced worm agriculture. I fed the worms the used grounds. But that isn't good enough for our environment.
It seems that even the creator of K-Cups regrets what they have become.
The top K-Cup above is an attempt to make a better K-Cup. And, you know what? It makes a good cup of coffee. But it isn't good enough.
So let's celebrate National Coffee Day with a good cup of coffee, and hope that we don't drown in a sea of non recycled K-Cups before they come up with a solution.
True confession time for you, my reader. Do you drink coffee? Do you use K-Cups?
Hey, that's cool! Happy National Coffee Day to you!
ReplyDeleteI, too, love coffee, though since some time now, I have reduced my coffee intake and have more of tea - just like you did - made from a tea bag. But, there are days when I have to have a mug of my chilled coffee and then get ready to face the day! ;)
I don't drink coffee, still a tea drinker and sometimes I use the tea k cups.
ReplyDeleteMy husband drinks one cup of coffee a day and the k cups are convenienot for that. We use the refillable k cup, it's very econonomical.
I still prefer my tea made from the kettle but prefer the k cup to the microwave.
I'm a coffee lover too! :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of K-cups!
No such concept of a K cup here in India... a coffee drinker I am for sure but I must say I am partial to my teas :)
ReplyDeleteI've seen reusable K-cups at a few places, maybe even Harriet Carter.
ReplyDeleteNope.... not that much coffee - more of a tea drinker ... But hey - I'll join in on a celebration:-) Cheers:-)
ReplyDeleteNope, no coffee for me. Or K-cups. Coffee is basically everything I can't do in one cup. I hate hot drinks. I can't tolerate caffeine. (Seriously, instant headache. It's not pleasant.) So, I never developed a taste for it.
ReplyDeleteSo, sitting out national coffee day. More for you coffee drinkers.
I used to grind beans every morning. But I live alone and making two cups of coffee with fresh beans was not convenient. I switched to K-cups and love them. I tried the reusable pod with fresh beans, but was not happy with it. I have found a brand from Canada that has a cloth bottom and plastic lid. Still hard to disassemble and recycle, but less plastic. I do not have caffeine after two in the afternoon, so I usually switch to herbal teas.
ReplyDeleteI use a brand called San Francisco Fog Express that can be recycled easily. It has a mesh container, I take off the tops and put them in my plants---have the most caffeinated and happy garden anywhere!
ReplyDelete`pia
Just wanted to congratulate everyone in advance on the occasion of
ReplyDeleteNational coffee day. And thanks for this amazing post