Here’s the list from Joe’s Shoffee Blog:

• Caribou Coffee French Roast Keurig K-Cups
• Caribou Coffee Sumatra Decaf Keurig K-Cups
• Coffee People French Roast Decaf Keurig K-Cups
• Diedrich Colombia Decaf Keurig K-Cups
• Diedrich Morning Edition Keurig K-Cups
• Diedrich Sumatra Keurig K-Cups
• Diedrich Variety Pack Keurig K-Cups
• Emeril’s Vanilla Bean BAM! Keurig K-Cups
• Gloria Jean’s Special Blend Decaf Keurig K-Cups
• Gloria Jean’s Pumpkin Spice Keurig K-Cups
• Gloria Jean’s Chamomile Tea Keurig K-Cups
• Gloria Jean’s Tea Variety Box of Keurig K-Cups
• Green Mountain FT Holiday Blend Keurig K-Cups
• Green Mountain FT Autumn Harvest Keurig K-Cups
• Green Mountain FT Wicked Winter Blend Keurig K-Cups
• Green Mountain FT Spring Revival Blend Keurig K-Cups
• Green Mountain FT Summer Safari Blend Keurig K-Cups
• Green Mountain Hazelnut Dark Roast Keurig K-Cups
• Green Mountain Heifer Hope Blend Keurig K-Cups
• Green Mountain National Wildlife Blend Keurig K-Cups
• Timothy’s Colombian FT Dorado Keurig K-Cups
• Timothy’s Mexican Organic Keurig K-Cups
• Tully’s Evergreen Blend Keurig K-Cups
• Tully’s Full City Roast Keurig K-Cups
• Tully’s Madison Blend Keurig K-Cups
• Tully’s Sumatra Keurig K-Cups

I’m not going to get too worked up about this personally since only one of my absolute favorites (Green Mountain’s seasonal FT Holiday Blend) is on this list, but it’s a bit disappointing for sure.

Sumatran varietals in general are consistently among my favorites, so losing Sumatran offerings from Caribou, Diedrich, and Tully’s is also kind of a bummer.

I’d also be willing to bet that more than a couple of people are going to be downright irate about the loss of Gloria Jean’s Pumpkin Spice, although I’m certainly not one of them.

In general however, having tried most of the coffees on this list, my thinking is Green Mountain is mostly clearing out a whole lot of the mediocre – hopefully to make room for something better.

As you may recall from another Shoffee Blog post about a month ago, Green Mountain announced the purchase of kick-ass Canadian Coffee maker, Van Houtte.  My thinking on this is that Green Mountain is streamlining their current offerings to clear a little room for a more general distribution of Van Houtte K-Cups.  As Joe pointed out, Van Houtte already produces the Bigelow, and Wolfgang Puck lineup of K-Cups, but that’s really only scratching the beanskin of the Van Houtte lineup.

If my wishes become reality, this latest news is nothing more than Green Mountain clearing the way for the Van Houtte brand to become the latest K-Cup staple; available through your favorite retail outlets, like Shoffee.com.

Initial Thoughts (based on the name alone, and before my first sip):

Ahh…the end of winter.  Light, yet bright (do they still make those lightbright things, with the plastic pegs?), smooth, and hopeful.  A warm cup of optimism.

The Description:

Revive your senses.  A balanced and sweetly aromatic blend with a sparkling finish.

The Aroma

Sweet and fruity.  I’m thinking grapes, and berries (or is a grape a berry?), with just a hint of spice.  Spring Revival Blend is nothing I’d consider intensely aromatic, but it’s pleasant enough.

Drinking it Black

Not bad…not bad at all.  Here we are two years in, and I’m still not a black coffee drinker (probably never will be), although I’m definitely a dark roast kind of guy.  Spring Revival blend is smooth, exceptionally so.  Probably as smooth as anything I’ve tried recently, which admittedly isn’t much (it turns out when you don’t review coffee for a bit, your supplies dwindle).  It’s mildly acidic, with a light, bitter-free finish that lingers a bit without souring.  For more than a few of you, I suspect this one will play just fine without cream and sugar, especially if you like your medium roasts a little on the lighter side.

With Cream and Sugar

While Spring Revival Blend will never be my favorite cup, it makes for an awesome, awesome warm weather, Friday-feeling kinda coffee.  It’s light, sweet, with an almost whipped (frou frou coffee) kind a feel, without the risk of your friends calling you a sissy.  Think iced coffee, but without the ice in there watering it down.  Oh…and unlike ice, it’s hot.  Yeah.  I really like it.  Score it a B or a B+.

Final Thoughts

This is normally the part where I sum it all up and tell you why you should be whatever cup of coffee I’ve just reviewed (even if I’m telling you it’s so awesomely bad you have to taste it to believe it).  But since I’ve already pretty much said all I need to say, how about I leave you with this bit of background info on this delicious blend (which serves as reason enough why you should give Fair Trade Spring Revival Blend a try – and yes, I copied and pasted this directly from Green Mountain.  I didn’t write a word of it.

Coffee in Rwanda: A story of survival and revival

Spring Revival® Blend offers sweet aromas, balanced flavors, and a compelling story of hope. The floral top notes of this Fair Trade Certified™ blend come from Rwanda, a country still recovering from a brutal civil war. With this delicious Limited Edition Seasonal coffee, you join us in supporting Rwanda’s economic revival, and small farmers who are producing extraordinary beans.

In the Gikongoro Province of southwestern Rwanda, vibrant coffee fields are reawakening after years of lying dormant. High altitudes, rich soil and predictable rainfalls created a perfect microclimate here, but years of conflict and political unrest had made it nearly impossible to get coffee to market. Today, a partnership of growers, roasters and governments is producing exceptionally fine coffee, and hope for a more peaceful future.

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

Our head coffee buyer, Lindsey Bolger, then made the first of six trips to Rwanda to train farmers in cupping and sensory evaluation. She helped train them to 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 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.

Shameless Plug

In addition to their own coffees and teas, Green Mountain stocks coffee from Caribou, Tully’s, Newman’s Own, and now (for my Canadian brother’s and sisters) Timothy’s.  They also offer their unique Cafe Escapes lineup, as well as their Donut House Collection.

You can save $2 ($2.50 for a limited time) off every box of Green Mountain coffee you buy through their Café Express programs; which helps ensure that you never run out of delicious Green Mountain Coffee.

Stuff the FTC Wants Me to Say

Neither myself or anyone else at Qwowi.com received any compensation for this review and any recommendations made within.  Green Mountain doesn’t pay me to say nice things about their coffee, which is probably good, because I don’t always say nice things about their coffee.  Just because I like it doesn’t mean you will.  I make no promises or guarantees as to what your own experience with Spring Revival Blend (or any other Green Mountain Blend) will be.

Earlier this week I told you about Green Mountain’s new Travel Mug Sized K-Cups. While the feedback I’ve heard about that has been extremely positive (people really want a bigger cup), I’m not actually much of a travel mug guy myself. The thing is, I’ve got just short of a 1 hour drive to work every morning, and as I probably don’t need to tell you, long drives, and a giant mug full of coffee aren’t always a good mix. I’ll leave it at that; no further explanation necessary I presume.

What I am excited about, however, is Green Mountain’s other new releases, revv™ and revv pulse™. If I’m reading the details right, these new offerings kick up the caffeine beyond that of your everyday cup, to give you an extra boost without the need to add a ton of sugar.

Here are Green Mountain’s descriptions of the new offerings:

“Shift into a coffee that ignites your senses. revv K-Cups® are packed with 100% Arabica coffee to create a stimulating cup of rich body, smooth balance, and high-octane energy, so you can supercharge your day without extra sugar or calories”.

“revv™ packs more rich, smooth coffee into every K-cup®, so you can super-charge your day, without extra sugar or calories. Take a bold move forward. Launch into life with revv™”.

It sounds to me that revv™ is exactly what Keurig users have been screaming for; a seriously hardcore cup of coffee that kicks you flush in the teeth, or at the very least, something to jump start the morning and help lift the morning haze.

revv pulse™, as a famous TV chef might say, kicks it up a notch.  They’ve taken coffee, and sort, kinda, blended it with an energy drink…or at least the kind of ingredients you might find listed on an energy drink’s can.  Here’s how Green Mountain describes it:

“Nature’s original energy drink just got turbo charged. revv pulse™ boosts alertness without compromising on taste. Ginseng and Guarana are natural additions to revv’s high-performance power”.

“When you need to revv it up and keep it going, reach for revv pulse ™. revv pulse gives you a boost without compromising on taste. Ginseng and Guarana are natural additions to revv’s high-performance power. Now you can get to the head of the pack, and stay there as long as it takes”.

Not two days ago I was explaining to my buddy Ken that I was going to have to down a 2nd cup right quick because the first one didn’t take.  The new revv™ lineup looks like it can solve that problem, without having to drink 4 cups of coffee, or down a pound of sugar.  Either way, they’re definitely worth checking into.  I hope to have samples for review soon.

Through June 24th 2010 you can save $1.00 off every 22 count box of revv™ when you enter keycode IGNITE-REVV at checkout.

Café Express members will get an additional $1.00 off your member discount.

A Trip Back In Time

I like to talk about the dawn of K-Cups like it happened right about the time the dinosaurs disappeared, or maybe as if their arrival coincided with the microwave.  The reality, of course, is that the K-Cup and the awesome machines that make them haven’t been around all that long, but nevertheless…please indulge my history lesson, regardless of how inaccurate the timing might be…

Centuries ago long after the last Tyrannosaurus Rex took his last breath, the Neanderthals used archaic tools (like a Mr. Coffee brewer or a French Press) to brew their coffee.  But lo! Cameth the Keurig brewer, which in addition to brewing a great cup of coffee, also freed up more time for all the hunting and gathering that was going on.  While there was much rejoicing (dancing and singing and whatnot) in the caves for days, there was but one, single complaint that persists to modern day; “I like my Keurig, but the coffee is too weak on the larger settings”.

Finally…A Solution

Like I said, my timing might be off a little bit, but regardless of whether we’re talking about eons, centuries, or just the last 5 years ago, just about every Keurig owner has complained about the crappy cup of coffee that come from brewing on the largest setting.  Of course, there were workarounds.  Most people I know brew 2 K-Cups per 1 travel mug.  It’s not the most economical solution, but it works.  What if I told you there was a better way?  Would you send a check or money order (if you would, I’ll send you my address)?  My friends, it’s a pleasure for me to let you know that there is in fact a better way.

Remember that package I (my wife) got last Friday?  Well that package contained 3 boxes of Green Mountain’s new Travel Mug Sized K-Cups.  That’s right…TRAVEL MUG SIZED K-CUPS.  No more drinking weak coffee.  No more “brew 2 get 1″ for the road.  Nope…those days, like dinosaurs and cavemen are gone.  Simply pop in one of the new travel mug sized K-Cups.  Set your brewer to its largest cup setting.  Press brew.  Wait 15 seconds or so, and you’ve got a delicious, full-sized (and that’s really what we care about) cup of totally awesome Green Mountain Coffee.  That’s pretty sweet (even if you like your coffee black), right?

A Web Exclusive

For now at least, Travel Mug K-Cups are available exclusively on the web (no running down to your local Bed, Bath, and Beyond to score a box).  Nope, you can only get these online from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.  The first run of the super-sized K-Cups are available in 3 varieties; French Roast, Donut House (awesome), and Breakfast Blend.  A 22 count box will set you back $13.95.  Of course, if you’re a subscriber of Green Mountain’s Cafe Express (and you probably should be), that price drops to $10.45 per box.

In addition to their own coffees and teas, Green Mountain stocks coffee from Caribou, Tully’s, and Newman’s Own.  They also offer their unique Cafe Escapes lineup, as well as their Donut House Collection.

You can save $2 ($2.50 for a limited time) off every box of Green Mountain coffee you buy through their Café Express programs; which helps ensure that you never run out of delicious Green Mountain Coffee.

It’s March Madness time again, which means it’s time again for Shoffee’s 3rd Annual Shoffice Pool.  This year the prize pool is bigger than ever.  Granted, 3 years isn’t a long time to track these sort of things, but never the less…our friend’s at Shoffee are offering some pretty sweet prizes for coffee-loving basketball fans (or basketball-loving coffee fans).  The list includes:

• Two (2) Top Prizes – This year we have two top prizes, provided by both Keurig and FLAVIA. The top finisher in the Shoffice Pool will choose between a Keurig Prize Package which includes a New Keurig B155 Home Office Brewer and a year’s supply of Green Mountain Keurig K-Cups (24 boxes of Keurig K-Cups to be exact), or a FLAVIA Prize Package which includes a FLAVIA Fusion Home Brewer and 24 cases of FLAVIA coffee, tea and Dove Hot Chocolate.Estimated Value of these two top prizes is more than $600.00 each
• The Second Runner Up will receive a year’s supply of Coffee People Donut Shop Keurig K-Cups (24 boxes) from Diedrich Coffee Estimated Value is $300.00
• The Third Runner Up will receive a case of Green Mountain Island Coconut Keurig K-Cups (4 boxes) and a case of Green Mountain Spring Revival Blend Keurig K-Cups (4 boxes). Estimated Value is $100.00
• The Fourth Runner Up will receive a case of Timothy’s Sugar Bush Maple Keurig K-Cups (4 boxes) from Timothy’s Coffee Estimated Value is $50.00
• The Top 25 Finishers will receive a NEW Shoffee.com Travel Mug Estimated Value is $10.00

My personal disdain for Island Coconut aside, that’s a delicious (and in the case of first prize – incredibly functional) set of prizes.

To enter (or just to check out the details), browse over to the Shoffice Pool website and fill out your bracket.  Assuming your better at it than I am (and it’s hard to imagine you could be worse), you’ve got a pretty good chance at winning a prize package from Shoffee.com – The Web’s Favorite Coffee Shop.

Apart from the general tediousness that comes with the holidays, I’ve just wrapped up a year long project at my day job.  I’ve also been spending quite a bit of time helping to get the doors open at Tark’s Indoor Golf in Saratoga Springs, NY.  The good news is the holidays are over, my project goes live just about the time this post publishes, and Tark’s is open and business is good.  I guess it’s about time I sat back and enjoyed a cup of coffee.

Initial Thoughts (based on the name alone, and before my first sip):

Tree Hugger?  Seriously?  What the heck is Coffee People thinking?  Nothing screams good coffee like images of filthy dancing hippies with their beards, dreaklocks, and rotten body odor.  Nevermind snarly, dirt-crusted, yellow toenails protruding out of a pair of raggedy old Birkenstocks.  Does this come with a free tie-die shirt?  Yeah…pour me a cup of that.  I can’t wait.

The Description:

Wrap your taste buds around this chocolaty medium roast coffee with sweet berry notes. Certified Fair Trade and Organic.

The Aroma

This certainly doesn’t smell like body odor.  Simply divine coffee aromas with more than a hint of sweet berries.  I think I’m about to cry.

Drinking it Black

I’m not tasting any toe nail here.  I’m not seeing any remnants of mangy beard-hair either.  Instead what I’m tasting is an outstanding medium body coffee that absolutely coats the mouth.  It’s chocolaty with perhaps just a hint of berry (just like I said).  It’s certainly not overly sweet though.  Quite frankly, I’m taken aback.  I’m pleasantly surprised.  There’s not much else to say, except that Coffee People’s Tree Hugger is absolutely brilliant.

When I think of "Tree Hugger", I think of this guy...and that's not cool.

With Cream and Sugar

I seriously have no idea what to write here.  How does one describe perfection.  Silky smooth, outstanding medium roast flavor; sweet nectar of the gods, it doesn’t get better than this.  All I can offer is a cautionary note…don’t over sweeten.  Oh, and my brother found out Christmas day, check the date on your half and half, or cream, or whatever it is you pour into your coffee.  Curdled cream will ruin any cup of coffee, even one as good as this.

Final Thoughts

When I found out Coffee People discounted Berry Blast, I was really, really close to send them a DM on the Twitter to let them know that we weren’t going to be friends anymore, but then the released Tree Hugger, and now I think I’d follow them into a forest fire.  Lest I mislead you, I should be clear that Tree Hugger is not a replacement for Berry Blast.  The latter was a berry flavored coffee, the former offers only a delicious hint. Tree Hugger simply pacifies the rage I felt over losing one of my flavored favorites.

Of course, what you should take away from all of this is this; Tree Hugger is nothing short of the best new K-Cup blend of 2009.  I’d actually go so far as to say it’s one of my 2 or 3 favorites of all, and might even supplant Tully’s Kona blend as the single greatest K-Cup experience of my life.  Of course, it’s been so damn long since I’ve actually had Tully’s Kona, I’d be hard pressed to declare a definitive winner.  The point is, Tree Hugger is the single best blend Coffee People offers (yes, better than Donut Shop).  Moreover, it’s one of the 2 or 3 best blends (in this guy’s opinion anyway) available for your Keurig today.  Don’t buy a box, buy a case.

Shameless Plug

It seems like a lot has happened over at Shoffee since I last wrote a review.  Their small Facebook following has grown to a massive 1700 loyal customers strong.  Any why not?  It seems like just about every day, Joe is giving something else away.  Quite frankly, I think watching his Jets win has made Shoffee Joe a little light headed, so why not take advantage before the Jets lose and he comes back to his senses.

It goes without saying that Shoffee offers the most complete selection of K-Cups (like Coffee People Tree Hugger), brewers, and accessories anywhere on the web.  Shoffee’s prices are among the best you’ll find anywhere, and that statement doesn’t even take into account Shoffee’s Cup of The Week website, where every week a different box of K-Cups is available for not much more than a venti latte at Starbucks.

Not all that long ago, Shoffee spun up their Perk Points Plus program, which basically pays you back in Shoffee points each time you order from Shoffee.  It’s just one more reason why Shoffee is The Web’s Favorite Coffee Shop.

While you’re here on Qwowi Coffee, check out all of the K-Cup Reviews in my personal K-Cup Challenge.

Stuff the FTC Wants Me to Say

Neither myself or anyone else at Qwowi.com received any compensation for this review and any recommendations made within.  Shoffee does not yet have an affiliate program (why Joe, why?), so I don’t make anything even if you make a purchase through Shoffee.com. I am not employed by Shoffee (or Coffee People for that matter).  I did get some free coffee (for sampling purposes) out of the deal, which is nice, but that’s is 100% the extent of it.

Now until the end of December (otherwise known as the “Holiday Season”), Green Mountain is running a little family and friends deal for their Coffee Ambassadors; guys like me who can’t stop talking about how good Green Mountain Coffee is.  Occasionally, I’ll talk about things like corporate citizenship t00, which is good, but the coffee…the coffee is just great.

Anyway, simply visit the Green Mountain Website, fill your cart full of things like Organic Fair Trade Coffee, Keurig Brewers, or other unique gifts and samplers.  At checkout, enter promo code 3A56-2493.

The offer expires 12/31/09 and excludes Café EXPRESS and other discount promotions.

In addition to their own coffees and teas, Green Mountain stocks coffee from Caribou, Tully’s, and Newman’s Own.  The offer also applies to Green Mountain’s Cafe Escapes lineup, as well as the new Donut House Collection.

If you’re willing to forgo the 10% discount, you can save $2 off every box of Green Mountain coffee you buy through their Café Express programs, which helps ensure that you never run out of delicious Green Mountain Coffee.

To help entice you a bit, Green Mountain has passed along their recipe for Caramel Gingerbread Cream Coffee

• Brew a pot of Fair Trade Gingerbread Coffee.
• Combine 2/3 coffee and 1/3 steamed light cream in a mug.
• Add caramel syrup to taste.  Top with whipped cream and a swirl of caramel syrup.

The Fine Print Details of Me & Green Mountain as it applies to the FTC

As you may or may not know, the FTC recently enacted some guidelines for bloggers centered around disclosure of compensation received for product endorsements.  So in the spirit of full disclosure, here are  the details of my relationship with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters:

As a Green Mountain’s Ambassador, I receive two boxes of K-Cups per month.   Occasionally, I receive other gifts (they sent me a nice fleece vest just last week).  From time to time, I also request a specific product (usually when a new variety comes out), and they’ve been kind enough to oblige.  With the exception of their affiliate program (for which I receive a percentage of all sales generated through Qwowi.com), I receive no monitory compensation from Green Mountain (or anyone else for that matter) for my efforts, which sometimes makes me wonder why I even bother; but I digress.  I’m certainly not on the payroll, and I’m most definitely under no obligation to say nice things about Green Mountain products.  If they send me something, and I don’t like it, you’ll still find it reviewed here at Qwowi Coffee.  Reviews are not submitted to anyone for approval – including my wife  - prior to posting.

Down the road I might engage in a head to head Donut Fight, but for today I’ll focus solely on Green Mountain’s Donut House Coffee.

The Description

Donut House Coffee feels familiar from the very first sip. It’s the easy-going, bold, dependable cup you enjoy every day.

If you’re lucky, the best cup of joe is right around the corner. You can pick up your brew and a dozen to go. The rest of us rely on the Donut House Collection—K-Cups with rich, bold flavor and a little kick to get you going. Good, straightforward coffees that will remind you of the days when you knew what to expect and were never disappointed.

The Aroma

A bit smokey, perhaps a bit nutty.  Nothing overly sophisticated.  What can I say is that it steams with really swell coffee smells…just like the old man in the paper hat used to brew.

Drinking it Black

Let me droop a couple of adjectives on you; smooth & crisp.  I rate Donut House Coffee as a solid medium roast.  Definitely not light, but far from dark like Espresso Blend or Double Black Diamond.  What I’m really enjoying about this blend is its straightforward nature.  I don’t have to try and cleverly describe fruit notes, or florals, or anything else exotic; and that’s the point – this is old fashion no-nonsense coffee like they used to make in the corner donut shop, well, back when there was a corner donut shop – before the giant corporate coffee machine steamrolled your favorite mom and pop.  Donut House Coffee is coffee like it was before the man took over.  It’s simple, but it’s really, really good.

What’s more, I’m not tolerating it black, I’m enjoying it black.  I’m not sure that’ the first time this has ever happened, but it sure has been a while.

With Cream and Sugar

It’s still smooth, and it’s still crisp.  It’s slightly nippy too, which I really like (because I didn’t have to sacrifice any smooth to get there).  What can I say, I’m really enjoying this one.  It’s so relaxing to sip coffee without the fear of missing some faint hint of raspberry or pine nuts, or anything else of that ilk.

Final Thoughts

Like I said at the beginning, I’ll save the big picture, head to head donut fight for a later day.  What I will say is that Donut House Coffee is the best new blend I’ve had in quite some time.  If you love a sophisticated, complex, multi-faceted coffee experience, Donut House Coffee probably isn’t for you, but if you’re all about a simple, straightforward, cup of coffee, then I can’t recommend enough that you buy a box or few of Green Mountain’s Donut House Coffee.

Shameless Plug

As you might expect,  this installment of the K-Cup Challenge was sponsored by Green Mountain Coffee.  Just so we’re clear, they send me coffee, they don’t make me say nice things about it (check my other reviews and you’ll see that I don’t hold back if I don’t like the beans).  Anyway…Green Mountain has everything for you or the coffee lovers in your life this holiday (or any other season).  They offer a full selection of Keurig Brewers, K-Cups, and an assortment of other really cool stuff.

Join Green Mountain’s Café Express program and you’ll save$2 off K-Cup boxes, $1 off coffee bags & 10% off everything else (including brewers).  There’s no fee to join, and you can bail out at anytime with no hard feelings (or penalties).  There’s no better way to ensure that you’re favorite K-Cups will be there waiting for you each and every morning.  Café Express is pretty much the ultimate K-Cup coffee club.

While you’re here, check out all of the reviews in QwowiCoffee’s K-Cup Challenge

I took a little extra time doing some comparisons with Santa’s Buzz.  It’s not that I don’t like Coffee People (quite the opposite actually), but let’s just say I don’t always trust them.  After the clever stunt they pulled during the last Presidential election (repackaging Donut Shop Coffee as both Obama and McCain blends), I keep a guarded eye (and tongue for that matter) for any sort of Coffee People relabeling shenanigans.   I’m happy to report that Santa’s Buzz is most definitely not Donut Shop Coffee (of course, it could be one of their other blends – so they could still be shenanigating/shenanigatizing me), but whatever it is, it’s still pretty darn good.

The Aroma

I’m trying hard here to find something meaningful to say about the aroma.  Sorry…I’ve got nothing.  It’s smells plenty fine – good actually, but at the end of the day (or brewing cycle anyway), it just smells like coffee.  Santa’s Buzz isn’t what I’d call an aromatic standout, but it’s far from putrid either.

The Description

A jolly blend of outstanding world coffees – smooth and bold to keep you buzzing all season long. Keep out with cookies for Santa Claus!

While I might question that wisdom of setting out a cup of coffee for Santa knowing that it invariably will get cold by the time he arrives, it doesn’t make any less sense that leaving out a glass of milk which will invariably be warm by the time he arrives. My suggestion: leave Santa a K-Cup and instructions for using your Keurig Brewer (in case he doesn’t have one at home). It might also be helpful to let him know where the cream and sugar are. You might also want to have some fat free half and half and Splenda in the house as well. Give Santa some options…that’s really all I’m saying

Drinking It Black

Before really savoring the flavor, I had to make sure Santa’s Buzz isn’t Donut Shop.  It’s not.  If you’re interested in a head to head comparison, my take is that Santa’s Buzz is a little bolder, perhaps a bit more spicy, and definitely not as sweet.

As with the aroma, there isn’t a whole lot that ultimately stands out about a cup of Santa’s Buzz.  I use the word balanced when I don’t taste an abundance of chocolate, or fruit, or spice, or anything else.  Santa’s Buzz is very much balanced.  Like Santa himself, it’s an even-tempered brew.  What I really like is the total lack of bitterness or unpleasant flavor on the tongue or in the back of the throat.

With Cream and Sugar

Some disclosure about my sugar tasting; like Santa himself, I could stand to lose a few pounds myself these days, so I’ve cut back a little bit on the sugar, so light and sweet isn’t as sweet as it used to be.  That said I like the rich, darker-than-donut flavor.  As I said whilst drinking it black, it’s not as sweet as Donut Shop, but what you do get is something with a little more bite.

With the cream and sugar added, I’m feeling a lot of dark chocolate and caramel here.  Of course, that could just be the leftover Halloween candy talking.  Whatever it is, it’s now espresso-like without a trace of bitterness.

Final Thoughts

I’m not going to lie to you here.  Santa’s Buzz is not my favorite of the Holiday Seasonal.  Having tried Santa’s Buzz, Gloria Jean’s Holiday Traditions, and Green Mountain’s Fair Trade Holiday Blend, I’m solidly in the Green Mountain camp.  Of course, I’m an East Coast guy, and Green Mountain is an East Coast company, so my taste buds might be biased.  Still, I’d highly recommend giving Santa’s Buzz a try.  Whether you’re looking for a hint of holiday flavor, or just looking to mix something new into your K-Cup rotation, Santa’s Buzz is definitely worthy of a few cycles of your Keurig Brewer.

Shameless Plug

This installment of The K-Cup Challenge is sponsored by Shoffee.com – The Web’s Favorite Coffee Shop.  You will find just about everything you could ever want to put in your Keurig Brewer (including Santa’s Buzz) at Shoffee – and you’ll find it at the right price too.  You should also check out Shoffee on Facebook.  On Shoffee’s fan page you’ll find K-Cup news, special deals, and you’ll learn what the other 1200+ Shoffee fans are drinking and loving.

While you’re here, check out all of the reviews in Qwowi Coffee’s K-Cup Challenge.

The Description

A flavorful coffee with undertones of milk chocolate and caramel

The Aroma

Chocolaty, with the faintest hint of pine.  Reminds me a bit of what I call the Caribou smell.

Drinking it Black

I love it when the flavors I taste hold true to the description.  I’m definitely getting a lot of milk chocolate flavor here.  Maybe not as much caramel, however.   Maybe it’s just my mind settling in to the notion of the holidays, but I think I’m tasting that same hint of pine that I smelled.  Yeah…I’m definitely drinking a tree.  It’s subtle though, very subtle.  I like it.

In terms of drinkability, it’s relatively mild, and drinks easy black.  Acidity is relatively mild, and there’s barely a trace of bitterness.  I can’t imagine I’ll ever reach the point where I prefer my coffee black, but Holiday Traditions is certainly manageable with nothing added.

With Cream and Sugar

After cream and sugar are added, the chocolate and caramel flavors become even more pronounced.  You can’t help but breath them in as your mouth moves closer to your cup to take a sip.  I’m still tasting the slightest of something else…still pine?  The finish is caramelly.  So if you’re keeping track at home it goes chocolate, pine, caramel.  At least that what I’m getting out of it.

Over the course of several cups I’ve learned that Holiday Traditions is one of those blends that terribly easy to over sweeten, so take it easy with whatever form of granulated crystal you use to soften your coffee up a bit.   For what it’s worth my wife does not like Gloria Jean’s Holiday Traditions.  She doesn’t like caramel, and consequently, probably wont’ be drinking this one again.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been accused of more or less having it out for Gloria Jean’s.  While there have been a couple (and it’s only been 2, I think) GJ Coffee’s I really liked, Gloria Jean’s is far and away my least favorite of the K-Cup manufacturers.  Maybe it’s my east coast tongue not always agreeing with a west coast coffee, but whatever it is, it seldom sits right with me.  My take on things is that  GJ’s does a really good job with the non-flavored stuff, but flails and fails with flavored coffee, and unfortunately (at least as far as I’m concerned), Gloria Jean’s makes a lot of flavored coffee.

Past experience aside, I generally like Gloria Jean’s Holiday Traditions blend, but…(yup, there’s a but) if there is a knock on Gloria Jean’s Holiday Traditions, it’s that even though it’s not a flavored coffee, it tends to drink like one.  It has an almost hot chocolate-like quality; a mocha without explicitly advertising as much, and at times the caramel finish is more than I enjoy.  While mostly that’s not a bad thing, there seems to come a point before  the bottom of every cup where I’ve simply had enough, and where I find myself wishing I was drinking something else.

My bottom line is that while Gloria Jean’s Holiday Tradition is ins’t a bad way to kick of the holiday season, I’m thinking, at least for me anyway, there are better winter blends.  For those who enjoy a surplus of chocolate and caramel flavors in their coffee, this one should prove popular.

Shameless Plug

Like some many of our samples, our winter care package came from our good friends at Shoffee.com.  I could tell you about Shoffee’s great prices, incredible selection, or their ever-growing reputation for outstanding customer service, but why take my word for it?  Visit Shoffee on facebook, and you’ll find over 1000 fans and customers who are rabid about their coffee, and equally as devoted to buying from the Web’s Favorite Coffee Shop (that’s Shoffee).  Shoffee can most definitely hook you up with a box or ten of Gloria Jean’s Holiday Traditions, or just about anything else you Keurig Brewer desires.  Also check out their Cup of The Week site for a special deal on a special box of K-Cups each and every week.

While you’re here, check out all of the reviews in my personal K-Cup Challenge.