Pretty much since the beginning of K-Cup time there was Coffee People’s Donut Shop Coffee.  Then earlier this year, Timothy’s announced (and then released) their Original Donut Blend.  Apparently this made for a little bit more unchallenged Donut than Green Mountain was willing to swallow, and so they quickly responded with the K-Cup equivalent of “it’s on like Donkey Kong”.  Leaving nothing to chance, Green Mountain hit back with not only a “standard issue” Donut House variety, but they up the ante with by adding both Chocolate Glazed Donut and Cinnamon Swirl varieties (reviews coming soon).  It’s also worth mentioning that Green Mountain is also first to market with a Donut decaf, which no doubt will make more than a few low intensity coffee lovers dancing for donut joy.

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