There are three things I absolutely adore about Vermont.
1. Views like this:
2. You can get Country music on the radio.
3. Green Mountain Coffee.
A couple of years ago, James insisted we move from our 12-cup standard coffee maker to a Keurig brewer. This ingenious little machine takes a vacuum packed “K-cup”, and brews one perfect cup of coffee for you. At about 30 cents a cup, it’s more than a standard coffee maker, but far far less than your average venti-mocha-half-caff-demi-whipped whatchimacallit from the local Starbucks. And I’m here to tell you that 9 times out of 10, I’d prefer the coffee from my Keurig (that 10th cup is most likely to be a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, but honestly, can you blame me?).
Image courtesy of GreenMountainCoffee.com
You guys know me. If I dig a product, I’m going to tell everyone I know just how much I love it. Or I’m going to buy it for you. That’s how my best friend, my sister, and my mother all ended up with Keurigs for Christmas this year. Not that I personally bought all three, but I certainly did some heavy campaigning for each of them to join the coffee revolution that is Keurig and Green Mountain Coffee in tandem.
Here’s what I love about having a Keurig. If James wants a cup of decaf Hazelnut, but I want a cup of full caff Pumpkin Spice, there’s no deliberation, extra mess, or wasted coffee. We can each have what we want, in about 30 seconds flat – the time it takes to swap out the used k-cup for a new one. Instant gratification: it’s a beautiful thing. It’s also given me an appreciation for supporting small business, and the awesomeness that is Fair Trade.
If you follow me on twitter, you know that I tweet about my morning cup of java all the time. I’m forever tweeting to @GreenMtnCoffee about the latest flavor we’ve had through the post. This is how I got to know the voice behind their tweets, Kristen.
I could wax on poetic for hours about Green Mountain Coffee: they make amazing coffee flavors. They support local communities and fair trade. They encourage their employees to volunteer. They reward loyalty by sending you little surprises once in a while in your recurring order. Most importantly, they appreciate their customer base. They have what I would consider the perfect recipe of Vermont living: friendly, honest, hardworking, and GREEN ideals. Kristen termed it Vermontitude. What a perfect word to describe their way of doing business.
I surprised my darling dearest husband for Christmas by arranging a quick trip to Vermont over this first weekend of 2010. He’s been dying to try his hand (or feet?) at skiing, so I arranged some lessons for him. But I myself, well.. let’s just say I already know that skiing would be a disaster from start to finish where I’m concerned. So after I dropped him off this morning for his full day of falling in the snow, I met Kristen at the Green Mountain Coffee visitor center and coffee shop in Waterbury, VT. An active train station, this gorgeous old building also houses a wonderful interactive museum about coffee, and how Green Mountain works with fair trade growers. Kristen was kind enough to buy me a cup of coffee – Wicked Winter Blend, which is, indeed, Wicked. We had a lovely conversation, and I’m an even bigger fan now than I was before this morning.
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As you can probably tell, Pumpkin Spice is one of my favorite coffee flavors. I love it year round. So starting today, I’m on a campaign to get Green Mountain Coffee to offer Pumpkin Spice ALL THE TIME, not just in Autumn. You listening, @GreenMtnCoffee? I mean business. Serious BIDNESS. 😀
p.s. I should make it clear: I haven’t gained anything from Green Mountain Coffee for this entry, nor was I asked to do it. I simply love their products, and think you will too.[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Vermontitude – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]