I have a raging passion for coffee.  Morning, noon, or night, it matters not; I’ll gladly down a cup of joe.  Unfortunately, the rest of my family does not share in my frequent cravings.  My wife simply won’t touch the stuff (she’s hopelessly devoted to tea), and, for some unknown reason, neither of my infant daughters seem to enjoy it either.  Thus, I’m a lonely coffee consumer in my own home.  Not wanting to make an entire wasteful pot each morning (or wanting to clean up the resulting mess), I have typically found myself stopping for an overpriced, over-caffeinated cup somewhere en route to my morning duties.  Worse still, I was often forced to rely on the most heinous of all beverages to augment my pathetic attention span: office coffee.  Then came Keurig, the savior of my sipping needs.

An inspired answer to all your hot beverage prayers.

The single cup revolution is not entirely new to coffee drinkers, but I confess that I’m a late add to the bandwagon.  I’ve been relying on the Keurig Platinum Brewer (pictured above) for the last few weeks, and I feel as rejuvenated by the process of filling my cup as I do by the quality brews that it now contains.  The variety of beverage options offered by Keurig is staggering, with over 200 different coffees, teas, and hot cocoas available via the proprietary K-Cup.  I would defy you to peruse the selections (including roasts by Green Mountain, Newman’s Own, and Coffee People) and not find something you’ll like love.

In addition to their myriad liquid refreshments, Keurig offers a range of hardware options to fit any need or budget.  My next purchase may just be the Mini Personal Brewer.  I’d love to devote the corner of my desk to this little guy, unless I can convince my boss that the Office Pro System would increase our corporate productivity (it would).  As for the aesthetic impact of my home system, I’d say that the design’s equal parts elegance and boldness make it a great addition to any man’s counter top collection

The Bottom Line

The Keurig system is designed to do one thing and it does it exceptionally well.  Personally, I have great respect for products that know when not to over complicate matters.  Keurig brewers are simple to use (it passed my the “my wife can do it without hours of instruction” test), are completely mess-free, and make a wicked fast cup of coffee or tea.  It’s enough to make me one happy, if not a little jittery, man.

Cost: $80-$300