With other single-cup systems able to make hot chocolate and even café mochas, you may have wondered, “Can I do the same with my pod brewer?” The answer is YES! If you want to make a café mocha or hot chocolate using your pod brewer, follow our simple steps below.

Looking for a warm, chocolaty treat? Make sure you try these recipes for yourself. With just a bit of hot chocolate mix you can widen the variety of drinks your pod brewer will make. Enjoy!

Café Mocha Instructions:

Select your favorite coffee pod variety (remember that non-flavored coffees work best when making café mocha) and follow the steps that you normally would take to make a coffee with your pod brewer. In your cup or mug, place one portion of your preferred hot chocolate mix. Next, station the mug and press the brew button. Stir and enjoy!

Hot Chocolate Instructions:

Follow the steps that you normally would take to make a coffee or tea with your pod brewer. However, make sure that there is no pod in the pod holder. In your cup or mug, place one portion of your preferred hot chocolate mix. Next, station the mug and press the brew button. Once the water has finished passing thru the brewer, open the pod compartment to release any trapped water. Stir and enjoy!

Note: Some pod brewers require you to open and close the pod holder compartment before brewing. Make sure to do this if required. Additionally, ensure you are using a large enough cup or mug. Generally, when a pod is not in place one or two extra ounces of liquid will pass thru the brewer.

Feel free to garnish your hot beverage creations with whipped cream, drizzled chocolate syrup or sprinkled chocolate shavings for a true coffee house experience!

Loosely known as the culinary king of Hollywood, Chef Wolfgang Puck has been serving up delicacies to the Oscar-winning patrons of the Academy Awards. His award-winning celebrity-studded restaurant, Spago, in Beverley Hills is a household name.

As a coffee lover, it was only natural for him to expand his line of gourmet food (soups and pizzas) to include his Wolfgang Puck branded coffee.

After all, this is a chef who makes his own cappuccino each morning. And, according to an article in Gourmet magazine, his coffee has to be perfect.

Wolfgang Puck coffees are available on coffee websites as well as on the shelves of independent grocers and natural food markets. Wolfgang Puck Coffee is currently served in millions of hotel rooms and hundreds of thousands of businesses nationwide.

"My estate-grown coffees deliver what I value most in coffee - the highest quality beans perfectly roasted with a delicious flavor and robust aroma," said Wolfgang Puck.

You can buy Wolfgang Puck coffee products ranging from programmable coffee makers to the drinkables -- estate-grown beans, bottled iced coffee, pods and K cups. Earlier this year, Wolfgang Puck launched a new line of ready-to-drink iced coffee beverages that are certified organic, kosher and only 120 calories per bottle. His iced coffees are chosen from organic farms as far away as Ethiopia and Peru.

 “As a coffee-lover myself, my goal was to create an exceptional tasting drink with a real coffee experience,” says Puck.

 “The coffees selected were sourced from some of the world’s best, certified organic coffee farms in Ethiopia, Peru, Colombia and Mexico. The flavor and aroma are what you might expect from a cup of fresh-brewed French roast espresso. ”

“As with any good recipe, we tinkered with just the right ratio of milk, sugar and organic ingredients to create a well-balanced and refreshing coffee drink.”

Born and raised in Austria, Wolfgang Puck was introduced to European cuisine at an early age – by his mother, a professional chef. His culinary empire is worth $500 million – and includes a signature collection of restaurants, catering services, cookbooks, gourmet food and kitchen products.

Switching To Decaf Coffee

When it comes to the question of drinking decaffeinated beverages, the effects on health, fertility and pregnancy are the subjects of intense research. A stimulant to the nervous system, caffeine can speed up everything from heart rate and blood pressure to thought processes. On the downside, caffeine can produce acid reflux, inhibit oxygen, increase cholesterol and interfere with calcium absorption. Caffeine has also been linked to leg cramps.

For those who are concerned about health risks or don't like the effects of caffeine, switching to decaf brews provides the coffee experience without the downsides.

If you’re a buyer of decaf looking for the best and purest brew, it’s important to understand how coffee is decaffeinated before you stock up on beans.

Decaffeinating coffee is achieved through four different decaffeination processes. Most of these processes use chemical solvents to extract the caffeine but which also affect the flavor and aroma. Unroasted green coffee beans can be rinsed with these compounds from 8 to 12 times. If you are health-conscious, you may be more interested in the organic alternative provided by the Swiss Water Process.

Swiss Water Process For Organic Decaf Coffee

Of all these processes, Swiss Water decaffeination produces the only organic decaf coffee. Environmentally friendly, it involves no toxic chemicals or agents used in its production and processing.

When it comes to removing caffeine, the Swiss Water process ensures that only the caffeine in the bean escapes – leaving the other compounds intact. In the Swiss Water Process, 99.9% of the caffeine in green coffee beans is removed using water.

Soaking the beans separates the caffeine. After filtering the water through activated charcoal, the beans are returned to filtered hot water where the flavor elements are reabsorbed.

Although the idea of removing caffeine using water is simple and activated carbon dates back to the early 1930s, the technology behind the Swiss Water process is relatively recent.

The results: taste-rich, chemical free coffee saturated in flavor. The Swiss Water process serves up a cup so good you can’t tell it is decaf.

Look for the trademark "Swiss Water" when you purchase your decaf coffee.

When summer heat calls for a new brew, turn to an old favorite. June is national iced tea month in the United States.

Nothing adds a dose of coolness on a summer day quite like iced tea – especially home-made organic without artificial flavors, sweeteners or colouring. Whether you are a tea lover or simply looking for a glass of refreshment, you can turn basic brewed tea into an icy liquid treat that contains powerful antioxidants.

Equally popular at picnics, barbecues and at the beach, iced tea is the subject of legends. While iced tea recipes date back to the 1870s, legend has it that iced tea became popular in 1904 at the St. Louis World’s Fair. At the product showcase, a tea lover named Richard Blechynden added a bucket of ice to his tea because no one wanted to sample a hot beverage during the fair’s heatwave. The addition of ice made this product an instant hit.

In Hong Kong restaurants, iced lemon tea is always available. Black Ceylon tea is brewed in a metal pot, a scoop of syrup is added, and the mixture is poured into a glass filled with ice. Slices of lemon are added to the top. Lemon peel ensures that the tea’s oils are at their peak. In Thailand, ingredients as exotic as orange blossom water, star anise and crushed tamarind are added.

Although English breakfast tea and Earl Grey black tea are classic favorites, you can use green, mint, chai, white berry or chamomile. In fact, almost any tea you brew can be transformed into an intriguing iced tea that rivals store-bought at your favorite retailer.

Robust teas make for the best results in iced teas.

Start with filtered freshly-boiled water. If you don’t have a filter and are concerned about the hardness of your water, add a dash of baking soda.

Pour two quarts into a tea pot. Next, add 4 to 6 bags of tea if you are serving a full pitcher. Let the tea steep for about ten minutes depending on how strong you like it.

After you remove the teabags, cool the tea for an hour or two, and then pour the tea into an ice-filled pitcher.

Although iced tea doesn’t need any sweetener, adding honey or cane sugar to the pitcher can make it more appetizing. If your tea tastes too bitter, add a pinch of baking soda and let it seep.

Let the pitcher chill for 3 to 4 hours.

Serving up iced tea at a barbecue? Add decorative ice cubes to the pitcher for a dash of pizzazz. In your ice cube tray, add a mint leaf, petal of hibiscus, a citrus slice or a berry before freezing. Or, instead of ice water, add colourful juice that adds deep flavor and aroma.

No time for decorative ice? Other garnishes include edible flowers, sprigs of lemon balm.

To turn iced tea into Long Island Iced Tea, add a splash of cola to 1.5 cl vodka, gin, tequila, white rum and triple sec with 2.5 cl lemon juice.

Try To Clean Your Coffee Pot Every Month

Cleaning your coffee maker can make the difference between bitter brews and fresh flavor. Leftover coffee oils and hard water deposits can tinge the best brew with a rancid, bitter taste despite how often you rinse the pot.

Even if your water source is pure or your tap water is free of lime and calcium, your coffee maker still needs to be cleansed of oils and other impurities at least once a month.
 
You don`t have to buy a commercial product. The solution is probably in your cupboard. While there are a host of household staples which can be used to clean your coffee maker, distilled white vinegar is the gold standard.

Vinegar Is A Safe and Inexpensive Coffee Pot Cleaner

Why use vinegar? The acid is natural and gets rid of lime scale, mineral build ups, and any oils left over from brewing various beans – all without leaving toxic residues. Vinegar is easy on the budget and easy on the environment not to mention your health.

Despite its scent, vinegar is a deodorizer and disinfectant which cuts through soap scum, grease and oils as well as mold and bacteria.

NOTE: Never clean your coffee maker with soap or detergent – the residue will make your coffee taste worse than ever and may damage the coffee maker.

Coffee Maker Cleaning Directions:

1. Start by soaking the pot in vinegar overnight if the pot is coated in film or any coffee has been burned in. Rinse the carafe and filter basket in soapy water.

2. The next morning, dump the vinegar and then brew up a mix of vinegar and water using twice as much water as vinegar. Pour this mix into the water reservoir and then turn the coffee maker on.

3. Once the brewing is done, turn the coffee maker off and let it cool for 20 minutes, then dump the water-vinegar solution down the drain.

4. Next, rinse the pot with warm water until there is no taste of vinegar left.
 
5. Finally, pour water into the reservoir as if you are brewing a pot – but don’t add coffee yet. Once the brew cycle is complete, let the coffee maker cool for 20 minutes.

6. Check for signs of brown coffee film. No film means you are ready to brew a great pot of coffee.

7. Now you`re ready for great tasting coffee!

Lemon Juice and Baking Soda Also Work

If you have no vinegar at home, turn to lemon juice or baking soda as substitutes:

• Mix 1 part Lemon Juice to 4 parts water

OR

• Mix 1 part baking soda with 1 cup warm water

Now, you don't have to worry about drinking rancid, bitter coffee from a dirty coffee pot ever again.

Image Credit: D'Arcy Norman / Flickr