Everyone is trying to figure out how to deliver coffee to consumers better than what’s been done before. The race is on, and there are some interesting results so far. Freeze-dried and single-serving options seem to be the most popular methods available to make a single cup of coffee at home or the office.

Starbucks recently announced its new freeze-dried instant coffee called Via. It takes a bold coffee to try to make what has heretofore been at best only an average-tasting drink something that is stamped with the imprimatur of the best-known specialty coffee brand in the world. However, early reports say that the coffee is better than expected. The question will be whether consumers will spend a higher price for a premium, instant specialty cup.

Green Mountain Coffee, owner of the Keurig K-Cup individual-portion system, just announced a deal with Wal-Mart that will open the floodgates of distribution for the system. I have always liked the K-Cup system and think it makes the best single-portion cup of coffee. Essentially, each cup is an individual brew chamber, complete with a tiny little coffee filter and filled with fresh ground coffee. It is amazing watching the K-Cups being filled as they speed down the line: The filter is inserted, the coffee follows, and then everything is hermetically sealed to keep the coffee fresh until the seal is punctured by the Keurig machine.

Nespresso, the Nestle option, is currently the fastest-growing brand within the entire Nestle portfolio. Nespresso has gorgeous, colorful, jewel-like packaging, and it makes a wonderful espresso. Using the Nespresso machine is simple, requiring one to only drop in the small capsule, and the extraction and quality are consistently excellent. With the optional milk steamer, you can froth your own milk for lattes, cappuccinos and mochas.

The drink you want will help determine which you try. For simplicity, adding water to Via is the easiest thing to do. K-Cups offer the greatest variety of single-serving coffee, and Nespresso offers the easiest way to make the specialty drinks you order at a café but for much less money. With all of these options, I think my kitchen counter is going to be cluttered with new machines.

Giving chocolate to others is an intimate form of communication, a sharing of deep, dark secrets. 

A physician first began commercial sales of chocolate in the United States. Dr. James Baker of Dorchester, Massachusetts, and a partner opened the country’s first chocolate factory along the Neponset River in 1765.

It’s not that chocolates are a substitute for love. Love is a substitute for chocolate. Chocolate is, let’s face it, far more reliable than a man. 

Tim Horton’s is ubiquitous in Canada. With more than 3,000 stores in the country, there is one for every 10,000 people. In Calgary, I visited five in the downtown district within blocks of one another. All were busy, and everyone seemed to be enjoying their drinks. Ordering a coffee at Tim Horton’s requires a different, simpler language than most Americans use. The standard cup of coffee is a “double double,” or a cup of coffee with two creams and two sugars. The cream is the first, the sugar second. So a single double would be one cream and two sugars; a double single is two creams and one sugar … you get the idea. However, the temperature was 70 degrees, and I wanted to try Tim Horton’s new iced coffee. A creamy vanilla sauce was added into a glass of ice, which was then filled with cold, iced coffee and finally topped with cream. It was cold and creamy, and not too sweet — perfectly refreshing. For a small, I paid $1.39, which seemed like a great deal. 

Continuing on my tour of downtown Calgary, I stopped in to Caffe Artigiano, a small café chain from Vancouver, British Columbia, that is known for its excellent coffee, outstanding service and relaxing atmosphere. I had visited Artigiano in Vancouver once before and was interested to see how the new location compared with the original.

Artigiano makes a big deal about its coffee and drinks, and rightfully so. Unique coffees from around the world can be ordered by the cup or purchased by the pound. These coffees are the best of the best. The Panamanian Geisha, for example, is sold for more than $10 a cup and $107 a pound! I ordered my customary mocha and watched the barista make the drink. His motions were smooth and deliberate, and he took extreme care with every step of the operation. He preheated the portafilter handle before filling it with espresso. He watched the shots until the crema started to lighten and stopped without overextracting flavor. He added the chocolate syrup to the bottom of the china cup, followed by the espresso. Before adding the milk, he sprinkled some pure cocoa powder on the espresso. (As I drank it later, I could taste the dark cocoa powder.) He then poured the milk into the cup and finished his latte art design with a flourish. The drink was excellent, not sweet, with a good chocolate flavor and perfectly balanced among the chocolate, coffee and milk. 

I enjoyed tasting the two drinks from two very different operators, spanning the range of coffee merchants. Both made a great beverage, yet each was distinctly different. Tim Horton’s offers quality and value and has become an iconic part of Canadian daily life. Caffe Artigiano distinguished itself and flourishes by emphasizing the highest-quality coffees and an atmosphere that invites savoring one’s drink and relaxing. I’m glad there is room to enjoy both.