Starbucks Verismo Coffee Maker

Single serving coffee makers are all the rage, so you can expect to hear a lot about them this holiday season. Naturally they make great gift for many people on your gift list, from the busy professionals, young students to moms and dads.

We tested the new Verismo System by Starbucks and liked the system very much. Starbucks knows coffee, so any coffee maker with their brand name on it can be expected to meet a high level of quality, and the Verismo system lives up to that standard. As soon as you pull it out of the box you can tell that it’s well-made and beautifully designed as you can see from the photos above. It has a small footprint so it will fit in nicely on most kitchen counters without taking too much space.

We tested the 580 model pictured above, and a slightly larger and more advanced V-585 system is also available. The system is very easy to use, and all of the parts work seamlessly together. It’s easy to add water, clean by rinsing and also adjust the drip tray grate to adjust for different size cups. The machine warms up quickly in about 15 seconds so you can get your coffee fix right away when you need it.

The system uses pods like other single serving coffee makers, but here you use Starbucks pods that use the exact same coffee that Starbucks uses in their cafes and in their packaged coffee. The Verismo can be used to brew an espresso, regular brewed coffee, lattes and even an Americano. Instead of using milk, this system uses 100% natural dried milk pods so the lattes are very easy to make and you don’t have any messy cleanup. The results were impressive. The espresso in particular comes out great with the crema that espresso lovers expect and the taste is excellent. You can learn more about the available pods here.

Overall, this is a premium single serving coffee system that makes for a great gift idea.

  

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Kahlúa Gingerbread for the holidays

Image ALT text goes here.Hopefully you’ve been invited to some holiday parties this year, and if you’re looking for an interesting bottle to bring as a gift, you should definitely try the new, limited-edition Kahlúa Gingerbread. It’s also a great addition for your home bar.

Kahlúa Gingerbread “combines distinctive notes of gingerbread, nutmeg and subtle cinnamon and clove with the rich flavors of Kahlúa, which is made from 100% Arabica coffee beans and sugarcane spirit, grown side by side in the mountains of Veracruz.” Sounds interesting – right? Well we tried it and it tastes great. If you like regular Kahlúa you’ll probably like this one as well. You can serve it neat, on the rocks, or mixed into cocktails and coffee drinks. Women usually love it so keep it in mind if you’re looking for gift ideas.

Here’s a cocktail recipe you can try::

Kahlúa Cookie Martini
½ part Kahlúa Gingerbread
1 ½ parts Absolut® Vodka
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and enjoy.

As an additional note, the good folks at Kahlúa wanted to let you know that they have teamed up with One Warm Coat to help keep people warm this holiday season. One Warm Coat is a charitable organization that helps support coat drives across the U.S. and Kahlúa is giving them a boost this holiday season with its “Share the Warmth” campaign.

Each person who visits this page on Facebook and clicks the “Share the Warmth” button on the page will trigger a $1 donation from Kahlúa to One Warm Coat, with a maximum goal of up to $100,000. Funds will be used by One Warm Coat to help support their efforts in the promotion of local coat drives and in giving back to communities across the country. Check it out!

  

Shakoolie for the beer lover

Most guys love beer. With that in mind, any gift involving beer will make most guys happy, and if you’re looking for a cool stocking stuffer then you have to check out the Shakoolie – the original shower beer holder. Yes, many of us like to drink an ice cold beer in the shower, so the Shakoolie provides a handy tool to hold your beer in the shower and also keep it cool. It even comes in pink as you can see above for the ladies on your list!

Everyone loves fun gifts on the holidays, so keep this one in mind. The Shakoolie is also a perfect accessory for your bachelor pad, your boat or for the bathroom in your man cave.

  

ZEAL iON HD camera goggle

Ski and snowboard season is here, and wouldn’t it be great to capture some of your incredible runs down the slopes? With the ZEAL iON HD camera goggle you can do just that. With HD video cameras getting smaller and smaller gadget makers are finding more ways that we can capture the cool events from our lives.

ZEAL Optics recently introduced the iON HD camera goggle pictured above to help you document your adventures on the slopes. The slick design will make you want to wear these goggles weather you’re recording or not, but now you’ll always have the option to capture your experiences with a point of view video. The goggles are also very comfortable.

The ZEAL iON captures 1080p HD quality video and can shoot up to 8 megapixel photos for quick, easy POV videos. Below you can see some sample ZEAL iON video footage shot by ZEAL’s pro snowboarders Kimmy Fasani, Austen Sweetin and pro skier Whit Boucher. It’s easy to download the videos or share them on Facebook or other social media. So as you’re planning that ultimate winter vacation or just heading out during the winter for some outdoor recreation, grab iON HD camera goggle and make it a trip to remember. Better yet, think about who on your holiday gift list will love this innovative gadget.

  

Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D electric razor

We tried out the new Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D electric razor and right away we noticed some improvements. First, the numeric LED display on the front of the razor comes up as soon as you turn it on, and right away you know how many more minutes of charge you have left up to 60 minutes. It also alerts you about cleaning and replacement heads. The also added suction cups at the bottom of the charging unit so that it stays put on the counter.

More importantly, however, is that the unit still sports the GyroFlex design which makes for a very comfortable shave. The round heads flex, pivot and tilt to make it easy to move the razor around your face and easily hit each spot. This design sets this electric razor apart and we think most guys will love it.

The razor has many other features as well. The UltraTrack heads are built to capture hairs of all sizes for the most effective shave. It’s also a wet & dry shaver and has a skin friendly precision trimmer for you sideburns. Finally, the EasyGrip design makes this electric razor very easy to use as it fits perfectly in your hand.

This is a premium razor and makes an excellent gift for any guy on your list, including yourself!