If you are thinking of coffee mug gift as gift on the friendship day then sorry to say that those days are over( You can still give those special name mugs!). Well not that we do not drink coffee now in mugs but the latest in thing is the coffee pods. These small packs are beautiful. I got introduced to them when my office procured them and started using them rather than the filter coffee machines. The wastage that went with regular coffee filters in the office was huge. All coffee brewed by someone would go waste imply because someone wanted to have one coffee taste over the other that was already in the flask.

Coffee pods were great in that sense that you would never have to worry about the quantity. Each pod is just enough for one cup and also it is less messy.

I bought one for my home and we just love it. No wastage and no major hassles in terms of what to brew. Every one can get the gourmet coffee of their choice and we spend a bit less on coffee now. Another benefit is clean espresso machine.

In fact this prompted me to give the gift of coffee pod machine to my best friend Ryan as I knew how he loved our machine whenever he visited. So Ryan this cup of joe is for you.

There are a wide variety of brands available in the espresso pod machine category. The best is the Senseo coffee pod machine. It works like a charm.

I looked at the Keurig K-cups also as they also serve as the single serve coffee but the fact is that with K-cups you need to buy a Keurig coffee machine. In the case of coffee pod machine you can use any brand espresso coffee pods.

In fact I decided to make it as a gourmet coffee gift basket with the several gourmet coffee pods as well as coffee pod canister. This is needed if you need to store the coffee pods somewhere easily.

Update Feb 2010 – Coffee Lovers and people who want to give coffee gifts. This place has tons of information on coffee including K-cups, Espresso pods and types of coffee machines. So sit back relax, have a cup of coffee and then read everything you wanted to know about coffee.

The Bob The Builder toys range includes many figures, games and other merchandise but perhaps the most popular are the replicas of the vehicle characters. Figures of Bob, Wendy, other humans and Spud the Scarecrow are available but the construction equipment toys are what seem to get played with the most. These characters are integral to the cartoon show and their hilarious antics are what keeps kids interested in the show. They will no doubt have their favourite character and it is likely to be either Scoop, Muck, Roley, Lofty or Dizzy. So if you are looking for a Bob The Builder toy related to one or more of these characters, what can you expect to find on the toy shop shelves?

Scoop
The leader of Bob’s gang of machines is the yellow JCB called Scoop. He is the most popular Bob The Builder character and as such has the most toys made in his image. As well as a selection of vehicle replicas there are some Duplo sets, an inflatable chair and ball pool, a carry case, torch, pottery set, flip top watch and VTech activity book.

Muck
Muck is the scatterbrained, red bulldozer who is always getting himself into trouble for acting before he’s thought through his actions. He is the second most popular character and he also has a Duplo playset as well as the usual vehicle toy collection. There is also a large scale Muck which is 45 cm long, an interactive Talk ‘n’ Learn version which teaches colours and numbers and some stilts for some outdoor fun.

Roley
The green steam roller called Roley comes with the least selection of Bob The Builder toys. There are only vehicle replicas available and these come in friction powered, talkie talkie, and take along die cast varieties.

Lofty
Lofty, the blue crane is shy in the show and comes with a similar set of toys to Muck. These include the vehicles, Duplo playset and stilts.

Dizzy
The orange concrete mixer called Dizzy is the only girl machine in the show and she is young and excitable. As well as the usual Duplo and vehicles there is a press and guess game by VTech called Dizzy’s Picture Maker.

If you are thinking of buying a Bob The Builder toy for your child’s collection, first find out which is their favourite character and then you can narrow down your options from there.