Ode to Some K-Cups...and Boo to Others

In 1904, electric washing machines became commercially available, changing the lives of (cringing as I say this) women forever.  In 1919, the blender was invented, which greatly improved the rate at which margaritas could be made in kitchens all over America.  And then in 1992, a small company in Reading, Massachusetts rocked my world...by developing this:

The Keurig Coffee Machine.  Not only does this machine make a fine cup of coffee, but it saves me from dealing with this on a daily basis:

And a ton of $$ from going to this spot every day:

In 2006, Keurig became a subsidiary of Green Mountain Coffee.  And since then, the number of different machines that are available, and the types of coffees (K-cups) and related products that can be purchased for the machine, have skyrocketed. I am a purist.  I like the plain coffee and stumble to that machine every morning to pop in my favorite k-cup and press the button.


However, I am a little skeptical about some of the non-coffee products that are now being sold.  For example, this sounds good, right?

Unfortunately, the ingredient list doesn't sound good:

INGREDIENTS:SUGAR, ALKALIZED COCOA POWDER, CREAMER (HYDROGENATER COCONUT OIL, GLUCOSE SYRUP, SODIUM CASEINATE (FROM MIK), SODIUM POLYPHOSPHATE, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM STEAROYL-2-LACTYLATE, SILICON DIOXIDE), INSTANT COFFEE, MALTODEXTRIN, SALT, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SILICON DIOXIDE, SUCRALOSE. 

Recently, Green Mountain has ventured into teas and herbals.  For example:

This K-cup coffee pod has added ginseng and guarana and claims to boost alertness .  Really?  Exactly how much ginseng and guarana are in that little pod?  Are you sure that the high pressure brewing system is sufficient to release those herbs into the actual cup of coffee?  Or what if the heat of the water breaks down the active compounds?  I guess my real question is, why should anyone pay more for this cup?  And I think the answer right now is that you shouldn't.