Coffee

...now browsing by tag

 
apples art bacon book butter cheese chocolate Coffee cookies Dinnerware dried fruit Etsy flowers fruit garlic gift Gifts Gourmet granola green healthy holiday homemade independent artists nutrition olive oil olives orange organic party photography produce Recipes red salad salad dressing salt seasonal snack Tea thanksgiving tomatoes vanilla Vegetables Wine
 

Starbucks Instant Coffee: VIA Ready Brew

Sunday, March 1st, 2009

Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Instant Coffee is about to be released in the U.S. on Tuesday (March 3, 2009).

It seems a bit ironic that after leading the way of coffee elitism, Starbucks is scrambling amid slumping sales and will try anything, including what most of us would least expect.

I am reminded of being in South America, mere kilometers from some of of the world’s finest coffee plantations whose beans ultimately fetch some of the world’s highest prices, and being served generic instant Nescafe at the restaurants and cafes!

Still, I’m not above instant coffee myself and when I’m camping or traveling it can really hit the spot.  I’d enjoy trying VIA and to compare it to other instant coffees I’ve had.

But, $9.95 for 12 servings works out to be 83 cents per serving, which is still far more expensive than brewing coffee at home (even if they’re Starbucks or other fancy beans).

Let me know if you try it!

Posted in Coffee | 2 Responses »
Tags: , ,

Latte at Le Pain Quotidien

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009

Le Pain Quotidien serves coffee, lattes, and cappuccinos in bowls.  I like that.

Together with its communal tables and unlimited praline chocolate spread, it’s a warm, happy place.

Once when I was there a Russian lady with big, fiery eyes asked to sample my merengue and then practically sat on my lap to break off a piece, exclaiming endlessly how delicious it was while smacking her lips and urging her embarrassed husband to sample some, too.  He politely declined and escorted her back to her seat.

Some get overly excited about the coziness of the place, I guess.

Posted in Coffee, Restaurants | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , ,

Historic Voter Turnout, Thanks in Part to Bake Sale

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

Here is the line outside the elementary school where I vote. Wrapped around the block. At 6:30am.

The PTA was holding a bake sale inside the school. Young entrepreneurs determined that the best sales strategy was to carry trays of scones, cookies and brownies outside to the people in line.

“Get something to eat to help pass the time! Fifty cents each!” a redheaded 3rd grader hollered.

“Two for a dollar sound better,” her friend opined.

“Two for a dollar!” they both shouted as they continued down the sidewalk.

There were also small cups of coffee for $1 each. The girls yelled, “You know you didn’t have enough coffee before you left the house this morning!”

Smart kids, I thought, as I reached into my purse for a dollar bill.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Response »
Tags: , ,

Gadget: Custom Coffee Grinder

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

As I’ve stated previously, I’m not inclined to buy a lot of gadgets to clutter my kitchen, but here’s one that is worth its space: a custom coffee grinder.  I have the Hamilton Beach model pictured above.

If you’re a coffee drinker, it allows you to only grind a few days’ worth of beans at a time and thus enhancing freshness.  You can set the lever to various grind sizes within categories of “auto drip” or “espresso.”

But I also use it for other things: if I need to quickly grind up an herb or a spice, or when I want to make some raw/demera/turbinado sugar more suitable for recipes (or to better dissolve in coffee).

Save yourself a future heart attack, though, by carefully wiping down the blade if you use sugar or any other substance that could get sticky.  Not because a sticky blade will cause a heart attack, per se, but because a sticky blade may not turn and will thus make you think your coffee grinder just died, which may cause severe distress.  But it didn’t die, and you can calm down, it’s just sticky.

Posted in Gadgets | 1 Response »
Tags: , , ,

Starbucks Mugs: Current selection

Thursday, October 2nd, 2008

There are two types of people: those who have bought merchandise at Starbucks, and those who haven’t… yet.

For anyone who frequents Starbucks, it’s bound to happen sometime. You’re in line, or waiting for the barista, and something surprisingly pretty and perhaps even mildly functional catches your eye. And before you know it, you’ve bought it.

I have in fact bought a lot of merchandise at Starbucks over the years, from travel coffee mugs and ceramic teacups to milk frothers and picture frames. (Really? Did I really buy a picture frame at Starbucks?) Given the fact there’s a website with online ordering, I must not be the only one.

These mugs are all part of the current offering. I saw them in person and they’re nice. I did not buy them, though. Yet.

poll by twiigs.com

Posted in Dinnerware | 1 Response »
Tags: , , , ,

Recipe: Chocolate Oat Balls

Sunday, September 28th, 2008

There are two types of people: those who prefer baking and those who prefer cooking.

Despite my sweet tooth I am very much in the cooking camp. I am not very precise with measurements and I am liberal with substitutions. Therefore when I make dessert I usually make pudding, macaroons, fruit tarts and other things that can handle my lack of attention to detail.

These chocolate oat balls fit the bill. They’re no-bake, easy, and pretty.

Chocolate Oat Balls

Adapted from Anne’s Food, a wonderful blog

250 ml rolled oats
50 ml sugar
50 ml cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup hot, strong coffee
50 g unsalted butter, very soft

Put all ingredients together. Roll into balls. Anne suggested rolling them in coconut or pearl sugar, but I tried coconut and couldn’t get it to stick. Perhaps because it was unsweetened and therefore not sticky?

Eat soon. Store in refrigerator, but, better yet, don’t store at all. The next day they will begin to dry out considerably.

poll by twiigs.com

Posted in Recipes, Sweets | 2 Responses »
Tags: , , , ,

Coffee: French Press, Dining Car Mug, Bizarre Lack of Addiction

Friday, September 26th, 2008

There are two types of people: those who drink coffee and those who don’t.

This is perhaps one of the most decisive splits out there.  Each side is baffled by the other.  “How could you NOT drink it?” versus “How can you DRINK that stuff?”

For me, coffee is so wonderful. The ritual, the warmth, the steam.

Oddly I do not have to have coffee. I can drink it 9 days in a row and on the 10th, forget or get distracted. No pounding head, for which I am thankful.

But… I like it, and am so happy to enjoy it.  So most days I drink it despite lack of caffeine addiction.

This photo is from my cousin’s house in New Paltz, NY. I do not have a french press myself but I enjoy his when I visit.

Posted in Coffee | 1 Response »
Tags: , , , , , , ,