Gourmet Coffee, Specialty Coffee, Flavored Coffee

Joe’s Coffee Collars is one of the best ideas I’ve seen in a while. Though my photo leaves something to be desired, the little insulated cup hugger does not.

They come in assorted colors and designs (though I am not sure you can get this particular one now) and fit a cup ranging from small to large. Your standard tall, Grande, and Venti Starbuck’s models. Such names for cup sizes!

Anyway, these nifty, re-usable, insulated cup sleeves are made in Alaska and are state of the art insulate that keeps a beverage warmer, longer than neoprene. I can honestly testify to that. I love them!

They are trendy, attractive, and make a great conversation item. I would agree that these are enviromental safe since they are re-usable time after time. They do hold their shape.

Stop by Joe’s and give them a peak. They are reasonable at $5.99 each with free shipping in the U.S. You can also buy wholesale. I’ll bet you love them too!

I love coffee and I love steak – who can resist either? The thing is, I have never really thought of these two ingredients coming together, have you? Well, apparently, you can use coffee to marinate a good piece of sirloin. According to The Canadian Press, to which I attribute this eye opening piece of news, the marinade adds creaminess to the steak. An added bonus – the coffee’s acidity tenderizes the meat as well. Here’s the recipe – I am going to try it this weekend.

Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours (20 minutes active)
Servings: 4
1 1/2 cups cold coffee
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons honey
1/2-inch chunk fresh ginger
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Four 8-ounce bottom sirloin steaks (or other tender, broiler-friendly cut)
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

In a blender or food processor, combine the coffee, pepper flakes, peanut butter, honey and ginger. Puree until smooth, then taste and season with salt and pepper.

Pour half of the marinade in a baking dish. Set the steaks in the baking dish, then pour the remaining marinade over them. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

When ready to cook, preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the steak, in batches if necessary, and sear until lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Transfer the steaks to the prepared baking sheet. For medium-rare, broil for 7 to 8 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the steak reads 135 F.

Let the steaks rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Seriously, sometimes, people think of the darnedest things! Who would have ever though that anyone would want to wear a bracelet that would double as a coffee cup cuff? Well, apparently, the people over at Contexture think that this is a brilliant idea.

They created a coffee cup cuff that would fit most take out cups. The cuff is actually quite stylish and is made from reclaimed veneer – everything is handmade. You can pick from three different wood types – black walnut, bird’s eye maple, or benge. The idea is to satisfy both form and function with the Contexture coffee cuff.

So what about its function as a bracelet? Well, as you can see from the picture, it does have a certain appeal to it. After all, many fashionistas would tell you that accessories can make or break an ensemble. Would the Contexture cuff add to your sense of fashion?

I honestly don’t know. I can only speak for myself. I do not think that I would spend about 68 Canadian dollars on the cuff so that I could use it as a bracelet. I have to say that the cuffs look good, though. So maybe – just maybe – if I had an extra 70 bucks to spare, I would buy one of the cuffs. It just might come in handy if the paper coffee cuff that the coffee shop gives me is not good enough.

How does one even begin to describe the joys associated with this bean, this brew? I honestly don’t know! Perhaps the best way would to be go ahead and concoct your own brew and share it with friends as you lounge around on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Or maybe, you can get this book by Corby Kummer and give it as a gift!

The Joy Of Coffee: The Essential Guide to Buying, Brewing, and Enjoying has been around for quite some time now. It has been recently updated and revised, though, to keep up with the changing landscape of the world of coffee. This book is an easy read with roundabouts 300 pages. From the growing of the beans to buying to roasting, storing, and brewing – all of these things are presented by Kummer.

I like how Kummer pays attention to the minutest details in his book as he recounts his experiences over the past several decades. I think it is his unique and authentic experience and knowledge that gives his book an edge over the countless other printed materials on coffee available in the market today. In the book, Kummer also shares tons of recipes which the average person – like you and me – can try out at home. For me, that is one of the best aspects of The Joy of Coffee.

So what are you waiting for? You can get a copy on Amazon for only about $10. Alternatively, if you want a preview before getting your own copy, you can check out Google Book Search.

Coffee is good for you - why can’t people seem to get that? Though coffee does have its adverse effects, it does have good benefits! Yeah, I am biased, but this new research adds more proof to the concept that coffee can be good for the health.

According to research carried out by scientists from the North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, a coffee a day keeps dementia away. The findings of the research were published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation and showed that daily doses of caffeine prevents the destructive effects of high cholesterol levels, which have been linked to occurrences of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form.

The scientists used rabbits in their study and gave the little critters 3 mg of caffeine daily. This is roundabouts a cup of coffee. The rabbits were also given a very rich cholesterol diet during the course of the study. The indicator used was the blood brain barrier – which was more significantly intact in the rabbits that were dosed with caffeine.

According to the report published by the Press Assocation:

I have always thought that coffee was good for my sanity – and I was right all along!

Today is that day. It was a wedding gift from my sister, which makes it all the more special. It has been with us for more than 2 years. It is true, it is about time to get a new one. In fact, just a week or so ago, my husband and I were looking at new coffee makers with cappuccino features at the shopping mall. Yet I didn’t really think that I was going to get a new one so soon.

Here’s how it happened – I was still in bed when hubby asked me if I wanted him to brew up some coffee already. I was thinking that it was still too early so I said, in an hour or so – to keep the coffee fresh. Well, 5 minutes before that hour was up, I was awakened rudely by a crash in the kitchen. Alas, my trusty old pot fell from the counter and was smashed into smithereens! I do not know what happened. Maybe there was a tremor and the pot fell. Maybe the counter was wet (which is very likely) and the pot slipped.

No use in crying over spilled milk but it does make me feel sad – more for sentimental reasons, really (and the fact that I am drinking instant Nescafe right now!). Practical me, I have already spent a few minutes looking at new coffee makers online. Maybe I’ll head on over to the mall near the office during my break later on and check out what I can find. It’s a pity, though, because I can only afford a basic coffee maker today – that means if I get one, I would not be able to get a new (and better) machine for quite some time. I need my brewed coffee!!!

When I say “have” I mean some sort of companion to your coffee. In case I am not being clear, let me give you an illustration. When I am at work and I go on my coffee break, I always have a cigarette with my cup of coffee – okay, fine, sometimes two cigarettes. At home, normally at the weekend, when I have my afternoon cup of coffee, I like to have a slice of cake with it. It does not really matter what kind of cake I eat with my coffee – I like most kinds of cake.

There is this Oreo Cheesecake from Starbucks that I really like with my hot café latte, though. I don’t know if they serve it in all Starbucks branches but a slice of this cheesecake is just heaven! They do have other cakes but this is my favorite.

Coffee Bean also has some nice cakes but do not get their tiramisu. I tried it once and I was disappointed. It wasn’t bad but it was not what I was expecting.

What else can you have with coffee? How about those nice buttery biscuits that come from the UK? I forgot what they are called but a friend of mine sent me a couple of packets a month ago and they were just perfect with black coffee! Come to think of it, most any biscuit can be good with coffee.

How about you? What do you normally have with coffee? Why not share your favorites so we can try them for ourselves!

Ok, I have to warn you – this post is a bit weird. I have never heard of this “myth” before until I ran across I Need Coffee’s archive of articles. One title caught my eye – Coffee Meth Myth? Coffee and drugs? A bomb of a combination, isn’t it? So what is it all about?

Apparently, last year, a rumor circulated around the Internet that coffee pots in hotels were being used to make home made meth. As such, some people got really skittish about using the coffee pots provided in their hotel rooms. You never know – you just might be drinking something more in that coffee of yours, right?

Yet is there any truth to this? If you read the article, the author presents statements from various law enforcement officers. Though there is no hard proof for this “myth,” it seems that it is indeed possible to make meth using a coffee machine (at the hotel or at your home or wherever there is one). An officer even said that he had run across this situation several times in his career. Shall we take this for truth?

The author draws these inferences:

• Methamphetamine can indeed be cooked in a coffee carafe.
• A small coffee maker can be used to make meth through the “Nazi method.”
• Meth is sometimes cooked in motels or hotels.
• It wouldn’t always be possible to look at a carafe and determine whether it was used to cook meth.

I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to be careful. I honestly can’t make myself believe this, though. I mean, maybe it has happened. Maybe it is happening. Yet I can’t stay away from that coffee machine on something as vague as this. How about you?

I don’t remember if I have shared about my passion for video games, which is, I think, at the same level as my passion for coffee. Those two go hand in hand as far as I am concerned. Anyhow, I recently finished playing this casual game called – you guessed it – Coffee Rush. The moment I received an e-mail from one of the popular casual game sites informing me of this new game, I got all excited. What do you get when you put gaming and coffee together? Coffee Rush!

I know that some of you may not share my passion for video games but humor me for this post, please.

Coffee Rush is a fine blend of puzzle action (finding patterns on the board) and eye and hand coordination (it’s a time management game as well). Your role is an up and coming coffee shop owner set on bringing down an evil coffee chain which cares only for profit and does not care about its customers. You have to serve your customers their favorite drink by finding the ingredients on the board and forming combinations in order to complete the number of needed ingredients. You can upsize drinks and serve side dishes in order to earn more money. The bottom line is to serve your customers what they want as fast as you can – basically what we coffee lovers want in real life, right?

So anyhow, if you feel like spending some of your time on an easy but fun video game, I suggest you try Coffee Rush. You’ll definitely be wanting some java while you play!

A San Diego judge has just become a hero to a hundred thousand (estimated) Starbucks baristas. How so? He ordered Starbucks to pay its baristas – both former and current – more than $100 million. This order is the result of a case filed against the giant coffee chain claiming that the company did something illegal by allowing supervisors to receive tips, which should have gone to the baristas. Here’s the report from The Telegraph:

In a ruling that the company immediately said it would appeal, the judge said the company must pay back around $87 million in tips plus interest of $19 million.

Starbucks recently launched a series of initiatives aimed at boosting its business, which has suffered from a dip in sales and a near-50 per cent fall in share price over the past year.

It was not immediately clear how the $100 million might be divided up between the estimated 100,000 current and former baristas [who make the coffee] who have worked for Starbucks in California since 2000.

Terry Chapko, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying that the baristas were “subsidising Starbucks labour costs” by helping the company pay its supervisors.

“This is about getting money back to the lowest-paid employees,” he said.

Do you give tips when you go to Starbucks? Does it bother you if the tip went to the supervisors as well as the baristas? I think they should all share it – but that’s just me. If I were a barista, I’d be one very happy camper right now, though.