A Nice Cuppa

So, having heard all the hullabaloo about Starbucks’ new coffee (and having gotten one of those snappy little cards in the paper), I sipped for myself last week. First thought? Wow — it doesn’t taste burnt (sometimes I think I’m the only person on the planet who notices that black Starbucks coffee tastes like tar. The rest of you must be addicted to the double amount of caffeine)! Second thought: this tastes familiar…

If you haven’t experienced Peet’s Coffee, you have all my sympathy. It’s delightful. It’s strong enough (sorry, Dunkin’, I love it, but you’re not putting hair on anyone’s chest) without tasting overbrewed (see angry parentheses previous). And actually, it’s Starbucks’ long lost brother. Back in the day, Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegel, and Gordon Bowker began in the company of Alfred Peet, owner of Peet’s Coffee.  Eventually, Baldwin bought Peet’s and the others went big time with the brand we all know and love/hate.

Peet’s remained somewhat local.  I tried it while in San Francisco and seriously considered ordering it online.  It was Starbucks strength minus fierce bitter.  It was Dunkin’ Donuts plus more manliness.  In short, it was delightful.  If you can’t make it out to the West Coast, go for the Pike Place brew.  I give it a thumbs up.

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Until last summer I had never been much of a fan of iced coffee. The coldness muted the subtle flavors in the coffee while accentuating the bitterness. By the time I’d get to the bottom of the glass, melted ice created a watery mess that barely resembled coffee. What was the point? I’d sweat through my hot cup in the morning then switch to iced tea.

Around the same time this article extolling the virtues of cold brew iced coffee appeared in the New York Times last year, my barista friend Raquel introduced me to the wonders of cold-brew coffee and I became a cold coffee convert.

Often called toddy coffee in the U.S. after a patented brewing system created by Todd Simpson in 1964, cold-brewed coffee uses less energy than most methods, since it only requires cold water, a filter, two vessels and some time. Coarsely-ground coffee beans are steeped in cold water to create a thick concentrate with less than half the acidity of hot-brewed coffee. This lack of acidity creates an extremely smooth, naturally sweet brew that’s easy on the stomach.

While the cold-brewed concentrate is best known for its wonderful iced coffee (created by mixing one part concentrate with three parts cold water, milk, or a combination of the two), it also makes a great cup of hot joe. Using the 1-3 concentrate-to-liquid ratio, just add hot water or steamed milk to the concentrate.

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There are a lot of green and groovy mothers out there who go wild over tea.  Try two exceptional organic artisan green teas that they’ll adore - Emerald Flower Power and Jade Rings.

Emerald Flower Power is a beautifully hand rolled green tea, organically grown and sewn by artisans. An amaranth sphere bursts forth from the center of a green tea posy as it expands and comes to rest when the flower blossoms.

Jade Rings is also grown organically and the leaves are individually rolled so that they unfurl when the whole leaf is steeped.

Both teas maintain all the nutrition of power packed antioxidants. Nothing like a little ambience this Mother’s Day.

To check these out, go to The Groovy Mind.

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Green Tea Tropical is another delightful whole-leaf artisanal offering from Mighty Leaf, a blend of green tea leaves, colorful cornflowers, and tropical fruit.

Pulling the silk tea sachet out of the foil envelope, I was immediately struck by how pretty this tea is. The green of the tea leaves was speckled with flashes of blue and red flower petals. The aroma was the second thing that captured my attention. Straight from the package, the tea gives off a lively fragrance that reminded me of nothing more than fruit punch. Clearly, this is not a fuddy-duddy tea!

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Whether you want coffeehouse culture, the latest tea craze or anything in between, it’s all covered in this caffeinated blog. If it has caffeine, the buzz is on A Nice Cuppa.

Looking for additional writers to add to our team. Want to join in the fun and get your buzz on? Drop us a line at info@wellfed.net. We’d love to hear from you.

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