Not just coffee

Archive for category coffee

Clover Drinks: One Cup at a Time

Aug 28

Posted by admin in coffee, life

clover2sIt’s like you’ve found a 4-leaf clover and bingo all in one cup. This expensive, technologically smart machine makes a different, richer brew than you might expect. It’s not an inexpensive purchase for a small coffee shop, but it is what may distinguish them when coffees and espressos are lined up on the bar. Actually watching a barista in action at a clover machine is a fine art of delicate processing. The coffee gets ground, the unit gets a clean sweep, and all the magic starts to pour at the cup.
Trust me.

Here’s how it works.

Although Starbucks purchased the company last year, I have yet to see one in action at any of the locations I frequent. Maybe with their smaller footprint, new cafe experience, they will become a more common occurrence.

If you want to select a fine clover drink, try El Beit in Brooklyn. The whole place defines coffee. If you prefer a non-Clover selection, don’t worry, there are plenty of options including some great sweets to go along with the pour. They value the importance of the bean, the water, and the machine: All work together to make a morning outing worthwhile.

Grab a paper; relax. This place spells coffee comfort.

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Pricing a Cup of Coffee

Aug 21

Posted by admin in Economy, coffee, lifestyle

I’m not an economist, but I have trouble understanding how in the midst of a life-changing economic climate, Starbucks decided to drop some prices (on basic pours) and increase prices on more elaborate drinks. This comes at a time when people are questioning how much they should pay for a cup of coffee. With competition among the brewers an on-going price war, why would they decide to raise prices now? (If you think you’ve escaped the increases or not received the reductions, stay tuned: Pricing varies by location and the new pricing rollout will eventually affect all the stores).

Yes, there are some signs we are moving, OK, crawling out of the demise, but every analyst has said we are not the same in our spending patterns as we were a year ago. If a year ago we had two Starbucks specialty drinks a day, we now are more likely leaning toward the basic drip. That’s funny, they are less costly and now they are the focus of reduced pricing. I feel like I need a quick course in psychology or logic to truly understand the process. They’re lowering prices on lattes and brewed coffees and raising them on Frappuccinos which as far as I can tell require little more than a push of a blender button.

The question to ask is who will buy the drinks? If there are more customers complaining about high costs, and they’re still Starbucks customers, will this strategy flip them over the edge? Of course, it’s hard to know, and it’s easy to second-guess. The concept just seems illogical.

When does a cup of coffee become just a cup of coffee? Starbucks created a coffee experience: A place, a destination with an expansive menu of almost unlimited combinations. We are different now. People seem to linger with their non-fancy brewed coffees.

Obviously, McDonald’s and its McCafe specialty drinks are proof that price matters and people are willing to forgo an experience in favor of affordability.

Get your coffee sleeves ready.coffeeCups01

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Espresso Mythology

Aug 16

Posted by admin in coffee, health, lifestyle

So many people steer away from espresso drinks because of the high caffeine count, but in reality espresso drinks have far less caffeine than their distant cousins, drip coffee. No matter your brand, if you order a drip instead of an espresso-based drink to save money at a coffee shop, you may be significantly upping your caffeine. It all boils down to this: The longer the bean, the grounds, sit in the water, the higher the intensity of caffeine.

So let’s do the math: coffee, soda, iced tea, a power drink and voila: You are up in the caffeine stratosphere. Now let’s backpedal a little: I am all about espresso and take it in double or triple shots. I do not use milk or sugar, and the few times I order a regular cup of coffee, I can feel it: The sensation is quite different: You get a real jolt of caffeine.

Those who smugly say they are out of the woods with their decaf lifestyle may be surprised to know that decafbagcoffee means less caffeine, not no caffeine. If you’re worried how much you ingest, then go the self-testing route and purchase strips (D+Caf Test Strips). I think restaurants should supply those to allay the ongoing annoying question, are you sure it’s decaf? Would you like a strip with that, ma’am!

Deciding how much caffeine you can handle is, of course, a personal decision. If you want to cut back, go the espresso route, limit the teas, and skip the monster drinks. After all, studies keep coming out and supporting the beneficial side of caffeine.

My favorite articles.

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Composter Love

Aug 10

Posted by admin in Environment, coffee, gardening, lifestyle

This has been quite a year: I’ve learned to use very few paper towels, I’ve stopped scrubbing dishes clean before putting in the dishwasher, and I’ve become E, the Environmental woman. Yes, it’s true, as with everything I do, I do it wholeheartedly. All or nothing; it’s all.

I’ve been trying to figure out the whole composting ritual. I know New Yorkers who take their scraps in little Ziplocs on the train from the outlying boroughs into Manhattan to the GreenMarket composter. I know someone out in the country who has been swearing by these little green machines. He’s right. I’m sold.

I’ve had it two days and become a master. After all, you know how much coffee I drink and how I revere my espresso, and that coffee grounds make the soil thrive. Am convinced if I just composted the coffee grounds, my soil would be smiling and writing thank you notes. In the two days I have been in love with my new toy, we’ve been to the Farm Market and bought plenty of fresh veggies and fruit. The composter gracefully accepted the tops from the fresh beets, the peach pits, and the inners from the tomatoes.

The important wet-dry balance enabled me to shred all the class Z mail and feed it into the composter. Now we’re talking.

Maybe the best is I’ll no longer have to warn people about olive pits going into the garbage disposal (Yes, I know, we still use the disposal, but use it far less). The composter does not want meats, fish, and dairy, but loves egg shells.  Olive pits get composted, and we all appreciate the quiet.

Step aside, coming through with my kitchen counter gleanings.

This is a perfect solution for hard-rock soil and my newly minted environmental attitude.

thankyou

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New Restaurants

Jul 29

Posted by admin in coffee, dining out, news

It’s always a tough question to figure out how long you should wait before salivating at a new restaurant or in the worst case scenario, getting indigestion. Sometimes even soft openings are tricky as so much is still under the stranglehold of limited execution. How long should you wait when there is a new chef? When the restaurant has changed its focus?

All good questions–No simple answers. Part of me loves trying something so new that few people know of its existence. The other part of me waits and watches. Sometimes when you travel and you are in a city with a new restaurant opening, you can’t wait. You’re there. You have to sample.

Such was my recent trip to New York City. The Standard Hotel deemed it was ready to open its restaurant, The Standard Grill. They were right. Even though the menu was still being tweaked, under the heading, “Preview Menu,” the chef who had previously cooked at the now shuttered Lever House, knew what he was doing. The staff understood the dishes and for a relatively new restaurant in the hyper trendy Meat Packing District (West Village), they had a winner. Interestingly, the prices were quite affordable as opposed to some of its long-standing neighbors.

Had to try it for breakfast, too. Now you’re talking real winner. Same great friendly service. Same wonderful outdoor space, but the smoked salmon and smoked sturgeon platter defined a trip to New York. Don’t forget the coffee; comes in its own little pot.interior_right

Yes, you can preview a restaurant, especially when it is delivered by smart restaurateurs and well-trained staff.

Go.

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Coffee Jam: Use the Coupon

Jul 20

Posted by admin in Starbucks, coffee, news

If you’re looking for the action tomorrow, Tuesday, July 21st from opening until 10:30 AM, then head over to your local Starbucks.

Take the above coupon, which they are also honoring if it shows up on your handheld. Show them this post. It’s all about saving paper!

All you have to do is buy a beverage, any beverage, and for free you get a sugar rush, a free pastry, These new sweets have the best of all ingredients: No High Fructose Corn Syrup. They also are without artificial flavors, dyes, and trans-fats.

If you haven’t tried the new breakfast treats (also good at other times of the day), then here’s your chance to critique the recent rollout. The company tested and tweaked and came up with recipes they wanted everyone to try.

If you want to duplicate the banana walnut bread, save your bananas: Here’s the recipe.

Gprint_couponet in line.

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When Branding Backfires

Jul 16

Posted by admin in coffee, lifestyle, news

coffeecups-150x150The last few years have seen the emergence of branding experts: Individuals who espouse the importance of gaining a market foothold by being a recognizable, trusted brand.

That pattern clearly worked for Starbucks as they became the coffee brand–they were at one with the term. Now that the economy is questioning how much individuals are willing to pay for a cup of coffee, their brand has suffered greatly. They have tried numerous tactics to establish or re-establish themselves in the marketplace. Search the company’s name in my blog to follow their various strategies.

Yet, today there is news that questions their allegiance to the brand game. In an about-face, they decided to use their homegrown audience, Seattle, and test market dropping the Starbucks name in some locations and renaming the stores based on individual locations. The goal is to create a neighborhood feel without a big brand name and become more of a coffeehouse that serves alcoholic beverages and offers live music.

I can see it now in New York City with its 5 boroughs and strong neighborhood affiliations: There could be names like 5th Avenue Beans or Gramercy Joe’s. Test the concept for your area by playing the local renaming game. Maybe they should hold a nationwide contest and let people in the communities rename the stores!

This is a clear wait-and-see approach to marketing. The irony, of course, is that they wanted to be every neighborhood’s favorite store, but the brand’s proliferation on every corner created a backlash.

I think it is an interesting strategy, but reverse branding has its own set of problems including marketing and renaming costs. Are individuals that naive that this week’s newly opened “Corner Java,” which last week was the closest Starbucks, is now their favorite coffeehouse?

We’ll see.

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A Truly Unhealthy Drink

Jul 13

Posted by admin in coffee, health, lifestyle

It was not that long ago that the study I wrapped my coffee arms around said, drink up–coffee has great benefits. It’s disturbing to learn how many people skip the coffee and go for the drinks that have more caffeine and way more uncertainty.

These so-called energy drinks are powerful caffeine boosters (and financial windfalls for the major companies), but they are unregulated beverages in terms of the amount of damage they can inflict. The other day the bullet shaped ones were recalled for a possible problem. Now there seems to be some movement afoot to try to figure out what is in the drinks and the418238812_14a471bfb7_m effect. Sure we all need a wake-up call from time to time, especially when we are in the midst of the lazy, hazy days of summer and a deadline looms, but…

And that’s the problem. The beverages are without regulation and without adequate warning–they need to have some sort of black box warning that speaks to the potential damage to the heart. Many of these boosters, single containers, have as much caffeine as a 12-pak of soda. That’s serious. Their contents are a mere blurb of information that most people cannot translate into commonsense.

Once again we are left with the disturbing question: Who is in charge here? Not the FDA–they have done nothing. They limit the amount of caffeine in sodas but allow these booster drinks to fall into a stimulant, dietary supplement category. Congratulations to The SUNY Youth Sports Institute (in Cortland, NY) for holding a national symposium on the health impacts on youth from the $5 billion-a-year energy drink industry.We don’t mind ingesting as long as we have some idea about the consequences. These drinks are true drugs and need to adhere to some prescriptive label.

Too many people are consuming too much of a product that can be dangerous.

We do not always need a lesson in hindsight.

The time to focus is now and not with another energy booster.

I’m not an over-regulating person, but common sense dictates.

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Food and Drink Giveaways

Jul 11

Posted by admin in coffee, life, news

July is starting to look like a fabulous month as everyone wants our attention. Remember it is a month of food holidays. Promotions like these should make it extra easy to get us into line.

Starbucks decided they need to connect better with the Facebook universe. To show their enthusiasm and support of National ice Cream Month, from now through July 19th, Facebook users can sign in and friendster someone with the Starbucks free pint ice cream coupon. If you want to understand its popularity, (not a small number; 800 pints an hour), the ice cream pints for the day may sell out and you’ll need to revisit to take advantage.

McDonald’s, which continues to wrestle up new coffee ideas and lay claim to enticing more ardent coffee drinkers to their side of the road, has a thirst-quenching Monday offer: Free Mochas on Mondays starting this Monday, the 13th until August 3rd. These will be available hot or iced from 7 AM-7 PM on these hot summer Mondays. The company figures they’ll be pouring over 10 million cups on Mondays with the hope that they’ll have found new fans who’ll return any day of the week.

More offers toimages come.

Love how everyone is fighting for our attention!

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How Perfect Is This Study: Coffee Cures

Jul 7

Posted by admin in coffee, news

75thcan2_143x130I couldn’t have said it better myself; if only I’d remembered to write it. Seriously, a new study from the University of  South Florida, has just been released that says drinking 5 cups of coffee daily will help reverse Alzheimer’s disease.

This is not the first time that caffeine has been praised; just the most abundant declaration of its value. Not just as an energy source, a mind-waking explosion from the dreariness of alarm clock cacophony, but as a product with scientific and health benefits. It turns out that coffee lessens the impact and production of plaque that builds up and contributes to the beginnings of Alzheimer’s.

OK, a few points of clarification. the study only involved 55 mice. Even I know that is hardly scientifically significant, but we are talking about coffee and caffeine. The 5-cup coffee formula (that’s about 500 mg of caffeine) means you’d need over 10 cups of tea, 2 lattes or cappuccinos from specialty brewers, or 20 soft drinks. So coffee it is!

When the mice were tested after two months of the coffee infusion, the same impressive data held true: They demonstrated a 50% reduction in levels of the dreaded beta amyloid protein, the accumulation in the brain that is targeted as being the most destructive and most central to developing Alzheimer’s.

Sure there are risks to overstimulating with coffee, but today it is possible to feel good about your coffee habit. This study shows that coffee reverses some degree of memory loss.

I’ll take mine iced!

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