Not just coffee

Archive for category coffee

Breakfast: The Most Important Meal

Jan 8

Posted by admin in coffee, dining out, Economy

For years nutritionists have been saying kick your metabolism into gear by having breaksfast. Start your day with fuel and the rest of the day will move along nicely. Puns intended.

Plenty of restaurants and quick-service spots have obviously heard the rallying cry–it translates as Ka-Ching as dollars are going into the register with record speed as breakfast has become a bigger stop than just for the all-mighty cup of coffee. The examples speak volumes.

–Chick-Fil-A: They just introduced a new breakfast menu with with a low-calorie yogurt parfait (Theyogurtparfaity quickly decided this item would be a popular all-day choice so its availability extends beyond 10:30AM) and mini nuggets–(Chick-n-Minis)–you know, a hand-held slider. Judging by the early morning drive-thru line, the concept must already be working.

–IHOP: Breakfast anytime is their concept as they move into the new year with the return of the All-You-Can Eat Buttermilk Pancakes starting at $4.99. It’s not just a plate of pancakes on this special as the combo accompaniments of eggs, hash browns, and meat are part of round one. Pancakes can keep on coming until it’s time to roll yourself out the door.

–McDonald’s: They  took on the breakfast brigade with the national rollout of the $1 menu (sausage biscuit, burrito, or McMuffin, and, of course, hashbrowns).

–Sonic Drive-In has several breakfast choices on the dollar menu including the Junior Breakfast Burrito with Sausage. They subscribe to the breakfast anytime motto.

All-Day Breakfast and price-competitive menus seem to be the theme starting the New Year. That, of course, and the big shout out about new, better grinds for truly enjoyable coffee!

With all the drive-n-go or eat ‘n run options, is anybody really focused on the Breakfast Metabolism starter or just finding filling food at affordable prices?

A little less food; a better cup of coffee.

Thank you.

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My Healthy Cup of Coffee

Dec 16

Posted by admin in coffee, health, lifestyle, news

BialettiCappuccinoMkrJB08If you read enough of my blog, you know I love the health studies: Those that favor my caffeine addiction and love for my other favorite beverages: wine and champagne. Today is another lucky day as the latest study, this time from Australia, reviewed 18 prior studies and received data from 500,000 people. The conclusion is divine:  Coffee is Good. Not just good tasting or that it is responsible for a wonderful, wafting aroma, but that it is a beverage with significant health benefits. YES!

There are plenty of studies that have such small sample sizes you only hope the results hold up. Not this one. The numbers are impressive.

This particular research found that 4 cups of coffee or tea lowered the risk of Type 2 Diabetes! It gets better: Each cup reduced the likelihood of getting diabetes by about 7%. The simple translation: 3-4 cups of coffee daily reduces diabetes by about 25%. They found that those who consumed more than 3-4 cups of decaf lowered their risk by about one-third. If it’s tea you prefer, 3-4 cups of tea lowered the risk by one-fifth. Now there’s no need to hesitate having that 3rd or 4th cup!

An earlier study from Harvard reported that men who drank 6 or more cups of coffee a day had a 60% lower chance of getting prostate cancer! Coffee, the frequent villain of numerous discussions, has been elevated to an important position in the scientific literature and in our lives.

Now if you add 2 teaspoons of sugar to each cup of coffee…That’s another study.

I’m sure someone is trying to figure out that metric right now!

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More Ways to Save

Dec 14

Posted by admin in coffee, lifestyle

It’s official: The Holiday Countdown Clock Has Begun. As it ticks away, the loud heartbeat panic starts to set in. Questions, questions, questions. What to buy? How much money to spend? The now what am I gonna do ultimate stomach churner.

Here are some obvious, but yet often forgotten, strategies to use at this time of the year:

-Do not pay for shipping. Find the product from one of the myriad offers that still include free shipping. If you wait much longer, some of those offers will disappear and shipping costs will exceed the product’s individual cost! Be careful.

–Watch out for super saver shipping headlines–read that info carefully unless you don’t care if it arrives the 28th!

–Buy the local paper. Yes, I know no one reads the paper anymore, but it is still a great way to find coupons and insert deals. Newspapers stay in business at this time of the year from these types of single-day promos, and you benefit from a very limited outpouring of cash!

–Watch the big box retailers who have their prices set well in advance of the holiday season. Many of their great small electronic buys, for example, do not hold up at this time of the year. Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and similar department stores have special one-day houseware and home sales and offer coupons for those special events. That type of shopping often brings the price of the coveted KitchenAid mixer, for example, down below the everyday great super warehouse price.

–Check out the grocers. Not only have they moved into more branded items, but they’ve also expanded their holiday wares in the toy aisle and the handy last-minute grab-it gift sections. They are more than happy to make fruit baskets, coffee/tea combo sets–you name it; they want to make it happen.

–Make your own food baskets–we’re not talking robotics here but sensible solutions for great gift-giving. Coffee shops are more than happy to help out if you become completely flummoxed.foodbasket

–Buy a basket; get brightly colored tissue paper, and fill it up. Your choice. Personalized food items are especially popular. Make your house-brand of specialized cookies. There’ll be few complaints.

Get your blood pressure in line, and you’ll have time to wrap!

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Starbucks in the Victory Lane

Oct 20

Posted by admin in coffee, Economy

It’s almost impossible to miss the outpouring of Starbucks ads centered around the new instant superstar, the Via. At least the company hopes that this will be star quality (this product has been touted for over a half a year now).

viaThe ads show an upbeat flair matching the belief that there’s a lot of anticipation surrounding the intro. Besides seeing it already in full display at Costco, it’s receiving attention from end-of-season campers who feel they have solved one of their biggest fears–no hot coffee. Of course, they could just follow Billy Crystal (“City Slickers”), and grind their own tentside.

There’s also news that the early clock cleaning reports from both McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts may now be a piece of past history. The only negative news lately is that some songs have not been promoted as heavily as artists would like. Not everybody’s complaining.

As Starbucks sales continue to improve, we might be able to use that piece of news as an economic barometer: Is the economy back on track to support our caffeine habit?

Love it, as the ads say,”A product you can get through TSA.”

As long as airlines still offer hot water, we’ve got a match.

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Some Coffee News to Jolt Your Day

Sep 26

Posted by admin in coffee, lifestyle

Occasionally, I do talk about coffee–this is one of those times. With all the single cup coffee makers vying for shelf space, it’s only been a matter of time before someone figured out how to jolt the market in a new direction. Enter Kahlua, the coffee liqueur people. In a new marketing deal, Kahlua and Timothy’s World Coffee have become partners with the new Kahlua Original K-Cup.

This is the first liqueur branded K-Cup designed specifically for the Keurig Single Cup Brewing System. After significant testing, Timothy’s and Kahlua have come out with an Arabica coffee that they call a smooth roast with accents of vanilla and caramel. My only question is a simple one: Will this product start appearing in office coffee rooms?

If single cup machines start showing up in cubicles, check the single serve paks (the K-cups); keurig2
you may want to stay and indulge. The office may become a more pleasant experience! Or, you’ll decide this may be the perfect accompaniment to a great weekend meal.

Kahlua is like that: A simple coffee taste with a pleasing, sophisticated flavor.

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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 coffee, Economy, 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 coffee, Environment, 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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