Coffee Review: For the Love of Pumpkin

Paramount Coffee's Pumpkin Pie flavored coffee

I love coffee and I love pumpkin, so what could be better than pumpkin flavored coffee? I had grown addicted to my Seattle's Best Cinnamon coffee, so I had not gotten around to trying one of the pumpkin flavored coffees that are abundant during the holiday season. Many of them only come out around this time of year, so I had to try one before it was too late and I had to wait until next season.

I decided to try Paramount Coffee's Pumpkin Pie flavored coffee. It is available from their website, paramountcoffee.com, but I was lucky enough to grab a bag at Marshall's for a great price. So, what was the verdict?

I was a bit worried when the ingredient list on this bag of coffee only listed "coffee" and natural and artificial flavorings. I like to know what type of "coffee" I am drinking, since Arabica seems to be the best tasting and is said to be the best quality coffee. After examining the label, I did finally find in small print "Arabica." That was after I purchased it, so it was a nice surprise. I have to say that it made a pretty good cup of coffee in my Aeropress. The pumpkin flavor was not overwhelming, even though I wished it were! I do not have another pumpkin coffee to compare it to, since this was my first.

I am glad I finally tried a pumpkin flavored coffee so that I could see what all the fuss is about. I love pumpkin, so I am not sure why I waited so long. This coffee was good, but not phenomenal. I was ready to buy out the rest of Marshall's supply of this coffee if it was indeed great, but I did not feel that urge after trying my first cup of it. This may be the perfect coffee for someone who likes a very subtle pumpkin flavor, but I tend to like my flavors very noticeable. Overall, it was a good coffee and I enjoyed the entire bag. Will I personally repurchase it? Probably not.
 

Peppermint mochas: Holidays in a Cup

Tis the season, for the peppermint mocha! It is exciting when Starbucks starts bringing out their red cups and filling them with yummy holiday drinks. My personal favorite holiday espresso drink is the gingerbread latte. As this drink emerges it signifies the beginning of the holiday season. The peppermint mocha is a delicious treat to that I like to sip on from time to time.

Peppermint mochas are just that, mochas with a bit of peppermint. They are made up of milk, espresso, peppermint, whipped cream and shaved chocolate. If you are calorie conscious, you can get it made with non-fat milk and whipped cream or non-fat milk with no whipped cream.  I personally think that whipped cream is a requirement!

The full fat peppermint mocha is around 400 calories. If you choose nonfat milk it saves you close to 50 calories. If you choose nonfat without whipped cream, it goes down to 290 calories. It still is one of the more calorie-rific drinks from Starbucks.  However, it’s tasty!

For me, a peppermint mocha is a sweet treat to have every so often. I personally can’t have it too much as I find it a touch heavy. When I do have it, I opt for nonfat milk but with whipped cream  as the combination of the heavy milk, rich chocolate and touch of peppermint can sometimes feel too overpowering to my stomach.  

Before we embark on 2012, and the holiday season comes to an end, run out and grab yourself a peppermint mocha to celebrate the holidays in cup!

Aerobie Aeropress Review

"It was the best cup of coffee I had had in quite a while."


I have always wanted to try out a French coffee press. Coffee connoisseurs often say that this is the best coffee maker for producing the best quality brew. I put off purchasing one for several reasons. First, most require coarse-ground coffee to be used in it, or you will end up with many coffee granules in your final cup. I do not have a coffee grinder at the moment and really like Seattle's Best cinnamon flavored coffee that only comes in regular drip grind. Second, I really did not know if I would be able to make iced coffee easily with a french press -- I love iced coffee and tend to drink it more than hot coffee. After researching french presses, the Aeropress seemed like a great idea, because you can use a finer-grind coffee in it, because it actually uses little, miniature filters to ensure there are no grinds in your cup. So, I ordered one on the Internet and it finally arrived yesterday. Here are my thoughts about it:
It is a fairly simple contraption and came in a box with the main unit, along with a cute little coffee scoop, a stand for when I am not using it and a large bag of filters that will last me quite a while. There is even a cute little filter holder that keeps all of the filters organized. This press retails for around $25, but I was lucky enough to find a great deal on it using a voucher that I obtained from a deal website. Overall, it was a great value for what I paid for it.  

When I first used it, I was surprised to find out that you actually use it to make a coffee extract which you then add more hot water to make the final cup of coffee. This actually makes it great for making a nice cup of iced coffee; for iced coffee, I simply add ice and cold water instead of the extra hot water. The resulting cup of iced coffee that I made tasted fresh, low acid and delicious. It was the best cup of coffee I had had in quite a while.
 

McDonalds Mochas: Don’t Believe the Hype

"McDonalds and quality do not exactly go hand in hand."

I’ve heard and read people raving about McDonald’s mochas, how they are better than ones found at Starbucks or other coffee shops. That is just wrong, ALL WRONG. Perhaps my opinion is because I’m from Seattle, aka coffee-land and I’m used to high quality espresso drinks at most locations. It’s rare that I get a mocha that I don’t enjoy. That was, until I tried a McDonalds mocha.

Keep in mind; I’ve tried them more than once. There have been times that I’ve needed my espresso “fix” and have been out of the way and without access to other coffee locations. A quickie run through McDs seemed like an alright idea.

My experience with the mocha drinks at McDonalds, both full and nonfat, is that the strength is weak, the chocolate is chalky and there seems to be an additional artificial sweetener type of flavor. In all, it’s no bueno.

Sure, McDonalds and quality do not exactly go hand in hand. But, I just wanted to dispute the rumors that the mochas are high quality. I don’t want some other poor soul to feel hopeful and then come away disgusted and have to then get a mocha from somewhere else!

All in all, keep on driving past McDonalds next time you need to perk yourself up. 

Bye, Bye, Tassimo - It Was Fun While It Lasted

I have been a coffee lover for many, many years. I first started drinking coffee on a daily basis when I was 12 years old -- yes 12! I had always made my coffee at home with a standard drip coffee maker, although I do love to experiment with different fun espresso-based coffee drinks when I purchase a coffee from a coffee shop. About a year ago, I decided to splurge on a Tassimo one-cup coffee maker, since I wanted to finally be able to make a good cup of coffee at home. I was also working long days outside of the home at the time, and never had time to drink more than a cup or two of coffee before I left for work.

I was debating between purchasing the Tassimo and the Keurig, and decided on the Tassimo after I read the reviews of both products. The Tassimo created a stronger cup of coffee, from what I had read, and was able to produce a delicious cup of chai latte, which I love. I could also use it to make cappuccinos and lattes if desired. I was sold. I was lucky enough to find a great deal on a brand-new Tassimo on eBay. I enjoyed the coffee it made and the chai tea latte, although the chai was a little light in the flavor department. I used this machine faithfully for a year. So why am I getting rid of it?

There have always been very few varieties of T-discs available for the Tassimo.  I knew this when I first purchased the machine, but there were enough varieties for me at the time, and I was sure that more would be added eventually. Well, the opposite happened. When I bought my Tassimo, they had T-discs available at the grocery store that contained several varieties of Starbucks coffee, several Gevalia varieties and made by Maxwell house. I could journey to the local department stores to purchase my beloved chai latte T-discs. Tassimo recently lost its partnership with Starbucks, so those T-discs are no longer made. The local grocery store then stopped selling the Maxwell house discs that I used as my staple, everyday, low-cost brew. The varieties of T-discs available have kept dwindling ever since.

Guess who has greatly expanded their coffee variety selection? You guessed it -- Keurig. I become so jealous when I see all of the delicious varieties of K-cups available at the local grocery store that I almost go insane. Seeing all of the new K-cup varieties just sealed the deal with me that, although it does make a great cup of coffee, Tassimo is slowly becoming obsolete. I say this very sadly, because I really wanted our "relationship" to work out. I will be re-selling my Tassimo on eBay soon. I am now going back to traditional coffee, only I have ordered an Aerobie Aeropress that will hopefully produce a better brew than my cheap, drip coffee maker does. It should arrive any day now. I am so excited! I will review it on this site as soon as I try it out. Bye, Bye, Tassimo. It was fun while it lasted.
 

Mocha with a Side of Wine? Yes Please!

I wandered into my local Starbucks to sit and do some work and sip on a peppermint mocha. I was startled to see that they suddenly served wine and beer. Um, WHAT!? As an espresso connoisseur and lover of red wine, I was frozen in place and my head was spinning. I considered setting up shop and never going home. It’s an interesting concept and seems as though it could be a profitable one.

Now, I don’t love Starbucks, but I like it just fine. I try to hit up local establishments instead but for when I’m doing some writing work or whatnot, Starbucks is the spot. The one near me is filled with young professionals. They even hold meetings for craft groups and the like.

This Starbucks has a cozy atmosphere with a fireplace and a new bar with stools running across the middle. After 2 pm, they start serving a variety of wine and beer. The average price for wine is $7 and beer is a little less. The exact options available likely depend on location.

Along with the new menu, they offer an artisan menu similar to that found in bars and pubs alike. They offer bruschetta, wine and cheese plates, and they are relatively affordable. There is even live music playing on weekend nights.

I admit that it seemed a bit odd. Mostly, I was just excited to have both options. I still tend to drink more mochas or Americanos at Starbucks. But, it’s super fun to have that mocha and later sip on a lovely glass of red. As I’m in Seattle, it makes sense that this is tested here as we worship at the altar of coffee. There are several stores that are trying out this experiment.

I don’t know what the future holds but at least at the Starbucks near me, things got hopping in the afternoon. It was busier than I’ve ever seen it!

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