Day 18: National Gourmet Coffee Day

A family member recently visited the Philippines, and all I got was coffee. Not that I mind.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I think I'm still recovering from Thanksgiving. I've been trying to counteract the heavy meals with plenty of salads. It may have worked for a day or two, but I think I need to accept the fact that it will be hearty eating and overindulgence to close out 2017. I bought several cured meats for my lunches this week. My sodium levels are going to be through the rood, but tastily.

Oof. Just thinking about it is making my stomach hurt.

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The cold weather months are when my hot coffee consumption really picks up. Every morning I brew a big pot of coffee and have at least two cups before I head out to work. I've started to bring in a thermos of coffee with me, to save some money as well. So far it's done the trick - I don't break into the thermos until the afternoon and it tides me over until I'm done.

And, because this thermos is awesome, the coffee is still quite hot. Thanks Ikea!

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On this day in 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified, and it repealed the 18th Amendment. That evil 18th amendment that banned alcohol. Hurrah for the 21st. I will celebrate with a drink later.

Wegmans

Wegmans has arrived in northern New Jersey. Naturally I had to check it out. I got as far as grabbing a coffee before I got back in my car and headed back upstate. Work, after all. FYI, the reusable cup was $3.04, including tax. Or something like that... three something. They take 50 cents off of refills. Not bad.

I'll check it out when I'm down next time. Thanksgiving Eve. There's going to be a Chipotle in the shopping plaza. I am pleased. 

Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes

It's been a while since I've brought food in for my co-workers. Mostly busy... some tired feelings. And the lazy was in full effect. But all it takes is some call time and a rest day from the gym to finally make something.

Nothing to fancy here. Same cake I made for the one year, although I added more instant coffee and brewed coffee. Same buttercream, because I tend to make too much icing.

As I write this, there are one... maybe two left. And it's only 9:30.

Next time I'm using beer.

(If a picture doesn't post with this, it's all the app's fault. That's what I get for trying to blog on my phone.)

Free Coffee in July at Panera

Just an FYI – if you have that Panera card the reward for this month is a free coffee. I went on the first, and the cashier asked me what size. You mean I can get a free large coffee?!?! Oh, caffeinated me and the things I could do…

Anyways, the way I read the e-mail in regards to this is that you can get a free coffee every day in the month of July. And it’s the fifth and I only went once. I am slacking. But the couch is comfy. And I have The Civil War miniseries to re-watch; youtube videos to watch; everything else but leave the house.

Maybe tomorrow.

Coffee Run

Yeah, so I took a screenshot of my Instagram feed. But I hit up Fairway Market, my go-to coffee shop. They must have roasted recently because man oh man... ever so fragrant. I have been living on Trader Joe's coffee, which is fine. It just isn't the same. Look at their layout. All those beans!

The guy who ground my coffee thought I bought too much, but he doesn't know just how important coffee is to me. Tell me what you think, was this too much?

All were ground at setting 13 (percolator/urn/French press)

1 pound Mocha Java (M's favorite, medium body)

1 pound Brooklyn (my favorite, low acidity)

0.5 pound French Roast (because why not)

There were a few others I wanted to try, but I am supposed to be back next weekend. So I can wait. I didn't even buy cheese... what is wrong with me?!?

Keeping With the Trends

The warmer temps have everyone going iced coffee crazy. Well, include me in that bunch as I am enjoying an extra large helping. I've written about it before, so I won't say too much other than I am putting my percolator aside for the French press. I've used the other method, mixing the coffee grounds and water in a pot and setting aside, but that is more mess than my small, mid-renovation kitchen can handle at the moment. 

Because of the finer grind, I only let this sit for about eight hours. To ensure the brew would be grit free,  I poured it through a small cone filter I bought earlier this year (I can't recall why I purchased it, but it was most likely for this reason!)

Sure, I could have used my Fairway coffee, but this Seattle's best has been taking up space for too long... I would rather use it up this way. It's slightly bitter, but has nice chocolate notes. Or I may still be tasting the chocolate I ate earlier.

Either way, this won't last long in the house. Guess I'll have to make more!

Knit and Crochet Coffee Sleeves

March is Craft Month. Or Crafting Month. Or Get Off Your Butt and Do Something Month. Whatever the actual title is, I have jumped back into needlecraft. I used to knit A lot. Mostly beanies, and a spattering of scarves. I have no idea where they are now, but they did keep many a head warm.

I still have quite a large yarn stash and several UFOs that I need to either frog or finish. Most will suffer the frogging fate, but there is at least one that I will try my best to figure out where I left off, and finish. Sentimental reasons… just need to finish it.

There is a basket on one of the windowsills in the living room. In that basket are at least four skeins of yarn, and three projects I started but never finished. There is a hat I promised M a year ago that really just needs to be bound off and it’ll be done. There was the start of something that was on a Knook – I unraveled it because I still don’t know how to use it. And there was the start of what I’m guess was going to be a scarf – I unraveled that as well.

Coffee sleeves are pretty simple and more interesting than a scarf. I found the patterns on the Lion Brand Yarn website. I finished these two while having a marathon watching of The Guild on Netflix. I didn’t watch it before because it looked dorky, but Felicia Day created it and she was on Supernatural, Eureka, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Not to mention Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.

I haven’t tried these out on disposable coffee cups, but they fit my reusable ones just fine… which makes me think they’ll be just a bit too big for the throwaways. And next time I am knitting the sleeve in the round – it will help the color pattern show up. And I think I should have a strap for the thumb and fingers. It would help give a better grip. Easier to do if I were to sew one up, but I’m up for a knitting challenge.

Giving In (Sort Of)

 

 

I am by no means a coffee snob, but I do know what I like. And I like my coffee brewed in a percolator. There's just something with its gurgles and hisses that I just find soothing. Free coffee is scarce at work, so I usually bring a thermos of coffee along with my full travel mug. But that is when I remember to prep the perc or get up early enough to make some coffee.



 

The ladies locker room was recently bequeathed a Keurig. Now, I respect people who own these things and lovethemtodeath, but I just don't think it makes a good cup of coffee. But it's quick and the clean up is self-contained. So I  relented and picked up a box. For emergencies only. And I sure am not going to like it.

 

Now if we only had half & half...

Shocked

I got to work a few minutes earlier than usual, so I decided I would hit up McDo for a coffee and something fattening.

It used to be that any sized coffee was a buck. This was pretty much the reason I've gone there so much - decent enough coffee for cheap bastards like myself.

But that's over. My large coffee turned out to be $1.49.

When the hell did that happen?!?

Not that it's that big of a deal, but it is at least pushing me to start making coffee again at home. Or not... I heard they'll be opening up a Starbucks here at work.

Whatever the case may be, someone's getting my hard earned dough.

Free Time

Work is at a stand still for me this afternoon, and there is only one thing that will make my remaining time here today enjoyable.

Free coffee.

At 2:45 the coffee shop downstairs gives away the remaining brewed coffee (free of charge) as long as you bring your own cup.

AHHHHHH!! Commence caffinated hijinx!

Sure, the coffee is super strong, and at times slightly burnt... but it's free. And free is always drinkable.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take a little walk.

Pure Filipino

When visiting a Filipino household, you will be offered food and drink. Repeatedly. And even when you refuse... you get it anyways. On a recent visit home, I headed over to New Jersey and visited with family. My grandparents can always be counted on for doling out the goods, especially the ones from the Philippines. My sister made herself a cup of instant coffee, and immediately my grandma pushed the crackers. I think they were those Club crackers, but that isn't important.

At first she refused, but sure enough, she took one and instinctively dipped it into her coffee.

"Oh yeah," she said. "Being Filipino." 

One Buck No Chuck

So by now you have heard of Starbucks initiative to get their customers to go green. For the low, low, low price of one dollar, you can have yourself a reusable grande sized cup. When I first heard of this I thought a) cool and 2) sketchy. I agree with their push for multiple use containers, but at the same time I don't know how well they will hold up. I think I read somewhere it would be good for about 30 uses, so really... how safe is that? Does the constant hot water added to it somehow soften the material and maybe stretch it out? And really... how can they possibly sell it for a dollar?

I planned my super secret coffee cup mission for last night, but it was cold as hell. No way was I leaving my warm house for a cup. So I pushed it off to do. It just so happened there was a Starbucks not too far from the restaurant M and I had dinner at so I dragged him there to see what this was all about. 

For starters, this thing looks flimsy. As in it doesn't really look like plastic. The cup looks and has a somewhat similar feel of those glossy, texturized foam coffee cups. But unlike those cups, you can't crush it easily (not that I'm really trying with this buck cup... it has to last me a while). The lid also has a flimsy look about it, but it is probably the strongest of the two parts.

Opening this cup... was difficult. I wasn't sure if it was a twist off, like most of my travel mugs, or just a pop off, like the disposable ones. I still don't know, I made M open it for me, as well as close it after I added some sugar (not that it helped, it was still bitter. But I will say I did like the cafe latte I ordered).

I'm going to need to use it a few more times before I decide if it's really worth it. If you're a habitual Starbucker (HS), than I'm guessing you'd be better off buying one. But then again, if you're a habitual Starbucker, you already have some sort of Starbuck travel container, so it may be of no use to us. I am not a HS, but I did pilfer my sister's Starbucks mug years ago. I still use it because it is AMAZING. My hot coffee I put in there in the morning is still warm at lunch, and lukewarm when I leave work in the afternoon. Yeah. I'm a slow drinker.

Back to this thing. You buy it and you get the ten cents off your purchase for using a reusable cup. Every time you bring it in for a drink you will get ten cents off, and they'll clean it for you (but they usually do that with all the reusable stuff people bring in). So the cup is paid off in ten drinks. And you've saved the landfills from ten paper coffee cups.

Go you.

High five.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to hide my new cup. M called dibs on it.

I Tried. Really.

I've been spending my time at various libraries, mostly reading. Gotta keep that brain working you know. And focusing on the task at hand is just easier when I'm out of the house. Unfortunately, the library closes at 8, so I had to find another place to do my work. While a local coffee shop would be ideal, they aren't really any around. Starbucks, are. And they are open late.

I normally stick to teas there, because I think their coffee is crap. But I figured I was just not knowledged in all that is coffee and I know there are a few local bloggers who would chastise me on my choices (DD4lyfe!) I had about a hundred pages to knock out, so I gave it a go. I ordered a Cafe Misto, which is supposedly like a cafe au lait... a drink I happen to like. I also got a cookie. It was a snowman. Couldn't resist.

"Red or blue?"

Hahaha... can I get purple? No, didn't say that... but I thought it. Got the red one if you really wanted to know. (Obviously you can see which one I picked)

Thirty pages into my reading and I figured the coffee would be cool enough not to burn my mouth.

I'm sorry, but no. I do not like that Pike coffee. I do not like any of their coffees. Four sugar packets and it was barely drinkable. Barely. And the cookie, while cute, wasn't all that impressive. I was hoping it was royal icing but it was some chocolate derivative of some sort. But hey! I got a whopping ten cents off my coffee because I used my own mug!

I am sticking to the non-coffee things from there from now on.

Fifteen Minute Break

I’ve been working at a new location this week. An orientation of sorts… not sure if it will be a permanent thing. But some people that I work with that work at both sites did so a double take whenever they’d pass me in the halls.

But it’s been fun. Everyone’s been nice. And I love the cafeteria. So much better and less expensive. They even have a coffee club card! I have been using it religiously – only four more cups of joe and then it’s free!

It’s DD coffee, which I know those coffee snobs out there will complain about, but whatever. You can complain all you want, it beats the stuff they brew in the break room. Although I wish they would brew hazelnut and not french vanilla.

99 Cent Coffee

I've seen the ads for their 99 cent coffee around, and finally got the chance to try some yesterday. Things to know:

1. The coffee isn't cold. It was lukewarm when I poured it into my cup. It was only after I filled it that I saw the sign about getting ice from the "Chill Zone" to add to my drink for the cool effect. So scope the scene out... know where the location of the ice dispenser is and add ice to your liking.

2. The flavor machine is pretty cool. You can add up to three different flavors, pick the appropriate drink size, and it will dispense the proper amount. Only problem with it that is that you can't pick the same flavor more than once in a shot dispenserary frame. You'd have to go through the process three times. A little too much work if you're grabbing a drink to go.

No Use Crying Over Spilled Iced Coffee

Turn Off

I guess Flavour Cafe is alright. But not liking the fact I had to pay for a refill. Even Professor Java's gives you one.

Oh well. I tried the place out.

posted from Bloggeroid

Coffee Run

Doesn't mean the guy had to double park. Jerk.

posted from Bloggeroid

Cream and Sugar