Monthly Archives: May 2009

I got an email from Kaffee Magnum Opus the other day and they have introduced a new, kinda cool sounding, coffee flavor. Single Malt Scotch.

I may definitely need to try this one. I am not a drinker at all, but I used to like an occasional shot of good  scotch. The combination of the buttery sweetness of the scotch with the flavor of the coffee is intriguing to say the least. I think I could plan a whole menu around it.

I don’t know. So much coffee….so little money. sigh.

If you have some extra time on your hands and you want to shop some really unique flavors of coffee, you need to head over there. It is amazing what they come up with, I have seriously never seen anything like it.

image:Kaffe Magnum Opus

O.k…yeah. It isn’t coffee and it isn’t tea.

A few weeks ago I saw Pepsi Throwback in my local grocery store. In case you haven’t heard, several of the companies are coming out with retro-style soda (wow, it was hard not to type coke there..I call everything coke…) that is made with sugar.

Now, Dr. Pepper has always made sodas with natural cane sugar in glass bottles. You probably can’t get them everywhere but you can here. They are bottled in Dublin Texas. We have been there and it is a cool day trip. The thing is, I am convinced that corn syrup with it’s GMOs and other nasties is bad for you. I know that it tastes different. I was, therefore, excited to try the Pepsi Throwback.

It has that clean taste that I remembered. No cloying sweet residue on your tongue, bubbly, slightly spicy…just like it used to be. It’s worth getting a twelve pack of it if for no other reason than to taste for yourself what real Pepsi whould taste like.If only it was in glass bottles….

image:marye audet

So, as some of you know, I worked hard this past week trying to get a menu done for my daughter’s baby shower. I wanted it to be just right, not because it was her first shower (this is her third adorable child) but because Erin is just that awesome.

After a lot of thought and research I ended up with:

• Balsamic and basil strawberries
• Mango chicken salad tea sandwiches
• Spicy curried chicken tea sandwiches
• Mushroom, bacon, and Parmesan palmiers
• Earl Grey truffles
• Chocolate Irish Cream coffee
• Custom roast coffee
• Custom blended tea
• A selection of other teas.
• Sherbet punch

and of course, cake. Not just any cake but almond cake with alternating green tea and cherry filling. Most of the recipes will be showing up over at baking delights over the next few days, but some of them will be showing up here.

Balsamic Strawberries & Basil

Just thought you would like to see some pictures. If you are planning a baby shower, this menu works well for doing ahead. I spent most of the day friday doing the cake so didn’t have much time for anything else. It HAD to be easy and quick and transportable. It was 95 degrees, the church is 30 minutes away and I don’t have air conditioning in my van.

The cake I made for the baby shower

The lady that did the decor did an awesome job! I love the way she took vintage items and massed them together.

Vintage decor for the shower created sweet ambiance.

Apparently this lady collects items from thrift stores, antique shops, and garage sales and then uses them in a sort of cottage chic style to decorate for various celebrations.  I loved it!

Anyway, here are some ideas if you are looking for them. The shower was a big hit and we had a great time.

images:marye audet

East is meeting west as Bigelow and AriZona teas team up to create a new line of organic ready to drink tea.

The flavors they are offering are:

Organic Green Tea Acai White Cranberry : Regarded as a miracle fruit by many, the acai berry’s tantalizing tropical flavor blends exquisitely with white cranberry to create a uniquely flavorful green tea.

·          Organic Green Tea Original Green: The pure, clean flavor of perfectly brewed, all natural green tea … light, refreshing and rich in nutritional benefits.

·          Organic Green Tea Lemon Ginger : Delightfully subtle yet tart, its delicate, lemony flavor is balanced with the gentle spice of ginger.

·          Organic Green Tea Mango Lychee : Fantastically fruity! Juicy mango and exotic lychee combine for a unique and delectable taste of refreshment.

They are made with organic sugar cane and sound like they might be a nice change from cokes and other heavily sweetened drinks when you want something besides water or plain sweet tea.

I wish that when companies send out press releases they would also send samples because it is really hard for me to talk about something I haven’t tried. I like Bigelow Teas, and I like that they are increasingly becoming more involved with organics. Arizona has always made really good stuff so I expect this will be good as well.  How could you go wrong with Green Tea, Mango, Lychee? YUM! Anyway, if they offer me a sample I will let you know what I think. If you happen to try it, let me know what you think…deal?

image: courtesy of Bigelow, used by permission.

No one was more surprised than I was when I picked up a bag of Starbucks Arabian Mocha Sanini at the Starbuck’s Kiosk in the grocery store. It was more expensive than what I would normally pay, especially considering that I am at the point where coffee and tea companies send me free samples to try.

But… I wanted to taste a 16.99 a pound coffee. I expected this post to be sarcasticly biting, somewhat like the flavor I expected from the coffee.

But it wasn’t.  And this won’t be either.

I loved this coffee. It was extra dark, smoothly silky in texture with lingering clove, raisin, and berry flavors. It had none of the usual acrid over-roasted taste that I normally associate with Starbuck’s, but was smooth all the way through, with a pleasant aftertaste that was almost a cardamom, although some might describe it as citrus.

I didn’t think the aftertaste was clean enough to be citrus, it was more mysterious and exotic, thus caradamom. This is a complex coffee, well worth the 16.99 I paid. I know, I am shocked myself, but there you go. Miracles do happen.

Give this one a try. I think it is seasonal so it won’t be around for long.

Image: Starbucks

Lots of people think that I think the world revolves around me.

Doesn’t it?

I am, as you know, very skeptical of cupping terms. I have always been very skeptical of wine tasting terms as well.  It just seems to me that the same tired old terms get used over and over again. I live for the day that I am at a cupping or a tasting and someone looks up, with a thoughtful look and a quiet tone and says…

“has the piquant flavor of Good and Plenty with nuance of fritos.”

Until then…my cupping terms. (more…)

I have gone back and forth about doing tea room reviews.  While I love reading them on other people’s blogs, and I often write restaurant reviews on Baking Delights and Examiner, it seems pointless to write a local review for an international audience.  Or maybe I should say that it seemed pointless.  Because last week I realized that tea room reviews are great for my local readers, as well as readers who have, or dream of having, a tea room.  So, about once a week I will be reviewing local tea rooms, as well as giving my thoughts on how they could be improved.  If you are local please visit the tea room and give it a try.  If you are a tea room owner or dream of owning one I hope these reviews help you to improve and move closer to your dreams.

This week I stopped by Chantilly Place Tea Room in Waxahachie.  Waxahachie is about 45 minutes due south of downtown Dallas on I-35.  It is a town of gorgeous Victorian homes, quiet streets of craftsman bungalows, and great antique shopping.

Chantilly Place Tea Room

Generally, when reviewing a place I won’t let anyone know what I am doing.  I want to be able to get an idea of the food and service without being treated differently than anyone else.  This can get a little weird when I am taking pictures and the staff has no clue what is going on.

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If you are sure that you could truly be a coffee snob if only you had the right cupping vocabulary you are in luck.  Terra Nova tweeted a site this morning with illustrated cupping terms.

Unbeknownst to Elizabeth, Bertrand came from a long line of coffee snobs.

The terms are very well defined but the best thing about the site is the illustrations.  It was a great read this morning…despite the fact that I should have been working and not reading.  Memorize this site and you too can be using coffee snob terms like chocolaty and nutty.  The article is Coffee Cupping, and of course, being the sarcastic human being that I am, I feel compelled to come up with my own cupping definitions…which I will try to post tomorrow or Friday. (Hoping to take tomorrow off but it doesn’t look promising).

Check out the cupping terms.  Education is always a good thing.

image:sxc

photoshopping: Marye Audet

When a saw the Smoked Coffee at Coffee Beans Direct I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I knew I wanted to try it but I was sort of expecting a burnt flavor.

Now, y’all know here in Texas we KNOW smoked.  We smoke almost anything here..Brisket, ribs, roadkill…..

No..not really.  Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.

Anyway I never thought of smoking coffee.  I never heard of smoking coffee. So when I read the description I wanted to try it.

The way they do this is the coffee is first custom blended and then roasted.  The roast coffee is then taken to a local smokehouse and slow smoked.  What happens then is some sort of magic.

This bean was aromatic coming out of the bag.  It had presence like Angelina Jolie in a bikini at a burkha fashion show.  You just noticed it.  Beans were nice and plump, dark and shiny.  Yes I know I am easily pleased but I like beans to look nice.  Maybe the company has read some of my other reviews and oiled the beans individually before sending them, I don’t know..But I do know they were wonderful.

The brew was every bit as aromatic as the beans were.  It was difficult to distinguish what the aroma was because it was different than what you expect from coffee. The smoked smell was definitely there.

The first sip is intriguing.  Full bodied and rich coffee with a taste you can’t identify…and then the full smokiness of the coffee hits you in the aftertaste.  Very smooth, very nice, with notes of ripe fruit.  Think of eating ripe  muscadine grapes while sitting by a campfire and you get the idea of the feel of this coffee.

It is the lapsang souchong of the coffee world, but not as in your face at the tea.  I could not believe how subtle this was, and yet how intense.

Would pair well with fruit, cheese, and other fresh flavors.  I see it as more of a tryst coffee…one that you flirt with on occasion for variety and excitement,  but not something you are going to brew for breakfast.

Excellent coffee. I will be using this company in the future.  Coffee Bean Direct.

image:Marye Audet

Yep.  The temperatures have officially hit over the 80 degree mark here in Texas (more than once) and it is now officially sweet tea season.  Get your glucose meters out.

I did not grow in up the south. We moved to Texas when I was about 10 or 11, but by the time I was 16 I recognized that sweet tea was an institution that was taken as seriously as football in this area.  Not everyone could make it right. My mom, for example, bless her Midwestern heart, bought presweetened instant tea with lemon.  God rest her soul.

No, tea was an art form, perfected by generations of women that talked like Paula Deen, and knew that sweet tea was the answer to everything life threw at their families.  Open any refrigerator door in the South in the early 1970s and there would be a pitcher (probably tupperware) of sweet tea looking back at you.  Center shelf.

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