Good quiet evening to everyone. It is a surprisingly warm Autumn night here in NYC and I am enjoying it immensely. I have the privilege of having dinner with my mom tonight and we are about to go enjoy some late night food. We always ate late in our family and got used to that over the years so dinner at 8 or even 9pm has become the norm in my life.
Tonight’s question comes from an observation that most of the men that I know that drink coffee/tea tend to leave the spoon in the coffee cup while they sip on their coffee while the women almost always remove the spoon before they drink. Now I am not opening up a discussion to point out the lack of etiquette that we men are displaying during coffee and tea time, I am merely trying to see if the theory holds true with a larger audience. So let’s find out if there is any observable pattern here. Just a little evening social experiment if you will, and I really hope you will 
hope your evening is moving along beautifully and that something stood out today as being special
much coffee love
~adrian
p.s. The polling software is a little quirky and takes a while to update so don’t worry if your vote doesn’t come up immediately.
First, switch from coffee to tea. You still get the caffeine from tea, but not as much. Enjoy some good quality tea — not Lipton! I particular like Earl Grey and Green Tea. I found this easy to do right away. But if you find it too hard to switch so abruptly, then make the transition over a period of weeks equal to the number of cups of coffee you drink each day. For example, if you drink 4 cups of coffee a day, then switch to 3c coffee / 1c tea for the first week, then go 2c/2c for the second week, then 1c/3c, and finally 0c/4c for the fourth week.
Next, make the transition from regular tea to caffeine-free (not decaffeinated) herbal tea. Herbal tea isn’t really tea, but it’s close. Celestial Seasonings offers a wide variety of flavors. I recommend getting a variety pack to see which kinds you like. You can do the switch abruptly, or use the gradual method
It is a very aromatic tea
Before putting in the hot water,
it smells so nice and have a kinda strong vanilla smell already
When putting in the hot water
let it steep for a bit
and when tasting it
there is a smell of vanilla, as well as lemon
It is a very nice cup of it
very refreshing
It reminds me of another cup of tea which is the Earl Grey
It kinda of taste like Earl Grey but with a little sweetness smell
Alot of people I know seem to always store their coffee incorrectly (my roomate being one of them). The second a coffee bean has finished roasting, time, temperature, and the air around us work against it to compromise its quality; a perfect bean becomes less so with every passing hour, losing flavor and character the longer it’s stored.
The purchase date of your coffee isn’t nearly as important as the roasting date, so when buying coffee, look to be sure it was recently roasted. Jerry recommends buying beans in small quantities to prevent them from sitting for too long in storage. Many people will tell you to put your coffee in the refrigerator but when I was employed at Starbucks, they said just the opposite. I would suggest keeping it in an air-tight container in a dark spot (such as a cabinet) and be sure you kep it away from dampness. Coffee beans have a shelf live of about 6 months after they are roasted and about a life span of about two weeks once ground.
To achieve the freshest flavor, grind your coffee just before you brew it. Small grinders are inexpensive and easy to find—just be sure to wipe them out with a paper towel after each use. When grinding the beans, gently rotate the grinder to ensure that the beans are evenly ground.
Using the best water available is essential when making coffee; if your tap water has an unpleasant taste, you can purchase a purifying filter. One problem inherent in many coffeemakers is that the temperature of the water isn’t hot enough when it pours over the ground beans; what results is a blander, far less interesting brew. For best results, I recommend using a French press, instead of an electric coffeemaker.
In a kettle, bring water to a boil, then let it stand for about a minute. Use two level tablespoons of ground coffee for each six ounces of water, or two ounces per quart. (Follow the same instructions if you’re brewing decaffeinated coffee, but increase the ratio slightly to enhance the flavor. If the brewed coffee is too strong, you can add a bit more water to dilute it.) Place the coffee in the press pot, and pour the water over it. If it bubbles, this is another sign of its freshness; fresh coffee releases gas as it comes into contact with hot water, a process called blooming. Gently slosh the water in the pot to saturate all the grounds, and allow them to steep for two to three minutes. Carefully push the press pot’s top (which contains the filter) to the bottom of the pot, and pour the coffee into heated mugs.
Masala chai. Apple cider. Hot chocolate. Some colds-weather drinks have endless variations. However, when the weather gets chilly, there’s one enormously variable coffee drink that people seem to gravitate toward: Spanish Coffee.
Spanish Coffee is, at its most basic, a mixture of coffee, rum and some type of coffee-friendly liqueur. However, you can dress it up all sorts of ways by adding whipped cream, using multiple liqueurs or even lighting it on fire. Here are three different Spanish Coffee cocktail recipes, each with its own distinct flavor and style:
If you’re a coffee or tea lover, then Valparaiso, Indiana is a place you want to visit. With Valparaiso University located in the town, it is understandable that there would be a few coffee houses, but Valparaiso is literally overflowing with them. Valparaiso is sure to have the perfect coffee house for you. Here are 5 of the best coffee houses in Valparaiso.
- Uptown Café. This coffee shop just opened this past January. They offer a wide range of unique teas and coffees. They also make all of their lattes and fancy coffee drinks with Sweet Bird brand syrup. Uptown Café also offers a very impressive menu for being a coffee shop, from delectable pastries to baked macaroni and cheese, there is sure to be something yummy for every costumer.
- Cornucopia Coffee. This unique coffee and tea shop channels Central Perk, the coffee house from the hit television show friends. There are inviting sofas and warmly painted walls. The shop is located off the square in town and is located in a historic building in town. The décor of this shop lets the character of the building show, with exposed brick walls, tin ceiling, and beautiful hardwood floors. They sell a wide array of delicious coffees and teas.
This store looks small, don’t be fooled! They have over 600 teas and 150 coffees from all around the world. They have fair trade goods, a full esspresso bar that will make you any coffee specialty you wish, nice people and great history! This was San Diego’s first black owned business in 1947, and the Brown family operates it today. Oh yeah, and the coffee is really good, too.