I know I wrote a list of the stuff coffee can’t do….but something coffee and tea both seem to do well is to soothe the pained soul with warmth and comfort. I mean…if you are having a meltdown emotionally you usually don’t reach for a coke, right?  In those heavy emotional scenes in the movies people are always drinking coffee or tea (or booze but we aren’t goin’ there, folks).

The truth is that you can’t discuss raw emotions over a milkshake. You can’t grieve something properly if you are sipping on a glass of chocolate milk. And nobody confides their deepest secrets over Kool-Aid unless there is something else in it.

Coffee (and tea) allow you to contemplate your angst while you stare off into space. You can sip unconsciously while your mind is a thousand miles away. No need to worry about burping, bubbles in the nose or anything happy- coffee is like a favorite pair of sweats, a dog, and a worn blanket when you need it to be.

I guess that is why I like it. I even like bad coffee at times like this. It gives me something to do while I am processing.

image:sxc

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There are just times that coffee is not quite right, tea is not deep and intense enough and you  just need a little more. Here it is. Your little more.

I used the bittersweet hot cocoa mix from Bittersweet Cafe. It handles the addition of alcoholic beverages beautifully due to its intensity. Try adding whipped cream and a cherry on top for a perfect finish.

Mt Gay Choco Cherry Toddy

• 1 oz Mount Gay Eclipse
• 1 oz Monin cherry syrup
• ½ oz dark crème de cacao
• Hot cocoa to fill mug ( I used bittersweet)

Image: Sxc

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Are those not the cutest ever? Youc an find the Grinch Mugs on Amazon

image via Amazon

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The cocoa is a good base for flavorings. It is strong enough to handle almost anything you want to try putting in it. I will be sharing a recipe I used with it that was sent to me for National Hot Cocoa Day, December 13. Sadly I received the samples after the fact..but dont let that stop you! Every Day should be Cocoa Day!

This would also be perfect to use in my Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Wanna-be recipe. It has the intensity and depth to handle the other flavors in the drink.

In the cup it is dark and creamy with a slight crema on top. This is not going to be a cocoa that most children will like. Save it for a special occasion, an adult moment.  If you are a fan of bittersweet or dark chocolate this hot cocoa is going to be one you love.

Disclaimer: Bittersweet Cafe provided the cocoa at no charge. They will not require it back and no money exchanged hands. They did not teach me the secret handshake, either. My opinion of this cocoa is purely my own. You may hate it. Marye Audet, nor Kettle and Cup, accepts no liability for addictions that occur as a result of drinking this cocoa.

image: Bittersweet Cafe

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Bittersweet micro-roasts their coffee beans to maintain more control over the finished product. The coffee beans are small and plump and very fragrant with a classic cocoa mocha aroma. Once brewed the aroma takes on a floral perfume, light and delicate with  citrus top notes. This is one tricky coffee!

The flavor is a little acidic for me…Keep in mind that my heart belongs to intense, dark roasts. But beyond that it has a sparkle that is very light and fresh.  This coffee would be especially good with citrus flavors: orange and chocolate cake for example.

I think this is a good San Francisco Hippie Chick kind of coffee. Think white gauze peasant tops, flowers in the hair,  and bare feet.If you like a light city roast you may like this. I would not buy it but I did enjoy trying it.  The Bittersweet Cafés are located in San Francisco on Fillmore Street, College Avenue in Oakland and the Rose Garden Shopping Center in Danville.

Discaimer: This review is unbiased. The coffee was sent to me for review and no money changed hands. They don’t want the coffee back.  No animals were harmed in the writing of this review. thank you.

image:marye audet

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Here is the basic recipe and then a list of suggested teas to infuse with. Have fun!

Tea Infused Truffles

• 1-1/2 cups of heavy cream
• 1/4 cup loose tea leaves,
• 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 1  cocoa powder for rolling the truffles in (or use cocoa with some dried chipotle added)

1. Heat the cream until it boils.
2. Remove from heat and add the tea. Allow to steep for 3 minutes.
3. Strain out the leaves and reheat the cream to a simmer.
4. Add the chocolate. Wait 10 seconds and whisk until melted.
5. Allow to cool.
6. Scoop out balls of chocolate with a melon baller and roll in cocoa. Refrigerate until firm.

Now here are some great teas for infusing with:

• Adagio Thai Chai – coconut and lemon flavors
• Earl Grey (very predictible)
• Earl Grey Lavender (not so predictable)
• Sour Cherry Black Tea
• Lapsang Souchon (this is very smoky and unique..not for the faint of heart)
• Ginger

You can use almost anything you like. This is seriously a great gift idea or a little party favor for your tea table.

image: marye audet

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Could I have a show of hands? Did anyone really think it would? Because I want to know.  Coffee, like great food, should not even be imbibed when tipsy because it is a total taste waste! If you are smashed you should drink water. City, tap water. Lukewarm. It doesn’t matter.

Drinking coffee will not make you smarter...You will just think you are.

In light of that I decided to list 10 things coffee won’t do. Ready?

10 Things Coffee Won’t Do

1. Coffee will not cause you to get an A on your term paper. If you haven’t studied before now you are screwed. Deal with it.
2. Coffee will not make your husband adore you even if it is GOOD coffee. Mrs. Oleson was wrong. Get over it.
3. Coffee drinking will not sober up a drunk person. It will however make you laugh when they are drunk AND caffeinated and decided to sing the Major General song from Pirates of Penzance at warp speed, thus sounding like Alvin the Chipmunk.
4. Coffee will not stunt your growth.
5. Coffee is only the best part of waking up if you have no life.
6. Instant coffee will never taste just like brewed coffee unless the brewed coffee is really bad.
7. Coffee will not relax you. People do not really relax with a cup of coffee unless they have added booze. Be careful with this. See point #3.
8. Coffee drinking will not  make you look more grown up.
9. Interestngly coffee will ultimately not give you more energy. Caffeine is a drug and as such requires increasinly more to do the same job. Thus the caffeine IV.
10. Drinking coffee will not help you lose weight especially if you add heavy cream and sugar. Not that I would ever do that.

image:  sxc

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This is a Scandanavian design cup that I found on Amazon. I love the color and the way the design is placed.

image: amazon

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This fragrant brew tastes more like a juice than a tea; because of that those of you that just aren’t that into tea may find this a pleasant accompaniment to your breakfast…sort of like a hot juice.  The blueberry flavor is very apparent with a tangy finish. It smells heavenly when it is steeping, wafting over the entire kitchen. It smells like a warm summer day in a blueberry patch! The acai adds earthy notes and you end up with a complex, juicy tea. This tea contains hibiscus, rose hips, blueberry, blackberry, orange, cinnamon, and a touch of grape seed extract.

Get healthy, fight the flu, and enjoy this. I loved it. You can find it in your local grocer or on Amazon.

Disclosure:

Bigelow Tea sent me a huge basket of tea as a gift. There was no agreement to review the tea, no money was exchanged, and I do not have to send the gift back. My review, as are all of my reviews, is based solely on my opinion. No animals were harmed in the creation of this post.

Image: Via Amazon

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A New York woman hates it enough to sue Burger King for 5 million dollars. Yep.  5 million.  Why? Apparently the company sent text messages to her phone encouraging her to try the newest coffee drink offerings at her local BK. Although the five million seems sorta hefty the woman, Elizabeth Espinal, says that they continued to send her text messages even though she repeatedly asked them to stop. She says that BK actually caused her harm with the texts, that they were aggravating AND that she had to pay for them. An example of the harrassing texts is:

Stop by BK for a refreshing Mocha BK Joe Iced Coffee. A perfect mix of rich coffee and chocolate syrup.

Wow. That’s harsh.

I don’t think companies ought to be able to send spam texts but I think that clogging up the courts with even more stupid lawsuits is…well….stupid.

And besides, it could have been worse. It could have been one of the topless coffee shops.

image: sxc

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