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

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Marye: How did you come up with the idea of a frozen espresso?
JBC: We use to visit a local coffee shop sometimes twice a day for our latte fix and realized we were spending lots of money for our little
indulgence.  So, in an effort to save money,  we purchased a home espresso machine, coffee beans, bean grinder, etc.  Making just one ounce of espresso was time consuming not to mention messy.

One hectic morning as I thought of making a latte, I said, “I wish it was just frozen so I could plop it in a cup instead of having to get all that stuff out!”

One wish and my husband’s entrepreneurial mind kicked in.  He said, “Why don’t we just make a batch while the machine is out and freeze
them in ice trays?”

So we did. We were amazed at the taste!  We would use the frozen espresso daily in milk for home use till we’d run out
and make another huge batch.  Thinking it was an idea others may also appreciate, he looked into starting a business. Lucky for us, there
was a local food incubator for small start up food businesses that had opened so we dabbled with this idea in their commercial kitchen
without having to take a huge risk of starting a business from scratch.

We discovered people who tasted our product overcame the first impressions of “frozen” being not so savory.  Frozen foods have come a long way since the beginning of the “TV dinners” but some still have a perception of low quality to overcome.

Marye: Why JazzyBird?  Does the name have a significance?
JBC: Here’s the shortened version.  So we decided, “Let’s do this! What do we call this business?”  We’re driving in the car discussing deep
thoughts.

HA!  Not really!

I said, “I don’t care.” Right at that moment, we are on the Interstate and a redbird (cardinal) lands in front of our vehicle ON the interstate, so Brian, a.k.a. PapaBird,says, “What about RedBird?”

I said, “Okay” with no particular tone of voice. After a trademark search, we didn’t find a trademarked RedBird Coffee, so a logo was designed. Then we discover a company that sells Redbird Kona Coffee.  It wasn’t trademarked at the time but  we just didn’t want any problems in the future so, since we already had a bird logo, we changed the name to JazzyBird in honor of the Jazz  music heritage of our state, added a saxophone and musical notes and we were ready to go.

The package and logo design has been changed since then, but the name remains the same.

Marye: What do you feel your biggest success has been?
JBC: Perfecting the process of delivering the freshest roasted coffee taste possible using state of the art proprietary equipment.  Fresh roasted beans, brewing & quick freezing the espresso is really a key to locking in that fresh brewed gourmet flavor.

Marye: What is the biggest challenge that you have overcome/are overcoming?
JBC: It’s been a challenge to educate the consumer about our product and to convey that frozen espresso is really good! We are the first product of this kind to market so since people don’t habitually go to their freezer for their morning brew, we are “introducing your new favorite stop for gourmet espresso drinks: YOUR FREEZER.”  (A very creative local couple on Twitter created that “new favorite stop” slogan for us.)

Marye: Have you always been involved with coffee as a career?
JBC:No, not at all. We didn’t know anything about the coffee business when we began other than we loved espresso and wanted to not spend our entire paycheck on buying it or our time making it at home on a daily basis. My husband comes from an entrepreneurial family who likes to start businesses and are fairly successful in doing so.   I have a scattered career background from worker bee, accountant, paralegal, artist, chief cook & bottle washer, to “office manager” according to a recent article.

Marye: Is JazzyBird organic?
JBC: It’s all natural. Ingredients: 100% Arabica coffee, water

Marye:You packaging seems to be recycled/ environmentally friendly.  Is it?
JBC:It would be great if the answer was yes so I contacted the box manufacturer to ask them about that. They said, it’s on virgin
(Kraftpak) board because recycled doesn’t print nearly as well. Honestly, we just got the cheapest box we could get at the time, but
the recycling/environmental issue is important so definitely something we could look into in the future. Thanks for asking that question.

Marye: Look five years into the future.  What direction is JazzyBird Coffee taking?

JBC:That’s too far down the road for me.  I just want to make it through this recession so in five years, we can still be in
business. But my vision one day is a fully automated assembly line so we don’t have to hand assemble each box of product because hopefully we’ll be into private labeling for others too.  Can we be at that point in 5 years?  I don’t know.

Marye:What is your favorite coffee go with? ie: biscotti, muffin, etc.
JBC:Personally, I like to sit down with whatever JazzyBird espresso drink I’ve created whether it be a latte, cappuccino or various other
version of espresso drink I happen to make each morning and just enjoy it  before even thinking about anything else. It’s almost meditative.

I really look forward to most mornings in my pajamas in my comfy chair with my nice hot JazzyBird espresso drink. My second cup can go with a muffin, biscuit or any other breakfast if time allows. Sometimes, it’s heated milk with JazzyBird shot in a to go cup and I’m out the door.

Marye: Any products in the works that you can tell us about?
JBC:We’ve been asked about flavored espresso, but don’t know if or when we’ll get to that. Right now, the consumer will just have to purchase their flavorings to add to our pure espresso shots.  I keep vanilla syrup, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, cinnamon, etc. on hand for whatever mood strikes me.  Oh and whipped topping…that always makes a delicious indulgence!

======

Wasn’t that fantastic?  I appreciate Shari taking time to do this, and I hope that you enjoyed the insight into JazzyBirdCoffee as well.  If you want to follow them on twitter then the address is http://twitter.com/jazzybirdcoffee.

A great small company with a brilliant idea.

image:maryeaudet

Post from: Kettle and Cup

I don’t impress easily, y’all know that. I was impressed, however, to read in the coffee news that Peet’s Coffee put up the first coffee roasting facility in the United States to get Leed’s Certification.

This is one “green” certification that is not that easy to get. Peet’s got it because they built the facility with these things in place:

• A work environment for the company’s
  roastery employees that includes ample work spaces, fitness room, lockers,
  showers, bike and automobile parking and expansive lunch/break room
•  Use of natural light and the latest lighting technology which reduces the overall power consumption by 40%
• Xeriscaping the landscape and use of efficient plumbing fixtures that reduces the water usage by 50%
• They have redesigned the heat recovery aspect of the roasting system to reduce gas useage by 85%
• Environmentally sensitive HVAC
• They used significant amounts of recycled materials during construction
• And….they built close to public transportation systems and planned for bicycle storage.

I think that is significant.  As far as I know not all of their coffee are organic/Fair Trade.  I think the company is heading is the right direction in a big way, though.  And…I wish that there was Peet’s coffee shop near us.  I do like their coffee.

O.k..a potential controversial issue…There is a church in Billings, Montana that just opened up a huge facility that cost 21 million dollars.  It is 80,000 square feet and includes, what else, a coffee shop that will be open 7 days a week.

I have mixed feelings about this.  First, I think that it is great that they have opened up a place where people can go, drink coffee, get ministy. I am all for market place ministry.  And i am all for someone getting blessed.  Nothing wrong with prosperity.

But..there is the other part of me that chokes on 21 million dollars spent on a building.  I know of a woman who is running an inner city ministry in the deepest part of the crack neighborhoods in Dallas..She has lived down there for years, dodging bullets and giving crack addicts a place to find a better high.  She has had an amazing success at it too.  All of her staff are people that have gotten clean in her ministry and they are awesome.  I bet she serves them coffee once in awhile..and she doesn’t have a 21million dollar facility to do it.  I wonder what she could do with even 10,000 of that  21 million?  I know missionaries that have been serving in Tibet for nearly 20 years.  They live among the people…they get to know them..they serve them coffee.

And, we have a long time friend that is involved the the underground Chinese church. Not alot I am going to say about that….but they do serve tea on occasion.

There is nothing wrong with having a beautiful faciliity.  Marc and my home church (the one we are DELIGHTED to be back at!) is knock-you-dead-gorgeous. I will post pictures sometime.  It is on the highest spot in south Dallas country and overlooks a lake.  It is built of fieldstone and it is amazing.  We built on cash…and ministry and funds for missions flowed out while we were building.

So, those are my thoughts…a very good thing..and a I’m not sure thing.

What do you think? Is it a waste of funds?

Image:Marye Audet 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

I don’t know if you remember the review I did on Honor Grounds coffee.  The company donates to veteran’s organizations and is very involved with military support.

Whatever your opinion may be on war, veterans are important people.  I should know, Marc and are both veterans.  We spend a lot of time at the VA hospital because of Marc’s medical issues and, while our situation is difficult, there are so many others there at the hospital that absolutely are facing worse things than they did in Korea, or Nam, or the Gulf.

They are facing overworked doctors, and under-funded medical programs. My personal opinion is that the government should make veteran’s a priority and cut funds in other places, starting with illegal aliens.  I can’t name one illegal alien that shed blood in a war for this country’s freedoms.

:::Deep breaths:::: Anyway, to give you an idea, we have a one year wait to get Marc in to see a neurologist.  Meanwhile his health is deteriorating at an alarming rate and we are having to fight tooth and nail for more than 20% disability. In real terms, 20 percent is 235.00 a month.

But as I said, Marc’s issues are really simple compared to some of the other people there… and there just isn’t the staffing or the funding to handle it all.  I talk to women all the time up there, and have the great joy of praying with them, who have been supporting their husbands through years of fighting for medical treatment and disability payments.  There are guys who come to the hospital by driving their electric scooter- wheelchairs for miles in the heat and in the rain.  Unlike a lot of hospitals, people don’t dress up and go volunteer at the VA.

Anyway, veterans are a largely disrespected, forgotten bunch.  Personally, I don’t care.  There is nothing I need from the VA at the moment and my dislike of all things medical will probably mean that I die rather than go for some snake oil treatment.  Everything worthwhile I got from my military experience happened first in boot camp where I learned to survive, and then in Presidio of Monterey where I learned to be loved.

I admire what Dan and Honor Grounds are doing.  I check the website now and then to keep up with the company’s growth.

Last night I heard from Dan and I thought I woudl pass on what he said:

Hi Marye
Thought I would just drop you a line, but was unsure how to do that on this site. Things are really progressing at Honor Grounds. Our launch into Hannaford Brothers in the New England market went well. We are now promoting the program in Minnesota with Cub Foods. New markets this year will be Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Indiana.

Honor Grounds has been selected for a Congressional Small Business Award. The award will be posted on our website next month along with updated contribution numbers.

Please go to the website and read the Hometown Hero stories. We’ve got quite a few of them now. I’d love to post your husbands. God Bless and I hope all is well at Kettle and Cup.

Dan Boudreau
Honor Grounds Coffee
http://www.honorgrounds.com

Pretty awesome! Keep up with this company, order some coffee from them, and support what they are doing as much as you can.  And if you have some free time and need to have your eyes opened, head over the the nearest VA hospital and just sit and talk with some of the human beings there.   What they gave can never be replaced but it should, at the very least, be honored.

Image:Marye Audet 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

I hope your week has been awesome!

We have been having temperatures in the 100s and more scheduled for next week.  I think it was 103 today.

You have to love these bog, old houses though.  Seriously, even without the air conditioning the design creates great circulation and it rarely gets above 85 in here.  Very do-able with ceiling fans and lots of ice water.

I can’t believe that I posted a giveaway yesterday and no one commented! What in the world is wrong with you people?

Just kidding. Anyway..this is a reminder about that ….so check out the Kettle and Cup giveaway, it isn’t hard to enter.

Slashfood is one of my favorite blogs…Check out this video for how to make tea syrup to make tea sodas.

If you like to write and LOVE tea, or HATE tea and need to be converted check out the Felicitea contest.  You get free tea just for entering…Hurry it is only until July 31.

O.k..These guys did not get the memo from the kidney stone guys.   According to this study drinking tea may be healthier for you than drinking water…Maybe it isn’t the tea that causes kidney stones at all..maybe it is the BUBBA glass?

Mmm…Black Tea Spring Rolls made with Lapsang Souchong just sound amazing…

Karen has 20 Ways to Save on Coffee on her blog… Great ideas!You have to check out this Passion Fruit Rose Iced Tea at Dolce Dente

La-Tea-Dah has to be on of the most social ladies I know and she is at it again on her blog…she is sponsoring a summer blog hop…nothing formal, just a chance for a quick visit with friends.

In Australia they are beginning to use the fruit of the coffee plant as part of a skin care regime for more youthful looking skin….

And..it was only a matter of time until someone came out with juice based on coffee berries… 

That’s it for me.  I cleaned house today and it just feels so good. I bought a scented candle to celebrate…but Marc is working late tonight and I am wiped out…so I am off to relax and beg one of the kids for a foot rub.

Have a great weekend!

Image:Marye Audet 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Well guys, it has happened.  The Starbucks where Marc and I go is closing.  There are no other coffee places here, except another Starbucks with crappy service so I guess our coffee dates are about to take on a new look..I am not sure what thought.

So how was your week? I am hugely busy. I told Valli that I was riding a hamster wheel this summer and I am..you would think that I would be experiencing rapid weight loss rather than rapid waist loss. : /

I have some cool news to share, hopefully I can share all of it next week….so don’t miss it because it is…seriously…cool.

Can you believe this? A policeman threatened slower response time to a Starbucks if they did not give him free coffee…What does he think this is, 1920s Chicago?

So, the stupidist altercation in history occured in a DC area coffee shop.  A coffee shop refuses to sell iced espresso and some guy orders it anyway.  Then when he can’t get that he orders espresso and a cup of ice..and testosterone begins to build to nuclear proportions.  This was on the East Coast.  I knew it wasn’t in the south because it would have gone something like this:

I can’t get iced espresso?

No.  But here, how about some sweet tea and a cookie? On the house!

Oh by the way, be warned..the article has some rather vulgar  vocabulary in it..They obviously DON’T drink sweet tea.

Here is what we have always known…Researchers think that the aroma of coffee relieves stress. No? Really?

Try having your coffee in a special spot, and make your home into a restful summer retreat…Great idea but I will have to ship the kids off somewhere first.

Next time you are having a tea party try these lavender tea cookies from B More Sweet.

Hey, remember Creamsicles? Heaven of Tea has instructions on how to blend teas from Teavana into an orange creamsicle blend…

Beverly, from How Sweet the Sound, hosts a pink Saturday every week..I actually planned to do it for several weeks but then it is Saturday and I haven’t sent her a link..sigh..Still it is fun seeing all of the pink everyone is finding.

I fell in love with these Rose Jam Covers at Storybook Woods.  I miss crafting!

I posted two recipes on Baking Delights this week,, one for plum and white tea scones and one for the plum curd to go with them….it was fantastic!

The teapot is one of the things I found antiquing with Marc last week. I love it!

Have a great weekend!

Image:Marye Audet 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

SO, Chris got home yesterday afternoon and we are having a great time catching up.  He has been attended to with great devotion by Kyrie (youngest daughter)and  Amanda(granddaughter), who seem to be vying for his attention. At the end of the month he will be headed overseas for three years.

Don;t forget to register to win free coffee! I have changed the rules a bit .  You only have to leave a comment and then post about the giveaway on your blog. It is still dedicated to Marc, though, so you can wish him happy birthday in the comments!

Vee shares three links for blog events on A Haven for Vee.  They look like great fun!

At Tea in My Cup, Alice has some beautiful cucumber cups filled with crab. Just perfect for a bridal shower tea or nearly any other kind as far as I am concerned.

Gracious Hospitality has not only a new attitude (LOL!) but a fantastic post on the past and how it inspires us.

So, when you head to your local  Starbucks are you after brand recognition as badly as a teen that is determined to wear Ambercrombie and Fitch (or whatever?)  Dr. Chen says that you are! See if you agree.

What if you could have your espresso anywhere you happened to be? Now you can with Handpresso!

You have to know that I am extremely patriotic. My dad was military, my husband was military..I was military…my oldest son is military..and if you are married to a Marine of any age you understand that Marines, retired or not, take patriotism to a new level.  You also have to know that I am probably one of the most conservative people on the planet. (STOP LAUGHING). However when I read that Dunkin Donuts had cancelled ads that they had Rachel Ray do for them because in the ad she was wearing a scarf that seemed similar to the ones that Muslim extremists wear….well I will be honest. I am laughing. Still. First of all, I would like to encourage all Muslim extremists to drink Dunkin Donuts coffee.   I am quite sure that after the first sip or two they will quickly and quietly leave the country, feeling that surely there is nothing worse they can do to us than that. Second. Well, can we please stop sucking up to every single opinionated group of people?  Seriously.  The ease with which we in this country get offended is crazy. It is amazing how much we seem to WANT to be offended.  There are a lot of things that offend me. Violence.  Abuse. Prejudice. Ignorance. I am offended when I can’t evict a tenant that has not paid rent since February because she has it tangled up in the red tape of the court system, knowing how to use the system. (True, we may lose an investment home over this.)  I am offended at the hunger in my world.  The waste that goes on in terms of finances and foodstuffs.  Check out the dumpster behind your grocer sometime. Rachel Ray in a scarf does not offend me.  If I have to squint to make her look like a militant radical extremist Muslim then I have too much time on my hands….

ahem…carry on….

Have you been drinking pesticides? Here is another reason to head for the organic coffee!! Fumigation….EWW!

Kevin, a t Closet Cooking, is one of my favorite food bloggers.   He visits me at Baking Delights once in awhile.  His images are incredible.  Anyway he has some green tea macarons that you have to see to believe. Just wow.

I was checking out Stash and they have this oh-so-cute Scottie Dog tea for one set.  I fell in love with it on sight.

Have you visited TeaChef at Adagio? Lots of recipes using tea.  I am licking my lips over the tea glazed Irish Pound cake!

O.k..I am heading out. I won;t be doing the shopping post today because I want to spend some time with Chris. See you next time!

Image: Marye Audet through Meez.com

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Image:Morguefile

Starting today at nine a.m. Pacific time (noon Eastern), Starbucks will be introducing its new roast, Pikes Place.

The new coffee is named after the location of the first store that Starbucks opened in 1971, and will be the first Starbucks coffee advertise being ethically traded and sourced.

This is touted as being an “everyday” blend.  Interesting. I didn’ t know that the other swill I have been drinking was for special occasions only. Apparently it is being introduced to compete with McDonalds new coffee campaign.

Now, I am going to head over there today and check it out..and I will let you know what I think..but here is my immediate thought.

Isn’t Starbucks trying to compete with McDonalds the equivalent of Neiman Marcus trying to compete with Wal-mart? I mean, what is the point?  Is McDonalds coffee actually so good that people would go there for a business  meeting and leave Starbucks en masse? Starbucks carries sandwiches but I am pretty sure that noone who is in the throes of  a Big Mac attack is going to head to Starbucks.

An everyday coffee….we’ll see.

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Welcome to SATURDAY!

I drank enough coffee while writing the Baking Delights Edition to be able to be cohesive here. There is some amazing and disturbing news in the coffee world this morning..so..grab a cup and….Ready?

The Oregonian reports this morning about something that really ticked me off. Yep, even more than someone asking em if I want coffee and giving me a cup of Folger’s Crystals…or asking if I take cream and handing me a little packet of white powdered substance…..Apparently the Unlimited Coffee Co. is an all purpose sort of place..laid back hangout for your caffeine fix during the week, you can also handle your mail from a little postal shop in the back, but on Sundays it’s rockin with Jesus at the Road to Damascus church which meets there. The church has a sign under the Coffee Shop sign..

So apparently the postal guys told the owner to take the church sign down because of the separation of church and state. Someone had complained.

PUH-leeze. If you don’t want to go there because a church meets there on Sundays and you might possibly get a jab from the Holy Spirit, then don’t…but can we stop stretching the definition of separation of church and state to the point that the government is involved in some serious persecution? Note to the government…Back off, Jack.

Hawaii has decided NOT to ban genetically altered coffee. All I can say is that I am glad Hawaii is an island.

I cracked up when I got to Oh My Stinkin Heck written by Heather. Awesome post on how to groom a coffee addict..the only issue I have with it is now that I have several coffee addicts in the house…I end up with an empty pot WAY too often.

Rocky Road of Love and Other Great Recipes has a recipe for a coffee italian soda…yum.

The Joke Shop has a great list of ways to know you are coffee addicted.

Tea Party Girl is always a gracious read and she has 7 Tea Party FAQs that are a must read before your next tea party.

If you are a history buff, and for some reason many of us are, Somewhere In Time is a blog/website I have found through Rita, who has both commented here and emailed me. Fascinating reading.

Check out this story about Victorian Tea Parties. It was amazing that our ancestors got anything done when they had so many rules to memorize.

Now..ALL of the blogspot blogs seem to be down this morning so I am assuming google is having an issue. MOST of the blogs I check regularly are…you guessed it..blogspot.

So…I am done for the day…Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to turn your clocks forward here in the States.

Image:Morguefile.com 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Today it is cold and rainy and dreary…and did I say cold? A couple of days ago the thermometer was pushing 75 and today it is in the low 40s with a drizzle.

But at least I have my coffee! So, surf with me. It’ll be fun. I am a little rushed to day as it is my granddaughter’s 7th birthday…so much to do!

Craft Leftovers has a cool pattern for a make your own, re-usable muslin tea bag..Great for the environment as well as using up those sewing scraps.

So, apparently drinking tea is helpful at keeping arteries clear, at least for women. Now if they could figure out how to deal with the plaque that builds up on thighs…….

Women who drink tea may be protecting themselves from a build-up of artery-clogging plaque, so lowering their risk for heart disease and stroke, findings from a French study suggest.

Slash Food is a favorite site of mine. They posted a video that ask (and answers) the age old question, “Does it go with tea?”. This video checks out Boston Cream Cupcake with a Kensington Breakfast Blend.

I found a new blog this morning called, Tea Rose. I enjoyed the pictures from the Valentines Tea, and It is just all around a beautiful and gracious site.

If you take lemon with your tea at a restaurant you may (or may not ) want to read this.

Finally, a gadget worth having…This machine can tell good coffee from bad. Imagine the time you can save.

Whoohoo..another cool gadget. Starbucks is working on a program to allow you to order coffee right from your iphone or ipodtouch

This Black Currant Tea Poundcake Recipe looks fantastic.

Have a great weekend!

Post from: Kettle and Cup