I guess that they figured if people would believe Starbucks Via was as good as fresh brewed they would believe anything.

You can read the story at ABC News. I want to thank @ViewsNews on twitter for tweeting it.

Now, everyone under the age of 45 can leave the blog. The rest of you? We need to chat. This is getting embarrassing, people. We Baby Boomers are the first generation to wear mini skirts into our 60s and I have to say it isn’t flattering. Here is a newsflash…you don’t look 18 anymore and you haven’t for at least 25 years.

Deal with it. Coffee may make you energetic, it may make you more alert but the crows feet aren’t going anywhere, and that is o.k. I am tired if being part of the generation that never grew up. Peter Pan isn’t real and neither is everlasting youth. Be hot in your own skin at the age you are.

Tight abs are fleeting but coolness? That is forever.

image:sxc

Post from: Kettle and Cup

A few weeks ago  Cameron Clement from SIlver Joe’s Coffee contacted me about sending me some samples.  I am always glad to get coffee and tea…so of course I said sure.

First, a little about the company, because the concept is brilliant.

Silver Joes Coffee is in the midst of creating a brand that has the potential to go way beyond Starbucks.  They are marketing an image of the extremist, the person who “sucks the marrow out of life” as Auntie Mame would say, and gazes at a sunset while perched atop a mountain and drinking Mocha Java from a canteen.  I dare say that most of the customers who will buy the coffee have never even seen the top of a mountain, unless it is the mountian of laundry that needs to be put away but…and here is the brilliant part…since you associate the coffee with those images  you just feel adventurous and cool while you are drinking it…even if you are 49 and behind a bright red, Gateway laptop. And, if you don;t have enough adventure in your life you can always live vicariously through the Silver Joe’s Adventure Journal onsite.

The packaging is sort of deco retro.    And here is the other thing..They have tee shirts, sweat shirts and all sorts of other items from coffee cups to a clip on coffee mug. Very cool.  What I am seeing them doing is creating a lifestyle and persona for their

customers.  While that may seem a little out there the truth of the matter is that if you identify yourself with something you will become that thing more and more.

So, are you tired of the same old grind? <g>  Ready for some adventure and action?   This company has the potential to become and icon..so even if you are not a coffee drinker you will want to keep an eye on it.

The following is from an email that I got from Cameron Clement, company spokesperson:

First, most recently we were just awarded the 2009 “Best Whole Bean Taste”  by the Practical Gourmet for our Kona Blend.  This blend tastes very much like 100% Kona at a fraction for the price.

We have also received many numerous awards for our patented package design – the teardrop shaped can.  We have won “Innovation of The Year” In Germany, USA and a slew of industry recognitions for this design. It has been featured in Packaging Digest in the USA and China, As well as an award in “Brand Packaging and will be featured in a book I 2010 featuring the best packaging from around the world.

This “can” also has a particular artistic appeal and has appeared in TV shows such as CSI, Numbers, Dirty, Filthy, Sexy Money, and will be in at least two feature films in 2009.

We basically are available on the web.  And 300 hundred stores across America from L.A. To New York.  We have café in Tokyo, and a few “in-store” Coffee kiosks as well as “Corporate Cafés” that large companies have installed for their clients and employees.

We are a new company, and are grateful for every single customer and look forward to growing our product line through coffee franchises and licensing, expanded retail locations as well as international brand licensing.

I will be reviewing the Silver Joe’s coffees all next week, starting with the Mocha Java. 

Images, Motto, and Title Header: Silver Joe’s

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Image: Marye Audet Apron Strings & Simmering Things

Content: (c) Marye Audet for Kettle & Cup

A few weeks ago during a blog surf I came across a reference to Honor Grounds Coffee. I did a little research, was interested and emailed the company to get some more information..and maybe a sample to tell you about.

First of all, I was totally blown away by how really NICE these people are. On a weekend no less, my email was responded to within an hour. That led to several emails back and forth with Dan Boudreau.

Motto: “We Support Military Members, Veterans and Their Families, One Cup at a Time”.

I must say that I am impressed with this company. I hope you will be, too.

The mission statement: To raise support dollars for veterans and military members who have served this great nation, and their loved ones so often left behind.

Honor Grounds gives a portion, a generous portion actually, of each package of coffee sold to Military Assistance funds, on a state by state basis. Did you read that? State by state! This means that when I buy their coffee from a store in Texas, the percentage of my purchase goes to funds for Texas troops and veterans programs. It supports the local vet, not some guy two thousand miles away. It supports programs to help Marc with his disability, programs to help our family cope with it. Awesome. I can get behind that. Here is a direct quote:

…These dollars are donated to the local citizen soldiers through selected military support organizations. The total contribution amount will vary from state to state depending on the success of the program within that state. The contribution dollars are disbursed on a quarterly basis through our “Patriot Fund” to your “local” Military Family Assistance Programs. Tee- It-Up-For-The-Troops, a non-profit 503c organization has been chosen to manage the funds. In addition to the support dollars, service members and veterans will be recognized for their service through the Hometown Hero stories post on the Honor Grounds website and on the back of retail grocery bags of Honor Grounds coffee. This is how we intend to give back to those who sacrifice to protect our nation.

For an extra measure of accountability all donations will be posted on the website.

Currently the Patriot Fund supports the following organizations:

• Veterans Services
• American Legion
• Military Family Outreach
• Joint National Guard Family Assistance Programs

The coffee is still in the process of being introduced to stores all over the country. I know it is not available here in Texas yet. I imagine that by showing an interest in the coffee, asking for it at your local store, and giving your store manager the website address to talk to Dan about it, we could get this coffee in stores sooner. It is being introduced in the following Midwest and Northeast stores:

• Cub Foods: Minnesota (70 stores)
• Nash Finch: Minnesota (70 corporate stores and 500 affiliated stores)
• Hannaford Brothers: 5 states in New England (150 stores)
• Fareway stores: Iowa (90 stores)
• Big Y: Massachusetts (50 stores)

You can currently order the coffee at Honor Grounds Online Store if it is not available in your area.

It is $20.95 for 3/10 oz. bags.

The roasts are:

D-Day Decaf-Perfectly blended coffees without all the caffeine (And the only decaf I have ever liked in my life)

Reveille Dark- A medium dark roasted coffee with a distinctive and delicious taste.

Five Star Joe – Rich, smooth blend of 100% Arabicas

But is it good?

Oh my goodness. I love it. It comes in only ground coffee at this point. I have a couple of emails into Dan Boudreau to answer questions and that is one of them, I will update this as soon as I hear from him.

I will be doing a couple of reviews over the next week..but to give you a hint..I tried the decaf last night..and you know I despise decaf…

I loved it. I drank 3 large cups with one of the Berger Cookies I made…and then I slept. Ahhh. Good Times.

Hey, if you order coffee from them, let them know you read about it here. Maybe they will send me more.

UPDATED :

Heard from Dan.  They only carry ground coffee at this time but are open to whole bean in the future.  They do not deal in Fair Trade coffees now, because they are trying to keep the coffee affordable for everyone.

This is what I would like to do.  If you pray, I want you to pray like crazy that they find a source for Fair Trade Organics that would allow them to maintain their prices.  Perfect solution, right? I thought so.

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Celestial Seasonings has been one of my favorite grocery available teas for years.  As an artist I really love their packaging, and as a *greenie* I love the organic/Fair Trade mentality.  This is a warm, fuzzy company if I ever saw one, and I know that somewhere there is someone at Celestial Seasonings wearing birkenstocks and an organic cotton shirt, and reading 19th century poetry.

Imagine my glee, absolute and complete, to read this morning that they are sauntering in tot he coffee market with a new line of organic, fair trade coffee.  100 percent natural they are available in five flavors, Morning Thunder(TM), Decaf Morning Thunder(TM), French Roastaroma(TM), Caramel Mocha and Vanilla Hazelnut.  The coffees will be available in ziploc bags to help keep the flavors sealed in.

The coffee are shade grown, as if we loyal fans of Celestial Seasonings would expect any less, to help create a healthy environment for the migratory birds, the local eco-system, and as an added bonus, the beans mature more slowly in shade giving them more depth and intensity of flavor.  Celestial Seasonings is using a indirect heat, hot air roasting process to pull the most flavor out of the beans without scorching.

And look..they kept the really cool artwork, too!

The coffee should be available at your grocers in the next few month or is available at the Celestial Seasonings Website.  I am going to try to get some and  I will let you know what I think.

Post from: Kettle and Cup

In a word- Yummy.

First, this is what THEY say about it:

Espresso Regalo Organic Blend™ by Starbucks® Coffee

Our new, 100% organic espresso boasts an elegant floral complexity and subtle citrus and spice notes. Best sipped in its purest form, Espresso Regalo™ is a sophisticated blend of prized beans from Ethiopia Yergacheffe and Costa Rica’s Central Valley

Eh..o.k.. I think yummy sums it up nicely but their ad people probably get paid by the word or something.

I don’t usually LOVE Starbucks coffee. I like mine better. I GO to Starbucks because my children don’t go there it is a quiet place for me to think or for Marc and I to gaze into each other’s eyes. Eye gazing becomes more important as you get older…it’s a great way to check for cataracts.

Anyway. Normally Starbucks coffees are o.k..but today I tasted the Espresso Regalo and I was impressed. It is smooth and rich…heavily bodied and just right for desserts…It would seriously over power a cinnamon roll but be perfect with Tiramisu or Cheesecake.

I love that it is organic. I would not normally pay 8.95 for half a poound of coffee but for this, as a treat, I would definitely go the extra bucks. And hey, the packaging is not bad either!

Check it out at your local Starbucks and see if you can get them to make some up for you. If not, go ahead and treat yourself to a half pound and make the kids eat PB& J for a few days. Really, you’re worth it.

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