So, I am here at the White Rhino and  drinking two things at the moment. An espresso and a specialty drink called…The Sebastian.
The White Rhino is situated in an older home in Cedar Hill. I am guessing the house was built in the 1930s – 40s… a bit of a transitional Arts and Crafts/ Atomic Age. The hardwood floors are warm welcoming and I could definitely see myself sitting here for hours, staring out the windows, drinking coffee and listening to the music…which is just the right blend of jazz/piano bar style.
The space is well laid out. They didn’t try …read more

I have a non-alcoholic  version  of White Chocolate Mocha as well. This is a great coffee to drink when you are relaxing and watching those old Christmas movies, the snow swirling gently outside your window…

White Chocolate Mocha

1/4 cup light cream
4 oz espresso
2 tablespoons white chocolate syrup
1 oz white chocolate, chopped
1 tsp Creme de Cacao
1 tsp Amaretto
Whipped cream

Heat cream until it almost boils. Remove it from the heat
Add the chopped white chocolate and whisk
Stir in the Creme de Cacao and Amaretto, whisk well.
Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the white chocolate around the sides of a heated mug
Pour in espresso and then …read more

It isn’t at all difficult to make your own coffee syrups. When you make your own you can not only have those that the coffee shops use; you can have anything you can think up.

The basic formula for coffee syrup is one cup of water to one cup of sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves and then simmer for about five minutes, or until the syrup is reduced by half. The different flavors come in when you add cinnamon or vanilla or whatever you like. As a general rule the flavors should be added during the …read more

I have come clean about a lot of stuff here. If you have read very long you have figured out I am really not a coffee snob at all; I just like really good coffee. You want to drink Maxwell House? Knock yourself out. If you like it you drink it, you wont get argument from me.

Unless you are doing a review, or are a coffee roaster (or similar) you probably should just enjoy the flavor.
What makes coffee perfect, to my mind, is the reason you are drinking it. I loved the coffee dates Marc and I used to have, …read more

So, you know I said the other day that we had tried a new coffee place in De Soto, in a library? Well I forgot to take my camera so I was forced to return. In the interest of good journalism and all…

The Blue Cow coffee shop is in the lobby of the library. It is large and sunny and very comfortable. The colors are warm and welcoming; browns, golds, and yellows. It s sort of a Texas Meets Italia decor.

Last year I experience the Starbucks gingerbread latte for the first time. As much as I rag on their coffee I have to admit that they can come up with lattes and macchiatos that will knock your proverbial socks off. The gingerbread latte is one that I like a lot.

Thing is, I can’t get them anymore. They closed the Starbucks locally that was good and left the one where all the really lazy people work open. Not sure how that worked but it did. Anyway..I figured it was time to learn how to make my own copy cat gingerbread latte.
If …read more

First of all..yes I do rag on Starbucks a lot.  I have reasons for it besides personal, middle aged angst and the need for a scapegoat. So if you are feeling all Starbucks-Warm-Fuzzy then you probably just want to move on…

Starbucks Red is an awesome idea. It is an African blend and for every (::cough:::overpriced::::cough) pound of it you buy they send a dollar to support treatment for adults and children with Aids in Africa. This is not the only way to support that cause, nor is it the best way. So if that is why you are buying it …read more

Twas the night before National Coffee Day
And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring
Because we usually drink coffee black ’round here.
The 29th was, in fact National Coffee Day and if you follow me on Twitter (and if you don’t you certainly should Marye Audet) you know that I had a very ….very …special visitor. Yes…it was……
Coffee Claus!
Oh….You know, here in Texas we require alternative methods of transportation  for Coffee Claus…Need a closer look?

I know, it is way too early for eggnog but tempis fugit, right? Starbucks’s Eggnog Latte is one of the drinks I like and I have been working on a version of one. Now, nearly anyone can make them because you can start with your handy dandy frozen JazzyBird shot if you don’t have an espresso maker! How cool is that?

Do not try to make an Eggnog Latte low cal, please? There are just some things  meant to be high calorie and this is one.

I was sitting here and thinking of all of the weirdness that goes on in coffee shops. I mean, talk about slice of life!
The thing is that different people go to coffee shops for different reasons. Marc and I go to have some time alone and talk. Some people go to have business meetings. Students go there to study. Lots of people with lots of reasons and sometimes the lifestyles clash.
So, here are -

The 10 Coffee Shop Commandments