It’s getting harder and harder to pick out a good green coffee. There are lots of coffee labels just aching to confuse you – it’s worse than trying to find ec0-friendly wine! However, if you break down the terms used for green coffee, it’ll make your selection easier. Good thing too for us coffee addicts (read me).

Roasted – this is a term you can safely ignore. ALL coffee is roasted what differs is the amount of roasting time and the level of heat used to roast. Roasting, unless a company is boasting that they use some sort of renewable energy …read more

Every morning, I make a pot of coffee – an 8 cup pot, which usually means I drink 3 large cups. I sweeten my coffee with less than a teaspoon of raw sugar and I lighten it with a splash of either nonfat half & half or nonfat milk. My coffee tastes like coffee. Simple.
When I go to a coffee shop, it’s a little different. I might order a mocha or a latte, but I feel foolish saying words like “venti” or “grande.” Instead I say, “I’d like a medium-sized latte with nonfat.”
I had a boyfriend who would give  an …read more

This morning, I had to drive my daughter to school. I decided that since I was already out, I might as well treat myself to a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. I’ve really enjoyed these lattes in the past. They are made with a pumpkin-milk base and pumpkin pie spices. I made my own version last year….. I’ll share my recipe as soon as I find where I put it. 
I had my boy in the car, so we hit the drive-thru. It took forever. Seriously. I think I was in that line for almost 10 minutes and my coffee cost …read more

Today, my daughter and I tried the Tin Roof Bakery and Cafe, located in downtown Chico, CA. In addition to offering a selection of artisan-style breads, they serve coffee, pastries, and sandwiches.
Bailey and I ordered half sandwiches and we split a Ginger cookie. I loved everything about the place. It was easy to park close, they were fast and friendly, and best of all, the food was fantastic. I can’t wait to take my friends over there to check it out.
Here’s what Bay had to say about her sandwich, “It was a ham sandwich, with a white cheese (I think …read more

For the last several months, my husband has been having some issues with reflux. We’d like to see if we can’t help things out naturally before going to pills, so we’ve done a little research to see what we could change in his diet first.
One thing we came across that could be changed was our morning coffee preparation. I had always assumed that coffee was acidic, no matter how it came to be. However, regular hot-brewed coffee is apparently two times more acidic than cold-brewed coffee. But what’s cold-brewed coffee, you ask? It’s exactly what it sounds like!

Though not as …read more

If you’re like me, you count down the days until September 1st. Not only does it mark an (unofficial) turn of the seasons with cooler weather, crisper air, and falling leaves, it also means pulling all of my autumn decorations out of storage and decking out the house in reds, oranges and golds!

Naturally, my thoughts also turn to warmer fare, and what cooler evenings mean for dinners, and cooler mornings mean for caffeination!
One of my favorite ways to “celebrate” is to grab a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Starbucks usually rolls theirs out around September 1st, and many other more local …read more

Have you got a yen to try roasting your own coffee? You’ll be able to roast up to 5 pounds of your own coffee beans right on your covered grill, using the rotisserie unit. What a great idea for the coffee/grilling fanatic! If only it did something with beer as well, we’d be all set!

Why purchase an expensive Coffee Roaster when you can buy this extremely easy to use and very inexpensive Coffee Roaster Kit to roast coffee beans with your Home Outdoor BBQ unit. Roasts up to 5 Pounds of Green Coffee Beans, as much as …read more

Every outstanding Mom deserves an equally outstanding gift! Vivabox is generously giving away your choice of either the Tea Time vivabox or the Coffee Talk vivabox, in honour of those fabulous women out there who are also amazing mothers!

Vivabox, a Sodexo company (www.vivaboxusa.com) combines the gift of experience with the gift of choice. First, recipients get an immediate “taste” of their experience through the items in the box they receive. Then, the gift recipient selects the second half of their gift by redeeming a gift card included in their themed gift box.
You choose the theme, your recipient tries the samples …read more

My son has been drinking coffee since he was a toddler. When he turned 3, we finally made him have his own cup. I most enjoy giving him a double-dose and then dropping him off at preschool.
Shortly after my son turned 4 we went to Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans and my son ordered a cup of the chicory coffee. Perhaps it was the elegant Frenchman who served the coffee from a silver pot, but my son just couldn’t get enough of the stuff. We had to cut him off after five cups.
Truman’s coffee habit has raised eyebrows, no doubt …read more

I thought I was a genius when I created a homemade version of Starbuck’s “mocachino”. I’d make a small cup of instant espresso, hit it with some whipped cream and a little sugar. Presto! tasted just like Starbucks.
I started down this path because I don’t really enjoy coffee but have noticed that I love espresso, especially in fine restaurants. I started to drink 2, 3 even 4 cups a day. It was yummy, and I could have sworn that it has cured a hangover. Until…I crashed.
I’d never known what people meant when they said “caffeine crash”–now I do. My recent …read more