A chai tea latte was my gateway into coffee. It’s where I started … it’s how I learned to walk into the coffee world. Yes I wobbled and tumbled, and I still do!, but I’ll never forget my first warm drink at a coffee shop: Chai Tea Latte!

They Give You The First One Free to Get You Hooked

My new favorite grocery store Earth Fare had a special this week: buy one Oregon Chai Tea Latte Concentrate and get one free. So, I thought to myself This week my sunday coffee will be a good old chai tea latte.

That’s just me paying respect to my coffee beginnings.

Why is a Chai Tea Latte Soooo Good?

It tastes like a holiday … so warm and full of spice and honey. I pour half my coffee cup with Silk Pure Almond Milk (Vanilla or Regular, both equally yummy)and then fill the rest up with my Chai Tea Concentrate. I pop it in the microwave and I’m good to go.

My favorite thing to do: Cuddle up with a good book will sipping on my chai tea latte. Right now I’m reading The Grapes of Wrath … which, now that I look at it objectively, seems like a insensitive choice in reading material while engaging in latte luxury …

But look past that and read this NPR article about Steinbeck and why he wrote The Grapes of Wrath.

Tidbit: Did you know that chai means tea? So when we say chai tea, we are really saying tea tea. But that’s not as bad as when I ordered my first chai tea and asked for a “tai chi”.

Enjoy!

I certainly can’t tell you what the best tasting coffee is for you. But I can tell you what coffee drinks I enjoy. Through me, you may find your new favorite drink … or the worst coffee you ever tasted. But this is all part of the process of finding the best tasting coffee for you.

Best Tasting Coffee For Me … And Maybe You.

I was well into my thirties before I ever had my first sip of coffee. I really disliked the smell. It stirred my stomach. Now I wake in the morning for that smell. But I have to be honest, it took some time.

The Worst Drink Ever!: My first cup of coffee was from Starbucks. Now, I’m not a Starbucks hater; I enjoy a cup of joe there maybe once a week. I ordered the house brew and took a sip. No sugar. No cream. Now, Starbucks coffee is made for sugar-lovers … that’s why they burn it … so you can still taste some coffee even after all the sugar. When I took that first sip, it felt like someone punched me in the tongue.

Words of wisdom: If you’ve never had coffee before, Starbucks coffee black will NOT be the best tasting coffee for you.

Taking it to the home front: Once I started to develop my coffee palate, I decided to get a coffee maker. I suggest easing into the coffee world. If you think you need a coffee-maker, grinder, espresso machine, french-press immediately, you’re wrong. Take it slow. Develop your love for coffee. I love having a grinder now because whole beans are the way to go for the best tasting coffee … though, to be honest, I still can’t always tell fresh-ground from pre-ground. Can you? Let your collection grow with you, not before you.

Best Tasting Coffee Over-the-Counter (so to speak): I like buying coffee from the grocery store. My local store also roasts their own coffee beans. I like flavored coffee like Hazelnut or Irish Cream. But I am also just as happy with a breakfast blend spiced up with a few turns of a cinnamon grinder or a sprinkle of ground cloves.

Best Tasting Coffee Gets Fancy

Since I drink the regular ol’ stuff at home, I try to get a little fancier when I go to the local coffee-house. By the way, these are also great places to buy your coffee beans, though they are usually a tad more expensive than your grocery store brands. Here are my preferred coffee-house coffee drinks:

• Cappuccino: It took me about a year before I tried my first cappuccino and now I’m hooked. I don’t add any flavors. I enjoy an authentic cappuccino taste, the milk adds a smooth flavor. And I love that frothy texture. I really feel as if I’m in the lap of luxury when sipping on a hot cappuccino. Enjoy! It really is one of the best tasting coffees.
• Americano: A little less fancy – made with water and espresso – the Americano has more of a standard coffee taste. But if the espresso is good, the Americano is very, very good. I like mine with just cream.

What is the best tasting coffee you have tried? Let us know by leaving a comment

 
I write about coffee, so I know not to put coffee in the freezer.

Ahem, then why have I been putting my coffee in the freezer for the past month?

The Power of Good Looks

Last month, some ultra hip friends of mine who are way too good-looking hosted a get-down, get-together. I went … ready to party! As soon as I arrived, I noticed all the other guests worshipping and over-value-ing the opinions of my super-superb looking friends. It’s sickening. I’m against all that. I pride myself on focusing on what someone says and not on the puckered lips that say it.

That’s right! I don’t care how puckered your lips are and swivel-y your hips; if you say something stupid, I’m going to notice! But, if you have a party and ask me to get the vodka from the freezer and I notice you put your coffee in the freezer, I will subconsciously start to do that at home … because you’re so good-looking.

So that’s what happened.

I forgot everything I learned about coffee and why I should not place it in the freezer and placed it in the dang freezer–all because a couple of hipsters got into my subconscious! (Check out this great article on coffee storage at CoffeeAM.com)

Oh well.

You Can Only Hurt Your Coffee For So Long Before it Starts Writing on the Wall

If it wasn’t for eating well, my coffee would probably still be absorbing odors from my frozen sausage to this day (and I would be blaming the coffee producers). Here’s why:

I love to shop at Earth Fare. It is the most warm and inviting grocery store. I’ve never been so in love with food.
 

• Crucial Side Note: I’ve also never understood the meaning of food until I read Wendell Berry’s The Pleasure of Eating at OrganicGardening.com

Of course, I now purchase my coffee at Earth Fare. I tried West End Coffee Company. They have a beautiful Toasted Carolina Pecan with a taste and aroma not unlike whisper-y love notes. I picked up the West End coffee package and just before I placed her in the freezer (yikes) I noticed in big print on the side:

Coffee’s three enemies: Moisture. Oxygen. Light. We recommend storing your coffee in an airtight, non-translucent storage container at room temperature. Do not keep your coffee container in your refrigerator or freezer.

And Why I Just Love, Love, Love Life

We get to mess up. That’s right. We get to mess up and life will spell out the reminders for us.

Now, isn’t that beautiful!

Best Coffee Beans visited a local coffee/book shop over the weekend where I ordered a cappuccino that I did not drink. Why would I drink a cappuccino when my Best Coffee Beans partner ordered a little something called an Irish Creme Mocha?

So, I drank that instead.

My partner, well, he’s still thirsty.

No One In Their Right Mind Would …

You might be wondering why I didn’t order the mocha for myself. No one in their right mind would. The Irish Creme Mocha was not listed as an Irish Creme Mocha on the menu, but was referred to as a long list of words (word-like words … word-ish words) trendy people use.

I am not trendy. Nor do I order coffee-drinks that get all sentence-y on me. But if the coffee drinks are tasty, I do steal them from other people who are shameless enough to order them … i.e. my work partner.

I’ve got my pride.

Bottoms Up!

Now, down to the important stuff. Go. Now. Run if you have to. But only if you prefer that over walking … or biking … or driving. There’s really no rush, but just go to your local coffee shop and get them to make you an Irish Creme Mocha.

Here are the reasons why you will love it:

1. Milk

2. Chocolate

3. Coffee

4. Irish Creme syrup

5. You get to pretend you are getting drunk … because of the Irish Creme. I waaaay prefer pretending to be drunk than actually being drunk. It brings me back to my childhood when I would act like my water was Vodka. Great times!

The Irish Creme Mocha is smooth and sweet – a full flavor that makes contact with every part of your mouth, but lightly! Sip this hot beverage while thumbing through a Roald Dahl, while tuning your ears to Mazzy Star, while gazing upon a room draped with blue Christmas lights … and then tell us all about it by leaving a comment below.

Happy Irish Creme Mocha drinking!

Drinking Irish Creme Mocha is good, but can be even better if your have an awesome looking kitchen. What in the world am I talking about? Splashbacks. Yeah, we talk about coffee here, but why not throw in some kitchen splashback ideas just for the fun of it. Drink your coffee while looking at a masterpiece of mosaic, magnetic or even chalkboard splashbacks!

Best Coffee Beans has just relocated to Asheville, NC. Asheville is a city of connection and good things … and that includes great places to connect with people and good coffee. We are full of hope over our coffee future. What will we experience here? How will our coffee knowledge grow? Where will our coffee palates mature—in other words, what will be our new favorite coffee shop?

Uh, Starbucks?

Yep. That’s right. We are in a town where every Friday night the natives come out and commune through drum beats that last all night long. We are in a town of diversity and life … a town that puts authenticity above commercial success. No longer are we in a stagnant town, and yet, where do we get our coffee? Starbucks. We can’t help it. It’s right there–5 seconds away from our headquarters. And it’s better here. In our old town, Starbucks burnt the coffee and played uninspired music on repeat. Not in Asheville. This city has its own energy and it seeps into the soul of every business … every cup of coffee.

Don’t get us wrong. We are going to all the local coffee shops. We will dine on the fruits of this remarkable town. We will become one with this place, where every thing and every person is a thread in the fabric of this piece of land in Western North Carolina. Best Coffee Beans will experience a new coffee in a new coffee-house here in Asheville every Sunday. We will write about it. And you will visit this great town to experience all that we are about to.

But Why Starbucks? Why!

Three words: Pumpkin Spice Latte. (Plus Starbucks is so close to us that we can almost stick our hand out the window and find a coffee beverage in our palms when we pull our arms back in.)

Go get one. Pumpkin Spice Latte is more than a taste, it’s a feeling. It’s childhood warmth and safety. It’s the taste of coziness and family around the fire.

Now, off we go to find a pumpkin spice beverage at a one-of-a-kind mom-and-pop coffee shop here in our new, brilliant town.

Let us know your favorite seasonal drink from your hometown coffee shop.

A Romanticized Coffee Delicacy

Coffee drinkers have a plethora of choices when it comes to getting their daily caffeine intake, but many of them routinely ignore their options and go straight for the espresso machine every time. For the uninitiated, espresso is a concentrated form of coffee that comes in a shot. It is prepared by forcing almost boiling, pressurized water through finely ground coffee.

Viewed by many as a romanticized coffee delicacy, espresso traces its origins back to early 20th century Milan, Italy. It was there, in 1903, that Luigi Bezerra developed the brew. He was diligently working to find a faster way to brew his beloved coffee when he began to pressurize coffee beans and grounds. And there you have it: the story of espresso.

Loving the Crema … And More

There are more reasons than just the crema that compel people to fire up those espresso machines, though. Water content, the caffeine content and the flavor are often cited as top reasons for preferring the Italian beverage. Regular coffee traditionally contains an abundance of water as compared to a one ounce shot of espresso. Yet it still contains more caffeine-by-volume than most other drinks. Finally, fans of the brew love starting their day off with the bold, flavorful taste of espresso.

While the caffeine lovers use their espresso machine for a big wake up kick, others are still looking for the best coffee maker for a regular cup of coffee that won’t give them the jitters. If your looking for a regular drip coffee maker, read some of our reviews that will help you find the best coffee maker for your not-so-strong cup of joe.

Coffee Maker Reviews

We’ve got some good stuff for you today on this edition of The Latte Lowdown. We talk about how coffee is changing the job market, how husbands in the ’50s and ’60s were just horrible jerks to their wives about their coffee-making ability and some awesome coffee appliances to boot!

Coffee News

• Is Your Coffee Craving Just In Your Head?

  Find out if that morning coffee is really necessary, or if you just think you need it …

• Leave the Factory, Join the Coffee Shops

  Find out how coffee shops are changing the work force …

• 10 Loved Coffee Appliances

  Check out these awesome coffee appliances …

Coffee Humor

• Being a Jerk to Your Wife because You Hate Her Coffee

  These guys are pretty rough on their wives … but coffee drinkers are known to be particular.

Coffee Deals

• Coffee For Less Clearance

• Costa Rica Gourmet Coffee, just $7 per bag + Free Shipping at Cafe Britt

If nothing else, hopefully this will teach husbands to be nice to their wives, regardless of how bad their coffee may be.

Drinking coffee on Sunday is how I pay my respects to the day—by enjoying the day! Coffee adds the enjoyment.

There was no coffee in the house, so a quick run to the store was in order. But guess what I forgot … my half n’ half!

So I did it. I took the plunge. I went where my tongue had never went before (well, it went there before, but on accident. And, at the time, the first time I ever consumed coffee in fact, black coffee tasted like someone with mad street fighting skills punched me in the tongue). Anyway, I drank my coffee this Sunday, for the second time in my life, black. I didn’t even put sugar in it to offset the lack of creamer.

And you know what, it was pretty darn good.

Of course my coffee was flavored, so that helped.

But there’s a lesson here: You don’t have to go to extremes to try something new. You don’t have to completely disrupt your routine. All you have to do is tweek your routine every once in awhile. Drink your coffee black. Smell you coffee for a full twenty seconds before you taste it. Listen to music instead of reading the newspaper while you have a cup of joe. All is needed is the tiniest of change for a whole new perspective.

You love your espresso machine. For some, “love” might seem a little strong, but your discerning tastes demand the best and few others are capable of getting the brew precisely in tune with what you’ve come to enjoy and crave. That being said, you’ve come to a difficult juncture with that blessed little machine that’s gotten you through those tough times. It has grown old and years of delivering that perfect blend have taken their toll on the poor thing.

It’s understandable that you don’t want to admit it – parting is such sweet sorrow, after all – but the time has come to move on. Maybe you’re so dedicated that you have had it restored in the past, or maybe you have even done some restorations on your own. But it’s time to face reality: your espresso maker simply can’t go on giving you those delightfully delectable pick-me-ups anymore. You could just junk it, but that’s just wrong after all you’ve been through together.

How to Recycle Your Espresso Machine

A better option is to recycle that old machine or grinder. You can’t just go throwing the thing into your recycle bin, though; not all of its parts belong in there. Recycling can be a bit confusing these days with all of the numbers (Does my state recycle number 4?) and materials that are and are not suitable for the program.

Thankfully, there are options available that allow experts in the field handle the process. Retailers like Seattle Coffee Gear have partnered with Uesugi USA to have unused machines dismantled and properly disposed of. They separate the recyclable parts (aluminum, steel, stainless steel, brass, copper and some plastics) from those that are non-recyclable components. The end result is that all the appropriate materials end up being reused, and as few parts as possible end in the landfill. Who knows, maybe that replacement espresso machine you buy will be partially constructed of someone else’s former maker.

It’s Sunday, the day I like to try a new coffee. I like getting excited about things that don’t matter one way or the other; life is easier to enjoy that way. If the coffee is bad, so what? I reach in my freezer for the good ol’ stand-by. If the coffee is good, great! It becomes my good ol’ standby for the next time I buy bad tasting coffee.

This morning I tried New England Coffee Chocolate Cappuccino. How could I say no to a package of coffee that includes my three favorite things: chocolate, cappuccino, and the idea of New England (I want to go to Vermont one day.)

Now, I take my coffee with just a dollop of half and half and I don’t even know if this brew needed that. This flavored coffee is smooth, going down nice and easy. It’s the perfect drink to sip on Sunday, while I take in the day slowly and leisurely. I love the faint chocolate aroma wafting through my kitchen as I sit on my bar stool and read my favorite blogs.

(Image From New England Coffee)

The first sip gives me that little cappuccino bite that I love so much, but then my tongue adjusts and I enjoy a gentle, creamy flavor for the rest of my cup. You know, I think I’ll make another!

What is your favorite coffee drink to enjoy on a Sunday afternoon?