Brenda of Secret Agent Josephine is selling her Coffee-Made Coffee Cards over at etsy.  She’s a little coffee obsessed too.  It’s one of the many reasons I adore her…

What are your New Year’s Resolutions?  Maybe drinking a few more cups o’ coffee a day?  Adding two pictures a day to A Nice Cuppa…Coffee Flickr Pool?  Don’t know how?  Read all about it HERE!

Dom & HIS Coffee, by atrudzik

Arabica, by Maese Julio

Kanli Masallar, by Journey to Orient

Read up on how to submit pics here, and submit the photos over at our flickr A Nice Cuppa… Coffee group.

Last Coffee in Manhattan, Maese Julio

Coffee Break, *MSM*

Birthday Cupcake, Jenni Simmons

kahve dagilmadan, journey to orient

I’m sure you’re imagining at least 12 people around my holiday table, but in reality it’s just the two of us… and the dog. We just love food and a big celebration - and I think that I’ve found this year’s perfect addition: Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend.

The Thanksgiving Blend was created in a collaboration between Starbucks and Tom Douglas, renowned Pacific Northwest chef and culinary entrepreneur and the 2008 Bon Appetit Restaurateur of the year. I was lucky enough to chat with Chef Douglas and ask him a few questions about his life as a chef and how this amazing new coffee blend came to be…

You have so many amazing restaurants. Do you have a favorite?
I don’t have a favorite per say, but I use them like any customer might. When I have friends from out of town I take them to the Dahlia Lounge for dinner. Many times we drop into Palace Kitchen for a sexy late night plate of plin after a catering event in our space next door, the Palace Ballroom. I eat lunch at Etta’s when I’m down in the Pike Place Market. I love going to Lola because serve the most interesting palate of Greek, Turkish and Moroccan inspired food. I often have cravings for the cherry bomb and fennel sausage pizza at Serious Pie. And who couldn’t resist a coco pie bite from the Dahlia Bakery at 4 o’clock in the afternoon with a shot of espresso?

I read that you were born back east. What made you decide to move to the Pacific Northwest?
Yes, I was born in Cleveland and raised in Delaware. After graduation I was looking for “the next big thing” that wasn’t scholastic. So I hopped into my ’67 Chevy, traveled across the country and ran out of gas in Seattle. It has become my adopted hometown, and vice versa, Seattle has adopted me.

I am always interested in how people come into their careers… What made you want to become a chef?
Something about being a chef has always been natural to me. I’ve enjoyed it form the day I started doing it, but I also just love restaurants. From the minute you walk in the door to a smiling hostess, great lighting, a manager who’s in control of the situation, and smells wafting from the kitchen – they all just kind of make me melt into, what I consider to be, the best business in the world. And I still love it 30 years later!

What made you want to create a Thanksgiving Blend? Most people would have assumed that Christmas is a more common holiday to create for.
Starbucks has a Christmas blend, which I’ve been buying forever. The idea of a Thanksgiving blend possibly becoming an annual tradition like Christmas Blend was appealing. I look forward to drinking it for years to come.

Do you imagine this coffee being drunk with the meal, or more of an after dinner “finisher?”
I think I was as surprised as anyone else how well coffee pairs with a savory meal – and I’m not talking bacon and eggs! I’m talking about the herbs we infuse into the turkey, the aromatics from the gravy and stuffing that ended up working perfectly with this Guatemalan and Sumatran blend.

I’m not going to lie to you… I’m a huge coffee drinker, and this was, hands down, the best coffee I’ve ever had. But how did you know this particular blend was “the one?”
When we were tasting the coffee we were looking for something that had spice, chocolate notes and acidity to cut through the flavors of a savory meal while maintaining its character. We actually didn’t realize we hit the jackpot until we actually made a Thanksgiving dinner, sat around the table and tasted it with the final two coffees in the running. The Starbucks team and our team looked at each other as we were supping the coffee and shoving sweet onion and sage gravy soaked turkey in our mouths, and it just hit us that we had been successful in our efforts in creating a match. While it was delicious with the pumpkin pie, the flavor of the coffee just exploded with the turkey.

What is your favorite meal to pair with coffee?
Since Thanksgiving is almost here, I would have to say that my favorite meal to pair the coffee with would be the following:

o Roasted turkey with sweet onion and sage gravy

o Cranberry hazelnut and oyster mushroom stuffing

o Candied sweet potatoes with a little red chili

o Butter braised green beans

o Pickled peaches that we canned last summer from our farm.

Like I mentioned to Tom, this is THE BEST coffee I have ever had. It’s the kind of coffee you always imagine classy characters drinking in diners in those old black and white movies. Rich, flavorful, never bitter. You just want to cradle the cup in both your hands, inhale the aroma, and let the creamy richness flow over your tongue. Whether you drink this with Thanksgiving dinner or the exhausted morning-after breakfast, you will be thankful to have this Starbucks Blend in your cup.

Bon Appetit!

Photo from TomDouglas.com.

Do you have a photo of that warm moment? Then share it here! During November and December, A Nice Pic-a will be showcasing how coffee makes your holiday celebrations happy and bright.

Read up on how to submit pics here, and submit the photos over at our flickr A Nice Cuppa… Coffee group.

Until then…enjoy these cozy cuppas…

Latte Art at Zeitgeist, by GirlieErin

Cafe, by (:Petra:)

Coffee & My Rocking Chair, by Jenni Simmons

Coffee, by Dr. Feelgood

Zeitgeist Coffee, by GirlieErin

Ecclefechan Tarts, by Wine Scribbler

How ’bout you? Then share your coffee pics here!

Read up on how to submit pics here, and submit the photos over at our flickr A Nice Cuppa… Coffee group.

Turkish Coffee, by Jenni Simmons

Reading Acedia & Me, by Jenni Simmons

A room with tea and wit, indeed!

Usually when such fantastic little places open up, they are far, far away from me, so I was ecstatic when I found out Crown & Crumpet was merely up the road from my little house by the sea. This was such a treat for me, that I was counting down the days until my friend, Julie, and I could head up for a girly-girl day in the city.

Strolling through Ghirardelli Square is such a fun and exciting experience on its own, but finding the bright and happy Crown & Crumpet in among the pigeons and tourists was like finding that elusive pearl in the oyster.

When we walked through those glass doors, we both stopped with a bated breath and tried to take in all the joy that radiated from that room. The walls a creamy white with one accented a beautiful robin’s egg blue… the tables covered with floral Cath Kidston-esque cloths… the floor a red and white checkering… At that moment, I wanted to fold it all up, put it in my pocket, and take this magical room home with me. Julie described it best when she said, “It’s like living in a paper dollhouse decorated with cute stationary.”

Seated by the delightfully British co-owner, Chris, Julie and I felt honored to be placed at the old farmhouse table in the corner overlooking the bay. If you ever get the chance to tea at C&C, ask for this table specifically.  Not only do you have an amazing view, you also have lots of privacy and access to the adorable “sitting room” with the Pop/Victorian couch and televised “fire” ablaze in the fireplace. I tingled from head to toe with anticipation for what would come next…

Our waitress (or Trolly Dolly as they are known in the tea room) took our order of the “Tea for Two” meal:

Three warm, homemade scones with clotted cream,
jam & lemon curd

Selection of eight tea sandwiches

Eight homemade sweets & treats

Two toasted crumpets with butter

Two large, endless pots of tea

Wanting to try as much as possible, Julie & I both ordered different teas: she the Black Tea Orphee, I the Fruit & Herbal Piccolo. The teas - so different in taste, but so warm and cozy in our tummies - were amazing: black and rich… fruity and sweet. If that had been all we were given that day, we would still have left Crown & Crumpet with warm hearts and happy stomachs. My only regret of the day?  Not being able to try all 38 in their tea selection. Another day… another day…

While we waited for the treats to be served, we admired the view, the decor, and most especially the silverware. Silverware, you say? Yes.  I felt like I was dining with utensils straight out of a ritzy 1930’s hotel. To me, each piece had a story hidden beneath its silver.  The fork fed cake to a queen, the spoon stirred the coffee of a movie starlet, the knife buttered bread for the city’s elite.

But all thoughts of silverware flew out the window when our tower of treats arrived…

But now the best part - crumpets and scones with jam, clotted cream and lemon curd. I’d never had crumpets, but fell in love with them right away… so soft and spongy. And the scones… oh the scones! They almost had a shortbread taste to them… and when mixed with lemon curd, they were heaven on earth. But, really, anything with this lemon curd is pure perfection. Had I not been in a public place… in a tea room where you are supposed to act refined and be on your best behavior… I would have picked up that lemon curd dish and licked it clean!

After our bellies were full of tea and goodies, with a few sweet treats there at the end, Julie and I took the chance to catch up over our teacups. It had been at least four months since we had been able to really sit and chat with each other, and what better place than this welcoming tea room? We were left to our girly chatter for almost three hours, with only occasional interruptions from our Trolly Dolly to make sure that our tea pots did not need refilling. How many places allow this kind of leisure, let alone seem to encourage it?

Before getting on with what was left of our day, we were, of course, tempted into the little gift shop at the front of the store. It’s probably better that I didn’t have a credit card with me, because I would have bought every single thing on the shelves.

Every. Single. Thing.

While chatting with the other co-owner, Amy, we found out that she gets a lot of her treasures from etsy artists. (Hooray for supporting emerging artists!) But the best treasure was the actual conversation we had with her and her co-worker, Tiffany.  It is always so nice to find kindred spirits. Amy was so welcoming and warm that I felt like I was a guest in her home, instead of a customer in her tea room.

If you are ever in San Francisco, travel down to Ghirardelli Square and visit the lovely Crown & Crumpet.  It is a complete treat for all of your senses. But to get the true experience, make sure to appreciate all the amazing little details that Chris & Amy Dean put into everything they touch: the cheeky text hidden in the menu, the “bracelet” with your check and the sassy Royal Decree.

 

 

 

Crown & Crumpet

Historic Ghirardelli Square

Open 7 days a week

11:00am - 6:00pm

(last tea service served at 5:00)

]]> http://anicecuppa.net/2008/10/28/crown-crumpeta-room-with-tea-wit/feed/ http://anicecuppa.net/2008/10/27/starbucks-signature-hot-chocolate/ http://anicecuppa.net/2008/10/27/starbucks-signature-hot-chocolate/#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2008 06:00:28 +0000 Abbey Lile-Taylor Product Reviews Must Haves Seasonal Hot Finds Other Beverages http://anicecuppa.net/2008/10/27/starbucks-signature-hot-chocolate/

Nothing makes me happier on a fall day than venturing into my neighborhood Starbucks and being welcomed so openly. This visit, my two SB workers were both happy and excited to be there… I had a discussion with them for a few minutes about how awesome the barista and I looked in glasses and thereby named ourselves “The Glasses Ladies.” So impressive were we, we convinced the cashier that he should be a Glasses Lady for Halloween. Why can’t every retail encounter be this pleasant?

But besides my lovely banter with the Starbucks employees, I think I might have found a new fall drink to replace my previous favorite: the Signature Hot Chocolates.

I like hot chocolate… a lot… especially in the fall and the winter, but I don’t like my chocolate to be too bold and overwhelming. And this one did not disappoint - especially since it’s made from four different cocoas, real vanilla, cocoa butter, and non-fat milk (though I wouldn’t say no if they made it with whole milk.)

When the first drop of the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate hits your tongue, you are surprised at the hint of chocolate that does not feel like a powdery mix, but instead tastes of melted chocolate stirred to perfection with a copper whisk by a man in a chef’s hat. As that taste scoots to the back of your tongue, the front is presented with a creamy, buttery caramel slipping back and forth making you a very happy drinker.

Now don’t let salt in the name scare you off… Salted Caramel is something I’m seeing more and more of in the candy world. But it isn’t overwhelming at all. In fact, it’s so subtle, if you didn’t know it was added, you’d never know it was there. But, to me, it does take off some of the sugary edge. And I, personally, like a salty sweet combination… I have M&Ms in my popcorn, I like maple syrup on my bacon… clearly I live a very healthy life.

Well, I do at least live a “healthy” enough life that I could not drink two of the hot chocolates in one day… the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate was too lovely and rich to attempt the Hazelnut Hot Chocolate just a few minutes later. So… darn oh darn… I had to go back the next day for another chocolate-y treat.

So on my second day in a row at Starbucks, my husband and I cuddle up in the corner - he with a plain ole hot chocolate and me with my Hazelnut. Hazelnut… one of my very favorite treats for my java drinks… was just as tasty in my hot chocolate. This one, a bit more grown-up than yesterday’s, would be more of a coffee drink, while the Salted Caramel is more of a dessert beverage.

The more I guzzle daintily drink my hot chocolate, I realize it should really be called a Hot Hazelnut. The rich hazelnut flavor is stronger than the chocolate itself, making for an original drink that Starbucks should really think about advertising that way. Hot Hazelnut… I would buy it in a heartbeat!

So as you walk the red and gold leaf strewn sidewalks of your town or cuddle up with your loved ones by a warm glowing fire, add a cozy, comforting hot chocolate to your mitten-covered hands to complete your dream fall day.

]]> http://anicecuppa.net/2008/10/27/starbucks-signature-hot-chocolate/feed/ http://anicecuppa.net/2008/09/29/losing-the-coffee-love/ http://anicecuppa.net/2008/09/29/losing-the-coffee-love/#comments Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:00:42 +0000 Abbey Lile-Taylor A Nice Pic-a http://anicecuppa.net/2008/09/29/losing-the-coffee-love/ I’m so sad! I only have two pics to post for A Nice Pica this week! Let’s keep the coffee love alive!

Read up on how to submit pics here, and submit the photos over at our flickr A Nice Cuppa… Coffee group.

While I’m sad that I only have two pics to post, I’m so excited about those pictures! They are a beautiful tableau of a coffee love… Please Enjoy! I know I did…

Grateful, Jenni Simmons

Untitled, Ed Sierra

]]> http://anicecuppa.net/2008/09/29/losing-the-coffee-love/feed/ http://anicecuppa.net/2008/09/15/a-nice-pic-a-3/ http://anicecuppa.net/2008/09/15/a-nice-pic-a-3/#comments Mon, 15 Sep 2008 06:00:15 +0000 Abbey Lile-Taylor A Nice Pic-a http://anicecuppa.net/2008/09/15/a-nice-pic-a-3/ Who doesn’t love a good cuppa joe? Want to join in this coffee love? Read up on how to submit pics here, and submit the photos over at our flickr A Nice Cuppa… Coffee group.

Caffe Splash, by The Unknow

Old Red Grinder, by AnnSchneider

Yuruyelim Seninle Istanbul’da, by adsoy

Morning Coffee, by Xenotar28

Bitter with Sweet in Jerusalem, by megmarie

Espresso, by Maese Julio

Favorite Mug, by maddieandme1

JOIN THE FUN AND SUBMIT A COFFEE PIC!!

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