“Grande House Blend, black. please.  And, um…. ooh!  One ‘perfect oatmeal’ please with fruit and nuts.  Thanks!” 

A cold and rainy 38 degrees, the sensational picture of oatmeal served as the perfect pick me up. Now, having worked in advertising in a former life, I understand marketing and food styling.  Nonetheless, I would expect something somewhat similar to what is advertised.  Nope.  I opened the cardboard container to see the warm yumminess and saw cloudy water with oatmeal floaties.  My difficulty in filtering facial expressions apparently came across because the drive-thru girl responds, “Wait a couple of minutes and the water will be absorbed. It’s instant.”  

What? Instant? Seriously? Okay, I am inclined to understand that a chain store would not make their oatmeal fresh each and every morning.  But can they at least fake it, even a little? For $3.50, I will go the grocery store and buy a box next time.  Sometimes, stores need remember that less is more. Starbucks  = coffee.  Quaker Oats = instant oatmeal.

Finally getting its props here in the states, tea is fast becoming a favorite with its low-calorie leaves.  And while I am one who is learning to appreciate the calming essence of a soothing cup of tea, I still prefer iced tea over hot tea.  Nonetheless, this pyramid of tea assortment will produce a ton tasty chilled beverages.  I can’t wait to try each one!

Granny and I first met in the Kroger Natural Foods aisle under the 10 for $10 sale sign.  Granny’s welcoming smile was lovely, but it was the tea flavors, the glass bottles, and 10 for $10 sale sign that pulled me in.  A recipe that was established from Clayton Christopher’s trouble finding a bottle of tea that tasted like his grandmother’s home brewed tea, now, ten years later, Sweet Leaf Tea is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with.  The addition of his friend David Smith and years of production have expanded Sweet Leaf Tea to teas, lemonades, and mixers and fixers. Their little videos provide wonderful chronicles, from the teas from China, cane syrup, and pillow cases to garden hoses, Sweet Leaf Tea has an interesting story.

There are 11 flavors in all, but the flavors I have tried include Raspberry, ½ & ½ Lemonade Tea, Mango Green, Peach, Pomegranate Green Tea, and Original - all really good.  I am not a fan of other bottled teas, like Lipton and Nestea and Snapple.  These, I like. The cane syrup does make the teas a bit sweet, but not sugary. From what I can tell, depending on the product you choose, Sweet Leaf Teas are either natural, organic, some use Splenda, made with purified water, pure cane sugar and high-quality organic tea leaves.  What more could a tea lover ask for?

After further inspection at home, I realized I bought a self-heating container of coffee. A Double Shot Latte to be exact.  I turned and flipped the tumbler, examined the interesting label, metal tamper-proof bottom, and numerous warning labels, and was unsure what I was about to get myself into.

I could go into the step by step of how I came about drinking warm coffee, but the video on the website does a perfect job. (There isn’t direct link, so once on the site, click video.) My end thoughts were that it tasted like weak tasting coffee that managed to conjure up a pretty good kick of caffeine.  It was also a bit sweet, which the label confirmed with a whopping 27 grams of sugar.  That’s a lot, since the large, heavy tumbler only holds 9½ ounces. 

Good premise, but I think I will keep brewing my own or drive through Dunkins.

But, this is A Nice Cuppa.  What does Crystal Light on the Go have to do with coffee? Nothing really, except the “on the go” part.  While strolling down the aisle in my grocers, in search of my empty coffee can’s replacement, my eye caught Nescafé Taster’s Choice single packets for coffee drinkers on the go, available in regular and “unleaded” (decaffeinated). I drink coffee, yet am no means a connoisseur.  I go through my coffee drinking phases and am not very adventurous as I stick to my regular when I run through the drive-thru, “Large coffee, cream only, please.” Therefore, I am not sure hard-core coffee drinkers will share my same opinion Nescafé Taster’s Choice single packets.

For those of you who read this with trepidation and are weary of instant coffee, there’s no need to worry about the quality.  It’s 100% coffee, is free of additives or preservatives, is a great source of antioxidants, and is gluten-free.  According to the website:

“Instant coffee is prepared in the same way as roast and ground coffee, but with an added step at the end of the process. NESCAFÉ TASTER’S CHOICE is made by first selecting premium blends of coffee beans and roasting them to perfection, the coffee beans are ground and brewed. The resulting brew is a high quality coffee which then gets freeze dried to preserve and fresh lock the rich roast flavor and aroma of NESCAFÉ TASTER’S CHOICE. The benefit is you get to simply add back hot water to brew the coffee fresh in your cup. No machines, no hassle. It’s as simple as that.”

I am currently using Nescafé Taster’s Choice single packets at work.  It is easy to toss a couple of packets into my briefcase and microwave a mug of water in the office, cut open the pack, pour, stir, and drink!  Whether with cream or not, it tastes…. like coffee! A pleasant flavor, although not as intense as my morning brewed coffee, pleases my palate. For a quickie, Nescafé Taster’s Choice single packets get my vote! I will be keeping a box at my desk for my early mornings and late evenings.

*picture from the tasterschoice.com

Melitta’s Ready Set Joe Manual One Cup Cone helps me when I am running late in the morning.  I simply start my water kettle, place a filter, scoop my regular coffee in the Cone, set the Cone over my to-go mug, and pack up my lunch.  By the time I am through, the kettle whistle is singing, and I am able to pour the water into the filter to start my brew.  In with the vitamins, gather my work bag and cell phone, slip on my heels, and the brewing is complete.  The filter goes in the trash, the Cone in the dishwasher, and I am off. The end result is a pretty decent tasting mug of coffee. 

This quickie coffeemaker makes enough java for a 12 oz. cup and uses Melitta number 2 filters. I use the Natural Brown filters, which are made from unbleached paper pulp and are environmentally safe. 

The Hawai‘i Coffee Book: A Gourmet’s Guide from Kona to Kaua‘i

Why is such a cookbook/handbook so valuable?  According to the press release, “The Hawaiian Islands are known worldwide for gourmet coffee from the Kona Coast, but real aficionados know that in Hawai‘i, Kona coffee is only the beginning. The only place in the United States growing coffee as a commercial crop, the Aloha State hosts a thriving industry encompassing 11 major regions on five islands—producing more than seven million pounds of coffee last year valued at over $30 million.

Among the brilliant photos and interesting facts and information, The Hawai`i Coffee Book also incorporates tour information, cafés to visit, purchasing options, tips on coffee appreciation, coffee ethics, and a number of coffee-rich recipes ranging savory to sweet, entrees to liquid refreshments.

I found myself fixated on the recipes.  Coffee is not an ingredient I would have thought of using often in savory dishes.  Then, my interest peaked after trying a dish with coffee rub a few weeks ago.  The Hawai`i Coffee Book’s arrival couldn’t have been planned better. I tried the Kona Coffee Crème Brulée and the Coffee Kahlúa Kanten Cubes. Now, although I did look in my local grocers for Hawai`i Coffee, I came up empty handed.  Determined to try some of the recipes, I completed my recipe testing with the regular brew I use every day. 

Coffee Crème Brulée was phenomenal (recipe below).  Crème Brulée is a dessert I love to try when out to dinner, and have made it several times in my own kitchen, but never with coffee.  Wow, wow, wow. The Brulée-filled ramekins looked beautiful coming out of the oven, but fell during the chill time.  Rereading the recipe, I realize I totally forgot about the water bath.  Nonetheless, the end result was flavorful and smooth; a wonderful conclusion to a meal.  And, for those who like coffee but choose not to have a cup after a meal, this is a great alternative. 

Coffee Kahlúa Kanten Cubes, a great idea to jazz up any drink, cocktail or not, are sure to add additional flavor to any drink, and these ice cubes won’t water down your drink.  I will definitely make these again, or some rendition since I can’t place the Coffee Kahlúa Cubes in my morning iced coffee before work. 

If you’re interested in more… The Hawai‘i Coffee Book: A Gourmet’s Guide from Kona to Kaua‘i (ISBN 978-0-9815086-2-7) is now in bookstores and online.  You can also buy through the the publisher (http://www.bookshawaii.net/).

Kona Coffee Crème Brulée
Courtesy of Abigail Langlas via The Hawai‘i Coffee Book

1/3 cup Kona Coffee Beans, crushed - not ground
1-1/2 cup whipping cream
6 egg yolks
6 Tbsp sugar

In a small saucepan, bring the crushed coffee beans and cream to a simmer.  Take the mixture off the heat and let the coffee infuse for about 10 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks and stir in sugar.  When the coffee cream is ready, strain into the the egg mixuture, whisking continuously so as not to cook the egg yolks. 

Pour the mixture into 6 deep ramekins, and place in a baking pan filled with water up to about 1/2 the height of the ramekins.  Bake for about one hour at 250 degrees.  Cream should be set, still soft, but jiggly in the center. 

Chill the Brulée for two hours to set. Before serving, sprinkle with granulated sugar or raw sugar, and using a butane torch, and caramelize the top to create a golden sugar crust.