My Year of Coffee - 2016

The year is already fast fleeting, but, having recently awakened from my winter hibernation, it is time to perk up and start smelling the coffee.

I  have decided to learn more about coffee, sampling as many interesting brews as I can, in what I am calling My Year of Coffee.

I can filter good water and do my own pour-overs, but I may have to invest in a new kind of grinder for use at home if I really get into this coffee thing. Any ideas? Prices for the better (burr, not blade) grinders range from $50-$500.

Even as I did not sample Coors or Bud on my beer blog last year, I will not be comparing Folgers with Nescafe.

While coffee names may not be as inventive as the beer names that I sampled last year--such as Poop Your Pants Chocolate Bock from Perrins or Scary Jesus Rock Star from Dark Horse, I will at least include a photo and a brief evaluation of everything I try.

This is the beginning of my sub-blog of coffee, a post to which I will keep adding and occasionally link.



March 5, 2016: My first coffee photo of the year:

Colombian: Galeras $3.75

This was excellent! I will give it a 4.5 out of 5.

The Lyon Street Cafe which opened in November of 2014 uses beans from Madcap Coffee. The Galeras beans are harvested from the slopes of the most active volcano in Colombian, from which they get their name. It was complex, but I am not a skilled enough taster (yet?) to note any notes of (jasmine, syrup, mixed berries) or anything. And I was drinking it out of a paper cup on the way to the Home Show with J.


3-14-16

The Tim Hortons in town--I just have to include a few of the chains and drive-thrus--carries an original, a dark roast and a decaf. They have a blend of Arabica beans and claim to make a fresh batch every 20 minutes. Today I had a black original roast.

I was on my was to pick up a bottle of Liquid Fence (those putrified egg solids) for the tulips and other bulbs which are popping up quickly in the mild Spring weather.

I turned my car off the beaten path and into a small, old, hidden cemetery, a place I had visited once before a long time ago. Some of the grave sites there are quite neglected. I read that it is where bodies that no one claims are buried. One stone was entirely covered in moss, obliterating the name.

I sat in my car with the door open on a sunny afternoon, alone among the dead, sipping my coffee and devouring an apple fritter--the last one until summer! The family diet contest starts tomorrow...

Tim Hortons: 100 % Arabic blend, medium roast, black, $1.48

I will give this a 3.5 out of 5. It was hot and fresh and good.



4-28-16 - Brazilian coffee mild roast at EB Coffee and Pub

Brazil - mild  black medium sized mug - $2.00 

A trip to Cherry Valley Greenhouse in Caledonia, Michigan on a cold and rainy morning necessitated a stop for some hot coffee on the way home. We found EB Coffee and Pub just down the road. It was too early in the day to try any of their brews--and that is so last year for us girls (with O and J).

I had a black brew of a mild Brazilian coffee that was excellent black, but I added a little cream when it was half finished! I will give it a 4.25 out of 5. And a breakfast cookie!

EB for Essential Bean has been re-branded in this unique combo of coffee house and brew pub. I approve!


5-13-16
I have been busy with SPRING and not getting out much to places of good coffee. My intended weekend in NYC was postponed...but I just returned from a weekend in the Orlando area.

I managed a fancy iced drink at the Starbucks (already on blog) at Epcot, and an even fancier mexcal coffee margarita at the bar in "Mexico". But those hardly count as coffee!

On May 9 I googled places to get good coffee in Orlando and found that the recently built WaWa gas stations and convenience stores rated highly!

I have never seen such an elaborate coffee selection! I have to confess, I stuck with the Colombian, although E. said the Cuban was good. And of course, I am on "vacation"--an apple fritter! The selection of every kind of whitener known to man was equally impressive. I will give this coffee a 4 out of 5--really good gas station coffee!! And such a great name. WaWa!!

WaWa coffee pots

Of course, an apple fritter

Too many choices! On Ice.

On the plane on the way home -$3:

"Allegiant Air" cappuccino  - it was okay!

5-15-16
A cold Sunday May afternoon found me at Biggby Coffee with J., downtown. This was the Biggby Best Blend. I sampled the Black and Tan Blend, but preferred this mild roast. It was delicious without cream and with. Maybe I was just in the mood, but this coffee was hot and smooth and mild and I think I will give it a 4.5 rating. It was $4 for the 2nd size up, whatever they call it.

5-16-16
Monday found me in the park, enjoying a senior McCafe coffee for just 69 cents, two creams added. This was probably only a 3, but hey, for the price...

My coffee needs are turning to iced versions in a June heat wave!

6-16-16

Guess where I took this photo.

Here's a hint:

coffee in the church garden

I have been stopping at the church gardens nearly every day to check watering etc. Enjoyed this pricey drink from the convenience store by the gardens. It was cold, rich, sweet and delicious!

July 2, 2016

Boxcar Coffee at the Kentwood Farmer's Market

We heard, while sipping a different kind of brew at Horrock's the other day, that this grandson who had a passion for coffee had opened a booth at several local farmer's markets. So Saturday morning we met here and had a pricey pour-over brew. I choose a Colombian over Brazilian and drank it black. It was fun supporting this young entrepreneur, but while the coffee was good, it is nothing I would go out of my way for. We suggested he set out a few folding chairs next to his booth as we sat down on the curb and asked him to take out photo. Then we had to help each other up!



July 9, 2016

Downtown Market - Oaxacan - $1.85

Everything tastes better outdoors in perfect weather by a waterfall. A very good cup of coffee!

8-10-16

I was told the best coffee in Holland, Michigan was to be found at LemonJello. Well, they use Madcap beans, too.  I had a good, hot sample at the downtown market, even though it was like 92 in the sun, and later enjoyed a Summer Solstice iced coffee indoors. O. had this latte:

latte at LemonJello

Not sure of the prices and don't have any tasting notes...




2-8-17

Well, My Year of Coffee was a bit of a bust. I will continue to sample coffee from time to time, but as with my year of beer--so many choices and many just not that good.

When I was in NYC in November last year I tried a can of Stumptown nitro, but never yet had any coffee ON TAP, which I hear is possible. This canned black coffee was not a treat! It could have been fixed up as a sweet iced drink, but if a coffee is not excellent black, why waste cream and sugar on it!

Over Thanksgiving I tried out a new coffee from the new Whole Foods in Maitland, FLwhich is not available here. Also, just okay--not worth switching for, and not inexpensive.

But a fun thing happened recently while shopping at Target. I received a text from the daughter in NYC with a Starbucks coffee photo attached. I asked her what she was drinking, and ordered the same thing to enjoy while shopping. Only problem was, I didn't ask her how many pumps of sugary syrup she added to the caramel latte--whooo it was sweet and tasty! A coffee can be good if you make it a dessert! And I had experienced a moment of connection across the miles--Target and coffee! I wondered how much more she paid in NYC...mine was pretty pricey as I recall.

A coffee bean growing - photo taken by a friend who visited Costa Rica.recently.

So until I post from a coffee plantation in Colombia, that's all folks.