Starbucks: Free Petite with Drink Purchase

Valid March 10 - 12, 2011 (3/10 - 3/12) 2-5pm

" In celebration of our 40th anniversary, Starbucks is reclaiming what we do best: elevating the coffeehouse experience.

The perfect way to complement a warm cup of our delicious coffee is with new Starbucks® Petites -- delicious sweets perfectly sized for a well-deserved afternoon treat. There are eight different Petites in all, including Cake-Pops, Whoopie Pie, Mini Cupcakes and Sweet Squares. And because each of our Petites is under 200 calories, you can still feel good about treating yourself.

Petites are made with simple, great tasting recipes that use high-quality ingredients. They're free of artificial flavors, artificial dyes, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial preservatives and artificial sweeteners.

Come to Starbucks March 10-12 from 2-5 p.m. and get a free Petite when you buy any handcrafted drink."

Amazon: Peet's Coffee & Tea Decaffeinated French Roast Ground Coffee (2LB) - $22

Free Shipping on $25 or more or with Prime

Amazon is offering Peet's Coffee & Tea Decaffeinated French Roast Ground Coffee, 16-Ounce Bags (Pack of 2) for only $22 with FREE shipping if you spend over $25 or if you have Amazon Prime. Also, while we are on the subject, Peet's happens to be one of my favorite west coast coffee companies. Good stuff (and this is a great deal). Im not generally a fan of the beans that are already ground but at this price it should be just fine. If you didn't read correctly the first time - this is decaf - don't expect to get all hopped up after a few cups!

Coffees from Latin America dark-roasted for the fullest, deepest body and smoky flavors.

 

Amazon: Starbucks French Roast or Breakfast Blend 2.5 lbs - $16.98

Free Shipping on $25 or more or with Prime

Amazon is offering either Starbucks French Roast, 20-Ounce Bags (Pack of 2) or Starbucks Breakfast Blend, 20-Ounce Bags (Pack of 2) for only $16.98 with FREE shipping if you spend over $25 or have Amazon Prime. The coffee in these bags will come pre-ground - so no need to worry about taking them to Starbucks to have them ground for you (which you can do for FREE anytime in case you were not aware).

Breakfast Blend by Starbucks Coffee

Mild and flavorful, this light-bodied blend makes a bright first impression and is a wonderful cup to begin your day.

More about this coffee:
This blend of Latin American coffees offers a milder flavor than our House Blend, due both to the selected coffees and the slightly lighter roast.

French Roast by Starbucks Coffee

French Roast is not for the timid. It takes the hardiest of Latin American beans to withstand our darkest roast – an intensity that would burn lower quality beans.

And it takes an adventurous palate to appreciate French Roast’s blunt, smoky flavours that result from the intensity of the roasting process. Although French Roast is a bold, powerful blend, it has only a slight residual acidity and light body.

The Newcomer's Guide to Seattle: Coffee

If you understand coffee in Seattle, you pretty much understand Seattle in general. That may sound like hyperbole, but bear with me. Seattle doesn't exactly have a long and illustrious history with coffee. Like so many other things that have been arbitrarily named symbols of the city, coffee was only ever a trend here. Sure, a trend that has lasted for a few decades in one form or another, but a trend nonetheless. That's the first lesson coffee can teach us about Seattle. It's a city that adopts trends, goes into them with a fervent dedication, then never really drops them. It's still possible to find little slices of many different eras throughout Seattle. There are bars and restaurants that grew out of the town's notable speakeasy scene during Prohibition. There are still vestiges of the hippie granola culture that raised the likes of Jimmy Hendrix just as there are still a few odd corners that maintain all the things people loved about Seattle's grungy period in the 1990's. None of those things constitute more than a small fraction of the city's culture, but none of them show any signs of really going away, either. Like coffee, each trend had its boom, only to survive its loss of novelty to settle into a more permanent, if less popular, place.

Of course, when people think "Seattle coffee" they inevitably think of Starbucks. And ya know what? That's fine with me. The people of Seattle shouldn't be embarrassed about Starbucks any more than the people of San Bernardino ought to be embarrassed about McDonald's. From what I can tell, there are still plenty of French Presses and homemade burgers in America, so neither mega-corporation delivered a killing blow to their quality-over-quantity competitors.

Starbucks is representative of the way business and culture in general have evolved in Seattle. The city is definitely more slick and corporate today than it was even ten years ago. We have a thriving downtown surrounding our tallest building, Columbia Center, itself a development that began as a local concern and then took on national import. It was originally supposed to be the Columbia Seafirst Center, the headquarters of the region's biggest local bank, only for Seafirst Bank to be purchased by Bank of America in 1983 during an economically shaky period. Those big players, the Bank of America and Starbucks and Nordstrom level businesses, have been a big part of Seattle's viability in modern business, though hardcore localists would scoff at the idea.

But those localists are also a big part of Seattle's lushness and character. The truth is, the city would be nothing without its enthusiastic mob of little guys. That Starbucks money is great but all the single-storefront cafes that name their flavored brews after cult movies and liberal political figures keep Seattle interesting, and also keep the urban center distinct from the suburbs. It doesn't really matter if those hip, quirky places are actually cafes or if they're one of the many lounges, bars, restaurants or salons opening up all over the place because they follow the same principles. In the end, it's all, ya know, coffee.

And yeah, Seattle shoulders a lot of the blame for changing the cup size lexicon to make Tall not mean "large", Grande effectively translate to "medium" and Venti become the only way to say "large" that actually sounds small. That's part of the Seattle philosophy, too, for better or worse. We can take world-spanning commodities like coffee and make them fussy, which is why we make flowery beer out of pumpkins and get really picky about the relative merits of different apple varieties. Just know that at the heart of that finicky, often snobby sensibility is 6the pursuit of uniqueness and perfection. That's coffee in Seattle: We had the drip and the drip wasn't interesting, so we went a little overboard.

Do People Really Think the US Government is on the Verge of Collapse?

Overheard recently in an independent coffee shop in the supposedly-liberal enclave of Seattle, Washington: you better get your precious metals delivered to you in person before the government crumbles. That way you can still sell them on Craig’s List.

 

I saw the person who made the comment: he was not toting a rifle that I could see and wasn’t wearing a plaid flannel shirt. Based on those two observations, plus the fact that he was in Seattle and not in Butte, Montana, I made the (hopeful?) assumption that the 30-something-year-old man was not a militia member plotting to overthrow the government, so I didn’t alert either the authorities or the coffee shop manager after hearing his comment.

 

I did start to wonder what kind of society we really live in if seemingly law-abiding people are really starting to believe that the United States government is on the verge of collapse. How can our society function so well in normal times—hurricanes and other natural disasters being the exception—if our government could fail so easily? Was our government really in such bad shape that it couldn’t outlive Craig’s List?

 

I’ll admit it; I perked my ears up and listened to the rest of his conversation, which he was (rudely) having on the phone to some anonymous person that I couldn’t quite imagine. He started to worry about inflation and the high prices of food and recommended that the other person to buy farmland so when the shit hit the fan, everything would be ok.

 

I got the feeling that his “friend” wasn’t so impressed with his advice. The guy in the coffee shop started talking a little more loudly and got the attention of more customers than I am sure he wanted. A barista shot him a dirty look, and soon after, he ended the phone call. I figured that if a barista could quiet him so easily, he definitely wasn’t a threat and my earlier assumptions that he wasn’t a member of the militia held true.

 

The whole thing made me feel weird about the dissemination of information in our country and the sheer volume of muckraking in our country; both political parties are guilty on occasion and certain political figures have done absolutely nothing to raise the level of intelligent dialog in our country. I always say that I want people to think intelligently for themselves, but it’s so much harder to do when people are fed crap by the faces they trust.


 Photo Credit: Flickr User Wonderlane

Bard Coffee: Sumatra Gayo Mountain Dark

 

Bard Coffee
185 Middle St.
Portland, Maine 04101
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Bard Coffee is Portland's "Must visit" coffee shop. People all over Maine have mentioned the place to me with fervent encouragement. I note that they almost always tell me that Bard Coffee "is across from Starbucks," as if Starbucks were a landmark, and not a coffee shop; that tells you how very different Bard Coffee is from your standard purveyor. Bard coffee is small batch roasted by Wicked Joe's Coffee, one of the three partners behind Bard Coffee. While Bard Coffee is famed throughout New England for their ambience and skilled barristas, they also sell their coffee by the pound. When a friend sent me a pound of Sumatra Gayo Mountain Dark from Bard Coffee in Portland, Maine, I knew I was in for a treat.

Sumatra is one of the prime coffee growing regions of the world, ever since the Dutch

introduced the blessed bean to Indonesia in the 17th century. Gayo Mountain has a well-respected coffee mill, with an unusual situation: the same company that owns the mill, also exports the coffee. Bard Coffee's Sumatra Gayo Mountain Dark is a rich, deep roast. There's a slightly spicy earthy aroma to beans. In the cup, there's a surprisingly slightly sweet aspect to this very rich and very low acid roast. Something about this coffee reminds me of Winesap apples, in a lovely way.

If you go anywhere near Maine, plan to stop in at Bard Coffee for a latte with some charming art, and a pound or three of coffee to take back home. You'll note if you read the reviews here and here, that I'm not alone in my fondness for their brew.

Is too much Caffeine bad for you?

I love coffee. Coffee absolutely helps me “wake-up” in the morning to start my day. Without my daily “dose” or “cup” of coffee…I will not be a happy woman. I have been drinking coffee for a very long time. I remembered from my first year of college, 3 to 4 cups of coffee really helped me to “cram” in homework and major studying time. There were some classes I “hated” to take, but wanted to learn what they had to offer for my major at that time. Drinking caffeine late at night really helped me “boost” my studying habits along with “excelling” in my tests, quizzes, and finals. But the question is….Is too much caffeine really bad for you?

Caffeine can range from- coffee, red bull, tea, soda, energy drinks, etc. Many of these “tasty” drinks contain very high caffeine that can easily boost and “sky-rocket” your energy level to a “maximum supreme.” The main goal of these “caffeinated” drinks is to have people consume more into their diet to keep them “awake” for long periods of time, and sometimes the results can be “deadly.” I have heard from news reports several months ago involving young teenagers in high school who had consumed so much “energy” drinks to a point where they “drank” themselves to death. How sad is that? Honestly, energy drink companies should feel entirely “ashamed” and be at “fault” for this hideous, disgusting act. Why target young teenagers or individuals to raise their energy drinking consumption? Really? That is not necessary, but a very terrible thing to do.

I have learned that caffeine can be used as a “cardiac stimulant” to help increase urine production. No wonder I always feel the need to “pee” after drinking my favorite latte every single morning. I am very “addicted” to the “sweetness” and “taste” of coffee and will never want to give up on it at all. Coffee is pretty much my “best friend.” It may be sad to some individuals, but imagine how many people consume coffee or caffeinated drinks everyday? Drinking coffee is a “luxury” to me. Without coffee….it would make me very irritable or mad to not have a cup of coffee a day to start my day off. Trust me, it will. I am sure many people can agree with me on this one.

According to CBS News online, over 50% of Americans drink coffee each day. Surprising? More surprising is that…about 330 million cups of coffee are consumed a day by people…..like us. It’s a crazy percentage number! What are we going to do about this? What will happen? Will people stop drinking coffee and high-caffeinated drinks?

I wasn’t completely surprised by the high percentage numbers of Americans who consume coffee each day. I am actually one of those individuals. I don’t feel ashamed for drinking a cup or two of coffee a day to start my day off. It is kind of like working out at the gym. If you miss a couple days or more, you may get irritated for not getting your work out in as you need to. Same thing with coffee folks....you need that extra “boost” of energy to hopefully help you throughout your day. I know for sure that I will not be putting down my coffee cup down any time soon now. Coffee is very addicting…and I love it. So I do not necessarily think that too much “caffeine” is bad for you, it is just how much you “consume” a day that could be at risk for your health.

 

Hy-Top Brand Instant Coffee Review

Before I talk about how bad this coffee is, let me walk it back a little ways and explain why I bought it in the first place.  Every Sunday I spend a few hours working at an office in town.  It's a third-floor walk-up, and it has no coffee maker. 

I'm usually there for several hours, long enough to want a cup of coffee halfway through.  Options are limited: bringing my own thermos is a huge pain.  Walking all the way down and out and around the corner to buy a latte is expensive, in both money and time.  So I was excited to discover that Starbucks Via instant coffee is pretty drinkable.

Except that damn, those Via packets are a little on the spendy side.  They usually retail for about $1 a cup.  That's not too bad, I suppose - it's cheaper than a latte, and I don't have to go to all the trouble to get one. 

Still, though; I thought I could do better.

My plan was to buy some Folgers or something.  Nescafe.  Isn't Nescafe an instant coffee?  I honestly don't know.  My only other experience with instant coffee was the solid-crusted container my grandmother kept in the back of her cabinet for visitors who insisted on it.

But have you seen the price of a tub of Folgers crystals?  It was about $8 for half a pound.  When I did the math, I discovered that instant coffee is about five times more expensive than regular coffee.  I guess that makes sense - you're paying for the convenience - but still.

Then I discovered that Winco Foods carries a house brand (Hy-Top) version of instant coffee.  House brands are identical to the national brands, or so I am constantly being told by other frugalistas.  Best of all, an 8-ounce jar of Hy-Top instant coffee will only set you back $4.50!

Well I am here to tell you, Starbucks Via is worth the cost.  Heck, Folgers may be worth the cost.  I haven't tried it yet.  One thing is certain: Hy-Top instant coffee is what they serve you in Hell.  If you are a very bad person, you will be doomed to an eternity of Hy-Top instant coffee.

My first hint of trouble came when I unscrewed the lid and peered inside.  It didn't actually smell like coffee.  It smelled a little bit like my compost heap, which does have (used) coffee grounds in it.  There's a malty note, like a cheap dark beer.  And an unsettling, not-quite-floral sweetness that lingers around the edges.

The flavor is only weakly coffee-like, but it has a strong malty taste.  It had me studying the label to check the ingredients list.  Adding more instant coffee powder to the cup only resulted in a thicker texture, almost syrupy, as if it contained a gelatin base.  (It doesn't - just "100% coffee.")  It creates a dark brown hot beverage with a passing reference to coffee, but it isn't nearly as successfully coffee-flavored as, say, a Coffee Nip candy.

I was left wondering, who is this product intended for?  I firmly believe that every product has someone who loves it.  In the case of Hy-Top instant coffee, I'm stumped.  But someone must be buying it, or else they wouldn't keep selling it, right?

Starbucks: Holiday Drinks - Buy One Get One Free

Starbucks, as a part of its Share promotion will be offering Buy One Get One FREE holiday drinks from 11/18/10 - 11/21/10 from 2pm to 5pm. This is a great way to tell someone you care - without having to spend a dime. Maybe pick one up for the boss - from my understanding regardless of who the boss is - they will love some Starbucks. I also must mention I love the red cups. Just throwing that out there!

Qualifying drinks:

  • Caramel Brulée Latte
  • Peppermint Mocha
  • Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha
  • Peppermint Hot Chocolate
  • Gingerbread Latte
  • Eggnog Latte
  • Caramel Brulée Frappucino blended beverage
  • Peppermint Mocha Frappucino blended beverage

Its worth noting that with the BOGO discount (even with the limited hours), is actually a really great deal on some of the more delicious drinks of the season. I am personally not one to throw down $6 for some milk and sugar - but with this promotion, and so many convenient locations (especially in Seattle) I don't think I will be able to help myself!

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle Washington.  Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with over 17,800 stores in 49 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, almost 800 in the UK, and nearly 1000 in Canada.  Starbucks sells drip brewed coffee, espresso-based hot drinks, other hot and cold drinks, coffee beans, salads, hot and cold sandwiches and panini, pastries, snacks, and items such as mugs and tumblers.  Through the Starbucks Entertainment division and Hear Music brand, the company also markets books, music, and film. Many of the company's products are seasonal or specific to the locality of the store. Starbucks-brand ice cream and coffee are also offered at grocery stores.

Herkimer Coffee

          As I was walking down the street of Greenwood Avenue to head down to my rolfing appointment, I noticed a cute, swanky coffee shop. Herkimer Coffee. From the interior outside design of the coffee place, it looked like an independently owned coffee shop. It did not display the very usual “corporate business” coffee shops like Starbucks or Tully’s coffee. I was in a complete rush that afternoon and forgot to drink a cup of coffee. I was feeling a bit cranky and tired, so I walked into the Herkimer coffee shop to order a latte. My first impression of Herkimer was absolutely mind blowing and breathtaking. My first steps into this coffee shop were very friendly and mellow. It had very comforting, jazz music playing in the background as well.

         Approaching the front of the register counter was very customer service friendly indeed. The male barista who took my order was very sweet and friendly. I could tell he enjoyed his job there as a barista. He had a nice smile on and asked me for my order. I ordered a small latte with a yummy, chocolate glazed donut. Herkimer coffee also has delicious fresh pastries, cookies, and donuts behind their clear window bakery displays. It felt very warming and cozy in the coffee shop too. It’s not your usual college hangout coffee joint, but portrays more of a mature, comfortable atmosphere. As my latte came out, I noticed the baristas add these very cute signature designs on the coffee. My latte had a heart design flavor to it and the taste of Herkimer coffee was heaven.

        Herkimer coffee purchases their coffee fresh from small farms. Toxic chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers are not used in Herkimer’s coffee. They believe the best taste and production for their signature coffee blends are from small farms that practice old traditional methods of growing coffee. The coffee growers in return ask for a reasonable price in the market place. Herkimer coffee pays them ensuring good stable wages, good hard-working workers, and most importantly, good working conditions for the farmers. Herkimer’s coffee is reasonably priced. For a latte, it ranges about $3.50. Both coffee shops are opened on Greenwood Avenue in Phinney Ridge and University Way in South Ravenna in Seattle. Herkimer coffee is also a great place to meet up with friends, enjoying a cup of coffee while reading the daily newspaper, or just a hang out place. It’s a very friendly, cozy atmosphere with a beautiful lovely vibe in this very sweet Herkimer coffee.   

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