Teacup Terrorist

I was looking for the best way to store coffee. The age old way is to freeze it, but I have just read that you should not freeze your coffee. It stands to reason, that the best way to store it is dry and cool, away from light. I have successfully kept coffee grounds fresh this way for about a year and a half. That’s right, the grounds didn’t get that over ripe smell until a year and a half later. I thought it was interesting.

The funny part is, the only reason I was keeping my coffee in a dark cabinet was due to the lack of room in my freezer to house all my blends. My mother has kept her coffees in the freezer for as long as I can remember. I always thought that her grounds kept themselves pretty fresh in there. Who would have thought that this was not the ideal way to store your coffee?

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My mother and I used to make chocolate cherry cookies every year for Christmas when I was growing up. She still does make a few with my baby sister now that I am gone, but I miss having them whenever I want them. Coming in a close second to the cookies is the coffee I have been enjoying from BocaJava. The smell itself will take you away. The taste, well…let’s just say I am glad I got Decaf or I would be bouncing all over the walls.

I received my Kona the day before yesterday from my lovely friend Marisa. Within the package I also received this pretty aqua colored visor from Kauai, modeled by my son. He fell in love with the visor as soon as I pulled it from the package and I have scarce been able to pull it away from him.

As for the Kona…the coffee is whole bean. If you read my other blogs you will recall that I not too long ago purchased a blender that does a great job of grinding coffee beans. Well I only ground up enough for one cup. The smell was exquisite, bold but not overpowering. Even after brewing the smell stayed pretty much the same. When I tasted it black, there was no bitterness. You would almost swear you didn’t use enough coffee to make the cup. Upon first sip with milk, the taste is so mild that you forget you are drinking coffee…

About halfway through the cup, I started to feel the overpowering sense of the ultimate caffeine hi. I swear to you that I felt dizzy and unable to walk with my senses about me. It was the weirdest rush I have ever had! It’s the most major coffee I have ever had the pleasure to pass across my palette. Thank you Mari for an experience like no other.

I give this one 5 cups.

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Within one week I should have in my hands a brand new package of Kona coffee directly from Hawaii. Thanks to my friend Marisa, you will all get a full review of my thoughts and feelings on Kona.

In other news, Iris will be adding her thoughts again soon. We just talked yesterday about her next post of Iris’s Carafe. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

Oh.My.God.

Whoever decided to send me these 14 little packets of instant Nescafe coffee needs to be taken behind the barn. First, for the aroma of the grounds being so heavenly. Second, for the taste being so much more than disgusting. Third, even the aftertaste made me want to scrub my tongue down with a scouring pad.

I was horrified. Absolutely horrified! My tongue nearly jumped out of my mouth and QUIT! I had to add a hefty amount of milk and sugar to it before I could fathom to try and drink it down. It was still nasty, bitter, and totally not worth me trying any more of it.

This one gets NO cups from me.

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I received my free sample from Folgers’s new collection of gourmet coffees the other day. I must say that I was rather pleased by the packaging. It invites you to have a taste. Don’t inhale too deeply when you open it, though. The aroma leaves much to be desired. I almost didn’t want to drink it. It didn’t smell as fresh and bold as I thought it would being “lively” and all.

Once brewed and the first sip taken, the taste will bowl you over. I was totally shocked at the uninhibited flavor. I was in love from first sip. I am not usually a Folgers gal, but this one made me want to try more of the flavors they offer, specifically the chocolate and caramel varieties. I found that they are sold in a local store, so I will be checking them out there and online for a good deal. It was bold, but not overbearing with a light finish that you don’t mind having in your mouth after you are done drinking. I hope to be able to check out the other flavors soon.

Five out of five cups from me.

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Somewhere around March 8th I will be receiving my new coffee shipment. I have decided to get two treats that are made for this season. One is called Lucky Leprechaun Lagoon and the other is called Cottontail Delight. The first is chocolate fortified Irish coffee. The second is white chocolate marshmallow coffee. You have got to love coffees infused with chocolate! I can’t wait to try them. I am not usually a seasonal coffee drinker, but I had such a good experience with the Halloween blend Tropical Tricks and Treats that I figured I would try a few more. That one was Chocolate Toffee Crunch with a hit *not a hint* of Caramel. MMM.

You can get all these in sample packs from BocaJava.com.

Don’t forget, if you sign up to give me a little credit with my email kingzjewel at yahoo dot com

Technorati Tags: coffee, Irish coffee, chocolate, BocaJava

I know a lot of people don’t like throwing names around on the Internet, but how else are you going to find the good stuff? I can’t say Coffee Cabana A was so much better than the Leading Brand. PSHAW! You must know the truth!

As good as Starbucks coffee is, I must say that my tastebuds took a step back to see what I was *really* drinking when I sampled a bit of Cinnabon’s coffee. Holy Toledo! It was sooooooooo much better than Starbucks. I never wanted to drink Starbucks again after I had a taste of Cinnabon.

My husband tells me that the difference between the two is that Cinnabon roasts their beans longer. This, in turn, gives a much more robust, clear taste to the coffee. It rings clear as a bell on the tongue. Not many people think of Cinnabon as a coffee spot, but please do yourself a favor next time you run through a rest stop or mall, hit up Cinnabon for a fresh cup of joe. You won’t be sorry you did.

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We will start off with my favorite spot to buy coffee and cocoa. I have not bought tea from them as I usually get it elsewhere. ANYWAY Boca Java and I started out with a freebie relationship. I was getting 4 bags of coffee for free while only paying less than 8$ in shipping. That was a great deal to me. When I received the coffee, I found that I was enjoying it about as much as I do Starbucks. It was like heaven with the first cup. I have since become a Silver member with them, receiving a new shipment of coffee and cocoa every eight weeks.

So far I have tried about 8 different flavors and all but one of them were exceptional. I didn’t care too much for the regular Chai Latte. I had the General International Foods type before this one and I loved it. This one tasted too creamy…almost like they tried too hard.

If you like BocaJava.com and decide to try them out, let them know I sent you with this email : kingzjewel (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Drink it in!

Technorati Tags: coffee, cocoa, Chai Latte, BocaJava