It's Begining to Look a Lot Like Christmas

With the holiday season comes many different specialty holiday drinks at coffee shops. I absolutely adore this time of year and all the delicious treats and beverages that come with it. My most recent indulgence is the Salted Caramel Mocha from Starbucks. It is made with espresso, steamed milk, mocha sauce, and toffee nut flavored syrup. It is topped with whipped cream drizzled with caramel sauce and sugar and sea salt sprinkled on top. This drink costs about $3 for a grande size and runs 420 calories and 16g of fat, according to the Starbucks website.  These seasonal delights are perfect for sitting at home curled up with a book or movie. Its a perfect way to stay warm this winter. I definitely recommend this one!

The U Club has got what you need this winter

Jazzman's coffee bar Located in the U Club of the Overman Student Center now offers delicious winter flavored coffee. Like Cinnamon, Pecan, and Apple. Yesterday I bought the Apple Cinnamon Creme Brulee coffee and it was AMAZING! I added a little bit of half and half and some sugar. I bought the grande size and it cost about $1.90. Usually when I go to Jazzman's I take my tumbler to get a coffee refill which costs $0.87. They have a variety of different brews to choose from, regular roast, bold roast, or the specialty flavors. At Jazzman's you don't have to get and expensive latte or mocha, they have delicious flavored coffee that tastes like an expensive latte. Curling up on with a warm delicious cup of coffee is perfect with all this cold weather coming around. So stop in get yourself warmed up on the way to classes!

The perfect match








Not everyone has the money to go buy specialty coffee drinks all the time, so this weeks posts is for those who want to have delicious coffee on a budget. The easiest way to make regular coffee taste like it's from the coffee shop is by using a flavored creamer. There are so many types of coffee creamer you can use, from the classics like french vanilla and irish cream to creamer that tastes like candy bars and holiday flavors, such as Almond Joy and pumpkin pie spice. The brand International Delight specializes in making creamer that makes your basic cup of joe taste like a gourmet latte, mocha, or macciato. Currently in my fridge I have the Pumpkin Pie Spice and French Vanilla.



 Coffee creamer comes in many different packaging. You can buy it by it typically in a 16 or 32 oz bottle, a box filled with creamer individuals, and in powdered form. The prices of these products vary according to type, brand, and by store. The Coffee-Mate website even offers free coffee recipes. Visit them at www.coffee-mate.com. Using coffee creamer is a simple, not to mention cheap, way to turn a plain cup of black coffee into a delicious, specialty drink. 







Pumpkin Spice Latte....delish!

This week's post is not just a coffee evaluation, it is an ode to the delightful Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. When Fall hit this year, the first thing that came to my mind is that the Pumpkin Spice Latte is now available at Starbucks. Even the worship leader at my church announced to everyone it is now the season of the season of the Pumpkin Spice Latte. This drink is by far my favorite at Starbucks. It is the perfect combination of coffee, spices, and pumpkin flavor and topped with delicious whipped cream.


The only downside to this drink, if you can imagine there is one, is that is a little on the hefty side of having 380 calories and 13g of fat for a grande size. Those calories decrease significantly if you order nonfat milk and no whipped cream- to 260 calories and 0g of fat. A grande size will cost you around $4.00 and in my opinion it is worth it! Hurry up and get one before the season runs out. And just remember it'll be back next year!

Kahlua & Coffee

This week I decided to take an unconventional route to evaluating coffee. I have never had coffee with alcohol in it, so I thought I would give it a try. I have heard from many people that coffee is good with Bailey's Irish Cream or Kahlua, so as I was out the other night my friend and I decided to try it. We ordered Kahlua and Coffee at Chatter's in Pittsburg, KS. The cup was almost over flowing with black coffee and Kahlua. We asked for Half & Half to go in it. It was simply delicious. The Kahlua gave a good kick to my classic favorite.

At Chatter's the price of the drink was $4.50. The drink can be ordered at any restaurant or bar with a full bar. I wouldn't recommend drinking this coffee in the morning at work or school, let's not get crazy, but it definitely makes for a great evening beverage.

H.E.B Cafe Ole` Houston Blend

I have officially found my favorite blend of coffee in the entire world! The H.E.B Cafe Ole` Taste of Texas-Houston Blend is amazing! My roommate is from Houston and brought this coffee with her when she moved. I had never heard of it before and she offered to make me some. She got me hooked! 

This coffee has a flavor of praline, pecan, and coconut. The grounds come with real coconut flakes in them! The beans are 100% arabica and grown in volcanic Mexican mountains.If the taste of this coffee isn't enough, the aroma will get you hooked! The smell the coffee has fills the air with a sweet pecan, coconut scent. I made this coffee at work and everyone loved it. The people who came into the office kept asking what smelled so good. A 12 oz. bag of this blend costs $8.99, but since it is not sold around here you would have to pay more for shipping. 

If you ever get the chance to try it. DO! 

There is someone who loves coffee more than me

I was having a difficult time trying to find a blog that was about coffee until I came across this blog on Tumblr that is primarily a photo blog about coffee. It has hundreds of coffee photos and posts all about coffee. I am surprised to find someone who is more addicted to coffee than I, but it seems I have done it. Definitely a must see blog for coffee lovers.


http://coffeeaddictsanonymous.tumblr.com/

Caffe` Verona

The current coffee I am drinking is the Caffe` Verona blend from Starbucks. It is a multi-region coffee blend of Latin American and Asia/Pacific coffees. This italian roast has a bold flavor intensity on the Starbucks scale. This coffee has a hint of sweetness due to the dark cocoa in the blend. It goes great with French Vanilla creamer and half-and-half. I'm sure other creamers or no add-ins at all would be good as well. A 12 oz. bag of the Caffe` Verona blend is priced at $8.88 at Wal-Mart. Which is where I bought it. 

I am really enjoying this coffee. I have been drinking it every weekday morning for the past couple weeks. I think it's my new favorite. It's a real step up in coffee from the basic store brand I used to drink. I think a problem I'm going to have in the coffee adventure I'm taking is that each coffe I try will be my new favorite. We will see what next weeks flavor will hold....

Never had a blog before....First Post!

http://roberts-holly.blogspot.com/

Over the course of this semester I will be blogging about coffee. I will evaluate different brands, flavors, aromas, prices, etc, of coffee. I drink coffee just about everyday so why not blog about soemthing that is relevant to my life right??