I was recently contacted by Newton Vineyards with information about their unfiltered Wine and it’s similarity to unfiltered Coffee, or French Press Coffee. I was intrigued. Unfiltered wine? I had honestly never heard of it. But I love and live off of unfiltered Coffee. To me unfiltered Coffee and espresso are the two pinnacles of true coffee taste. With espresso you get only the best stuff pulled out, and condensed into one sensory explosion. With Unfiltered Coffee you get the fullness and richness of the entire coffee, without bits being pulled out or removed.
The science is sound. by filtering Coffee or Wine you are removing bits of aroma, bits of flavor and bits of what make the wine or coffee special. With Coffee and Wine the origin of the product, or the terroir exists in subtle ways. Small indications and flavors that peak around the edges of the beverage, giving it character. By filtering your wines and coffees you are removing some of the finer bits and possibly even dulling the sense of place the wine and coffee has. I like the idea of an unfiltered wine, a naked wine showcasing its origins. Putting the faith in the grapes so to speak and letting them sing.
I want to preface this article by saying I am not a wine reviewer. nor am I a sommelier, so I did the best I could. I simply let the wine do the talking. I took a couple fo pictures and I enjoyed the hell out of this offering. I also Did what any good friend would do and I shared this experience with my friend David Watson, who not only loves coffee but happens to enjoy wine even more than I do. I’ll keep our experiences separate in the telling fo the tale. But we both love this wine. It is an exceptional beverage and very surprising. Read the rest of this entry »
A Japanese ad agency was faced with a client trying to reinvigorate their business after the devastation of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. They sold Nori, the delicate seaweed wrap that surrounds several different varieties of Sushi. The ad agency I&SBBDO decided to produce a simple and elegant layout by cutting patterns into the nori with a lasercutter.
The patterns are symbolic of different ideals. Good fortune, happiness, longevity and so forth. The wonderful food shown after that has a stunning appearance. All I can say is I know what I’m trying to make this summer!
Beyond all the cool factor, how neat is it that an ad agency found a way to make a square piece of seaweed interesting, and beautiful. My hats off to the ad team, and best of luck going forward to the company.
I’m a huge Fan of Aerosmith, from their early stuff to their more recent offerings. I’ve probably seen them in concert more than any other band, and I’ve never been disappointed. Quite simply they know how to rock.
The band has in recent years also started to branch out into other endeavors. From Joe Perry’s Hot Sauces to some Idol madness. But now Joey Kramer the Drummer for my favorite band has decided to launch a line of COFFEE! Ok Seriously… pinch me.
Rockin’ & Roastin’ is here. With Four Distinctly different organically grown coffee’s Ethiopia Dark, Guatemala Dark-Medium, Sumatra Gayo Dark, Ethiopia Decaf… I can’t wait to try this!
Completely ignoring the decaf option, two of my favorite coffee origins are also represented. I love Sumatran Coffee, and Guatemalan is also a top 5. So It looks like i’m going to have some choices to make.
You know there may come a time when my daughter starts digging doll house type things. And I dread having to spend tons of money on tiny furniture. Right now she is into Cars, robots, and monsters anything to play with her big brother. Oh and baby dolls.
I would probably have used these little beauties for G.I.Joe office furniture. They look awesome and tasty. But what you see is what you get a fun little waffle press that makes furniture not waffles. Play with your food kids!
Sadly this awesome creation is a single shot. Made by artists Ryosuke Fukusada and Rui Pereira. This really needs to be a thing. But the cool part is now that the idea is out there, even if the original artists don’t make one you can bet your bippy Barbie might be rocking a tasty armchair ina couple of years. Destro might have a full on Waffle tank, with Baroness riding shotgun, on the Bacon turret. MMMMM breakfast wars. wait… where am I ?
I’m really hoping the artists take this to the next level and start producing them.
So from time to time the whiteboard in my office gets a little empty… Usually when the to do list on the side is not moving. You see the center of the board is workspace, and short order items.
When whitespace appears magical things happen like a coffee sunrise. Feast your eyes upon the glory of the coffee sunrise.
By the by since today is my brithday. There won’t be a show tonight. So sorry old bean but I’ll be making merry and enjoying the company of my family.
I love me some coffee. Just look around the site. It reeks of the stuff. But I also enjoy a truly great dark chocolate. And the Fine folks at Torn Ranch have just such a product they were kind enough to send my way.
Today’s review focuses on the wonderful world of Dark, Decadent Chocolate infused with espresso. These bars were deep, dark and just slightly bitter like Dark Chocolate should be. They had a subtle hint of Coffee flavor to them, just enough to invoke the pairing. Like you had finished a cup of great coffee, and bit into a rich dark chocolate bar.
Smell: These bars were a sensory experience all to themselves. Opening the bar wafted a rich and deep. It smells like a brewed mug of coffee was sitting next to but not overpowering the chocolate.
Taste: Heaven… Quite simply some of the most rich and decadent chocolate i’v had the opportunity to enjoy in a long time. It reminded me more of a dark chocolate truffle than a candy bar. Very rich and delicate flavor. A hint of coffee on the backend, a subtle nudge as the taste starts to leave your pallet.
Aftertaste: A slight bitter aftertaste, as is to be expected with Dark chocolate. If you have a chocolate craving this is a one bar shot. I couldn’t eat a second one if i tried. Incredibly rich and satisfying.
Cost: These confections are priced as luxury sweets. This isn’t a Candy bar, but a taste exploration. And At $2.50 a bar. it would make a very nice gift to the coffee and dark chocolate lover in your life.
My only complaint would be the term espresso. I know its a marketing term but I can’t tell and “espresso flavor from a coffee flavor when paired with something as strong as chocolate. It’s all semantics in the end but an unbelievably tasty treat.
Conclusion:
I would rate this confection an incredibly satisfying 4 out of 5 beans, ranking it up there with some of the most wonderful and tasty tasty teats of the world.
Full Disclosure: I was sent these confections at no cost for the purpose of review. This did not influence my opinion or conclusion in any way.
My only complaint for this entire review is that the coffee showed up pre-ground. I absolutely love whole bean coffee, it gives me a chance to truly taste the coffee in the best possible circumstances. But that wasn’t the case here. While the blend was nice and bright I yearn to think what it would have tasted like freshly ground. Act quick this blend is only available until May 2012.
This coffee is not just a limited edition produced for their anniversary blend it is also a way for the coffee community to give back to the people who helped make the coffee a reality.Drink a Great Cup, Do a Good Thing™ campaign. Purchase Peet’s Anniversary Blend and Peet’s is donating 5% of the proceeds to establish clean water access to communities surrounding Papua New Guinea’s Rainforest Alliance Certified™ Korona Plantation, the source of the main coffee in this blend.
Also as an added bonus the fine people at Peets are also running a contest on their facebook page, giving away two $1,000 prizes in the form of donations to the non profit charity of your choice, in your name. Pretty nift.
Down to Brass Tacks. How does it taste?
This coffee is a bit special because I tasted it two ways and the first was with the spiffy Pour Over kit that Peet’s Sent my way. and the second from a drip brewed machine.
Smell:
Ground this coffee has a bright Smell with minor earthy notes. Small hints of lemon and berries. A definite fresh smell. While brewing and when brewed the smell shifted to favor the lemon and berry notes more than the earthy ones.
Taste:
Overall this coffee is a bright and fresh taste. however there is a bit of a dull muted tone to the coffee, which i can only ascribe to being already ground. not much fixing that. The brewed coffee tasted pretty much the same as the pour over. There is a noted bitterness to this cup with a higher than normal acid content, not in an unpleasant way just a stronger more defined lemon note coming through. Strong Berries and dried fruit as well.
Aftertaste?
There is a bit of a slightly sour aftertaste with the pour over but not nearly as strong in the brewed coffee. The freshness stays with the coffee as does the lemon note. Not too much on the berries after the fact. A crisp and clean cup with no real bad spots.
Conclusion?
Overall I like this coffee as a change of pace coffee. I have been living in the deep earthy coffee’s for a while so having something bright fresh and even a little higher in acid is a great switch. To me much more of a morning coffee than an after dinner or late afternoon blend.
As a complete experiment I tried this as an iced coffee. And I have to tell you. this coffee doesn’t just shine when cold brewed, it is unbelievable. So if you are looking for a great coffee cold brewed I would definitely grab some soon! While I liked it brewed as i would my normal methods the cold brewing really pulled out all the fruit flavors and make the blend Glow!
Rate Me?
As is our custom we rate the coffee as it finishes the test track.
I give this coffee 3.5 Beans out of 5. A respectable showing
Lego, Guinness, Cake, Star Wars… seperate these are things that make like awesome. Together they make the stuff of dreams.
The wonderful Cake artist Jen from Sweet Element is at it again. She put together some of my all time favorite things into one glorius wedding cake, in a rush no less. Based on a concept by Kevin Poulton she was commissioned to create the same sculpture in cake…
Guinness Chocolate Cake, filled and frosted with Guinness buttercream and decorated in fondant. The Lego Stormtroopers are made from modeling chocolate and pure win. Oh man…
I am not particulary fond of beer. I prefer harder beverages. However, I am quite intrigued to try out the 8-Bit Pale Ale. Tallgrass Brewing Company, from Manhattan, Kansas, has created a beer that’s been getting some good reviews. Many who have tried it, have said it has a tropical scent, and that it has a citrus taste to it, with a hint of orange and lemon. Although I am just a little curious to try it, I really want it for the design. The brewers have also made a video specifically for the 8-Bit Pale Ale. Make sure to check it out. And if you have experienced this beer, let us know what you think.
I was just sent a link to this wonderful infographic on how coffee has changed America. Truely a nicely designed piece or work, with a bunch of fun tidbits along the way.
Did you know that the first license to sell coffee was granted to a woman in Boston in 1670? Dorothy Jones, we thank you!
Make sure you check out the other work done by Lumin Consulting.
Not much else needs to be explained here. You die, eventually. And you get buried, forever immortalized in a bacon-esque coffin for the low low price of $2,999.99, by J&D foods.
Here is the thing. if i want to be buried in a bacon coffin, that bad boy better be crispy and edible. I’m talking a real meat sarcophagus. Tutunbaken ect, ect.
This is a fun looking curio. But for the real deal I want a meat mummy cremated… just think of the fantastic smell. You would think a food company would be able to whip up a little Crispy Goodness, this just looks like someone failed Camouflage class in art school.
Bacon Coffin… mmmm bacon in the afterlife. Eternal Bacon
There is a simple solution for Coffee, we already covered that though. What happens when you want to branch out… what are your options. This is only the first draft f the board but I’m still open for comments. the style will change a bit. But come on it’s a bit jittery, just the like the beverage. Thoughts?
We here at the CaffiNation love us some robotic fun. But how cool would it be to throw a little locomotion into your Sodium and Pepper needs? A little NaCl waddling across the table is just good old fashioned fun if you ask me. Only problem is the price, $24.99 for the set is a bit stiff for Salt and pepper shakers, even if they walk.
Couple that with the Robocup, Measuring cup set and I for one welcome our new kitchen overlords. And this handy dandy tool is a mere $7.99… WIN
Have you heard? Scrounging in your seat cushions for change, or loose bills is now a sign of a terrorist, at least according to the FBI. But, hey what do they know? I pay for most things in cash when I can help it. Helps me keep track of where my money is going, gives me a finite sense of how much I have to spend. But apparently it’s also a marker of a terrorist trying to appear normal, because you know it is normal.
Words cant express how insane this comes off as sounding, say nothing of some of the other indicators that the boys in blue have for us. Concerned about online privacy? Get squeamish about people reading your documents? Yup total terrorist. most people if they are at all concerned about secure passwords, or making sure their documents are safe and sound could take these precautions. Sad state of affairs right now. Care to take a look at what makes you a dirty terrorist? Honestly not sure why they are dirty, should be easier to pick out if that was really the case. Here is the full guide via the FBI
While some of the guidelines are a good start, others are just laughable. But that is the link to guides for a full 25! Different industries, from home improvement to tattoo shops, rest assured you are covered… Just leave my coffee alone.
H/t Kim W.
I was recently contacted by Newton Vineyards with information about their unfiltered Wine and it’s similarity to unfiltered Coffee, or French Press Coffee. I was intrigued. Unfiltered wine? I had honestly never heard of it. But I love and live off of unfiltered Coffee. To me unfiltered Coffee and espresso are the two pinnacles of true coffee taste. With espresso you get only the best stuff pulled out, and condensed into one sensory explosion. With Unfiltered Coffee you get the fullness and richness of the entire coffee, without bits being pulled out or removed.
I’m a huge Fan of Aerosmith, from their early stuff to their more recent offerings. I’ve probably seen them in concert more than any other band, and I’ve never been disappointed. Quite simply they know how to rock.
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