Posts Tagged “Starbucks”
If you mention flavored coffee to most coffee lovers, myself included I’m usually not interested., But there was something a bit intriguing about the Starbucks Natural Fusions, their flavors are not chemical in nature, they are actually made by including extracts and spices into the blend as the coffee is ground. I myself have thrown a cinnamon stick or a vanilla bean into coffee to punch it up a little bit, I was curious how the flavors would blend into the coffee if done on a larger scale.
As per usual all coffee’s submitted are run through the same process a nice coarse grind and a 4 minute steep in the trusty french press, this time however my first experience is via drip brew in my office. The French Press came later, and only served to reinforce my experiences. Since its the summer time I also did a cold brewed batch as well. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: CaffiNation Review, flavored coffee, natural, natural fusions, Starbucks, starbucks natrual fusion review, starbucks review
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I came home a little bit ago to find an unsolicited package from Starbucks with 4 new products nestled neatly in packing peanuts and newspaper. This is a review of the Doubleshot Energy+Coffee Light
As per usual all products submitted are run through the same process, and judged against a jury of their peers . In this case we are comparing the Doubleshot to other canned coffees and energy drinks
Smell: Good canned coffee smells good, bad canned coffee can smell better. This product has a good smell, but there is something a bit off about the way it comes across, its not chemicals, nor is it unpleasant but I chalked it up to the added Guarana, Ginseng and other lovelies encased within this massive drink.
Taste: Weighing in at 16 oz this drink is a tall order. The light cream definitely does a better job of letting the coffee flavors comes through unfortunately the energy drink additives, while they do give it a kick, tend to shift the entire drink towards bitter despite the Splenda. I’m not usually the biggest fan of the energy+coffee drinks and this is a good example as to why. I believe coffee is good enough on its own, and the added ginseng, b vitamins and guarana just seem to get in its way. Most of the other flavors seem to peek out in the odd aftertaste, so while you are drinking it it comes across as a bitter coffee drink, which i would normally be fine with, but the aftertaste makes it slightly sour and bitter as well.
Cost: Couldn’t find that information
Conclusion: Overall this drink is too big and has too many extra flavors thrown at the coffee for my taste, I much prefer the smaller portions and simpler flavors in my canned coffee.
Rating 1.5 Beans out of 5 in Canned Coffee
*Full Disclosure: I was sent a lovely care package at no cost by Starbucks for the purpose of review
Tags: energy plus coffee light, energy plus coffee review, Starbucks, Starbucks Energy+coffee, Starbucks energy+coffee light review, Starbucks Energy+coffee review
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I came home a little bit ago to find an unsolicited package from Starbucks with 4 new products nestled neatly in packing peanuts and newspaper. This is a review of the Doubleshot Light
As per usual all products submitted are run through the same process, and judged against a jury of their peers . In this case we are comparing the Doubleshot to other canned coffees
Smell: One of the most fickle things about canned coffee is the smell. Sometimes they smell great others times they smell like a chemical bath. This little shot was the right type of smell. It had a nice coffee smell to it without going overboard. 
Taste: Stacking up against some of the other Canned coffee’s out there the Starbucks light product line is supposed to eliminate the heavy cream taste and calorie load. The espresso did come through the cream taste and the beverage was not overly sweet. I’m pretty sensitive to the chemical sweeteners used in various beverages so i was happy to see Splenda being the choice here. More often than not Splenda fills in well. While it doesn’t have the full round sweetness of sugar, it has no chemical taste to it at all, and is really quiet pleasant to drink.
Cost: Couldn’t find that information
Conclusion: I’m not usually the market for cream filled canned coffee, but I would probably try this again if the situation presented itself. I do from time to time resort to a quick fix for my caffeinated needs, and I have avoided the heavy cream versions of these coffees since i’m not overly fond of them, too rich,m too sweet. But this was neither of those. I’m also quite fond of this portion size overall for these type of beverages, anything else and it gets overdone.
Rating 3 Beans out of 5 in Canned Coffee
*Full Disclosure: I was sent a lovely care package at no cost by Starbucks for the purpose of review
Tags: doubleshot, doubleshot light review, Light, Starbucks, starbucks doubleshot light review, starbucks light
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I have come to the sacred mountains of Juan Valdez seeking the truth and wisdom that has been passed down the generations of coffee gurus. Oh Caffinated One, my quest has been to find the true recipe for a Starbuck’s Mocha Frappuccino and have stumbled upon this ancient text. Is this really that which I seek? And can I make it with a Keurig?
Things You’ll Need:
- 1/2 cup fresh espresso
- 2 1/2 cups 2% low fat milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon of dry pectin
- pinch of cocoa powder
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Step 1
First, you’ll need to start by making the espresso. If you have an espresso machine, use it! If you don’t, you can use a drip coffee maker and your favorite coffee (any standard grind will do). Put 1/3 cup of ground coffee in the coffee maker and about 1 cup of water. Then, brew as usual. Now, using the same coffee grounds, run the coffee through the machine again. This should be just enough to make the 1/2 cup of espresso needed for this recipe.
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Step 2
Now that you have the espresso, gather the following ingredients: fresh espresso, 2% low fat milk, granulated sugar, dry pectin and cocoa powder as specified in the things you’ll need section. Next, combine all of the ingredients in a pitcher or a covered container.
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Step 3
Stir the ingredients until all of the sugar is dissolved. Put it in the refrigerator and chill. This must be served COLD. Recipe makes about 24 ounces. ENJOY!
This Recipe brought to you by the linguistic stylings, and obviously Caffeinated brain of Norbert Davis
Tags: Fauxbucks, Frappuccino, Recipes, Starbucks
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Today’s Show: Bacon, Chocolate, Coffee, Xmen, Hummer, Bamboo, Coulton, Remix Culture, Starbucks, Lego
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Its been an awesome weekend. My personal batteries are well on their way to being recharged. I spent most of the weekend unplugged gardening, fishing and spending time with the family, friends and catching a movie. Its springtime people, load the portable music device up andstep out into the wide world.
There was a ton of nifty things happening online this past weekend. From Swine flu to Bacon stories. Any well heeled geek needs to find a happy medium when consuming mainstream media, so we have all of the back alleys and dark corners covered in this show. We deal with Remix Culture, legos, and design.
Enjoy the show and Stay Caffeinated!
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Geek Cruft:
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Thanks and Stay Caffeinated People!
Tags: bacon, Bamboo, chocolate, Coffee, Coulton, Hummer, Lego, Remix Culture, Starbucks, Xmen
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Today’s Show: Clocks, Microsoft, Apple, Nintendo, Lego, Zombies, Cameras, Robots, Design, Starbucks and Coffee
A day after people either love being around or can’t wait till its over we find topics that bring everyone together. Walking through a who’s who and major brand name dropping we peek into the stories floating around online to see whats really behind the announcements and how they’re trying to separate you from your hard earned cash.
We’re also opening the show up to suggestions for notable charities and causes that fit into the geek culture or coffee Cruft sections. Help us spread your words. I’m also very excited to explain a new series of articles coming out in the next couple of weeks called Tech in Tough Times, we’re going to be focusing on helping you get the most out of your machine and your software. So sit back, enjoy the show and Stay Caffeinated ~!
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Consumable & Caffeinated Bits
Thanks and Stay Caffeinated People
Tags: apple, Caffination, Cameras, Clocks, Coffee, Design, Lego, Microsoft, nintendo, Robots, Starbucks, Zombies
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I don’t often get a chance to give my opinion of a good unique product here. There are times when i come across them and I feel the need to jump on it. Canned Coffee is quite popular in Asia, I am told, but beyond the horrible Starbucks Doubleshots and frappicinos they are few and far between state-side.
One of my Favorite spots to eat on campus, Temple University Main Campus, is the Japanese & Korean Lunch Truck that was featured in this episode of Philly Food Guys. Teppanyaki is some good food let me tell you. I work on a college campus so the lunch truck thing never bothered me. But this truck is special beyond the fantastic food, they also carry Hello Boss Coffee. The can has changed recently but the flavor is the same. Its no where near healthy for you but it is awesome stuff. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: canned coffee, Coffee, coffee boss, Review, Starbucks
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Today’s Show: Lego, Olympics, Sandwiches, Virus, tiny things with big impacts.
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What am I reading? I usually don’t tip my hat, but i have to Slide:ology was sent to me By the fine folks at O’Reilly. Review to come, but listen to hear impressions thus far. in a word Fantastic… there i go tipping my hat again…
Big Change can come in little packages, but for some reason today we have a ton of small things making big impacts in the worlds of Tech and Caffeine Culture. There are stories from a wide array of blogs sources and viewpoints as always I invite you to join the discussion after the fact and comment, lead suggestions or contact me. Thanks for listening!
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Tags: dew, emily, Geoff Manning, knightwise, Lego, Mac, Olympics, pepsi, Starbucks, turtles
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Today’s Show: Starbucks, Olympics, Podcamp, Solar, Anthropology, Ice Cream and Wine
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Today’s show has a fun announcement, a reminder about PodCamp Philly coming up quick and tons of great news and tidbits for your enjoyment. We also find the time to harness the power of the sun, check out some of the latest in geek workout techniques and how to open a bottle of wine with some interesting tools.
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Tags: Anthropology, backlash, hobo, ice cream, Olympics, Podcamp, podcamp philly, Solar, Starbucks, wine
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Today’s Show: Coffee, Starbucks, legos, HARO, Exercise, San Fransisco
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- Our RSS feed had some issues, make sure you have the correct link
- Tumblr for the back channel links has been awesome thus far
- Vacation is looming
This weekend took a lot out of me physically, and i’m feeling the burn literally. But not even the power of the sun could stop me from delivering the best in caffeine cultural news and technical hijinks. Hope you enjoy the slightly feverish and totally burnt caffination 254!
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Tags: boy scouts, caffeine, calories, Coffee, Exercise, HARO, Legos, photography, San Fransisco, Starbucks, tech
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WordPress, the software which runs this site… borked the Episode,
and a few other things. Should be better now

Today’s Show: Google, Starbucks, lego, Netflix, Xbox, weddings, photoshop
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- Intro Music thoughts
Today’s extended show we discuss the best in tech news and caffeinated tid bits explained for everyone. No heavy handed tech just plain old fashion silly news and fun links today. I got some funny reactions to the last show so Apparently i’m either a “riot” or there was going to be one if I really switched over to an all Spanish show
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Tags: bass, Google, iran, Lego, mower, nes, Netflix, nintendo, photoshop, rss, Starbucks, tumblr, weddings, Wii, Xbox
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Today’s Show: Bears, Robots, Music, comics, brolly, caffeine, and Starbucks
The short week is almost over. So now is the time to fill up on news before everyone shuts off their machines and unplugs for the BBQ laden weekend. Which you should. We are Full to the brim of caffeinated content and techy goodness
Back channel tidbits over at my Tumblr Blog Grinds
The Everything Feed: Friendfeed
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Tags: Bears, brolly, caffeine, Coffee, comics, Music, Robots, social networks, Starbucks, Tea
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On Today’s Show: Green, Brown, Hitchhiker’s Guide, Jetpacks, Power, Star Wars, Caffeine
Real News Bytes
Tech Cruft
Caffeine & Food
Music:
Contact Me:
Thanks and Stay Caffeinated People!
Tags: Brown, caffeine, Coffee, doughnuts, Green, Hitchhiker's Guide, Jetpacks, nine inch nails, Power, Star Wars, Starbucks, the slip, urban meat
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I have a very well documented history of critique for Starbucks. From their predatory expansion to their burnt swill and snarky service people. But this won’t be one of those pieces, instead we aim for constructive criticism. Today 12 EDT, and 9PDT Starbucks will be holding a Taste in of their new flavor Pike Place Roast. Meh long lines, half hour of free taste of a new blend. This blend is supposed to be a response to people who say that Starbucks coffee is burnt. It is a lighter roast supposed to be easier on our delicate untrained coffee drinking pallets.
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Tags: Brand Maintenance, Coffee, coffee wars, pike place roast, Starbucks
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Today Tuesday 2/26/2008 Starbucks will be closing their stores from 5:30 PM – 8:30 pm. During that time Dunkin Donuts will be offering small coffee, latte and iced coffee for a measly .99 cents. So that no coffee lover goes without. They even have a new commercial aimed directly at starbucks.
Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, three corporate heavyweights have been engaging in a marketing slug fest for the past year. At times it seems like everyone is against Starbucks, and you’d be right. In business you don’t aim to beat number 2, you aim to topple number 1. And there is no bigger One in coffee than Starbucks. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: brand identity, business, Coffee, coffee wars, dunkin donuts, McDonalds, Starbucks
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