Perkdup

I often like to have breakfast for dinner.  And it's especially nice to have breakfast for dinner with a hot cup of coffee. Coffee isn't just for mornings, you know. So, I was really excited to hear that Denny's has jumped on the "dark roast bandwagon" and is offering a Dark Roast Blend . I'm not one to compare.  So, I won't say this dark is better than that dark or that blend is better than the other. I will say that it's not bad.  Not bad at all.  It's a decent cup of dark roast coffee. And, isn't it nice to have options? Dark Roast Blend Coffee now available at Denny's . And the folks at Denny's are so darn friendly!  Love having coffee while meeting new "friends."

There will always be a special place in my heart for 7-11 Coffee. Oh, if I could count or even remember the mornings that I drove up to 7-11 for a cup of hot, steaming coffee to help me get through the morning from the night before. But the ole girl ain't what she used to be.  And neither is 7-11's coffee. To be honest, I've always thought that 7-11 offered good coffee (donuts aren't bad either).  It's just that somewhere along the way, I sort of "outgrew" their coffee.  And, of course, all the big guys came along with the fancy coffee drinks and lattes and mochas and well, you know. Now 7-11 has launched their new BRAZILIAN DARK ROAST .  They sent me a jar of beans to sample and I have to say that from first look, I was impressed.  Love the dark, glistening beans and after grinding up the coffee and brewing it up, my house was filled with a luscious aroma that only comes from the best gourmet coffee. Not sure who's behind this new Braz...

Cupid drew back his bow and hit me right on my palette with free cheese from  Coach Farm Cheese  this Valentine's Day. I entered a poetry contest sponsored by Coach Farm and Culture Cheese Magazine and scored big.  Bet you didn't know your girl was a poet, did you? Anyway, not only did I win a "heart" shaped block of delicious goat cheese, the nice folks at Coach Farm threw in a thermal sack and a tee-shirt.  Now that's what I call "Valentine Love." I went to a dinner party last Sunday and brought the appetizer. I topped this creamy goat cheese with fig jam, surrounded it with crisp, buttery crackers and voila!  Instant hit. The Oscars are coming up this weekend and what better way to show your good taste in cheese than with Coach Cheese?   And, for all the latest cheese-related news, it's Culture Cheese Magazine . Show 'em your good taste.

Weaver's "Astral Blend" (TM)  -  Review coming soon!! Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151456532424841&set=a.108618584840.84642.18918509840&type=1&theater  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/FairTradeUSA/status/302550335682134017 Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/109897049004545101028/posts/M2BmvsT43FV Tumblr:  http://fairtradeusa.tumblr.com/post/43177512835/do-you-like-good-coffee-for-a-good-cause-enter  Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/pin/123849058474813841/  Linkedin:  http://www.linkedin.com/company/21355?trk=tyah 

February is Heart Health Month. And "Coffee Lover" is celebrating with a sweepstakes.  Simply email me to get your free "red sleeve," reusable cup sleeve! 2 winners will be randomly selected! Email me Deadline is February 28, 2013

For a coffee company that's only 10 years old, Philz has managed to create quite a buzz.  Born in San Francisco, the news is spreading and Berkeley is enjoying this hand-crafted, independent roaster as well. This was only my second or third visit to the Berkeley shop.  Parking is a little hard to find in this North Berkeley "gourmet ghetto," but the other morning I took a different route to work and pulled right into the perfect spot for the perfect cup. The pour-over method they use takes a little more time and patience than the usual "fill-er-up," so I opted for a half pound bag of beans which I ground up and brewed this morning.  There are also many other "Philz specials," including the Mint Mojito coffee that I'd like to try.  Another review for another day. "Tesoro" i s a medium roast blend with a very smooth flavor.  In fact, this particular roast is so smooth, I think I could actually drink it black.  However, I opted for...

Have you ever been afraid to try something?  Like maybe you've never had escargot or some people don't like sushi.  Castor oil is certainly nobody's favorite.   There are things, foods, etc. that you're just afraid you can't handle.   That's sort of how I felt about the Rob Zombie French Roast Coffee. Last Fall, I reviewed the Peru Organic by Rob Zombie and it was very good.   I was a little timid about drinking it at first, because, well because, the picture on the bag is somewhat intimidating.  But, heck, it was Halloween and I figured I'd go for it. But, I've held onto the French Roast for all this time because, as we all know, French Roast, is that dark roast cousin that doesn't mess around.  It comes hard or it doesn't come at all. However, this week, I knew the work-week would be rough and I wanted something to get me over the "hump."   So, on Wednesday morning, I brewed up a pot of the Rob Zombie French Roast ....

    SPARTANBURG, S.C. –  Spark some romance and warm some hearts with Denny’s this Valentine’s Day as America’s Diner is offering guests a free cup of its new coffee blends on Feb. 14. Earlier this year, the restaurant chain unveiled three new blends – the  Signature Diner Roast ,  Dark Diner Roast  and  Signature Decaf Roast .   With 87 million cups of coffee sold at Denny’s each year, the new coffee program – a result of two years of rigorous consumer testing and product trials – replaces the previous pot brew system with all-new equipment, serving accessories and machines that brew the new blends in each of the restaurant’s 1,680 locations.   “There’s no question that coffee is one of the most important items on a diner menu and our guests expect the best cup of coffee each time they walk through the door,” said John Dillon, vice president of marketing and product development for Denny’s. “When it cam...

After a month of refusing to buy into the Starbucks "reusable tumbler," I finally did it.  Actually, someone bought it for me.  They said, "I can't believe you didn't know about this!"  I replied, that I did, in fact, know about the new program rolled out by Starbucks at the beginning of the year to cut down on waste and promote sustainability.  To be honest, something about it just didn't seem right.  In fact, I wouldn't even pick one up in the store.  But, alas, I had to get with the program, so to speak. I used it for the first time today.  It's neat.  You pay $1 dollar for the reusable grande sized "plastic tumbler."  It is supposed to last for 30 cups of coffee.  You also save ten cents (that's one dime) on each cup of coffee you purchase when using the tumbler. The first thing I noticed is that it feels weird.  Not like a regular commuter cup and not like a paper cup -- nothing I can put my hands on, but it...