Perkdup

It's September 29th, and you know what that means.   It's " National Coffee Day ." Many places are giving away free cups of coffee today in honor of the holiday, but I'm celebrating at home with a steaming cup of Starbuck's new Ethiopia .   By the way, Starbucks is giving out free "samples" of its Ethiopia blend today. Ethiopia is billed as a "medium roast," but honestly, I think it's more of a dark roast, which is just fine by me! Dark chocolate with a hint of citrus.   Great start to a wonderful Sunday and a holiday that I celebrate year 'round! So, "Happy National Coffee Day!" Sidenote - I love all of the new Starbucks packaging.

The question came to me this morning as I was walking to work and stopped to admire the different chalkboard art at the numerous coffee shops on my route - is chalkboard art an effective marketing tool?  I would tend to say, "Yes!" Sometimes we're so used to living in great coffee cities, where we have a choice of wonderful coffee shops from which to pick, that we forget all the effort that goes into making sure you're not only getting good coffee, but that you're having a good time while you're there. This simply stated board caught my eye at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on Montgomery Street in San Francisco. And even more delightful, was the smile that my appreciation of the art brought to the barista/artist. So, remember - appreciate your chalkboard artists.  They work hard for your viewing pleasure. By the way, CBTL also brews wonderful coffee (and tea).

"Blue Moon Now I'm no longer alone Without a dream in my heart Without a love of my own"* When was the last time you had a cup of coffee so good, it made you break out in a song? That's exactly what happened to me from the moment, I opened the bag and saw the dark roasted beans, glistening inside and took a whiff of the deep, rich aroma, I knew I was in love  with Organic Bali "Blue Moon" from CoffeeAM(TM). One sip was all it took. This just moved into the category of "Dot's All-Time Favorites" "This shade-grown, wet-processed Bali Blue Moon Coffee comes from the Kintamani Highlands region. After a devastating volcanic eruption in 1963 destroyed the surrounding coffee crops, the Indonesian government provided small farmers with new seedlings to replant in their fields. With a smooth body, strong chocolatey tones, and hints of syrup and vanilla, we're all glad that they were able to restore this unique coffee! Since Bali ...

I love that you can sample all these different micro roasters with the click of a mouse. Thanks to online coffee suppliers, like eKoffee.com , you can enjoy the best coffee from all over without leaving home. Just this morning, I enjoyed a wonderful cup of medium roast " Farmhouse Blend " from Red Rooster Coffee Roasters .   I had never even heard of Red Rooster Coffee Roasters , until eKoffee.com tweeted about it.  Don't you just love twitter? And the coffee was roasted to order!  How cool is that? I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm starting to really dig the medium roasts these days. Anyway, whatever your preference, eKoffee.com has it. A perfect morning breakfast blend.

I've always felt that Green Mountain Coffee is highly undervalued in certain parts of the country. And I'm here to show some "West Coast Love." I think that Green Mountain sources, selects and roasts some of the best coffee in the world.  I sincerely believe that.  I'm not saying that every blend is my favorite.  But, I can honestly say that the new " Three Continent Blend ," fair trade, medium roast coffee brings a trio of flavors (Sumatra, South America and Ethiopia) together that work well together to bring you a good cup for a good cause. And the good things that Green Mountain is doing doesn't start or stop with the cup.  I would encourage you to browse the website:   www.greenmountaincoffee.com It's more than coffee - it's an education. I will step down from my soapbox now.   Here's to good coffee! (Available bagged and in K-Cups(R)) (Green Mountain provided me with samples of the new "Three Contin...

Peet's Panama Rainforest Preserve Not sure that I would have made it  this week, had it not been for the rich taste of Peet's Panama Rainforest Preserve which got me going the last two mornings. I was feeling SO sluggish on Tuesday night, and on my way home, I passed Peet's and thought, "this could be the ticket." It was. I'm not kidding when I say that this morning, just knowing I had this great coffee in the house, made me get out of bed, on the second snooze, instead of the fourth. Deep, rich, delicious, dark - "de-ticket." I got one of the last two bags the barista had in stock.  It's a limited offering. So, move your feet and get to Peet's - as soon as they open - or don't blame me when you miss out!

I love talking about things that go great with coffee.  Almost as much as I love talking about coffee - but, not quite. Today, it gives me great pleasure to talk about my new hobby.  Cupcake decorating! I took a class wit my daughter over the weekend to learn about decorating cupcakes using the Wilton Method . But this is just the beginning.  Can't wait to "take it up a notch" by creating my own frosting and going outside the box with my cupcake creations. Not bad for a beginner, eh? I'm also testing out new cake batter recipes because it's still what's inside that counts - although the outside can really catch your attention.

Bonjour! Today's K-Cup-of-the-day is the French Roast from Diedrich Coffee . Dark roast - but not bitter.   See the entire selection of single-serve Keurig cups at   Cross Country Cafe . ( Cross Country Cafe provided me with a free sample of the Diedrich French Roast for the purposes of preparing this review)

You may not have noticed, but Eight O'Clock Coffee (which I used to refer to as Eight O'Clock Bean Coffee) has experienced a new attitude. There's new packaging and now there is even an Eight O'Clock K-Cup(R). I enjoy and delight in experiencing artisan roasted coffee and I can ride the "third wave" as good as the next person, but sometimes I just want to remember the way things used to be. So, the Eight O'Clock K-Cup  is the perfect way to enjoy a coffee that's always had a special place in my heart - but with a new twist. All these new single-serve coffees are making me lazy. But, don't worry, I'm an equal opportunity coffee-lover. Here's to the weekend!

www.communitycoffee.com

I'm taking this weekend extra easy.   A three-day weekend, with no definite plans, is the perfect time to sit back with a cup of Tully's House Blend from the "K-Cup."(TM)  This is just one of many varieties of K-Cups available at Cross Country Cafe . This medium-roast coffee is perfect for that end-of-summer-almost Fall frame of mind that I'm in today. "Easy Like Sunday Morning." "Easy" is a 1977 hit single by  Commodores  for the  Motown  label, from their fifth studio album,  Commodores . Written by Commodores lead singer  Lionel Richie .