Perkdup

Still enjoying my Christmas loot. Top of the pile, two pounds of Peter James Coffee. Who knew Peter James had been in San Leandro, California roasting coffee since 1980?  Not me. But luckily for me, Santa knew.  And he told his elves.  And one of Santa's nicest elves, the one who really knows good coffee, surprised me with a bag of Kenya AA and a bag of French Reserve. Who says the holiday has to end? As long as there's good coffee and good company, I say we take it into the New Year (at least). Peter James Coffee Limited 1964 Republic Avenue San Leandro, California  94577 Tel: +1–800–545–0551  

Couldn't take any chances on Santa getting my order confused.  If there's any day I look forward to a great cup of coffee, if it, of course, Christmas! So, this year I ordered ahead.  I filled my own stocking with a pound of the Fonté Coffee's Holiday Blend . I was afraid I'd waited to late to order, but not only did they still have it in stock, it arrived on Christmas Eve. Obviously, I was on the "nice" list this year. Here's to a Merry Christmas and hot cup of coffee cheer!

The good thing about cold weather is that a cup of hot coffee always sounds good. The other day, I "blew" into Peet's Coffee to get out of elements.   I walked to the counter and said, "I came in here to get a break from the cold, but since I'm here, how about a bag of beans to take home."   The shop didn't have any "Garuda" in stock.  Then I noticed a bin with the words "Cafe Solano." Now, I know about Solano Avenue and the Peet's Cafe there.  In fact, Solano is one of my favorite haunts.   Not sure how this "medium-roast" got past me, but you can't keep a secret from a coffee lover for long. We're bound to discover it. I'm enjoying a cup this morning and boy is it good.  It's a lot less powerful than most of the blends Peet's offer and that's all good.   Café Solano medium roast coffee is named after our beloved café established in 1990 on Solano Avenue in Berkeley, Californ

Many, many years ago a friend sent me a print from an art fair in Louisiana.  The painting embodied my favorite things:  coffee and news.  I still read several newspapers a day (in addition to scouring more online) and I always start my morning with a cup of coffee.  Preferably strong coffee. When my friend sent me the print, if I didn't know before, I knew then that she a) knew me well; and b) she was someone who would always be in my life and in my heart. That was before the internet and the ability to "track things down" without traveling across the country to the library, etc. Anyway, fast forward to last week when I was "reconnected" with the print and artist behind it. About the Artist : Susan Nugent Clark is an art teacher and has been for many years, in the public school  system and private schools too.  She also teaches private art lessons. She has lived in  Louisiana  for all of her life and loves it!  She is an actress in the local l

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Two leaves tea company™ wins first place for Jasmine Petal tea sachet at 2012 North American Tea Championship's Packaged Single Service Class competition BASALT, Colo. (Dec. 10, 2012) — Two leaves tea company ™ continues its tradition of producing award-winning tea, recently being awarded first place for its Jasmine Petal tea at the North American Tea Championship in the Jasmine Scented Green Tea category of the 2012 Packaged Single-Service Class . “ Jasmine Petal has always been one of our best selling teas, and so this award confirms what fans of two leaves tea™ have always known,” says two leaves CEO and Founder Richard Rosenfeld. Two leaves’™ Jasmine Petal whole leaf green tea is hill-grown in China. The tea leaves are then dried with jasmine flower petals to absorb their scent and flavor. Jasmine tea that qualifies for this competition must be scented without added flavorings, herbs or other agents. “The quality of the teas sho

There’s one thing I don’t talk about much here.  It’s my affection for Yuban coffee.  It’s not that I’m embarrassed that I like it.  It’s just that I feel that no one is really interested.  These days it’s all about the gourmet, the micro-roast, the new coffee on the scene, the new machine, the new method, the new grinder, the new container.  But, it’s really what’s on the inside that counts.    I lost a dear friend six years ago.  When she was in the last few months of life, one of the few pleasures she was still able to enjoy was a cup of coffee.  She liked strong coffee.  And she usually drank one of the bold blends from a California company that starts with a  “P.”  While having coffee one day, I asked her if she liked any other brand of coffee.  She told me that years before she used to drink Yuban.  Then we chatted for a bit about how good Yuban coffee tastes.  She said she hadn’t seen any in years in the market. So, the next time I went to vi

I think Starbucks Christmas Blend Coffee gets better with age. The 2012 batch is especially delicious. I have enjoyed a couple of cups in the store, but I picked up a pound of beans and it tastes even better brewed in my Capresso . In fact, I would say the look and taste of Starbucks Christmas Blend 2012 epitomizes the spirit of Christmas - glistening beans, and spicy tones and bold flavor for cold December mornings. I'm actually smiling as I write this.  This is only the second holiday blend I've reviewed this year, which means that I need to put a move on it.  So many more to try.  I'm really happy I didn't sleep Starbucks this year. The holidays won't be around forever and neither will the 2012 Christmas Blend , so pick up a pound or two today - heck pick up a few for the coffee drinkers on your holiday list.  If they love good coffee, they'll really love this! Joy to the mug!

Recently, I was contacted Tamara Goldschmidt of Terra Bean Coffee .  She wanted to let me know about her company and its mission. According to Goldschmidt, "Terra Bean Coffee was formed to bring the global coffee community closer together and enable local coffee businesses to support each other on a global scale by creating mutually beneficial, sustainable business relationships.  TBC aims to spread the "seed to cup" philosophy amongst consumers, raising awareness about the origins of coffee and the farmers who produce the world's most popular beverage through our delivery coffee subscription. We partner with roasters who directly source their coffee and feature a different roaster and farmer each month.  Simultaneously, TBC is developing a platform to facilitate direct relationships between coffee roasters and coffee farmers to help other coffee roasters put that philosophy into practice." I received the bag of La Colmena beans in the mail

Made an unscheduled stop at Crema Coffee in San Jose this past week. I was in San Jose, not even thinking about coffee, okay, I'm always thinking about coffee.  However, I wasn't thinking I would find a new roaster in San Jose. You could say I stumbled upon this place.  My daughter had told me that there was a cute little coffee shop in San Jose that I needed to check out.  She was right.  It's cute and I'm so glad I checked it out. Friendly service, great atmosphere, good coffee!  I purchased a half pound of Sumatra (I wanted a dark roast) and am enjoying a cup right now.  I also had a cup of coffee there which was also good.  I forgot to ask which brew they were pouring. The shop itself looks like it may have been converted from a house at one point in time.  Lovely Spanish style.  Plenty of comfortable seats, nice pastries and juices.  They serve tea, of course, as well as coffee and they roast on the premises! It's close to the university so t