Perkdup

If you're one of those people who thought that The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is only good for "iced drinks," think again.  They also roast really good beans. This week, I've really been digging the "Viennese Blend."  This dark roast coffee is evenly roasted, with a medium body and my favorite chocolate undertones.   Always handcrafted coffees.  And while you won't find one on every corner, CBTL is certainly worth seeking out. Viennese Blend is $14.95 for a one pound bag of beans. Delicious.

Believe it or not, I'm not a huge fan of coffee flavored candies.   Some of them are just too coffee-tasting. I prefer to drink my coffee and not eat it, but once in a  while, you run across something like this   Nestlé Coffee Crisp bar that totally hits it out of the park. If you didn't know, I have an insatiable sweet tooth.  Which rivals only my love for coffee.   I ran across this in World Market (they're imported from Nestlé Canada) and thought, "maybe I'll give it a shot."  (get it, shot of coffee?) Any-hew, it's light and crispy and flaky and the chocolate is superb and the coffee flavor is oh so subtle like a mocha in a bar. The perfect Oscar night snack.

I guess you could call me a "coffee geek."   While most women blush when they open up a box from the jewelry store, the minute I see a new Starbucks collectible gift card, my heart flutters. I know that my "valentine" knows me very well.  He knows how much I enjoy collecting and finding new Starbucks gift cards. So, when he saw this new "White Siren" Special Edition Starbucks card, he didn't hesitate to purchase and load one for me. Whoever said "diamonds are a girl's best friend," clearly wasn't a coffee drinker.

Every month, Philz features one of its roasts for a special price.  And " Ambrosia ("Coffee of the Gods") " is February's coffee of the month. Sweet and fruity like - like an ambrosia salad (pineapple, oranges, cherries, coconut, marshmallows and a few "secret" ingredients).  I might just whip up a batch today. There's almost two weeks left to enjoy Philz Ambrosia at the special price of $14 bucks a pound.   "Get up, Little Susie, Get up!" *"Wake Up Little Susie" is a popular song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and published in 1957.  Best known in a recording by The Everly Brothers.  (from Wikipedia)

Remember I told you a couple of weeks ago how much I was loving the new "Light Roast" Columbia Luminosa from Peet's ? Well, this morning I'm enjoying it in the single serve variety.  This is great for those mornings, when everyone in the house can't seem to agree on which kind of coffee to brew.  It's nice to have "options."

When I went "coffee shopping" yesterday, I wanted something that I hadn't had in a very long time.  And then I spotted this Catahoula Monsoon Malabar Coffee on the counter and knew it was the one. This is a smoky blend (literally left out to be soaked by the monsoon rains to create a low acid coffee) and not my "every day" drink, but I thought it would be the perfect roast to kick off Super Bowl Sunday and get me into gear for hustling up snacks to watch the game. I don't have a dog in this hunt, so may the best team win.  However, I must admit that even though they beat my '49ers, that Blue and Green looks awfully good together.  And, after all, Seattle is a coffee lover's haven. Mugs up!