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Of course, they roast the coffee over oakwood in Texas.  It's Texas and it's coffee. And, Santa did not disappoint me this year. Dropped me off a bag of limited edition "Good Tidings to All" from Summer Moon Coffee . Christmas can be year 'round, if you choose your coffee wisely.

  I've been spending so much time worrying about the pandemic and its impact, that I haven't taken nearly enough time to sit and reflect on all the things that I have to be appreciate. Of course, I'm grateful for my health and praying for continued good health for myself, my family and my friends.  But, how much time have I spent actually sitting in silence and shutting out the noise and just thanking God for my blessings. I don't mean to be preachy, but I really have to ask myself, "What are you doing to make things better?" When I went to Philz to pick up my mobile order, the app asked me before I placed my order, if I'd like to try the new "Gratitude" blend. How appropriate.  Gratitude . Try Gratitude .  It's a great new coffee from Philz and an even better concept to life. ( Limited holiday offering )

The year was 1978.  Long before the "Third Wave" of coffee, Carlo Di Ruocco immigrated to San Francisco and founded Mr. Espresso .   His mission:  introducing authentic wood-fire coffee roasting to the United States. Sometimes in our quest for the next new thing, we forget there was already a model in place and it was a great model. Cheers to Mr. Espresso.  You've never disappointed me. If you're not familiar with this classic, here's the LINK ! Mr. Espresso 696 3rd Street Oakland, CA. 94607 510-287-5200

  Say what you must about 2020, it produced a great lot of Starbucks Casi Cielo *. I used to always count on this coffee arriving around Valentine's Day.  I would think of it as a gift from Cupid. However, the last several years, it's popped up randomly and unexpected. Never unwelcome. I was thrilled to find this in my neighborhood Starbucks this past week.  The package design is beautiful.  Heck, I'd buy it for the bag along.  The coffee is gorgeous. Lemony-cocoa notes.  Make sure you stock up before it's gone.  This limited offering is sure to be a sell-out. It's the simple things that will get us through. * Casi Cielo means "almost heaven."   'Nuff said.

When I hear about a "new coffee" in town (or out of town), I get really excited. Which is what happened when my sister-in-law in Texas texted me about Summer Moon Coffee .   I immediately did my "research" and ordered two bags.  One Inferno Roast  and one Blue Blazes . I'm hooked. If you want to take your coffee game to the next level, wake up and don't "sleep" on this one. Online ordering available.

Most of us have never lived through a pandemic and there are many things that we've had to change.  We are all wearing masks and social distancing and a lot of us are working from home. For coffee lovers, it's been a major shift from hours in the coffee shop to only being allowed to get our java to go and no socializing at the window (or at least you must do it from six feet in your mask). I'm allowing myself a larger "at home" coffee budget.  Since, I'm not going down to the coffee bar at the bottom of my building at least twice a day, I figure I might as well explore more of the good stuff at home.   I'm also making a concerted effort to shop small and support local roasters.  If there's ever a time the little coffee roasters could use some love, it's now. The other thing that I'm allowing myself, which has been a private secret until now, is that I'm not holding back on the cream.   There, I said it.   It started out as an accident with

I'm up to my third cup of  Old Katy Coffee  today.  Please don't tell anyone.  Especially those people I may have told that I'm cutting back on caffeine. It's sort of hard to do when the days all tend to blend together.  And since I'm not leaving the house, might as well enjoy good coffee while I'm here. Old Katy is one of my very favorite micro-roasters and mainly because they are truly "micro roasters." Each bag looks and tastes like it was made especially for me. There's a lot to be said about taking your time and doing things in small quantity. I've never had a bad bag of beans.  And for that, I'm grateful. Order online at  oldkatycoffee.com ' Subscription service available.

If there's a flip side to Sheltering-in-Place, it's having time to browse the internet for different coffees. Coffee-of-the-Day is "Corsica" from La Colombe . Going to be honest with you, when I saw the beans in the blue box, I was, shall I say, "underwhelmed."  I'd heard good things about the brand, but the packaging just didn't pull me in. It looked like grocery store coffee (no shade). Glad I wasn't so shallow.  It's chocolate and spice and everything coffee-nice. And the shipping was free.  Don't quote me on that.  Maybe that was a first time buyer's offer.  At any rate, it's worth a try.  Even if you have to pay for shipping. 13.00 bucks for a 12 ounce bag of beans.

The great thing about living virtually while sheltering-in-place means that I can travel to places I've never been before. Today, I'm in Brazil (kinda).  Enjoying a nice sunny morning in my chair, eyes closed, and pretending that I'm on vacation. The best part about it is I didn't even have to leave home.  I simply ordered online from Fonté and voila! You could be here too.   Medium bodied, spicy and chocolate.  Not me, the coffee!!!  (Well, maybe me) Fonté Brasil - $16.50 USD for a 12 ounce bag of beans

I'm making a conscious effort while SIP (Sheltering-In-Place) to support local roasters. Red Bay Coffee Roasters is Oakland is not only locally owned, roasted and operated, they are giving back to the community they serve. I recently tried one of their unique offerings - East 14th Blend.  It was so good that I ordered a second bag and shipped it to a friend in Houston. If you're from the Bay, you'll recall that before it was called "International Boulevard" in Oakland, it was  called East 14th Street.   I have many fond memories of the bustling businesses and the vibe of what was once East 14th.  Grateful to see it now enjoying a resurgence as "International Boulevard." Shop Locally. Red Bay Coffee Roasters  - Delivered Straight to Your Door Also, available at the retailers listed, HERE Follow them on Instagram and Twitter

When your team is in the SuperBowl, the best way to cheer them on is with a mug in hand.  Starting the day with a fresh pot of 49er Blend from Henry's House of Coffee in San Francisco. Coffee from Costa Rica blended with the richest Sumatra.  Henry's has been roasting and serving amazing coffee for 50 years and it takes football for me to find out. Roasted upon order.  This is what coffee should taste like. Sofa ready.  Coffee hot.  Let's go 49ers!!

Can't believe that we're more than halfway through the first month of 2020.  Time flies. That's why you have to slow down.  And the best way to recharge is a superb cup of coffee. For a limited time, Starbucks is featuring Jamaica Blue Mountain in the Reserve stores.   It's at the high end of coffee price points at 35 bucks per bag but can you really put a price on your coffee happiness? At least that's what I am telling myself. Sometimes you just have to go for it. It's the little things that help you get over the larger hurdles.