how do you take your coffee?

my coffee drinking has evolved over the years. right now i only add sugar in the raw. when i first started drinking coffee, i would either add a flavored creamer to my coffee or i would buy flavored coffee and add half & half and white sugar. (i know it's a sin, i'm sorry.)
my daughter introduced me to sugar in the raw, so when i went to non-flavored coffee, i would add turbinado and creamer.
i finally dropped the creamer but i still use turbinado sugar. i am working on eliminating sugar completely but that will take a little longer. at least i've cut back from heaping spoons of sugar, to level spoons :)

i don't do mornings until i've had my morning coffee

coffee w/ bailey #9

yesterday was such a nice day, i decided to have my morning coffee on the patio, with bailey of course. you can tell it's a nice day because bailey is naked! she's always cold, so she's always dressed. today i brewed el salvador yellow bourbon from klatch roasting (my favorite roaster). it really is quite delicious.

camano coffee mill

i just received my camano coffee mill (pic 1) from red rooster trading company. check out how cute it came packaged in a burlap bag! (pic 2). and of course nosey bailey is always around to investigate (pic 3).
i've heard some really good things about this grinder and the company that makes it. i love that it's made here in the usa; i love that it's a burr grinder; and i love that i can still grind coffee, even if the power goes out. lol.

coffee shop or home brew?

are you a coffee shop kind of person or do you prefer your own home brew? we home brew about 95% of the time. if we had more local independent coffee shops, we would definitely support them but we have seen so many privately owned shops close down in the past few years. even the big boys are feeling the crunch. starbucks closed 1 store and coffee bean closed down 2 stores in our city alone! hopefully when the economy turns around it will bring back the hometown coffee shop. fingers crossed.

give us this day our daily brew

when i saw this sign sitting on the store shelf, it made me smile. i bought it and it now sits on my coffee bar so i can see it every day. and yes, it still makes me smile :)

all gone

i think there is nothing sadder than an empty cup of coffee :(

starbucks to serve beer & wine?

yesterday starbucks announced they are going to offer beer & wine in a few of their so cal locations. i don't drink, but if i did, i don't think i would go to starbucks for my libations. that's what pubs, bars & cocktail lounges are for. starbucks = coffee, as their sign clearly states. maybe they'll come up with a guinness latte. lol.

a french press pour moi

with all the brewing methods out there, the good ol' french press is still a favorite. it can leave a bit of sludge at the bottom of your cup but if you don't drink the last swallow, you'll be ok. this is one brewing method where the phrase "good to the last drop" does not apply.

coffee w/ bailey #8

yesterday's coffee was not only with bailey, but aoife, my grandDOGter, joined us as well. we went to the coffee klatch in san dimas where they were serving ethiopian gedeo worka, one of my favorites!

coffee & donut

i know it's cliché but hubby's favorite pairing with a cup of coffee is a donut.

ein kaffee bitte

translation: one coffee please
since this cup and saucer was made in germany, i thought i'd title this post in german :) i bought it at sur la table a few years back but i wish i had bought a service for four instead of only one. drat!

coffee w/ bailey #7

long beach ca has some of the most unusual bike racks you've ever seen. here is a handy place to park your bike (or dog) as you run into the coffee shop for a quick shot of caffeine. (don't worry, i only tethered bailey for the picture. i would never leave my dog tied outside.)

coffee in lompoc

when we drove up to lompoc, so my daredevil daughter could go SKYDIVING, we found this adorable little coffee shop. i don't know if it was originally a little house or just built to look like one but it sure was cute.

this is my fearless daughter floating back down to earth

JCS

in april of 2010 i went to see jesus christ superstar, starring ted neeley, at the fox performing arts center in riverside. (i have been a fan of that show since the movie was released in 1973.) this is the coffee mug i bought that night. i'm almost afraid to use it for fear that i might drop and break it. now that i'm thinking about it, maybe i should have bought a back up mug, just in case.

a frog & a frap

when i was thinking of how to photograph my frappuccino, i was carrying it all around my house trying to find the right spot. when i got to my courtyard, i saw my ceramic frog and i knew this is where i should shoot it. i think a frog and a frap are a pretty good pairing, don't you?

we are happy to serve you

this mug was first introduced in 1963 as a disposable paper cup and is the undisputed symbol of new york coffee drinkers. they are now being produced in ceramic to last virtually forever, unless you drop and break it. i purchased it at my favorite online shop, perpetual kid.

who spilled the beans?

everyone is familiar with the phrase about spilling the beans. i thought i would take it literally and this is what i came up with. i took this photo with my iPhone, then used an instagram filter to soften the colors. i think it came out pretty good.

aloha

yesterday i had my 100% kona coffee from wailele estates in my hawaiian starbucks mug my daughter brought me from her recent trip to hawaii. i've had kona coffees from other roasters but i must say this one is my favorite. if you're into konas, i would recommend this one.

herr kaffee

i first saw this german smoker while browsing the web. when i saw him, i knew i just had to have him. the search was on. i finally found him at webshop erzgebirge, a german web site. i ordered him hoping he wouldn't get lost or damaged in his long journey around the world. he arrived safe and sound and now proudly sits in my kitchen display cabinet. isn't he adorable?

coffee w/ (sleepy) bailey #6

on these cold days, i like to warm up with a hot cup of coffee and bailey likes to snuggle in her comfy sleepytime cuddle blanket. it's a win win.

hario v60

i bought myself the hario v60 dripper the other day and have been enjoying it ever since. i liked this one because it is glass instead of ceramic. also i picked the brown trim because it seemed the most coffee-like color, plus it matches my kitchen. they also had pink (which i wasn't about to pick), green (not really my color) & black (this would have been my 2nd choice). brown wins!

coffee nutzz

we had a mini getaway this past weekend and stayed at the wigwam motel on route 66. while driving around, we came across coffee nutzz of rialto. it was an interesting business as half the store was coffee nutzz and the other half was cones creamery, an ice cream shop!

wigwam motel on route 66

coffee w/ bailey #5

even though back to the grind has been around since 1996, we only found it about a year ago (when we lost the coffee depot). it's a really cool old building with a two story brick wall behind the counter, tin tiles on the ceiling and hardwood floors. gotta love the character of an old building.

$1.00 latte

a few days ago the coffee bean was having another of their open houses with $1.00 lattes. hubby & i went, of course, and had their caramel lattes. what a treat & what a savings! thanks cbtl.

coffee w/ bailey #4

yesterday we decided to have our coffee at tully's.  unfortunately the closest location is 1/2 hour away, in fullerton.  good thing bailey loves to ride in the car!

aoife (my daughter's dog) & bailey
trying to make their way into the shop.

coffee depot

my favorite coffee shop, the coffee depot in riverside ca, closed about a year ago and i still miss it.  it was housed in the old union pacific train depot, circa 1904, and had such character and history.

preparing for a single cup pour over

a great cup of coffee starts with freshly ground, high quality coffee beans.

vintage coffee canister

just like the one my grandfather used to have. i was so lucky to find it at an antique shop in temecula; it brings back so many memories.

1st brew of 2012

our first brew of the new year was a chemex pot of ethiopian gedeo worka.  it is a very fruity cup of deliciousness.  it was such a beautiful day here in so cal, we got to enjoy it outdoors!

happy 2012

this coffee stain represents me & my coffee drinking hubby.  we have shared many a cuppa coffee together over the years and we are looking forward to the new year as another caffeinated experience.  brew on!

happy new year!