Random 5 for March 12, 2023 – Coffee, flavors, more flavors, deer, spring

Gallery

Posted on by

Courtesy of bestkcupcoffee

Coffee synergy – During the holiday sales I bought a new coffee maker. It takes a different kind of pod which I buy directly from the company. They send me emails describing various offerings. In my book coffee is coffee. There is stronger and weaker, caffeinated and decaf and there are some versions I don’t like. These emails talk about the notes and smooth texture (coffee has texture?); the sweet harmony with milk, nutty and exotic fruit notes with a cereal finish. I could go on. My descriptions include strong, weak, like dishwater, curls your hair and stale. Maybe I need to read up on coffee. What is a cereal finish anyway? I could be a coffee snob if only I could drink the caffeine version. Very limited choice in decaf.

Still determined – I also found a great chocolate sauce to make mocha lattes. It is so good I’m on my second bottle. It has notes of cocoa beans with a dab of vanilla. Super frothed milk smoothes the finish. (How is that for marketing?)

Not everything works – I also bought hazelnut syrup. That one is a definite meh. It may work better in hot chocolate. The toasted marshmallow will be an interesting choice when I try to duplicate s’mores in a coffee cup which is one of my favorite Starbucks seasonal drinks. Stay tuned.

Not about coffee – This morning I saw a deer couple. So cute. He had a small rack and was so polite. He led the way across the road to make sure it was safe for his sweetie. Usually, you see this in the active fall mating season but it was nice to see now.

Spring? – Our local garden show is this weekend. It’s a great way to get excited about the planting season. I have to remember that I don’t have the space nor the energy to go hog wild!

So how was your week?

Gotta love Dave Barry

67 thoughts on “Random 5 for March 12, 2023 – Coffee, flavors, more flavors, deer, spring”

  1. Love that Dave Barry quote! He is hilarious 🙂
    Glad you are having fun and experimenting with your new coffee maker! I’m kind of with you on the subtleties of coffee flavors. My descriptors are battery acid, dishwater, and pretty good.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  6. I don’t even like coffee and you’ve got me craving that mocha latte. I don’t like mocha lattes or anything with a hint of coffee in it, not even chocolate. I know that’s hard for a coffee lover to understand, but I just never acquired a taste. However, I have had the s’more latte at Starbucks twice. I tolerated the coffee for the s’more flavor. (I drink tea).

    I don’t remember how I came across this, but one day I found myself on a website that brews raw chocolate. Well, it’s not exactly chocolate, but cacao, which is close enough. I’ve been debating buying this stuff. It’s basically unsweetened dark chocolate, which is bitter, but so is coffee. And like coffee, you can add sugar and cream or whatever flavoring you like. I may just ask for this for my next birthday (which isn’t till the fall, so I may have to find another excuse to get it).
    https://criobru.com/pages/crio-bru-brewed-cacao

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  7. We used to have Caribou coffee shops around here. They were in competition with Star$ and lost. Anyhow they had the best toasted marshmallow flavoring for their lattes. I miss that flavor and look forward to your review of that flavor. As for describing coffee as “curls your hair” I’d buy it. That’s a description that makes sense.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  12. You elevate coffee discussion beyond the typical, Kate, and I so enjoy your enthusiasm. By the time I add in creamer to my coffee my husband comments (all the time) that I don’t drink coffee, I drink a coffee beverage. We enjoy what we enjoy! 🙂 Someone needs to tap you as a Starbucks influencer!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • I do love my SB. My local place is super friendly so it’s a joy to pop in. There is a segment of the morning clientele that are regulars so we sort of know each other. Our SB was closed one day and I bumped into another regular at another SB and we had a long conversation about how much better our “regular” SB store is. Small, friendly and very accommodating.

      Like

      Reply ↓

  13. Hi, Kate – I was recently gifted a new coffee maker likes yours. It generously came with a mixture of different coffee pods and a menu describing them. I purposely mixed the pods into a large container, hid the menu in a drawer, and simply take a ‘lucky coffee dip’ each morning. It’s been a fun and interesting experience! ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • If that’s the worst that happens, I’ll survive. At 3 a.m. this morning Gus was yelling his fool head off. I checked and he was “killing” the pink catnip toy you made for him. He was so loud, I had to take it away! Big hit.

      Like

      Reply ↓

  15. This coffee snobbery sounds a lot like wine snobbery. I never could tell whether the wine taste like oak or buttery, whether it is complex or crisp. Even when I find a wine or a coffee I like, I find that I get tired of it and want something different. The chocolate sauce sounds great. There’s something especially lovable about a deer. A sweet deer couple is even better.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  17. I don’t drink coffee every day but when I do I like flavored coffees especially mocha lattes. Decaf is fine. I even drink decaf Coke these days, not my favorite but at least I can sleep.
    Nice you get see some wild life. When I first moved here there was a lot of small critters and big birds but the small town has become an urban city and sadly much of nature has been run out of town.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  20. I actually asked my doctor if I could have JUST ONE caffeinated coffee in the morning after he’d said he’d prefer no caffeine because of my faulty heart valve. He said one wouldn’t hurt me “BUT JUST ONE!” – I’ve stuck with it although it was tough. I can drink decaf and DO drink it if we’re out to dinner to have with dessert…but it really doesn’t taste much like coffee…..ick. How cute you saw a young deer couple crossing the road – I love that and I also love the small groups of Moms with their group of babies doing the same thing. Deer are just so darn graceful.

    Hugs, Pam

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • At this point (after 30 years of decaf), I get the shakes if I drink caffeine. If I drink soda, I try to do decaf too but it’s harder when you’re out. I can’t drink coffee at all in the evening. This is why I need my young body back. I miss the small things in life!

      Like

      Reply ↓

  21. I have coffee first thing out of bed and early afternoon. I was down to half caff and liked it, but lately it’s been all decaf. I guess since I gave up fully leaded caffeine in coffee most of the time and don’t drink caffeinated cold beverages, I get along fine with the decaf. I would have never believed it, but it’s okay especially compared with a real problem. Good coffee is one of my favorite subjects. Happy Sunday!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  22. I think I have the same coffee system as you, and I agree: the pickings for decaf pods are mighty slim. I always keep a few sleeves of decaf around for any guests that don’t need/want to be electrified. Adding flavoured syrups to the coffee bar is a great idea. I must look for some that come in smaller volumes than the ones I see at the coffee shops.

    Deb

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  23. I strongly vote against decaf. On its own, I can taste the difference easily. Beyond that, I’m not a coffee snob, buy the least expensive plain old coffee pods available, and add my splashes of 2% milk and vanilla caramel creamer. Heck, half ‘n half in a restaurant is like a luxury! Oh… and yes, I do carry a vial of the powdered vanilla caramel creamer in my purse – not as good as the liquid but better than none at all.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  24. If I couldn’t have my one cup of fully caffeinated coffee in the morning I’d lose my mind. Need that one jolt to get my day going. You’re right about the limited variety in decaf.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

Don't be shy, I'd love to hear what you're thinking!