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Holiday Gift Guide 2013: “Expresso” Makers

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I know “expresso” is one of those mistakes you commonly hear people say instead of espresso. But as a gift this year, why not give an express way of making espresso? There’s the popular and moderately priced Nespresso U. From what I’ve learned, the U and the Aeroccino frother is a killer combo.

If you want to give a coffee addict an even fresher experience, you must look into the Bonaverde Roast-Grind-Brew coffee machine. This Kickstarter project will turn fresh green coffee beans into a fresh cup of coffee. Yes, it roasts the beans then grinds them to brew a cup. While backing this project is done, keep an eye out on the Bonaverde web site to pre-order the machine.

For Coffee Drinkers, It’s All Good

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According to this coffee-focused comic by DOGHOUSEDIARIES, you can’t go wrong if you’re a coffee drinker.

Featured on Mashable
Featured on Mashable

Me, I’m a varied coffee drinker. Mochas are my “safe” drink when trying out new places. You can’t really mess up a mocha, and if you do, I’m not coming back. Americano in the moring, and iced coffee or iced macchiato in the afternoon. It’s all good!

A Sacrifice Was Needed

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With a renovated Starbucks and a brand new Starbucks in Kaneohe, you know something had to give to sustain the balance within the coffee universe. Unfortunately, this was the sacrifice necessitated.

Mocha Java Windward Mall Closed
Mocha Java Windward Mall Closed

Mocha Java Cafe in Windward Mall is now closed. I’m not sure when they closed, having bought a drink in August. I’m guessing the temptation of the SBUX siren came with a cost of not having competition a few scant yards away. So sadly, Mocha Java’s Windward run is over lasting nearly two years. They opened shop during a coffee drought in the mall and right before the holidays so shopping excursions were always caffeinated. I sincerely thank Mocha Java for chancing expansion outside of Ward.

Clueless About Coffee Cup Couture

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Obviously, I am clueless about what’s fashionable for coffee cup designs. This morning, Starbucks announced their limited edition Swarovski mug to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL). My reaction at seeing this bedazzled mug – “meh.” Crystal-studded and holding 12 ounces of coffee doesn’t equate to $150 in my book.

Starbucks Swarovski Mug
Starbucks Swarovski Mug

But yet, after a few scant hours, all 600 of these Swarovski keepsakes were purchased. Coincidentally, eBay has them with bids ranging from $300 to $700. Besides resale value, I don’t see the appeal. The crystals are sorta cool, but I can’t imaging holding the cup with the crystals biting into your hand. The ombre hue is nice but alone not worth the $150-price tag.

And that green crystal circle. I’m guessing it’s supposed to represent the Starbucks mermaid logo, but it’s so abstract, I wouldn’t recognize it unless you told me this was a mug from Starbucks. I’d rather order $150 worth of PSL to drink, but that’s my cup couture-less opinion.

Coffee While Cruising (Part 3)

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Setting the stage for Part 3 of Coffee While Cruising is easy – chilly Alaskan weather, event-filled days, and the lax diet of vacation. Perfect conditions for an absolute coffee fest!

On the Disney Wonder

Did I mention that brewed coffee onboard the Disney Wonder is free and always available. Let’s repeat that, free and always available. Whoa.

Cove Cafe that connects to Cove Outlook
Cove Cafe & Outlook Cafe
But now, let me inject a moment of sobriety. The free coffee ain’t that good. As imagined, it’s an instant mix pumped out of an industrial-sized coffee urn. The coffee is hot and caffeinated, but the taste is blah. Luckily, the hot cocoa maker is right next to the coffee, so it’s easy to make your own “Sweet Wonder Mocha.” Luckily, there are other coffee options onboard, but there’s a premium involved. Every dining facility serves espresso-based drinks for an additional fee (but this fee is included with the cost of dining at Palo). Then there is the Cove Cafe.

This espresso bar is happening. From the outside, it appears deceptively simple. Step inside and let the luxury enfold you.

Inside Cove Cafe
Inside Cove Cafe

The baristas can make all kinds of drinks, but again, for a price. Be prepared to wait since some days are slammed with caffeine addicts. There’s plush outdoor seating or you can go upstairs to the posh Outlook Cafe. I opted for outside whale watching while drinking my mocha.

Enjoying a mocha on a cool day at sea
Enjoying a mocha on a cool day at sea

Skagway

So staying caffeinated at sea is easy to do, but what about in Alaska. Now that’s a different story. First port of Skagway, Alaska with a population of 800 locals. Four cruise ships in dock, each transporting at least 2000 passengers and 900 crew members. So roughly 12,000 visitors crushing into this “city.” Could the coffee keep up? If you’re a business entrepreneur like the Excelsior Coffee Cafe, you see a definite opportunity.

Found in Skagway, Alaska
Found in Skagway, Alaska

Located inside of a jewelry store (and what is with all the jewelry spots in Alaska?!?), this cafe serves Starbucks but is NOT a Starbucks. But really, when you see that green mermaid logo in the window, do you really care? The menu is, not surprisingly, more expensive, and due to the constant flow of visitors, they ran out of cup sleeves, but it’s all good when the coffee enters your bloodstream. Walking around the blocks of Skagway and checking out the shopping spots is just a little more fun holding a cup of coffee.

VH07V and Starbucks in Skagway, Alaska
VH07V and Starbucks in Skagway, Alaska

Juneau

Our cruise’s second port was the capital of Alaska, Juneau. Of course I’d find coffee places in the capital, right? Yup, but with our activities and limited transportation, squeezing in a coffee pit stop was too tough. But after visiting the sights of the Mendenhall Glacier, we had enough time to check out the area around the dock. That’s when we came across Tracy’s Crab Shack. Featured in a Top Chef Quick Fire Challenge, this place is really a shack, a very, very crowded shack that serves the hugest crab legs you’ll ever see.

But wait, we’re talking coffee, not crabs. Luckily for me, a few shacks down from Tracy’s is the Crepe Escape. Where there’s crepes, there’s coffee, and sure enough, their full menu offered coffee options.

Crepe Escape but here just for the coffee
Crepe Escape but here just for the coffee

Did I have a mocha? I forget already, but that is my “safe” drink. If you screw up a mocha, you don’t belong in the espresso game. A mocha with king crab, crab cakes, and crab bisque? Sure, why not?

Ketchikan

A private fishing tour with Captain Jerry for four hours will make you thirsty as well. Or maybe it was from reeling in 40 salmon? Maybe it was just the salt of the Pacific Ocean, but after some great fishing, I needed a pick me up. At 3:45pm, that shouldn’t be a problem right? Hold up there, visitor of Ketchikan. Things work differently here. The Yelp app helpfully listed many coffee spots. I headed to the closest one – open but no longer brewing for the day. Headed to another location. Closed. Did more shopping and came across another closed cafe. What’s with that?

The Disney Wonder was in port for several more hours and other cruise ships were also docked so people were aplenty. But why all the early closures? I guess that’s the way Ketchikan rolls?? Did more shopping and spied this garage-looking space with people in it. And they were drinking coffee! I hurried on over and yes, the Good Coffee Company was open, even after their posted closing time. The workers said they go with the flow so if there’s business, they stay open. I had another “safe” mocha but should’ve gotten a larger size since it was so good.

Good Coffee Company, only open coffee place I found in Ketchikan
Good Coffee Company, only open coffee place I found in Ketchikan

So coffee addicts, there you have it, my coffee tales in Fresno, Vancouver, and lastly, Alaska. After writing three installments, I’m tired. I think I need some coffee. 😉

Don’t forget about Part 1 and Part 2 of Coffee While Cruising.

Coffee While Cruising (Part 2)

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The first installment of Coffee While Cruising covered the early FAT leg of my vacation. Like I mentioned before, from FAT we headed to YVR in Vancouver, Canada. Before the trip, I learned of a Starbucks Clover location on Robson Street. Oh, and I managed to get a Groupon for Starbucks Canada. Bonus!

Clover location on Robson St., Vancouver
Clover location on Robson St., Vancouver

What did I see when entering a Canadian Starbucks? A scene not much different from that in America, but Starbucks CA is promoting their True North Blend. True North is a blonde roast that’s “named by Canadians for Canadians.”

Introducing True North Blend
Introducing True North Blend

While I’m not sure if True North is merely a Canadian-version of the regular Starbucks blonde roast, I had to pick up a bag just because. I also got a Canadian Starbucks card featuring the iconic maple leaf.

Canada SBUX card
Canada SBUX card

Not a bad introduction to Starbucks Canada, eh?

Clover brewed and a bag of True North
Clover brewed and a bag of True North
Clover brewed!
Clover brewed!

And although we stayed in Vancouver for less than three days, I managed to go back to the Robson location for yet another Clover brew. 🙂

But Starbucks definitely isn’t the only coffee game in town. There are independent cafes and coffee bars on each city block, and I came across many Blenz locations. While hiking back from Stanley Park to the hotel, I had to take a pitstop for an iced mocha. Damn good stuff I must say.

While in Canada...
While in Canada…

Simple but refreshing
Simple but refreshing
One morning we bused to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park and stayed there for hours walking on the bridge, on the Cliff Walks, and the through the Treetops Adventure. Lunch was at the neighboring Bridge House Restaurant. Who knew a simple iced coffee could taste so good?! I’m sure the whipped cream helped a little. 😉

That’s it for Part 2. My Coffee While Cruising series will conclude in Part 3 as I stay caffeinated in Alaska and onboard the Disney wonder.

Coffee While Cruising (Part 1)

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While going on vacation typically means new experiences, it doesn’t necessarily mean old habits are forgotten, such as getting a healthy intake of coffee.

The only real way to start time off is with good coffee and good kicks. That means a cup of Kati Kati Blend from Starbucks while wearing (gasp!) New Balance MO673.

Starting vacation with coffee and kicks
Starting vacation with coffee and kicks

From HNL to SFO and stuck there for a bit due to continued delays from the Asiana Airlines accident, I partook of a Peet’s Iced Coconut Latte. I didn’t take a pic of this sweet (and airport-overpriced) concoction though. From SFO, we flew to FAT to spend a few days in the scorching heat.

I have my usual coffee sources in Fresno but changed it up just a bit, visiting Barnes and Noble (remember bookstores?) and its cafe.

Starbucks in a bookstore (remember those?)
Starbucks in a bookstore (remember those?)

From FAT, the next vacation leg was to YVR in Vancouver. Did I mention FAT now has two Starbucks locations? There’s the one in the forest check-in area and the newer location is inside of the security gate, making it easier to stay caffeinated while waiting for your flight.

Another FAT Starbucks location
Another FAT Starbucks location

This location still seems new with newbie employees. While the workers were courteous, asking each other to how assemble a sweetened iced coffee was a little disconcerting for me. But if you’re still looking for that limited edition wooden Starbucks cards, I found a cache for you!

Cache of wooden SBUX cards
Cache of wooden SBUX cards

Hmmm, I have more coffee pictures from my trip than I originally thought, so I’m gonna break this up into a series of posts. Part 2 will cover coffee in Canada, but here’s a peek of my pictures without all the backstory.

blonde-sample

Free Blonde Roast

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When you go to Starbucks for “The Roast You Love the Most” tasting, be sure to ask for a free sample bag of the Blonde Veranda Roast. It’s not just grounds to make one cup, rather you can make a small pot of blonde coffee with the sample.

You also get a coupon for $1 off the entire Blonde product line.

And as I was reminded, the lighter the roast, the more caffeine is retained. So, the Blonde Roast has a higher caffeine content compared with the medium and dark roasts. The Blonde will definitely pep you up.

blonde-starbucks

Who Knew I Preferred Blondes?

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Lighter-bodied and mellow that gently awakens the senses? Yes, that’s for me. Of course, we’re talking about the latest from Starbucks – the Blonde Roast. The Veranda and Willow Blends are hitting the stores and starting tomorrow until Saturday, Starbucks is letting you sample their blonde, medium, and dark roasts of coffee to see which one you like best.

I wandered in today to get my free coffee and tried out the Veranda Blend. Who knew, but I prefer the blonde roast. Maybe I’m a coffee lightweight or maybe I already had enough coffee during the day, but the Veranda was easy to drink, not bitter or acidic. Its mellow flavor profile is a welcomed addition to give more variety to the basic brew. The rest of my free January will be dedicated to blondes.

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