Brew'd Awakening: Lowell, MA

Phew, things have been quite busy lately! I know that I may not have many (or any) regular readers, but I do feel badly that I haven't been adding new reviews or posts lately. Anyway, despite my lack of writing, I have still be testing and tasting coffee. Tonight we happened by a coffeehouse in Lowell, MA. In sort of a weird mood, I got in the car without a destination and ended up in downtown Lowell. I stumbled upon a wonderful little place: Brew'd Awakening.

Brew'd Awakening is a great place with live music on Saturday night. Seating was pretty limited, but that is probably because of its great atmosphere! I usually sample an iced latte when trying a new coffee place, but I was in the mood for brewed coffee. Coffee was good and served in a mug (go green). We also got a smoothie. The smoothie tasted more like milk than strawberries and bananas, but it was a good texture, so we'll try it again and hope for a better flavor balance. The pastries were homemade and tasty. The sandwich menu looks appealing and varied, but I already had dinner tonight so... I would certainly come again and try my typical iced latte. Maybe I'll see you here!

Boston Common Coffee Co., Downtown Crossing

Boston Common Coffee Co. is a café with three locations all in the city of Boston. This weekend I visited the Downtown Crossing location on Washington St. Plenty of seating, a pleasant atmosphere and varied menu make the Boston Common Coffee Co. was a worthwhile experience. I stopped by late morning on Saturday and ordered my usual iced latte. I also ordered an egg and cheese sandwich on a bagel.
The woman who took my order was pleasant and friendly. My latte was made to order by an authentic barista (as opposed to someone operating a push button machine). My latte was absolutely perfect. It was a delicious and balanced combination of milk and espresso.

My bagel sandwich was also delightful. I have had my share of egg sandwiches for breakfast, and I don’t usually love them. I hate the scary mixed egg from a carton or worse pre-cooked eggs that are warmed up again for my sandwich. At Boston Common Coffee they made my egg right there on the grille and put it on my bagel. Wow! Not many places do this anymore. They also offer sausage, bacon and ham on the egg and cheese. As well, breakfast sandwiches are available on toast or croissants in place of bagels. In addition to breakfast sandwiches, Boston Common Coffee Co. offers bakery items like muffin tops, scones and croissants. The selection would appeal to a wide variety of people.

I was so enchanted with my breakfast experience that I decided to return later for lunch. Boston Common Coffee Co. offers a range of yummy paninis, wraps and salads. Sandwiches come with a side of your choice of mixed greens, three bean salad or tortellini salad. Special paninis are available daily. I ordered “The Traditional” panini with tomato and fresh mozzarella. My sandwich was satisfying and yummy.

My recent experience with Boston Common Coffee Co. was ideal. The staff were friendly and accommodating. They even remembered me from the morning and did not need to ask for my name with my order the second time. My son was with me and they were pleasant about giving me an extra cup so that I could share my water with him and a bowl for his fruit cup. The prices at Boston Common Coffee Co. are a good value-delicious food at a fair price. Additionally, sales tax is included with all of the prices on the menu, so it makes for easy figuring when in line. The bathrooms are locked, so ask for the key at the counter. The restaurant was clean, light and inviting. Visit Boston Common Coffee Co. at one of their three locations soon and I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Common Grounds Cafe - Methuen, MA

In the spirit of adventurousness, I stopped at the Common Grounds Café in Methuen, MA on evening. I was hesitant upon parking, but at my husband’s encouraging I went in and placed an order. The place did not disappoint and not in a good way! The store was dirty and I felt gross being inside there. If you know me, you know that I am in no way a neat freak. However, this place gave me the creepy-crawlies. I ordered my iced latte (as always) and noticed that their menu offered a variety of food offerings included pizza. There was a keno counter behind me. The coffee was bad. I asked for an iced latte and got a “mocha” with Hershey’s syrup….definitely not what I was expecting. If I had received an actual mocha made with delicious syrup that would have been a very different situation. I didn’t try any of the foods that were offered, nor did I play keno. On the plus side, there appeared to be ample seating in the café area and the people who worked there were very friendly. The espresso was pulled from a regular espresso machine….not push button. Bottom line: I would not return to this place. They had plenty of seating, friendly people and no push button operation. On the negative side I did not receive what I ordered and what I received was not very good. As well, the place appeared dirty. Keep sipping and I’ll keep writing!

My Seattle Coffee Trail....just follow the beans

Now that you know how passionately I feel about Seattle and their coffee culture I am sure that you are dying to know where I fueled up while visiting. I am very happy to remember my delicious adventures from the Pacific Northwest. Here is a rundown of my coffee trail in order of preference:

1. Caffe Ladro - Wow! Absolutely delicious! I visited Caffe Ladro at the suggestion of the Concierge at our hotel. We were looking for breakfast and coffee on the go and he suggested Caffe Ladro. He said that their coffee was well liked and he was right! The baristas were knowledgeable and friendly. I ordered an iced latte and a scone. I was not disappointed. The latte was absolutely perfect. My pet peeve about lattes is when it tastes more like milk than coffee. This was the perfect balance of espresso and milk. The seating was limited, but the store was not overcrowded. If I had planned on staying during any of my visits, I am sure that I would have been able to find a seat without a problem. My scone was perfect. It was a nice blend of sweet and savory. It was not too dry and went well with my latte. Yum-o! I visited Caffe Ladro a couple of times a day after my first visit and the consistency was good. Check out Caffe Ladro and you won’t be disappointed.



2. Vérité Coffee/Cupcake Royale - This was a fantastic discovery. We had been walking for what felt like forever (from Woodland Park Zoo to the Locks in Ballard). It was taking so long. All of a sudden a coffee and cupcake place appeared. I thought it was a mirage brought on by sheer exhaustion, but it was in fact real. I went inside to discover beautiful cupcakes and friendly people. The seating was good. There was a good crowd in there for a weekday afternoon. The cupcakes looked fresh. There were enough of each variety, but not so many that you wonder if they sit out all night until they sell. I purchased six cupcakes of various flavors and of course an iced latte. The cupcakes were heaven. I didn’t eat them until later that night when we got back to the hotel and they held up very well considering we were out and about walking around for about a half a day with them. I was not disappointed in one of them. I especially loved the white cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting. The baristas were authentic and clearly knew their way around the bar. My latte was made to order and delivered the balance of milk and espresso flavors that I love. This was a great find.



3. Café Beignet – This was a visit based on a tour book suggestion. Being tourists in Seattle, we had a tour book. While visiting the Space Needle, we realized that this little place was very close by inside Seattle Center. We went in and were delighted with what we saw. We ordered an iced latte and some beignets. Beignets are like fried dough and come from New Orleans. We got ours with powdered sugar. The beignets were made to order fresh in front of us and were soft and buttery and the perfect tourist’s snack. They gave us the fuel we needed to keep exploring. The latte was also good. Honestly, it was not the best latte I had in Seattle, but it was definitely not the worst I had every tasted. It was not disappointing and I enjoyed it quite nicely. Unfortunately, the coffee competition in Seattle is fierce and I had some very delicious coffee on my vacation.



4. The Woods (outside of Seattle in Ferndale, WA): This place was a delightful surprise. We were driving back to Seattle from a day-trip to Vancouver when we stopped for coffee. This place was there to fill our needs. The quality of the coffee was very good. I ordered an iced latte and it was quite delicious.

5. Starbucks – Starbucks. Of course I visited Starbucks while in Seattle. I don’t think it would have been possible for me to visit the Emerald City without a visit to the coffee giant. I went to a couple of different locations including the first Starbucks store. The Starbucks lattes I had in Seattle were much better than Starbucks lattes I have in Boston. I believe this to be because the baristas in Seattle are real baristas and not of the “push button” variety. I found it odd that Starbucks would employ “push button baristas” in their locations outside of Seattle. It just goes to prove that Seattle coffee drinkers demand nothing short of perfection and the theory regarding competition and quality is correct. My Starbucks visits were definitely not my best lattes in Seattle, but they were satisfactory.



Something I discovered while in Seattle was the Seattle Coffee Crawl. I was, unfortunately, unable to participate in this tour because of timing. However, I did see one in progress. The Seattle Coffee Crawl is basically just what it sounds like. It is a walking tour of Seattle’s coffee hot spots. The tour makes for a great deal of walking, but you learn a great deal about coffee and Seattle’s coffee history. The tour guide that I met seemed knowledgeable about coffee culture and the city of Seattle. The participants were engaged in her narrative and asking thoughtful questions. The Seattle Coffee Crawl is definitely on my “must-do” list for any future visit I make to Seattle.

Delicious Coffee, Good Service

Peet’s Coffee & Tea offers delicious coffee selections and good service! This is a coffee dream come true! I stop in at Peet’s every chance I get, and often go out of my way just to visit. The seating is limited and often taken up by patrons with laptops or books who are “camped out” for a while. When I am lucky enough to get a seat and table, I am all too happy to sit and enjoy my coffee and the fun atmosphere! The drinks at Peet’s are consistent in quality, the baristas are well trained in making espresso drinks, and the prices are comparable to the prices at other similar establishments. The drinks are absolutely a good value considering that their quality is often better than other comparable coffee establishments.

In addition to enjoying their perfectly prepared bar drinks, I also purchase their beans to use at home (see Iced Coffee at Home Made Easy). I prefer Major Dickason’s Blend. The beans at Peet’s are roasted in small batches, so you have to buy them in small quantities. Keep your beans in a cool, dry place tightly sealed. If you plan to purchase and use your beans regularly, you won’t have any problems, and should find that your beans are tasty and produce quality cups of at-home brewed coffee.




For consistently delicious coffee, visit Peet’s.

Quality

Price

Atmosphere

Seating

Food offerings

Seattle: A dream come true

As a coffee fanatic with some vacation time, I decided that I should at some point make my way to the Pacific Northwest. Much like a pilgrimage, I felt it was my duty to voyage west to see if the hype was real. Well folks, I’m here to tell you that the hype about coffee superiority and the Pacific Northwest is true. I am not saying that it is impossible to find delicious well-made coffee here in Boston. However, I am saying that the coffee experiences that I had over the course of five days in Seattle were consistently better quality than coffee experiences here in the Boston area.

If you read the last post you will understand my position regarding the push-button barista phenomenon that is sweeping coffee establishments far and wide. In Seattle, however, I did not witness one such barista. I did not even see a push-button barista at the Starbucks stores that I visited. The baristas in Seattle appeared to take their duties quite seriously. They knew what they were doing and had clearly experiences pulling good quality consistent shots.

Seattle is truly a coffee lovers dream. I would be completely content living there is I could pick up my entire family and my job and relocate everything there. I discovered that the coffee culture in Seattle is what drives the quality to higher levels. There are so many good quality coffee houses in such a small area that to be competitive it is critical that each establishment offer the highest quality product possible. The lower quality coffee houses won’t survive because of the availability of other higher quality options. That said, I have to say that every coffee I drank while in Seattle was absolutely wonderful. Were they delicious because I was in coffee country? I doubt it. I subscribe to the theory of demand for good coffee keeps out the lower performing companies. If we could translate that to Boston, I’d be all set. Tune in tomorrow for a play by play of my coffee crawl: Pacific Northwest.

Push-button baristas? What is the coffee world coming to?

If you’ve been to a Starbucks lately you may have noticed that the baristas have very little work to do compared to the old days. In short, the shots of espresso are pulled with the push of a button. Gone are the days when you could order your espresso or espresso based drink and have someone take the time to prepare the shot to exacting standards. These machines are meant to take the guesswork out of brewing an ideal shot of espresso. As recently as a few years ago baristas were expected to grind beans and tamp the grinds perfectly to pull the perfect shot. Anything less than perfect was to be discarded. Yes, this required attention to detail and at times many tries before the shot came out perfectly, but the end result was worth it. Those accommodating folks behind the bar at Starbucks are called “baristas”. A barista is supposed to be someone with some level of expertise in preparing coffee and espresso. With these newer machines on the scene, how can we still refer to these folks as baristas? There is no level of expertise involved with pushing a button. Anyone can do it! It infuriates me. These machines are appearing everywhere. My local Starbucks stores use them, the Dunkin Donuts (more on their branching into the world of espresso later), McDonald’s (see Dunkin Donuts reference) and others. Maybe I’m old-fashioned but I would like a little bit of effort put into my $3.52 12 oz latte. Is that too much to ask? To see a real barista in action visit your local Peet’s Coffee, quite possibly any other local coffee shop and of course the original Starbucks store at Pike Place in Seattle, Washington.

Iced Coffee at Home Made Easy

The weather in the Boston area has been absolutely perfect the last few days. After the winter we had in the northeast we definitely deserve some nice, warm, sunny days! Before my son was born I was a big fan of freezing cold weather and wanted to move north so that I could live in colder weather. However, after my son was born I stopped enjoying the cold and began to prefer the warm weather. Conversely, I also started to appreciate cold brewed coffee made at home instead of my traditional hot coffee made through a paper filter in a coffee maker. I had always had a full time job before I became a full time mom. I elected to stay at home with my son after he was born instead of returning to work right away. The transition from two incomes to one was difficult. We had always relied on both of our incomes to get by. Now we had just the one. Things were fine financially, but we didn’t have a lot of extra money around for luxuries-my daily or three times daily coffee runs. So, in an effort to cut back a bit I began researching ways to make coffee at home.

I felt confident in my abilities to brew a cup of hot coffee at home. I’d had coffee makers and a French press at home for years. What I was missing was my iced coffee! Any time I had tried to make iced coffee I found that my version was watery and not worth it. I usually ended up at the coffee shop anyway. To solve this problem, I began researching methods of brewing coffee. I stumbled across some information from Seattle’s Best Coffee. I had had their coffee quite often while browsing the stacks at Borders Bookstore. It turns out that Seattle’s Best (SBC) makes their iced coffee using a cold brewing method. Who says that coffee has to be brewed using hot water? In fact, through my research I learned that the coffee flavor can be extracted through a process of cold brewing. The method of using hot water became more common for speed. Using hot water speeds up the brewing process by extracting the coffee flavor from the grinds much quicker. The hot water is able to permeate the grounds more quickly than cold water can. A little preparation didn’t bother me if it meant that I could make my iced coffee without suffering through the watered down taste. It was perfect solution!

Well, by this point I’m sure that you are wondering, “Is she going to tell us how this works or do I have to go out and figure it out on my own?” Well, I am going to tell you how this works and how I do this at home for my daily coffee. I can’t even calculate how much this has saved me in time and money. I don’t have to stop for coffee on my way out in the morning and I don’t spend a ton of money on coffee.

Here’s my recipe:
Yields: One 12 oz glass of delicious iced coffee
1 French press or jar (I use a 16 oz Bodum French Press because that’s what’s here)
12 oz of good quality water (I use the filtered water in my refrigerator)
4 tbsp of good quality coarsely ground coffee (I prefer Peet’s Major Dickason’s blend)

-Put the ground coffee at the bottom of the jar.
-Pour the measured water on top of the coffee making sure to get all of the grinds wet. -Using a spoon, gently push the grinds so that they all get wet.
-Cover (I put the lid to my French press back on).
-Place jar in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours (I do this before I go to bed so that it’s ready for me in the morning).
-In the morning when you are ready to drink your coffee, add some ice and anything else that you add to your coffee (milk, cream, sugar, whatever) to your cup.
-Filter the coffee grounds from the water. This is why the French press is so useful at this point in the process. I simply press the mesh strainer down into the coffee slowly and at an even pace. Then pour. You can use a very thin, mesh strainer to separate your grounds from the brewed coffee.
-Enjoy!

Of course this can be done in much larger quantities, however, this is perfect for me in the morning. Just increase the quantities of coffee and water to suit your needs while keeping the proportion of coffee to water: one tablespoon of coffee per three ounces of water. Feel free, also, to play around with the amount of coffee you use for your particular tastes. Add more coffee if you prefer a stronger cup of coffee.

If this method appeals to you and you are interested in making an investment to using this system on a regular basis, you can purchase a Toddy Brewing System (http://www.toddycafe.com/index.php?aid=130786). This is the system that Seattle’s Best Coffee uses in their stores. I have only tried the Toddy system when drinking iced coffee brewed for me at my local Seattle’s Best. I plan to acquire a Toddy System of my own to test out and compare to the French Press method that I currently use. The Toddy System is appealing to me for the versatility of advertised deliciously brewed, low-acid coffee either hot or cold. As well, the Toddy System can be used for tea leaves. If you can’t tell, I’m very excited about this new purchase. Rest assured, I’ll let you know what I think of the Toddy as soon as I have a chance to test it out.

Thanks for reading and happy brewing!


To save 10% off the purchase of a new Toddy Brewing System, please click the link below!

How do you take your coffee?

As I sit here typing away on my laptop and sipping an iced Americano from too long ago, I can’t help but feel excitement about this new project in my life. I love writing. I love coffee. Having the opportunity to write about coffee is almost too perfect for words. What’s more, I can’t believe that someone might actually read it, enjoy it and benefit from it.

This site will chronicle my never-ending quest to find the perfect cup of coffee. A natural perfectionist, I don’t settle for anything less than the best. I am constantly on the lookout for new and interesting coffee shops that serve up deliciously brewed coffee. Spontaneously I’ll pop into coffee shops to sample their offerings and pass judgment accordingly. This site will, I hope, help you to find what you are looking for in a perfect cup of coffee.

I will also report about home brewing products that I have tested personally. I love buying new coffee equipment to help make a better at home coffee brew. In today’s economy, I am finding that more people are preparing coffee at home instead of stopping at their local shop. I’ll let you know what works for me, what I find easy to use and what is a good purchase for the value.

In my past life I worked at a well-known national coffee chain. I attribute much of what I know about coffee to my experience there. As well, I read extensively about the craft of coffee brewing, beans and a litany of other coffee related topics. I don’t believe that the ideal cup of coffee will come from the push of a button, as so many of our coffee shops are using these days. I believe in a traditional approach to crafting a perfectly balanced cup of coffee. It won’t be easy, but I know it’s out there. I hope that you’ll join me in this search.