Articles about Coffee
Mustang Donuts Restores My Faith in Humanity
After a particularly rigorous track workout at Germany Park, I moseyed to Mustang Donuts to nullify the calories I had just burned. Since it had been awhile since I’d bought doughnuts there, I didn’t realize that they don’t take credit cards (all I had on me was my license and my debit card). The lady behind the counter insisted that I place my order anyway and said I could come back and pay later. Through a dropped jaw, I asked for five cake (three plain, one lemon iced, one blueberry), half a dozen doughnut holes (one of every flavor, including iced with sprinkles!), and coffee. She apologized to me for the inconvenience and said I didn’t even need to return today if I didn’t have time. I did, though, and I will. Not only was the service exceptional, but the doughnuts were really delicious—creamy frosting in just the right amount, and generous helpings of sprinkles. They were standout, for sure. And she spotted me two extra doughnut holes, so bonus points for that.
Local Starbucks Machines Get New Look
I went to my neighborhood Starbucks (Mockingbird and Abrams) yesterday for a venti skinny vanilla latte. But that’s not exactly news. What is of interest are the brand spankin’ new machines with which they brewed my potion. The barista said they had just gotten them in the previous night. She wasn’t sure if it was part of a companywide roll-out, because they were a matter of necessity for her store. The fancy contraptions are lower (so the coffeemakers can actually see who they’re serving) and have a more refined temperature gauge so extra-hot and kids’ temp don’t get confused.
New Central Market Organics Coffees at, You Guessed It, Central Market
People who do not drink coffee make me a little nervous. Many mornings, my only motivation to crawl out of bed is the thought of a huge, steaming cup of my morning coffee. I don’t always have a lot of money, so I end up buying the cheaper stuff, but if I were rich like you, I would buy Central Market Organics Coffees. You can find them in the bulk section. They’ve got Breakfast Blend, French Roast, Panama Finca Santa Barbara, and one I really like the sound of, Sumatra Mandheling (yes, please!). Prices range from $9.99 to $10.99 per pound. Go and buy now.
Bill “Freckle Face” Addison is a Weiner
Whoopsie-doodle, I mean winner. (What would I do without Spell Check?) Anywhoo, I just intercepted a secret DMN company memo announcing:
“Bill Addison will receive a national Association of Food Journalists award for restaurant criticism. The other finalists are: Will Ferrell for Talladega Dinner Nights and M.F.K. Fisher’s Recipes from the Grave. The ranking of the three awards will be announced at a conference in October.”
Kidding, so, so, so kidding. Way to go, Freckle Face, I hope you beat the pants off of your true rivals Lee Klein of Miami New Times and Tom Sietsema of The Washington Post-it.
Sometimes a Scarf is Just a Scarf
When I think of terrorism, Rachael Ray is probably one of the last people who comes to mind. But hey, that’s just me. CNN reports that Dunkin’ Donuts recently pulled an ad after complaints that the scarf she was wearing resembled a traditional Arab headdress.
The coffee and baked goods chain said the ad that began appearing online May 7 was pulled over the past weekend because “the possibility of misperception detracted from its original intention to promote our iced coffee.”
I wonder what Mrs. Ray thinks about all of this? I’m guessing it’s not “Yum-o!”
Starbucks, How Could You?
For months I heard nasty rumors that Starbucks was discontinuing almond syrup, but I never thought it would actually happen. And then, it did. The girl behind the counter broke the news to me that it was gone. I stood in line perplexed as to what my next move should be. I wandered out of the store in a daze with a feeling of hopelessness and fear. OK-maybe not fear, but I was pretty ticked. How could they do this? Was it to punish me? Is it because my drink was so complicated- an iced-half-caff-Venti-2%-2 pump almond-latte with extra ice? Really? It’s not that hard. So, the question I pose to you is what restaurant/eatery took something off the menu that you loved and how did you recover?
New Year’s Resolution: Drink Better Coffee
1. Drink more espresso. Here’s a great infographic to show you what’s what as far as espresso drinks go.
2. Buy fresh roasted coffee, buy it often (every week or two), and grind it at home with a burr grinder. Here’s a few places to score some black gold:
Mawker Coffee - Dallas Farmers Market (Shed #2)
Addison Coffee Roasters - Addison
Update, almost forgot: White Rock Coffee - Dallas (thanks darley)
3. Learn. You may drink it everyday, but do you really know anything about it? While how the name “Americano” is an insult would go great here, I’m going with Espresso Porn. Other reading material:
Aeropress, How I Love Thee
Nancy may like her folgers, but I can’t stand most drip coffee. Call it fru fru, but I don’t care. It’s bitter, and gives me the jitters.
That’s why I’m happy to have found the Aeropress. It’s somewhat similar to a french press, except it uses air to push the water between the grinds and through a very fine filter. Everything happens in around 30 seconds, which reduces the acidity, and in turn the bitterness. The result is a very good cup of homemade espresso. I add hot water to mine to make an americano.
Aside from not having to fight Wick for our coffee machine every morning, other benefits include cleanup. Click the filter cover off, and push the plunger while aiming at the trash. A puck of used grinds goes flying, and yes, it’s fun. Wipe the end of the plunger and you’re done. No need to clean the cylinder, as the plunger cleans the sides as you push down. The best part? It’s under $30. I found mine at Sur La Table.
Here’s Boing Boing’s Mark Frauenfelder demonstrating how it’s done.
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