Monday's Coffee Realization

As much as I love my home brewed coffee in the morning, sometimes that just isn't possible. This morning I turned to the dark side and as a matter of convenience I got a cup of coffee at McHell! I know, I know, how could I right? Well I was in a hurry and it was on my way... Don't judge! lol It's not actually half bad.

Sure it's no single origin, fair trade, organic Sumatran bean roasted just days before I enjoy it... but it's decent. The moral of this story is that sometimes you just need a cup of Joe and I'm not too much of a coffee snob that "regular" coffees turn me off. At the end of the day... it's all coffee. Some coffees just happen to be (way) better!!

Bellingham Bay Coffee Roasters

Last week I was privilaged enough to try some beans from BCR (Bellingham Bay Coffee Roasters). They sent me two delicious varieties; A single origin coffee from Peru and an espresso blend called Home Brew.
The packaging is great. The beans arrived in tin cans! I loved this idea because they already had their own airtight storage when they came. That's a handy feature. Plus, the cans are not only recycleable, but reusable as well! They also stamp the date the beans are best used by too, so there is no guessing! So the packaging get's a 5 out of 5!

The Peru (COCLA/El Palomar) is 100% organic and fair trade certified. Fair trade is a huge deal for me, so that was a plus! When I used my french press and the Peru had great body! It was sweet and complex. It was great in the drip machine too. It had a nutty aftertaste to it that I really enjoyed. The sweet notes make it a perfect desert coffee, plus it's a lighter roast which makes it great after meals. It's not too heavy, bold or bitter... it's just right!

Home Brew was amazing! Although it is an espresso blend, it worked well with all methods of preparation, especially french press. This blend combined three different beans from South and Central America, all organic too! It had a rich chocolate taste and was full of body! It wasn't very sweet, but on the flip side... It wasn't bitter at all! This is a bold blend, has been my "go to" bean for my morning brew. It's a darker roast that stands up well against cream if you're into that. The cream didn't dilute it's delicious coffee notes at all, in fact I think it brought the richness to the forefront of this complex blend.

Of the two varieties I tried from BCR I'd have to say Home Brew would be my favorite. It was just so warm, rich and complex. It made a heck of a good iced coffee too!
Bellingham Bay Coffee Roasters do it right! From the packaging to the beans, it's all on point! So, if you want coffee from roasters that know what they are doing, and do it very well... check out Bellingham Bay Coffee Roasters! 

Delicious Weekend

This weekend i have been sampling some amazing coffees! Bellingham Bay Coffee Roasters sent me a delicious single origin from Peru and I have continued to enjoy Stumptown's delicious Hair Bender blend.  I'll have a full review of Bellingham Bay in the next few days.

I'm also working on writing a newsletter that will feature my favorite roasters, recipes and other java related ramblings!

Have a delicious weekend!!

Stumptown Coffee Roasters

Today I had the distinct pleasure of trying a bean blend from Stumptown Coffee Roasters!  Everything about Stumptown from their ultra hip website to their masterfully roasted beans says "I love coffee!".

Let's start at their beautiful website. It's easy to navigate, interactive and just plain cool! They have a lot of high resolution photos to get you in the coffee mood as well.

Their packaging, like their website, is interactive and cool! On the front of the lined paper bag is a neat little "pocket" that holds a card with the coffee's name and information. The card has details on the bean's origins and flavor profiles. It's a neat idea, I like a lot. The bag also has a stamp on the bottom with the date the coffee was roasted. My beans were roasted only three days before I opened them... now that's fresh coffee!

The coffee they sent over to me was their "Hair bender" blend. This blend is an exotic blend of beans from three different regions.  It's a complex espresso blend that is not just for espresso machines!
French press preparation is my favorite way to enjoy it, it has great body and a lingering sweetness that makes me want more every time! Even with auto drip prep you get lots of richness and body.

Stumptown describes the flavor profiles as being  "...complex sweet and savory blend which yields flavors of milk chocolate, caramel, jasmine, meyer lemon, apricot and pineapple." they speak the truth!
I was sceptical about the fruity and floral notes blending with the rich notes of chocolate and caramel, but it works! It works very well actually. It's complex and lingers on your palet. In all manners of preparation I got the same complex flavors each time. It's a joy to drink!!

Overall my experience with Stumptown has been a very positive one. From customer service to product quality, you always feel like they care about your beans and your experience. They may have multiple locations, but I felt like they were a "mom & pop" roaster... and for me, that's a good thing!

If you want to experience Stumptown Coffee, please visit their website: http://stumptowncoffee.com/

Ground & Ready

As Summer aproaches so does the season of open toed shoes, sandals and going barefoot! So how does this relate to coffee? The same coffee that gets you ready in the morning, can get your feet ready for Summer! If you follow my other blog, Positively Pulchritudinous, then you know that I am a big fan of natural products. So it's no surprise that I wanted to come up with a natural way to pamper my feet.


You only need three ingredients to make this simple foot scrub! Used coffee grounds, olive oil, and cocoa butter.  The coffee grounds not only slough off dead skin to polish your feet, but the caffeine also increases circulation to the feet helping your toenails grow healthier! The olive oil provides antioxidants and the cocoa butter moisturizes and protects your skin. I get my cocoa butter for this at the dollar store, it comes in 2 ounce "sticks".


Here's how I make this luxurious DIY scrub...

• Take about 3 ounces of used coffee grounds and set them on a paper towel to dry out for an hour or so.  
• Put 2 ounces of cocoa butter in a microwave safe dish until it is just melted. A few "chunks" left un-melted is fine. 
• To the cocoa butter add 1 ounce of olive oil and stir.
• Add in your dried coffee grounds. If they are dry, your scrub will keep for up to 2 weeks in an air tight container.
• Mix everything together to form a thick coffee paste!
• Use this paste to scrub your feet. Leave it on for 5-10 minutes and rinse with warm water.

Your feet will feel soft and moisturized! The olive oil will keep the mixture pliable, if the paste is too stiff just add more oil. That's it! Easy foot scrub made from your morning coffee!