Pressed To-Go

The other day my pen pal sent me two types of coffee.  I tried the Ruta Maya but left the Ethiopian coffee for later.  Today was later.  Brewed in the French press, then put into lidded cups, I took the Ethiopian coffee with me to work.  We waited until late in the evening and were still very busy when my coworker and I heated it up in some paper cups and had our break.  It tasted different then it smelled.  The smell was bitter.  I know it sounds weird but that's the only way to explain it.  However, when we had it, it wasn't bitter.  It was woody and not as strong as expected.  We enjoyed it.
Very good but definitely different then the Ruta Maya.  I think my only problem was the uneven grind meant we should have used more then one filter in the French press.  The husband and I are looking at a three filter press that we might pick up soon.  Just looking into the reviews first.

Check Please!

Today was my day off, so I took the day off.  I mean really off.  I had originally planned to do laundry and really get some stuff done.  Important, grown up things like making phone calls for appointments, cleaning house, put my new registration tags on my car, you know, adult stuff.  Nope.  My brain checked itself out today.  One of my favorite things to do on days where I check out is go see my sisters.
The little one called me up and told me we should try out this new place she found.  She had been at the IHOP in Tarzana, recently, and checked out a place next door called Yoboland.  She suggested we go there today.
It has a Menchies feel when you walk in but they offer so much more.  Small, cute seating area, ample frozen yogurt options (flavors different then the usual, like watermelon and California tart which I think was made with berries) with tons of toppings available, shakes, smoothies, boba, and coffee.
I went with the caffe latte, average, but satisfied my coffee need.  The older one ordered a Nutella shake.  Wow, totally tasted exactly like Nutella!  The little one ordered a mocha latte frappe.. That was delicious as well.  The husband ordered a taro tea with boba.  It took the two girls a little bit of time to make it and they said something about the recipe had recently been changed.  It was terrific!  He wanted to order another one when leaving but decided not to.
There is a lot more on their menu that I wanna try.  The happy hour they offer will make deciding what to order difficult but cheap.  I know several friends who will like this place and I look forward to bringing them.  Perhaps on my next day off..  before I do laundry.

A Cute Change of Pace

With a day starting at the dentist and ending at a late night at work, the only slight time I would have had to take my 'me' break time, I used for a quick nap.  That doesn't mean I have to miss a blog.  Here are some cute little coffee reference pictures to better show you the types of drinks I order, different ways to brew, or that are available if you are looking to try something new.  Coffee and coffee styles vary greatly between countries and cultures.  This can be used as a general guideline.  I found them on Pinterest so I don't have actually artist credits but I have included the links where they were uploaded from.  Tomorrow calls for an extra special break for me! 

https://www.finedininglovers.com/blog/food-drinks/coffee-recipes-8701/

http://www.listotic.com/coffee-drinks-101/

The original page had an error but forwarded you to this link where you can search for this.

http://hubpages.com/

http://www.saveur.com/article/Comix/Recipe-Comix-Donuts--Coffee?src=SOC&dom=pin

Surprising Day

When I heard my friend was coming for a visit, I didn't expect the day to turn out the way it did.  My friend had moved to the East coast last summer and was dropping by this week.  Today was the day she picked to see me.  She had stayed at our friend's house last night so they both came over this afternoon.  Seeing as we used to walk to the near by Jack In The Box for lunch when she lived in California, we picked there to be a fun, old times sake kinda lunch and coffee idea.  Along with the husband, the four of us walked over and ordered some chow and each got an iced coffee.
The first time I'd had a mocha from there, I was hooked.  I know it's all flavor syrups but it is so good.  Tastes just like chocolate coffee.  Today I ordered my usual and my friends got the other flavors.  Two of them got the hazelnut and the other got the caramel.  They make an original as well but what's the fun in that?  All wonderfully flavored.  My friend did ask if they could add an extra shot and the girl behind the counter looked at her like she was speaking a different language.  After she had a few sips, she realized that with all that sugar, she was glad they couldn't give her an extra shot for her hearts sake.
We headed back to my house and while we waited for my friend's ride to come, we decided to try out some real coffee.  During the moving sale at the Cost Plus by our house, everything was 50-60% off but there was barely anything left.  We did find some interesting things, that because they were so cheap, we decided to try them.  We figured since we had our friends with us to try it, we would open the bourbon flavored coffee.  It has lots of adjectives on the bag so it sounded pretty good.  We whipped up a pot and had at it.  My friends said it was good but none of us felt there was enough flavor to it.  It fell flat, really.  I'm gonna send some to my pen pals and see if they feel the same way.
My friend's ride came and that's when things got awesome.  My friend had set up with her brother-in-law to drive down to our house from Fresno as a surprise to his wife, her sister/best friend.  Her sister was thoroughly surprised and it was so wonderful.  We all spent some time talking about family and old stories from when we were kids and stories about their kids. We laughed and had a fun time.  Then, as quickly as they came, they were off with my friend.  Our other friend stay a while to check out a board game we'd told her about and have some pizza and wine before taking off as well.
Here I thought it would be just a quiet little visit with our friend but it turned out to be a wonderful, family filled day of reminiscing.

Yeah, Baby!

There is not a whole lot to the tiny town of Moorpark, California.  Tucked in a small corner of Ventura County is this town, which has the college I went to, has a great Mexican food restaurant I like, a never-ending shopping center that was built only in the last 15 years, with a Target, a Kohl's, a Michael's craft store, an In-N-Out, and the location of where today's coffee break came from.  More important then any of these other run of the mill retail stores or fast food joints is the reason we ended up in this little city just west of Simi Valley; I have a very special family that lives there that were celebrating their son's first birthday.
I met them through one of my jobs but the connection was as though we've know each other for years.  Just a couple of kids who fell in love, got married, bought a home in Moorpark, and are now sharing the enjoyment of raising their kid with friends and family at the park across the street from where I spent 6 years getting a 2 year degree.  (Hey, I was working so it took a while!)
While we took the 25 minute drive over to the park, I had the husband Google coffee shops in Moorpark.  This little town only had just gotten a McDonald's by the time I graduated so I wasn't sure what to expect.  He found a place called It's A Grind. It had 4.5 stars, all great reviews, and was located in the never-ending shopping center.  After catching up with coworkers and eating my weight in birthday cake, we left our friends and future Mouseketeer and headed over.
We almost missed it because it was so small but upon entering, it had all the things I like to see in a cafe.  Shelves with board games and local newspapers, house products like mugs with the the cafe's name on it, local artist works and products where some of the proceeds are put back into the community, and big welcoming chairs and artwork.  The husband had read to me some of the menu items in the car but even as I walked in, I had no clue what I wanted.  The husband's heart was set on getting a blended Hawaiian sea salted caramel and I told the girl it was our first time and asked what she recommended.  She pointed to the sign hanging above some of the house product and said, some people enjoy this seasonal flavors, which the husband just happened to order one, but I wasn't really feeling them, some being pumpkin, coconut, and strawberry.  She then asked me if I wanted something hot or cold, all while being polite and seeming as though she genuinely wanted to help me.  Of course I look at the large drink board above us and see that this wasn't just about iced, blended or hot coffees.  There was a full selection of organic Numi teas, smoothies and other flavorful non-coffee drink options.  We had been out at the park where it had started to get cold as the sun hid behind clouds so I immediately told her I wanted a hot drink.
She next told me that a lot of people come in and see the large selection of flavors they can add to their drinks and people will make up their own combinations for coffees.  As an example, she said that people would order and mocha and add raspberry to it.  I knew then that's exactly what I wanted.  (Plus whipped cream)
They brought our drinks to the table and we we're not disappointed.  My camera mixed with the cloudy skies behind me, could not pick up the rich rose pink and light brown mix in my drink correctly.  It was wonderfully sweet, hitting each flavor perfectly.  Chocolate, coffee, raspberry, cream, love.  The husband said his drink was good, the best whipped cream he'd had at a coffee place, and just right for the sweet tooth.
We both only had one regret; we wished we'd ordered the smallest size.  Though the prices were spot on, the old saying came true, "Too much of a good thing", and we eventually had to walk away from the last few sips in our cups.
Something else that I thought was really neat was this little sign saying, "Grounds for your plants, Free, They will love you for it".  Apparently you can get coffee grinds for your gardening from them.  They are a small chain, mostly based in California, and they hit all the right notes in my book.  I look forward to another visit but the closest location is that Moorpark one.  I will have to invite my favorite little family to come with next time.  They also have a location in Austin, Texas, which is where my pen pal lives, so hopefully she will check out that location and tell me if she enjoyed it as much as I did.

Coffee at the Crepeire

Rain was predicted in our normally sunny L.A. city but instead the sky was filled most of the day with puffy white clouds and not a drop came down.  It was similar weather in Redmond, Washington, where my friend decided to check out a cafe in the town center by her house.  

When we were visiting Seattle a few months back, we all hung out in this town center.  There is an oyster bar, a fun accessories shop, a board game store that sells a really awesome horizontal chess set (which I think I can make myself), and lots of places to get coffee.  Today, my friend decided to try a place that we didn't get to go to when we visited and it was right across from the game shop.  She called me up on Skype, I made an instant vanilla latte and we chatted for the afternoon.

The place she went to was called Crepeire de Paris.  She sat outside, facing the game shop, and enjoyed a mozzarella, tomato, and basil panini and a double macchiato latte.  Her latte only needed just a touch of sugar to make it great, she said.  The menu offered breakfast crepes, salads, paninis, and hot beverages.  Looked good to me so I'll have to remember to go there on our next visit.

Skype date in my living room

Her food looked amazing.

Yeah, I could totally make this.

Hooray For Pen Pals

I made myself a tiny bit late for work today because I wanted to check the mail.  Even before opening our mailbox, I caught a slight whiff of coffee.  Sure enough, the only thing in our mailbox today was a package from my friend who moved to Texas and is now one of my favorite pen pals.  In the package, random as usual, was some special microwave popcorn, a big girly pencil, a wedding card with some foreign coins in it, a pin, and some coffee.
The coffee was given to her by her friend.  She ground the beans, put the grinds into zip top bags, and put a little info on them.  One is an Ethiopian coffee.  It has an interesting smell that I don't think I've ever smelled before.  Kinda flat and earthy.  I didn't choose to brew this one tonight but when I try it, you will know.
I chose to brew the other coffee.  Ruta Maya, as it's called, has a nice, full aroma and good flavor.  Not too rich but not too light.  This batch that my friend sent me is organic, brewed in Texas, and happens to currently be her favorite coffee.  I can see why.  Delicious!  She said that this coffee is available at the fast food chain in Texas called P. Terry's.  What's interesting is that when I first visited her in Austin, she told me about this place and said if she had to compare it to another place, she would say it's similar to In N Out here in L.A..  I doubt it's the same coffee but yet another fast food chain's coffee has impressed me.  Eventually I may put out a chart in order of worst to best fast food coffees.
As you can see, there is a color difference between the French press and the mug.  I accidentally added a touch too much milk.  The flavor of the coffee didn't need much, let alone the accidental over pour.  I received the mail in the afternoon but waited until after I got home from work to take my daily coffee break and it was definitely worth the wait.  There is some left over Ruta Maya so I may brew it and pack it up to share with my coworker during our break time together.  I think he will also enjoy this.
I need to be a good pen pal and send her some fun stuff back.  I've had something for her on my desk for a while but was gonna wait till I could send more things with it.  Maybe I will head out this weekend and make some pen pal care packages.  Cost Plus always has fun stuff that's easy to mail, even tiny bags of coffee.