I’ve always appreciated convenience in the kitchen, which is why I accepted an offer to try Steeped Coffee‘s nitro-sealed steeped bags. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘coffee’
Steeped Coffee
Sunday, August 18th, 2019Gloria Jean’s Coffees
Sunday, January 10th, 2016Gloria Jean’s Coffees is featuring its line of red velvet coffees for its current batch of seasonal flavors. I happily accepted an invitation to visit the store located in West Towne Mall, near the food court.
Here’s the lineup:
- Red Velvet Cookie Chiller is an icy blend of GJC Cappuccino Base, red velvet powder, Oreo crumbles and vanilla custard sauce topped with whipped cream.
- Red Velvet Iced Latte is an ice-cold medley of espresso, 2% milk, GJC Red Velvet Powder and vanilla custard.
- Red Velvet Hot Cocoa is hand crafted with silky-textured milk and GJC Red Velvet Powder topped with whipped cream, chocolate flakes and red velvet powder.
- Red Velvet Cupcake Whole Beans features rich buttermilk cake swirled with notes of chocolate and vanilla to create a perfect dessert moment.
I actually tried the red velvet latte hot instead of iced. The red velvet powder does wonders to make the coffee taste just like its cake counterpart without being overly sweet. In fact, this is a good beverage to sip on anytime of day. It’s just too bad you can only order it through February.
What you will find on the menu year-round is the Chocolate Caramel Turtle, which according to co-owner Mike Sokolowski, is the store’s No. 1 seller. You can taste every flavor–including the Oreos–equally, except the bitterness of the coffee, which is well-hidden. That’s what makes this beverage a crowd favorite, especially with non-coffee drinkers.
Although I didn’t eat anything, you should know that Gloria Jean’s also serves food, and the menu that launched last July is more robust than other coffee shops. Breakfast includes egg sandwiches and waffles, while lunch/dinner includes sandwiches such as the GJ Roast Beef and Grilled Triple Cheese. You also can order soups, salads and pastries.
If you like coffee, you should enter Gloria Jean’s “Free Coffee for a Year” sweepstakes, which ends on Jan. 31. The winner will receive a custom-engraved Gloria’s Gold Cup coffee tumbler and one free 16 oz. brewed coffee per day for a year.
Gloria Jean’s Coffees is open every day for lunch and dinner and breakfast Monday-Saturday.
Terra Bean Coffee
Sunday, December 9th, 2012
Around these parts, you can support countless farms by buying their diverse products, whether it’s beef, honey, tomatoes or … coffee? That’s the goal of Madison-based Terra Bean Coffee, which partners with roasters who directly source their coffee and features a different artisan roaster and farmer each month.
“The reason that I am doing this is to build awareness of the origins of coffee amongst consumers to encourage them to place the same value on supporting small-scale coffee farms as they do on other agricultural products,” Founder Tamara Goldschmidt told me.
She invited me to learn more about her mission and sample this month’s coffee, La Colmena from Los Alpes, El Salvador. The coffee is excellent–good flavor, not at all bitter and something I could easily drink every morning.
But I don’t think that’s the point. This is a coffee I would probably never have heard about otherwise. Each coffee comes with a one-page flyer that includes background on the roaster and farmer (in this case, I learned how Mike Johnson of Johnson Brothers Coffee worked with farmer Luis Alonso Araujo to rebuild his farm).
Not all the coffee is fair trade certified, as Terra Bean Coffee’s objective is to “ensure that businesses that are truly creating sustainable relationships are being featured, regardless of whether they have the seal.”
You get a 12-oz. bag of coffee (ground or beans) each month with your subscription. Three months is $19.95/month and six months is $18.95/month.
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