Greenwell Estate Kona Coffee, reviewed

One of the most memorable coffee experiences I’ve had was going out to visit the Greenwell Plantation on the big island of Hawaii. Not only did I get to taste coffee cherries right off the tree, but I got to taste some of my favorite Kona coffee in one of the freshest batches you can get. I got this batch of Greenwell Estate Private Reserve Kona Coffee from Sea Island and I have to say that they make very quick work of the shipping and - aside from the lovely Hawaiian weather - you’re not missing anything by making the coffee at home and not traveling out to the plantation.

The Greenwell Estate coffee is earthy, sweet and tangy. It is really rich tasting and full bodied, and actually reminds me a lot of red wine, although probably better. I’d make this a daily brew if only I could pick it up at my local store, instead of having to have it shipped!

For other fans of Kona coffee, I previously bought green beans from Greenwell Estate and roasted them at home with good results. A fun project if you have the time and outdoor space!

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf holiday special

For those of you who live near a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf location, you might want to head out to take advantage of a special holiday offer. When you buy a $25 gift card, you get the drink of your choice FREE. Some of my favorite drinks there cost about $4 each to begin with, so this isn’t a bad deal at all. It’s like getting a $30 card for only $25! Give the gift cards away as holiday gifts or just keep them in your wallet and use them the next time you visit the coffee shop for a holiday drink.

Republic of Tea Hot Apple Cider Tea, reviewed

I love hot apple cider on a cold winter night, and I couldn’t resist the chance to try the Republic of Tea Hot Apple Cider Tea. This tea is a limited edition holiday release that hit shelves in the past couple of weeks. The tea is made with typical cider spices, including cinnamon, cloves and ginger, but it also includes several more subtle elements, including rose hips, berry leaves and cardamom. Of course, the most important element of this tea is the apples, and dried apple pieces are the primary flavoring element.

The tea tastes very much like apple cider, although it is much lighter in flavor and much less sweet than straight juice would be. You can actually taste the berry, enriching the apple flavor, and all the other spices blend in nicely. It is good plain and great sweetened, especially if you use honey or a bit of caramel.

Incidentally, the Republic of Tea also puts out a jam using this tea flavor. It’s definitely an interesting use of the tea and, if I pick up a few pounds of apples in the next week or two, I might try working out a batch myself!

Starbucks socks

Spotted in Seoul: Starbucks socks. I’m pretty sure that the company did not license these, but they’re very cute. I didn’t buy them at the time. I kind of wish I had, though!

Coffee Jelly Caramel Frappuccino from Seoul

I have to say that I was a little bit surprised that there wasn’t anything too exotic on the menu at Starbucks in Seoul, Korea, where I was last week. Not that I was expecting to see a kimchi-flavored frappuccino, or anything like that, but I did hope that there would be something to make me say “wow!” other than the Seoul City Mug I added to my collection. The closest I came was with a Coffee Jelly Frappuccino. This is essentially a regular frappuccino with a whole lot of coffee-flavored gelatin at the bottom of the drink. It’s a lot like having an espresso-flavored jello shooter. The flavor is excellent and it really did a lot to improve the overall coffee flavor of the caramel frappuccino I ordered it in.

The only small criticism I would make is that it was disconcerting to suck up firm jello through a straw. It came out in squiggy lines that reminded me a bit of gummy worms (but tastier)! Still, the flavor gets two thumbs up. I just might try it with a spoon next time.