Lion Latte Art

I will admit that I’m not the most skilled latte artist out there when it comes to free-pouring rosettes and such, but I do like to practice even though my creations sometimes look a little on the abstract side. I can make some darn good microfoam, though, and will often opt for etched latte art – made using a toothpick – to decorate my drinks. This lion is a recent favorite of mine and I’m pretty sure that he makes the drinks taste even better.

Intelligentsia expanding to SF, NYC

The popular independent coffee chain, Intelligentsia, is planning to expand its reach a little further this year. The Chicago-based coffee company already has several locations in Chicago and Los Angeles, and distributes its fresh-roasted coffee to numerous stores, such as Whole Foods, all over the country. The cafes are known for their coffee loving, independent minded customers (and, in LA, a very high number of hipsters filling their tables) and their skilled baristas. This expansion includes one store in New York and one in San Francisco, connected to their roasting facility in Potrero Hill. They’ll also own three new locations in the Chicago area. Fans of the coffee beans will definitely want to stop in to the cafes for the atmosphere and a cup perfectly prepared to Intelligentsia’s high standards.

Select Starbucks start serving wine during Starbucks Evenings

A handful of Starbucks stores across the country are getting a new program: Starbucks Evenings. These cafe locations will now be serving wine, beer and a variety of snacks to compliment them in the evenings, from 4pm to closing time. Starbucks says that “After 4 p.m., you’ll experience a more mellow, less hurried atmosphere perfect for winding down” and be able to get a glass of wine and a bite to eat someplace other than a bar or a traditional restaurant. You will still be able to get all of the usual coffee drinks and pastries, but you’ll now also have options that include truffled mac and cheese, cheese plates and chocolate fondue with a variety of dipping options. The wine selection isn’t as extensive as you’d find at a wine bar, but it is curated to provide a range of reds, whites and even sweet, sparkling wines that should offer something for everyone.

The Evenings program is definitely not going to be available at all Starbucks locations, but more stores will be launching the program as the year wears on. The stores where you’ll see this catch on are large stores, with plenty of seating and a customer base that already likes to hang out and relax in the cafe – a lot like many of the stores that offer Clover machines at the moment.

Currently, there are stores in Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, Portland and in Dulles Airport in Washington DC. There are also two stores in the LA area and I will post a review as soon as I have a chance to visit one. I’m definitely curious to try a little wine before my coffee in the evenings – especially if I’m in the cafe doing a little blogging!

Starbucks Launches $1 Reusable Plastic Cups

How often do you bring a reusable coffee cup or tumbler in to a coffee shop when you stop for a cup of coffee? If you’re anything like me, the answer is “not often enough.” Starbucks, and other coffee shops, have long been offering a small discount on coffee or drinks for bringing in your own cup but this incentive hasn’t been enough to make a big dent in coffee-lovers’ habits yet. Today, Starbucks is launching a new kind of reusable cup in an effort to encourage more customers to go green with their coffee. The lightweight plastic cups look like paper cups, only cost $1 and still save you 10 cents on each drink that you fill them with at Starbucks. They are washable, but they will also be cleaned with boiling water by baristas before being refilled, too.

In test markets, these inexpensive cups boosted consumers’ reuse by as much as 26% – a huge increase over the current rate, which is less than 2% of drinks served. Starbucks and the eco-minded are both hoping that this will change the habits of at least a few coffee drinkers.

At only $1, I’m willing to add one or two to my collection of tumblers (or replace the ones that don’t fit in my car cupholders) and make a little more of an effort to use them. And now that I’ve seen them in person, they look pretty nifty, too.

Black Ivory Coffee is the world’s priciest brew

If you have any interest in rare coffees, you have probably heard of Kopi Luwak, a coffee made with beans that are eaten and partially digested by civets in Vietnam. It’s not a coffee for the squeamish (although the beans are definitely safe to brew by the time they get to a coffee shop), but it commands a high price tag. One forward thinking entrapaneur wondered if there were other animals out there that could help process coffee in a similar way. The result was the creation of Black Ivory Coffee, the world’s most expensive coffee, which comes in at about $500 per pound.

The coffee is produced by collecting beans that a group of elephants in northern Thailand have eaten and excreted. The Canadian developer behind the coffee, Blake Dinkin, says that the elephants’ stomach acid breaks down the coffee just enough to remove some of the bitterness from the bean – leaving you with a smoother cup. It takes about 72 pounds of raw coffee cherries to make 2 pounds of drinkable coffee.

Black Ivory Coffee sold out of its initial inventory, but they hope to have more available next season for coffee connoisseurs looking for the next unique thing in coffee.