Starbucks Colombia Nariño Supremo, reviewed
Colombia Nariño Supremo is one of the newest limited edition offerings from Starbucks. I’ve been impressed so far with the quality and flavor most of their seasonal beans (enough to wish that some, like the Aged Sumatra, were always available!) and this one didn’t disappoint me either. Colombia Nariño Supremo is a medium-roast coffee with a wonderfully nutty flavor. The bag says that it is reminiscent of walnuts, and while there is a tiny hint of bitterness that did remind me of those, I thought that the coffee tasted a lot more like macadamia nuts due to how buttery it was.
The coffee has a slight acidity to its finish, which serves to break up that buttery flavor of the nuts and leave your palate feeling clean. This is a coffee that would probably do very well with all kinds of foods. If you have it in a Starbucks store, ask to have it brewed in a french press, as that is where the rich, nutty flavors will really be enhanced (mostly due to the extra oil pressed from the beans in a french press).
Zhena’s Gypsy Tea Strawberry Kiwi Green Tea, reviewed
When I opened up the tin containing the tea bags, I was hit with a familiar smell. Zhena’s Gypsy Tea Strawberry Kiwi Green Tea smells a lot like strawberry Jolly Ranchers – bright and sweet with a floral, strawberry scent – and a lot like it would make a wonderful pitcher of iced tea. So, I made iced tea and it did not let me down. The tea, although it smells like Jolly Ranchers, does not taste candy-like in the least. It does keep the floral strawberry notes, but they are much mellower and more subtle in the brewed tea. The kiwi came through in a very slight tang in the finish.This tea was excellent sweetened, as both honey and sugar played up the natural sweetness of the tea’s ingredients.
It’s a green tea and, as with many green teas, I found that it lost a bit of its softer, floral flavors when it was too diluted with water/ice. So, if you plan to make iced tea with it as I did, it’s worth planning ahead to give the full-strength tea time to chill overnight before serving, so that you will get the full effect of this sweet, summery tea on a hot day.
Home Coffee Dispenser
The best coffee is generally made from recently roasted beans that have been ground just before being brewed. This maximizes the amount of oil in the coffee beans and gives the finished coffee the richest flavor. But we can’t always have our coffee this way. Sometimes a batch of beans sits around on the counter for a while before we get around to drinking it. Sometimes, we end up buying preground because there was a new flavor/brand available or we don’t have a bean grinder at our disposal. Whatever the reason, it is still possible to preserve the freshness of the beans by keeping them in an airtight container. The Home Coffee Dispenser is an airtight container that should keep beans – especially preground coffee that is prone to drying out – much fresher than other containers. Once the chamber is filled up, you can dispense coffee a tablespoon at a time into your coffee maker (or even your espresso machine) without opening up the whole thing and exposing all the beans to more air. It holds up to half a pound of coffee.
The Dispenser is especially useful for an occasional coffee drinker, who likes to keep some coffee around but doesn’t make it much, since it not only keeps things fresh, but it makes it much easier to measure it out when you finally get around to using it.
Kicking Horse Kick Ass Coffee, reviewed
I picked up this can of Kicking Horse Kick Ass Coffee based purely on the name and the package design, and I’m glad that I did because I otherwise might have overlooked this brand. Kicking Horse Coffee is a Canadian coffee company that sells all organic, Fair-Trade coffee – and it’s actually Canada’s number one Fair Trade coffee company. While it’s available at stores in Canada, it’s not too common in the US (not my part, anyway). I found this at Cost Plus World Market, which seems to carry their whole line.
The Kick Ass coffee – as you might expect from a blend with a name like “kick ass” – is a very dark roast. It reminded me a lot of coffees I’ve brewed with espresso beans, in terms of how bold it was. This coffee is strong and dark, with some burnt sugar notes and a hint of nuttiness. I think this would really appeal to anyone who likes bolder coffees, but at the same time it won’t put off those who usually prefer a lighter roast because it is smooth and rich tasting, not overly aggressive.
Coffee Top Caddy
This Coffee Top Caddy is a brilliant idea, and I’m sure that anyone who has ever picked up coffee for a friend/family member/coworker/boss will agree. It is hard enough to mix in enough cream and sugar to your own coffee, trying to figure out exactly how much milk and sugar someone else takes in theirs adds pressure to any coffee run.
Designer Josh Harris made a few modifications to the basic design of a plastic coffee cup lid that allows it to securely hold packets of sugar and tubs of creamer easily. So, you can pick up your coffee and various condiments and mix it all together back in the office – and so can anyone else whose drink was on the coffee run. Your hands are kept free to hold the drinks and you don’t need to fuss over hot drinks at a busy condiment bar.
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