Getting there…

As an urge for cinnamon and eggnog lattes came over me yesterday I decided it was time to give the old Silvia a good run through and wipe down.  Poor abandoned Silvia has sat as nothing more than a shiny kitchen decoration for the last three months… maybe even four *shudder*

I filled up the water tank, heated her up and let some water run through the grouphead and steam wand.  I even worked up some steam to really clear out the pipes and finished off by washing and drying, to a shine, the grate and spill tray.  I swear I heard Silvia gurgle its thanks as the water rushed through!

Not to be stood up, the Gaggia also got a bit of a clean out.  In fairness though, the grinder has been used a bit more frequently (at least twice) than Silvia, as I've prepared pre-ground coffee for Husband to use as he desires.  Of course Husband still hasn't been enjoying the taste of fresh ground coffee as I've just been pre-grinding large batches.  Awful!

Anyway, now that Silvia is all fresh and shiny and all traces of old coffee grounds have been removed from Gaggia, maybe I'll get around to whipping up those lattes tonight!

Cinna-Rolls

Christmas is most certainly around the corner.  Malls and homes are all decorated, carols and Christmas songs are being played all day on the radio and, as soon as Husband has written his last two exams, we can put our tree up!  While enjoying the festive music I decided to whip up some cinnamon rolls… although with two hours needed just for the dough to rise, it can hardly be called ‘whipping up’.  It was most certainly worth the wait though! Nothing like the smell of cinnamon and other spices wafting out of the oven to really feel like Christmas.

What’s the perfect accompaniment to the cinnamon rolls? A cinnamon latte, of course!

Prepare one shot of espresso. Add 8 oz of foamed milk.  Top with a generous cinnamon sugar mixture. It’s the Christmas season… extra sugar is allowed!

Light at the end of the tunnel?

Can it really be? Is the self-imposed coffee ban nearly over?


Our Coffee Bean is just about 15 weeks old now, which means lots of good stuff including a big fat welcome to the 2nd trimester and a happy farewell to most of the morning sickness. The smell of coffee is suddenly not so nausea-inducing after all. Yippee! A few days ago, while at my parents house, I even had a few sips of Husband’s coffee. Father Dearest had pulled out a Café Noir espresso for the afternoon caffeine fix. I’d actually had the Café Noir before in its instant form (not bad for an instant actually) and was very pleased with the bean variety. Although an espresso blend, when prepared as a regular brew (café au lait style) the Café Noir carried a gentle, unassuming flavour that was neither overpowering nor too subtle. I would have asked to try my very own cup of the drink but I’m not tempting the coffee gods just yet! I’ll be taking it a little at a time.

Poor Husband

Poor Husband has been placed on a default coffee ban through no fault of his own. He too has become initiated into the ways of the Ovaltine, Milo and Quik. In the first few weeks I did still try to prepare a morning cup of Joe for him and Mother-in-Law but then it just became too much. Mother-in-Law has returned to Nestle instant as a substitute but Husband can’t stand that stuff. He tried Rituals a few times but has not been pleased. In a last ditch effort he requested that I at least coach him on how to make a decent home brew. We’ve had varying degrees of success so far. He’s most definitely looking forward to the day when I can go back to preparing his morning coffee drink. Poor thing… although at least now I know he really and truly did appreciate my coffee!

Paraphernalia

The worst part about not being able to drink coffee has got to be the amount of coffee and related items that I managed to collect over the last two months.  All these goodies lying around, taunting me from a distance and all I can do is watch... and try really hard not to smell! 

My friends who recently got married (the traditional Chinese tea ceremony wedding) returned from Vancouver a few weeks ago bearing coffee bean gifts from two different and very delightful Vancouver roasters.  The entire time I was in Toronto for the coffee and barista course, the Canadians kept raving about the Vancouver roasters.  Have I been able to sample the goodness? No! Instead I’ve had to put those enticing beans into mason jars and lock them away in my freezer.

Father and Mother Dearest have also brought along their temptations.  They recently returned from their European extravaganza (a month long tour of Europe to celebrate their 30^th anniversary) bearing gifts- coffee related gifts.  I’d been itching to get my hands on a Turkish coffee pot or ibrik or cezve for some time now- and they remembered.  My little coffee pot was purchased in no less than an Istanbul market place and now sits next to the Vietnamese coffee filters… Still uninitiated and untouched in my kitchen!

Perhaps the cruelest touch of all has been the bags and bags of European coffee that Father Dearest returned home with.  I’m sure some of those bags were meant for me.  However, upon learning that I can no longer (temporarily) stand the smell of coffee, Father Dearest happily kept the stocks all to himself!  He even appropriated a New England blend that our cousin from Florida had brought for me.

Oh well, at least I still have my Milo and Quik… Whoopee…

Ovaltine or Milo?

I wrote about my wonderful discovery of Cocoa Tea a couple months ago and listed some of the many derivatives and imitators that we drank as children.  Well, I'm now back to those childhood drinks courtesy my ever expanding Coffee Bean. The morning coffee selection of Dean's Beans and Social blends have been replaced replaced by the chocolaty trio of Ovaltine, Milo and Quik.  While certainly not as exciting and stimulating as the coffee blends, the chocolaty trio has at least been a tasty alternative.

I think perhaps my favourite of the three may be the Milo. Half cup to three quarters cup warmed milk, 3 heaped teaspoons of Milo, hot water to top off, stir and drink! Smooth, chocolate goodness in a cup.  Not too strong, not too sweet.  The Ovaltine is prepared in much the same way but requires an extra 4th teaspoon to release a full-bodied chocolate flavour.  Quik is probably the most cost effective of the lot, requiring only 2 teaspoons for a full flavour.  However, Quik is also, by far, the sweetest of the three powdered drinks.  Each spoon of chocolate goodness packs quite a sugar punch.  The malt present in the Milo and Ovaltine also offers a more complex and interesting taste as compared to the Quik.

Anyway, moving on from the PG stuff:
For a real good kick- and a mochaccino of sorts- I'd recommend caffeine lovers add a shot of espresso to any of the aforementioned chocolate drinks.   For a truly decadent drink, top it off with some whipped cream and chocolate shavings.... Yumm!
If you're in the mood for an after dinner coffee cocktail, add a shot of Baileys to a chilled "mochaccino" before topping with the whipped cream.  Enjoy... and have an extra one for me!

…and Back!

Hi guys! Sorry for the prolonged absence.

It would seem that the time has come for Husband and me to grow our own little coffee bean. Expected roast date is mid May 2011. In one of life’s ironic little twists, despite my deep love of and devotion to all things coffee, I haven’t been able to stand the smell of the wonderful drink - at all - over the last couple of months. How absolutely disappointing! I’d even gotten permission from my doctor to go ahead and enjoy my morning cuppa! And as if to rub salt into the wound, my mind had to go get involved in this wicked trick and even going on to coffee related websites made me feel sick! Even my very own blog was nausea inducing! What a travesty!!!

Anyway, now that my Coffee Bean has had her/his first three months to develop, things are slowly getting better. While the smell of coffee still isn’t my favourite (insert long exaggerated sigh here), I can at least once again visit my own blog on a regular basis. It’s going to be very interesting trying to write about coffee that I’m not actually drinking but we’ll see how creative I can be! Keep reading!