Archive for May, 2012

Coffee Rating:
3.5 out of 5 coffee cups

Jarbee Banana Hazelnut Flavored Ground Coffee
Medium Roast
Price Ground or Whole Bean: $6.95 1/2 pound; $11.95 pound

Jarbee Coffee was kind enough to send three free half-pound bags of flavored coffees to sample from their line of flavored coffees. Jarbee uses the finest gourmet Arabica coffee beans for their coffees, with your choice of whole bean or ground coffee. The flavored ground coffees we received were three of their top sellers: Peanut Butter, Maple Bacon, and Banana Hazelnut coffee.

Flavored coffees to me always provide a sense of fun and adventure. If you like flavored coffees, you’ll love the array of flavored coffees available online at Jarbee Coffee. Jarbee has at least 50 or more coffees with an amazing variety of flavors, there’s something for everyone. They also carry gourmet coffee blends, decaf and espresso, so you can buy your flavored coffee and espresso all in one place. A sampling of just a few of the flavored coffees includes: Jamaican Me Crazy, Vanilla Hazelnut, Raspberry Cream, Highlander Grogg, Rocca Mocha, Butterscotch Toffee, Irish Cream, Black Forest Cake, Almond Toffee Crunch, and Caramel Pecan Roll, to name just a few. Jarbees also features great Daily Coffee Specials on the website, with coffee on sale for $4.95 per 1/2 pound of coffee.

The idea of a banana hazelnut coffee made me think of banana nut bread. Anything sweet like this goes great with coffee. Jarbee’s Banana Hazelnut Flavored ground coffee is another one of Jarbee’s most popular flavored coffees. Just handling the sealed coffee packages I could smell the aromas of each coffee before opening the package. When opening the package of Banana Hazelnut ground coffee, the medium roast coffee smells strongly of banana. The Banana Hazelnut Flavored coffee was brewed with a French Press and it was tasted with and without half and half.

The Banana Hazelnut coffee when brewed has the aroma of bananas. I let the flavored coffee cool a bit, flavored coffees to me are their best when the coffee is not scalding hot. When tasting the coffee there is a nice strong flavor of banana with an end taste of nutty hazelnut, its really a great flavor combination. The Banana Hazelnut coffee is smooth with no bitterness. Jarbee’s Banana Hazelnut Flavored ground coffee gives you the taste of coffee, fruit and nuts all in one cup, what’s not to like? This is a sweet fruit, nutty flavored coffee that is great to drink anytime, or to savor over breakfast on the weekends. If you love the taste of bananas and hazelnuts, you’ll enjoy Jarbee’s Banana Hazelnut Flavored ground coffee.

Coffee Rating:
4 out of 5 coffee cups

Old Stone Bridge Decaf Whole Bean Coffee
Light Roast, Shade Grown
Price: $12.99

Coastal Roasters was generous in sending us nine half-pound free whole bean coffees to sample from their line of organic, fair trade coffees. Coastal Roasters is a very popular coffee company on the east coast with many dedicated coffee fans, and there is a good reason why: Coastal Roasters coffee is delicious! Coastal Roasters works with growers, importers and other roasters to source the finest kind of beans available. Coastal Roasters roasts their coffee beans to order and local coffee delivery is free. Coastal Roasters concentrates on coffees from growers that are organic, fair trade, shade grown, bird friendly, mountain water processed, and are associated with the Rainforest Alliance.

Coastal Roasters coffees include the Sakonnet Signature series (proprietary blends, including their best sellers); coffees from the Americas (Mexico, Central America, and South America); coffees from Africa and Arabia; and coffees from Indonesia. The Coastal Roasters coffee packages we received have a resealable top which is very handy, and the coffee artwork on the packages is wonderful. The whole bean coffees we received to review are impressive, we think you will find this coffee impressive as well.

Coastal Roasters ships anywhere. Whole bean coffee is available or you can choose coffee ground to specification. Due to the re-construction of Coastal Roasters website, all orders can simply be placed by contacting them by phone. Contact them via email and they will be happy to email a complete and current menu. You can email Coastal Roasters at coastalroasters (at) gmail.com, or phone them at (401) 624-2343.

When opening the package of whole beans the light roast coffee bean aroma is warm and inviting. The Old Stone Bridge Decaf whole bean coffee was brewed with a French Press and it was tasted with and without half and half.

Old Stone Bridge Decaf whole bean coffee is a 100% Columbian blend, a mild coffee with real flavor. The Old Stone Bridge Decaf coffee when brewed is definitely a lighter roast but comes with a full-bodied taste. Old Stone Bridge Decaf is smooth tasting with herb and roasted nut tones, unlike some other light roasts this flavor lingers after you’ve sipped and lets you know this is no wimpy decaf. This is a good cup of java for those of us who drink decaf as well as caffeinated coffee. Old Stone Bridge Decaf is a satisfying decaf for coffee drinkers, perfect for decaf drinkers everyday coffee, or that extra cup in the evening when you can’t afford to drink more caffeine. Coastal Roasters Old Stone Bridge Decaf is a great cup of decaf you won’t want to miss.

Coffee Rating:
3.5 out of 5 coffee cups

Jarbee Peanut Butter Flavored Ground Coffee
Medium Roast
Price Ground or Whole Bean: $6.95 1/2 pound; $11.95 pound

Jarbee Coffee was kind enough to send three free half-pound bags of flavored coffees to sample from their line of flavored coffees. Jarbee uses the finest gourmet Arabica coffee beans for their coffees, with your choice of whole bean or ground coffee. The flavored ground coffees we received were three of their top sellers: Peanut Butter, Maple Bacon, and Banana Hazelnut coffee.

Flavored coffees to me always provide a sense of fun and adventure. If you like flavored coffees, you’ll love the array of flavored coffees available online at Jarbee Coffee. Jarbee has at least 50 or more coffees with an amazing variety of flavors, there’s something for everyone. They also carry gourmet coffee blends, decaf and espresso, so you can buy your flavored coffee and espresso all in one place. A sampling of just a few of the flavored coffees includes: Jamaican Me Crazy, Vanilla Hazelnut, Raspberry Cream, Highlander Grogg, Rocca Mocha, Butterscotch Toffee, Irish Cream, Black Forest Cake, Almond Toffee Crunch, and Caramel Pecan Roll, to name just a few. Jarbees also features great Daily Coffee Specials on the website, with coffee on sale for $4.95 per 1/2 pound of coffee.

I have always enjoyed the idea of coffee and a peanut butter sandwich. Jarbee’s Peanut Butter Flavored ground coffee gives you the taste of coffee and peanut butter all in one – Yum! The Peanut Butter Flavored coffee is another one of Jarbee’s most popular flavored coffees. The sealed coffee package smelled of peanut butter before even opening it. When opening the package of Peanut Butter Flavored ground coffee, the medium roast coffee smells of peanuts. The Peanut Butter Flavored coffee was brewed with a French Press and it was tasted with and without half and half.

The Peanut Butter coffee when brewed has an aroma of peanuts. Coffee and peanut butter, its a winning combination. I let the flavored coffee cool a bit, flavored coffees to me are their best when the coffee is not scalding hot. Who doesn’t like peanut butter? The taste of the coffee reminded me of very smooth, sweet, creamy peanut butter. The coffee has a nice mouth feel when drinking it, and the creamy peanut butter flavor mixes well with the Arabica coffee. If you want to go crazy with the idea try Peanut Butter Flavored coffee with a peanut butter sandwich for fun. This is a satisfying Peanut Butter coffee that would be a great daily cup to get you going in the morning, or for those moments when you have to have a good cup of flavored coffee on the weekends. If you are a fan of flavored coffees, you’ll enjoy Jarbee’s Peanut Butter Flavored ground coffee.

Coffee Rating:
4.0 out of 5 coffee cups

Honduras Raos Whole Bean Coffee
Dark Roast, Organic & Fair Trade, Shade Grown
Price: $11.99

Coastal Roasters was generous in sending us nine half-pound free whole bean coffees to sample from their line of organic, fair trade coffees. Coastal Roasters is a very popular coffee company on the east coast with many dedicated coffee fans, and there is a good reason why: Coastal Roasters coffee is delicious! Coastal Roasters works with growers, importers and other roasters to source the finest kind of beans available. Coastal Roasters roasts their coffee beans to order and local coffee delivery is free. Coastal Roasters concentrates on coffees from growers that are organic, fair trade, shade grown, bird friendly, mountain water processed, and are associated with the Rainforest Alliance.

Coastal Roasters coffees include the Sakonnet Signature series (proprietary blends, including their best sellers); coffees from the Americas (Mexico, Central America, and South America); coffees from Africa and Arabia; and coffees from Indonesia. The Coastal Roasters coffee packages we received have a resealable top which is very handy, and the coffee artwork on the packages is wonderful. The whole bean coffees we received to review are impressive, we think you will find this coffee impressive as well.

Coastal Roasters ships anywhere. Whole bean coffee is available or you can choose coffee ground to specification. Due to the re-construction of Coastal Roasters website, all orders can simply be placed by contacting them by phone. Contact them via email and they will be happy to email a complete and current menu. You can email Coastal Roasters at coastalroasters (at) gmail.com, or phone them at (401) 624-2343.

When opening the package of whole beans the dark roast coffee bean aroma is strong and inviting. The Honduras Raos whole bean coffee was brewed with a French Press and it was tasted with and without half and half.

The Honduras Raos coffee when brewed is dark as a dark roast should be, with a strong brewed aroma. The Honduras Raos when tasted has an earthy, rich and smooth flavor with a slight bitterness, which is good when it comes to a dark roast coffee. There is a chocolate bittersweet flavor with a little herb/floral tone to the coffee, making this a delicious cup of java to drink. I especially liked the bittersweet chocolate flavor of the Honduras Raos. Coastal Roasters notes that unlike their other central American coffees they roast this coffee a little longer to accentuate the fullness of the coffee with a floral finish. Like all of the Coastal Roasters coffee this is a flavorful coffee I’d highly recommend for your daily cup or to savor over the weekends.

man drinking coffee

A recent article suggests that the average American worker spends something like $1100 a year on coffee—that’s over $20 a week! When you compare that to the commute costs for that same worker, you’d be tempted to think that drilling for coffee might be at least as important as drilling for more oil. You know you’ve got to have that coffee, so how do you propose to make it more affordable? Maybe it’s time to try a cup from one of the other chains, or even a local coffee vendor. Joining affinity programs can get you a free cup after buying a bunch. And then there’s always the possibility that you could drink it black, instead of adding all the various flavorings and dairy concoctions that jack the price up. Or how about making it at home? You can grab a home drip coffee maker for a couple of bucks, or pick up a French press pot for not much more than pocket change. And just think: if you can score your cup of coffee for a cheaper price, you can drink even more of it!

Image courtesy Openclipart.org

Coffee Rating:
3.5 out of 5 coffee cups

Jarbee Maple Bacon Ground Coffee
Medium Roast
Price Ground or Whole Bean: $6.95 1/2 pound; $11.95 pound

Jarbee Coffee was kind enough to send three free half-pound bags of flavored coffees to sample from their line of flavored coffees. Jarbee uses the finest gourmet Arabica coffee beans for their coffees, with your choice of whole bean or ground coffee. The flavored ground coffees we received were three of their top sellers: Peanut Butter, Maple Bacon, and Banana Hazelnut coffee.

Flavored coffees to me always provide a sense of fun and adventure. If you like flavored coffees, you’ll love the array of flavored coffees available online at Jarbee Coffee. Jarbee has at least 50 or more coffees with an amazing variety of flavors, there’s something for everyone. They also carry gourmet coffee blends, decaf and espresso, so you can buy your flavored coffee and espresso all in one place. A sampling of just a few of the flavored coffees includes: Jamaican Me Crazy, Vanilla Hazelnut, Raspberry Cream, Highlander Grogg, Rocca Mocha, Butterscotch Toffee, Irish Cream, Black Forest Cake, Almond Toffee Crunch, and Caramel Pecan Roll, to name just a few. Jarbees also features great Daily Coffee Specials on the website, with coffee on sale for $4.95 per 1/2 pound of coffee.

I was intrigued with the idea of a Maple Bacon ground coffee, which is one of Jarbee’s most popular flavored coffees. Just handling the sealed coffee packages I could smell the aromas of each coffee before opening the package. When opening the package of Maple Bacon ground coffee, the medium roast coffee smells of maple. The Maple Bacon coffee was brewed with a French Press and it was tasted with and without half and half.

The Maple Bacon coffee when brewed has an aroma of maple. The real tasting of bacon comes when you sip the coffee. I let the flavored coffee cool a bit, flavored coffees to me are their best when the coffee is not scalding hot. When I tasted the Maple Bacon coffee I could taste maple most predominantly, with a finish of the savory bacon, just enough to get both flavors from the coffee. I can taste the flavors, but being adventurous I’d go for an even stronger maple and bacon in this coffee. This is an unique flavoring you’ll love, basically this coffee is “breakfast in a cup”. The sweet and savory combination is a great one. The Jarbee Maple Bacon flavored coffee is perfect for anytime of the day or ideal for laid-back weekends. If you like flavored coffees I think you’ll like the breakfast flavors of Jarbee’s Maple Bacon ground coffee.

~ ~ ~ Jarbee is offering Caffeine Conspiracy readers a special $3.00 off promotion with the purchase of $15.00 or more. Use the PROMO CODE Caffeine Conspiracy when ordering your coffee online.This offer is good until June 30, 2012.~ ~ ~

Coffee Rating:
4.5 out of 5 coffee cups

Wild Weetamoo Whole Bean Coffee
Dark Roast, Organic & Fair Trade, Shade Grown
Price: $11.99

Coastal Roasters was generous in sending us nine half-pound free whole bean coffees to sample from their line of organic, fair trade coffees. Coastal Roasters is a very popular coffee company on the east coast with many dedicated coffee fans, and there is a good reason why: Coastal Roasters coffee is delicious! Coastal Roasters works with growers, importers and other roasters to source the finest kind of beans available. Coastal Roasters roasts their coffee beans to order and local coffee delivery is free. Coastal Roasters concentrates on coffees from growers that are organic, fair trade, shade grown, bird friendly, mountain water processed, and are associated with the Rainforest Alliance. Coastal Roasters coffees are grouped as follows: Sakonnet Signature series (proprietary blends, including their best sellers); coffees from the Americas (Mexico, Cental America, and South America); coffees from Africa and Arabia; and coffees from Indonesia. The Coastal Roasters coffee packages we received have a resealable top which is very handy, and the coffee artwork on the packages is wonderful. The whole bean coffees we received to review are impressive, we think you will find this coffee impressive as well.

Coastal Roasters ships anywhere. Whole bean coffee is available or you can choose coffee ground to specification. Due to the re-construction of Coastal Roasters website, all orders can simply be placed by contacting them by phone. Contact them via email and they will be happy to email a complete and current menu. You can email Coastal Roasters at coastalroasters (at) gmail.com, or phone them at (401) 624-2343.

When opening the package of whole beans the coffee bean aroma is strong and inviting. The Wild Weetamoo whole bean coffee was brewed with a French Press and it was tasted with and without half and half.

The Wild Weetamoo coffee when brewed looks dark and is as appealing as a dark roast can be. The flavors of dark, rich coffee accented with chocolate and fruit tones are delicious and somewhat sweet tasting. The coffee is smooth with surprisingly no bitterness for a dark roast coffee. I really liked the blend of beans in this Indonesia blend, I found the coffee very flavorful and a coffee I’d be happy to drink every day. This Indonesia blend is a fantastic way to start your day or to relax with over the weekend. I’m a big fan of dark roast coffees and Wild Weetamoo is a beautiful dark roast blend that won’t disappoint.


 

As soon as coffee beans are roasted, they start getting stale and losing some of their flavor and depth. Therefore, keeping it fresh should be one of your main focuses after you’ve selected your roast and flavor. There are several ways to ensure your coffee holds flavor throughout its whole use. The best solution depends on how much coffee you have and how quickly you can use it up.

In the Freezer

If you buy coffee in huge batches, you’ll probably want to store some of it in the freezer. Although freezing is not ideal for coffee, it is better than leaving it sitting on the counter for months. When you’re preparing coffee to store in the freezer, put it in airtight packaging and make sure each package contains no more coffee than you can use in two weeks. Then put it as far back in the freezer as you can manage to keep it away from light and fluctuations in temperature. Many “Whirlpool refrigerators” have freezer drawers which are perfect for this sort of situation. Lastly, remember that you should never refreeze coffee. Think of it like ice cream: you cannot let it melt and pop it back in the freezer expecting it to still be the right texture after it freezes again.

In an Airtight Canister

The ideal coffee storage solution is an airtight canister. You should really go out and buy a new canister for this purpose to make sure you get one that’s suited for coffee. In addition to having an airtight seal that will last a long time, you want your canister to be opaque so the beans aren’t exposed to light. Purchase a canister slightly larger than the typical bag of coffee, so you can be sure to fit all of the coffee in the canister whenever you open a new bag.

Additional Considerations

The type of coffee you purchase also affects its freshness before it even gets into your home. Pay attention to the following freshness factors when you are at the store.

First, whole beans are better than ground ones because you get to grind them right before you use them which preserves more of their flavor. Second, valve-sealed bags tend to contain fresher coffee beans than vacuum-sealed bags because the beans let off carbon dioxide for several days after they’re roasted. The roaster has to let the beans sit until they’re done with that process before they can go into vacuum-sealed bags; whereas, the valve-sealed bags can have freshly roasted beans. But if you do have to buy pre-ground beans, vacuum-sealed bags are better because they keep ground beans fresher for longer.

Now that you’re an expert on keeping your coffee fresh, go out and get some freshly roasted beans, grind them at home, and start sipping. Chances are, you’ll taste some subtle flavors you never noticed before, and you’ll never go back to stale coffee.

About the author: Kristine greatly enjoys coffee, yoga and writing on behalf of Sears and other quality products.

Coffee Rating:
3.5 out of 5 coffee cups

Marley Coffee
Mystic Morning Medium Roast Ground Coffee
Price: $9.95 8 oz.

Marley Coffee was kind enough to send us free coffees to sample from their line of six ground coffees and a bag of their Jamaica Blue Mountain® whole bean coffee to review. Music icon Bob Marley yearned to return to farming someday, his son Rohan and friend Shane Whittle kept Marley’s dream alive by founding Marley Coffee. The company sources its beans from around the world, including Central America, Ethiopia, and Jamaica. The Jamaica beans are from a 52-acre private estate atop the Blue Mountains, known as a region with the best coffee beans. Marley Coffee partners with farms in Africa, Central America and other top coffee-growing regions worldwide to make their excellent coffee. Marley coffee is known for their support of communities and their commitment to the environment through organic, sustainable and ethical practices.

When opening the package of the ground coffee the coffee smell is strong and inviting. The Mystic Morning ground coffee was brewed with a French Press and was tasted with and without half and half.

When brewed the Mystic Morning coffee has a good coffee aroma. Mystic Morning has a deep roast taste upon the first sip which makes it very enjoyable. There is a full flavor of cocoa in the coffee but I did not get a strong cinnamon and spice flavor which is one of the hallmarks of Mystic Morning. I do love cinnamon in coffee but the spice I didn’t find was made up for by the full bodied taste of the coffee. Mystic Morning is strong and smooth, and its lingering taste is satisfying as you drink the coffee. Marley’s line of ground coffees is impressive and this final coffee of our Marley reviews is yet another good choice for coffee drinkers. Mystic Morning is a great way to wake-up and start your day, this is a full-flavored coffee I would recommend for your every day coffee.

smiling laptop computer

Back in the day, everybody had an office. It was in a building, with a desk you could put your stuff on, and a chair to sit in. Any more, though, with so many people telecommuting or self-employed, offices are few and far between. Maybe you could pile your stuff on the kitchen table to get your work done, but you’ll need to move the dishes and get rid of the pizza boxes. And then there’s the whole isolation thing: spending all your time by yourself worked for the Unabomber, but for most folks, there is some basic need for at least minimal human contact. For many people, the perfect solution is to go hang out in your local coffee dispensary. They’ve got chairs and tables, people, and most of ‘em have Wi-Fi too, so you’ve got everything you need for your proxy office. Turns out, though, most coffee shops are a lot more interested in selling you coffee than in giving you a free space to conduct business in, and many of them are starting to push back with tricks like covering up electrical outlets (you’re only good ’til your laptop battery poops out) and frequently changing Wi-Fi passwords (you need to buy another latte for this hour’s login). It’s probably a good idea to show your appreciation for the use of the space and go ahead and buy another cup—after all, a Frappuccino is a whole lot cheaper than paying rent on a real office.

Image courtesy Openclipart.org

Coffee Rating:
4 out of 5 coffee cups

Marley Coffee
Lively Up Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee
Price: $9.95 8 oz.

Marley Coffee was kind enough to send us free coffees to sample from their line of six ground coffees and a bag of their Jamaica Blue Mountain® whole bean coffee to review. Music icon Bob Marley yearned to return to farming someday, his son Rohan and friend Shane Whittle kept Marley’s dream alive by founding Marley Coffee. The company sources its beans from around the world, including Central America, Ethiopia, and Jamaica. The Jamaica beans are from a 52-acre private estate atop the Blue Mountains, known as a region with the best coffee beans. Marley Coffee partners with farms in Africa, Central America and other top coffee-growing regions worldwide to make their excellent coffee. Marley coffee is known for their support of communities and their commitment to the environment through organic, sustainable and ethical practices.

When opening the package of the ground coffee the coffee smell is strong and inviting. The Lively Up Espresso ground coffee was brewed with a French Press and also with a home espresso maker; it was tasted with and without half and half in both brewings.

When brewed the Lively Up espresso coffee had a strong roasted aroma and you can tell right away from the taste this is darker coffee with an espresso kick. The Lively Up ground coffee is darker like you would expect an espresso coffee to be. The Lively Up coffee is strong tasting and is the only Marley ground coffee we’ve tasted that has a hint of bitterness, which is what you’d find in a good cup of espresso coffee. The Lively Up is also not quite as smooth as some of the other Marley ground coffees which is typical of espressos I’ve had in the past. The Lively Up espresso tasted deep roasted and had chocolate tones with a long finish when tasting, it is a very good cup of coffee. We gladly recommend Marley’s Lively Up, it is a delicious espresso that will wake you up in the morning and get you going for the rest of the day.