Review: Stomping Grounds Espresso Concentrates - Free Offer

It’s time to measure up the Stomping Grounds espresso concentrate. We’ve been drinking Stomping Grounds for the last two weeks or so, and have had it in a wide variety of ways. Stomping Grounds is an espresso concentrate that comes in shelf stable 1 quart packages and is available in 4 varieties: Espresso, Caramel, Vanilla and Mocha. We have had a chance to try out the Espresso and the Caramel for the purposes of this review. There is a nice little pour spout on the package to make pouring easy, and the product is good in the refrigerator for a month after you open it. Stomping Grounds now has a web-store up at their site, and it is available at Cost Plus Markets, and some select Whole Foods Stores.

Update: Stompin Grounds Espresso Concentrate is now available at Amazon.

The Basic Latte
The basic directions tell you to mix 1/3 Stomping Grounds Espresso Concentrate with 2/3 milk and either heat or serve chilled. In trying out both the regular and the caramel varieties, hot, we thought that they made for a decent latte, a bit on the mild side, so I added a bit more Stomping Grounds concentrate to stiffen things up a bit. I mean hey, I drink straight espresso a lot and want that coffee flavor screaming at me. I think that they make a decent Latte, easy to do and pretty good. They don’t scream burnt Starbucks if you are used to that, but a nice drink all the same. I might pair it with a milk frother like an Aero Latte Milk Frother to make things a little special.

The Iced Wonder
So, while it’s late summer, and things up here in New England are cooling off a bit, I still love a nice iced coffee during the warm sunny afternoons. I think I found my new favorite iced concoction. I made the Stomping Grounds Caramel Latte and then added some ice, and WOW is it great. Nice, lightly buttery caramel flavor coming though, with a good sweetness balance that is not too sticky sweet. Love it, Love it, Love it. I made the Regular Espresso the same way and it is very good too. Forget stopping by the café for an Iced Latte, this is the way to go. Do it yourself, save some money and enjoy the drink when ever you want.

Friday Night Fun
So, in talking over how much I loved the Stomping Grounds Iced Lattes with some friends on Friday night, we decided to experiment a bit. I unloaded the liquor cabinet a bit and we played bar tender with the Stomping Grounds concentrate. We played for a while, and a few recipes shot to the top of the list of favorites:

Caramel Macchiato Martini
2 1/2 Ounces of Stomping Grounds Caramel Espresso Concentrate
1 1/2 Ounces of Vodka

Quick Espresso Martini
1 1/2 Ounces of Stomping Grounds Espresso Concentrate
1 1/2 Ounces Vodka
Top off with a floating espresso bean
(Note: This is fairly alcoholic/strong, add more Stomping Grounds Espresso concentrate if needed)

Caramel All-Nighter
3 ounces of Stomping Grounds Caramel Espresso Concentrate
1 1/2 ounces Vodka
4 ounces Milk

Caramel Nutcase
3 ounces of Stomping Grounds Caramel Espresso Concentrate
1 1/2 ounces of Vodka
1 1/2 ounces Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur
5 ounces of Milk

So, suffice to say, it’s a good thing that I already brewed up my hot Lattes and Iced Lattes, because we finished off the supply of Stomping Grounds with this little experimentation run.

Again, Stomping Grounds Espresso concentrates are avilable at their web-store up at their site, and it is available at Cost Plus Markets, and some select Whole Foods Stores.

September 14, 2006

Review: Stomping Grounds Espresso Concentrates - Free Offer