Illy is getting in on the good times and pushing a new ad campaign with their Live Happ-illy video. The 60-second ad offers a little romantic intrigue, a little pep in your step and an overall message that a moment with an illy espresso simply makes life better. I happen to agree with the idea that a little coffee in your day makes life a little better, and I life their take on it.
Over the holidays, I had the opportunity to cup coffee in the State Street Gimme Coffee location in Ithaca - a fun hour or so, and it taught me to take a step back, slow down and explore more flavors that I have in a long time. While we cupped coffee in a slurry brew in some very controlled conditions, you should try a few steps on your own at home to explore on your own:
Grab a Coffee Tasting and Flavor Wheel - it will give you a good start so you can taste some of these great flavors present in coffee.
Learn about tasting vs aroma - you can taste sweet, salt, bitter and sour; the rest is really aroma that really make coffee amazing
Brew up a pair of coffees, or espressos and taste them side-by-side - hopefully you can brew them easily and quickly so that they are similar in temperature
Smell the coffee, and look for aromas while using the aroma side of the coffee tasting wheel. There's a lot, but start in the middle and move out as you uncover new details.
Taste - notice where you taste the acidity; there is a lot of acid in coffee, and it really plays a huge role in how coffee. Look at the Taste side of the wheel, see what you taste, but then flip back to the Aroma side and see what you "Taste" when you drink it. It's great. Some use a spoon to slurp it, to aerate the coffee aromas as you bring it into the mouth. Go ahead; make some noise!
Finally, decide if you like the cup.
I like to pick up a new and different coffee or espresso on a regular basis, and cupping new coffees can be fun to learn what you like, and what you don't.
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Illy Single Origin MonoArabica Whole Bean and iperEspresso Capsules
Illy has released a set of single origin coffees for use in the iperEspresso compatible machines or simply to be bought as a wholebean coffee. Personally, I like the concept of a special iperEspresso version where you might need a little variety from the standard versions; hard to do if you can only use capsules.
The whole bean and iperEspresso capsules come in three varieties:
Brazil - "The lush and verdant forests, deep in the Cerrado Mineiro region, create an enchanting landscape with well-defined wet and dry seasons, which provide one of the world’s finest beginnings for coffee. MonoArabica Brazil offers a full-bodied boldness and smooth, rich taste with subtle hints of decadent chocolate. Savor the start of your day with MonoArabica Brazil."
Guatemala - "Perhaps no other place on Earth can compare to the ideal conditions of the remote Huehuetenango Mountains. This is a place where Arabica beans are grown at just the right altitude, with the perfect combination of warmth and coolness inviting the warm winds from Mexico and thriving in the shade of the Maya forest. This medium-bodied coffee is strong, yet sweet with just a whisper of chocolate, caramel and honey. Find delight in the first moments of morning with MonoArabica Guatemala."
Ethiopia - "Legend has it that coffee as fuel for the human mind has its origins in Ethiopia. Deep in the tropical forests, the Yirgacheffe region has rich and fertile soil where coffee is shade-grown and handpicked. It’s in this geography that Arabica coffee is characterized by its delicate, seductive taste with gentle notes of jasmine and citrus discoverable in each sip of medium bodied coffee. Create a small moment of joy with MonoArabica Ethiopia."
Starbucks has long been described as the McDonalds of coffee, but like McDonalds, it is branching out beyond its staple. McDonalds has breakfast, Espresso and salads. Starbucks is getting into Juice. Today's WSJ talks about Starbucks Evolution, a Naked Juice knock-off that will see itself as the first step in a non-coffee beverage line that will lead Starbucks in its own evolution. Through the article, Starbucks is laying out a vision of becoming a packaged goods brand in the grocery channel that will be as much a lifestyle brand as it will be a segment for all things coffee and as we see, maybe many things non-coffee.
The move also puts other providers of goods on notice; if we like your segment, we are going to create our own brand, or buy you out. Tea fit well, they buy Tazo. Naked Juice sells well; start selling Evolution. What else seems to do well that they should own?
If you go to Starbucks and order a specialty drink, you have to watch this and think about it next time you feel the urge to order that super triple, extra whip, decaf coffee drink at Starbucks and tip the Barista the $0.07 that you got as change. I am sure it's a tough job when the line is out the door, but Chris did get fired for this one. Nice video, even though we get a shot of him just in his undies and a Starbucks apron.
After the jump is Part 2; where Chris confirms he got fired....... and then sets it to music....
Pumpkin-ize Yourself - Pumpkin Spice Latte is Back
The Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte is back. Actually it has been news for a while (it launched nationally yesterday), but it seemed like sacrilege to talk about it before Labor Day. Anyway, this Fall flavor is in stores and ready to enjoy. This year, Starbucks has a fun capability of creating a pumpkin carve out of your face for your Facebook Page Profile Pic. Head over to their FB page, and get started on the little routine. Once you create your FB picture, you can also print out a guide to carve your face on a real pumpkin.
With a splash of color, the Bodum Brazil French Press adds a little brightness to the morning, and will go well with the Bodum Pavina porcelain cups and their colored grips that I posted about earlier this week.
This French Press is a "3-cup" size, or about 12-ounces, enough for me to enjoy one mug of stout coffee in the morning.
I have seen these at Target, and in several colors, including Orange, Red, Green, Brown, and Black. They are also available at Amazon.
At Amazon - Bodum Brazil 12-ounce French Press
A recent article in the local newspaper made me examine my own methods of brewing iced coffee. While many coffee shops use the cold brew method of making a concentrate, I feel like it lacks body and the back end of the flavor profile, overwhelming the experience with caramel and chocolate flavors that just don't make the the bright, sharp velvety experience that I want. I happen to agree with George Howell who says, "Cold brewing ruins the coffee."
I like two methods:
Iced Espresso (Americano) - brew your favorite shot of espresso into a glass of ice cubes, add sugar, a plash of milk and stir. I use a Nespresso Pixie a lot of the time, but also use a standard pump espresso brewer to brew up coffees I find from local roasters. I also tend to use two shots; one just isn't enough.
Drip Coffee Brewed and Cooled - Brew a pot, pour your giant size mug, and shut off the carafe for iced coffee later. The important thing is to shut off the brewer quickly so the coffee doesn't cook on the hot plate. If you've got room, pour your first cup and then plunge the carafe into the refrigerator. I tend to go back to the pot throughout the day for iced coffee refreshment. With the coffee cooled, it won't get as diluted when you add ice. Sip and enjoy.
Arabica and not Robusta - I like a little Robusta in my espresso, more body, and a "Classic flavor" It can be overdone and it's a personal taste that's not for everyone. I DO NOT like iced espresso with Robusta in it as the burnt rubber flavors somehow scream through the iced coffee flavors and ruin an otherwise good cup. I would recommend a medium dark roast with a good amount of acidity and late coffee flavor in the profile. Too light a roast and you'll lose the coffee flavor to the ice and milk, and too little acidity and you'll lose the coffee balance that rounds out the flavors.
See the Bodum Pavina glasses for a great iced coffee experience with no sweating on the glass.
Seattle's Best Iced Mocha Ready to Drink (RTD) Review
I was actually searching for something else when I stumbled upon Seattle's Best Iced Mocha in the chiller at a local store and decided to give it a try. The Iced Mocha is part of the three item line-up (above) that the purveyor of fine coffees offers to the market. It's not a surprise to see that Seattle's Best, which was bought by Starbucks, is sold through the partnership with Pepsi.
The Seattle's Best mocha is sadly not made with any cocoa, and instead is made with just "Natural and Artificial Flavors", a miss in my book. The flavor profile is classic Ready To Drink - passable, moderately sweet without overdoing it, with plenty of caramelized dairy notes. I would not put it in the same league as the Starbucks Doubleshot ready to drink indulgence, but it's not bad. I'd grab one for a hot morning on the way to work. Unfortunately, the 9.5 fl ounce can is about half as much as I want.
How many calories in a Seattle's Best Iced Mocha? There are 130 calories in the 9.5-ounce can, with 20 fat calories and 2 grams of fat. the ingredients are just coffee, reduced fat milk, sugar, natural and artificial flavors, pectin, salt and ascorbic acid. The pectin adds some mouthfeel and keeps things from settling, while the ascorbic acid is in there to prevent oxidation and not to add any appreciable vitamin C to the drink.
Net - it's worth picking one up if you have the chance, but don't rush out and knock down doors to find one.
New illy Issimo Flavors - Mochaccino and No Sugar Caffe
Illy announced the other day that they are coming out with two new flavors to the Illy Issimo line, a line of ready to drink (RTD) coffees. I liked the old ones and am looking forward to seeing what's up with the new ones too.
No word on availability, but you can order them now through the illy online store.
History of Disposable Coffee Cup Lids - "Contents Hot"
Saw this and had to pass it along; the Atlantic posted a story on disposable coffee cup lids, detailing the history and evolution of them across the last few decades. According to them, the US goes through a BILLION and a half disposable lids a year; yes, that's billion with a "B". Potentially only a mouse trap has been re-engineered more times than the coffee cup lid, to reduce splashes, allow through the lid sipping, offer better fits, and on and on.
Happy forty first birthday Earth Day - looking pretty fresh for a middle ager. Well you can celebrate Earth Day a bunch of ways, but you can do that with a free mug of coffee if you like.
Caribou and Starbucks are offering free drip coffee to customers who bring in a reusable mug/cup on Earth Day. Not a bad deal. If you think one cup doesn't matter, you're wrong. It catches on; Starbucks said that 32 million customers came in and used a reusable cup in 2010 saving 1.5 million pounds of paper from landfills.
Me? Not sure if I'll make it out to one of these guys, but I will be drinking a pot of some local roast that is blended and roasted about two miles from my house. I'll probably spend some time crushing some Nespresso Onirio capsules that stacked up from my review testing yesterday, using my new Outpresso; composting the coffee grounds and recycling the aluminum. If you want to learn more about Outpresso check out my Review. The Outpresso is now available in the US. I'll be caffeinated, and the compost pile just a bit richer for the whole effort.
illy Life is Good Ad: Live Happ-illy
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With a splash of color, the Bodum Brazil French Press adds a little brightness to the morning, and will go well with the 
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