What happens when you don’t go to the grocery store?

In our house, when no one goes to the store, we run out of coffee filters.

The possibility of no morning coffee nearly became a reality for my roommate earlier this week. Waking bright and early, she stumbled into the kitchen to brew the morning joe only to discover: an empty box where the coffee filters once lived. Although stricken, the level-headed 21-year-old kept her wits about her.

Using all the inspiration and cleverness that she so clearly possesses, my roommate improvised. She created a coffee filter out of two folded paper towels! Amazingly, her idea worked, and the coffee brewed away.

I only became aware of this situation at mid-morning, when I headed toward the now half-empty pot. My roommate told me of her discovery and accomplishment with great pride. I felt, of course, surprised and pleased.

However, that very afternoon I headed to our local Wal-Mart to buy some coffee filters. Why tempt fate?

What is the worst you have experienced when you ran out of coffee (or filters, or creamer, or whatever?) I jokingly say that I would sell my left arm for a cup of coffee, but what would I really do? What would you do?

And again!

This morning, I decided to try again with the Level Ground fair trade Columbian coffee I bought. After all, I paid $9 — gotta use it! This time, I abandoned my previous cautious approach and went with a huge scoop for each cup I was brewing. Minutes later, the unmistakable scent of delicious coffee wafted through my house.

I am happy to say that it tastes much better this time around! The earthiness is still present, but when it is a stronger brew it tastes more like that “bite” that I am looking for in my coffee. The chocolate that I bought tastes great with it, but I also like to pair banana bread or a similar baked good with this strong, yet natural-tasting coffee. And the cheery man on the bag adds character to my kitchen. A win all around!

Has anyone else ever experienced a coffee that at first they weren’t sure about, but was better the second time around? I’d like to hear about it.

I tried foreign coffee!

Alright, guys, this is the moment I’ve been waiting for! As you know, I’ve been wanting to write a post about foreign coffee. I even created a survey asking you if you have tried any foreign coffees.

Well today was the day. Entirely by chance, I went into Ten Thousand Villages on an assignment for work. I loved it! You have to go in. The fair trade store has mostly handmade products made in other countries. So many great Christmas gifts could be found there!

The wonderful woman working in the store directed me to a coffee sample station in the back(I’m a fan of any store that gives me free coffee!), where  many different varieties of foreign coffee were for sale! I felt very excited, and after much deliberation, settled on Level Ground direct fair trade Columbia. I also purchased an Equal Exchange Chocolate Caramel Crunch with Sea Salt chocolate bar. I am currently, as I am writing this, munching and sipping on both products.

The verdict?

Well … the coffee tastes pretty good. I think I made it too weak though. Concerned that it would be very strong, I made it weaker than I normally prepare my Folgers. Next time I brew it, I’ll make it a little stronger and see if that’s better. I do like it though! The coffee has an earthly smell and taste, but it is not unpleasant.

Side note: The chocolate is superb! Seriously, it’s good chocolate. It kind of reminds me of Starbucks Salted Hot Chocolate.  :)

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Chicory coffee

I finally realized a months-long goal. I’ve been driving by The Chicory Cafe in downtown South Bend on

my way to work for a while now… and I’ve always wondered:

What exactly is chicory?

and…

What would coffee with chicory in it taste like?

So, on Monday I had a few spare minutes and I decided to find out.

I went into the shop (located at 105 E. Jefferson Blvd.), walked straight up to the counter, and asked the stereotypically artsy looking barista for chicory coffee. Now, I specifically asked for the coffee with actual chicory in it. According to their website, they have fair trade coffees from New Orleans, “including chicory coffee.”

I did some research about chicory and its relation to coffee. One helpful website,  http://www.cafedumonde.com, told me that chicory was used as a coffee substitute during the  French and Indian war. The Acadians (residents of Novia Scotia who got kicked out after the war), brought the coffee and chicory custom to America. Chicory is the root of the endive plant… and the endive plant is a form of lettuce.

So… I’m drinking lettuce coffee here. Great. I purchased a small cup, successfully paying for it ($1.61, if you’re interested) using change I found in my wallet.You gotta love the days where you don’t have to break out the debit card.

I tentatively took my first sip of the chicory (aka: lettuce) coffee while skeptically perusing the art pieces scattered about the cafe. And… it was okay. That’s all — just okay. Actually, as I continued to drink it, I realized that it tasted a little weak. I am a firm believer in very strong coffee.

Also, I didn’t taste anything… different about it. It was basically a mediocre cup of coffee. If there was actual chicory in it, it didn’t affect the taste at all. I told a coworker about my experience, and she suggested that the artsy barista was lying to me about the chicory actually being in the coffee. I don’t know about that — it seems pretty unprofessional to me. But the coffee definitely didn’t taste like anything special.

In summary: My first visit to a local coffeehouse didn’t really turn out like I expected. But the good news is, there are many more left to try! If you have tried chicory coffee before, tell me about it. Perhaps your experience was different than mine. Did you like it? Or, do you have anything to add to my decidedly short summary of chicory? Feel free to comment — thanks!

If you’d like to visit The Chicory Cafe, their website with more information, including hours, is http://www.chicorycafe.net/.

Nighttime coffee–good idea or bad?

Do you drink coffee at night?

Night meaning… after dinner, or after 5 or 6 p.m. I do. In fact, I had a cup around 10 p.m., which is why I am still up doing homework at 1:20 a.m. I can’t say that I regret it though. I’ll take whatever energy I can get.

A friend of mine tries to stick exclusively to decaf in the evening. At the coffee shop where I work, however, we have customers coming in and ordering extra shots of espresso at 10 p.m.! To each his or her own.

Usually, I drink coffee at night for energy…but its also because I love the taste! Although coffee is an aquired taste, once you love it–nothing else quite hits the spot. That’s why I decided to make coffee the focus of this blog.

I just cannot live without this one daily aspect of my life. I know there are other people out there who feel like this too!

The purpose of this blog is to have fun and maybe learn something about coffee, and maybe learn some things about ourselves. Any ideas for posts are welcome. I’d like to, amoung other things, use this blog as a way to:

• try new coffees!
• explore new places in the South Bend/Mishawaka area that serve coffee
• look at the “story” behind coffee, aka cultural significance
• build some community among the coffee lovers and addicts of South Bend ( and anywhere else too!)

Feel free to comment.