Coffee that looks as good as it tastes

Newhall Coffee

Recently while at Costco, we tried some samples of Newhall Coffee, a local micro-roaster. They were sooo good we had to pick up a couple bags. We got their Hawaiian Hazelnut Decaf, which tastes as good as it smells, and the Newhall blend. Both are excellent. Highly recommended.

The Baker

http://www.thebakerbread.com/

We tried this place a while after it opened and have been coming back ever since. I'll be there sometimes 2-3 times a week for lunch during the weekdays and brunch on weekends.

The breads are all fresh, really great. On weekends they make a special walnut raisin bread that is goes pretty quickly.

They also have excellent coffee too. :)

The staff is very quick and attentive. During lunch and breakfast prime-times you may have trouble finding a place to park. There are metered spots on Ventura Blvd if you can't get in the lot.

Studying Starbucks

LONDON - A cup of coffee is just a drink. But a frappuccino is an experience. So believes Bryant Simon, a historian who is searching for the meaning of modern life amid the round tables and comfy sofas of Starbucks coffee shops.

Simon, who teaches at Philadelphia's Temple University, thinks that by spending time at Starbucks — observing the teenage couples and solitary laptop-users, the hurried office workers and busy baristas — he can learn what it means to live and consume in the age of globalization.

"What are we drinking, and what does it say about who we are?" Simon asked during a recent research trip to London.

His research has taken him to 300 Starbucks in six countries for a caffeine-fueled opus titled "Consuming Starbucks" that's due for publication in 2008. He is one of several academics studying a type of 21st century cafe culture — Italian coffee in an American package — that has spread rapidly around the world.

Read the rest of the article on Yahoo News.

Le Pain Quotidien

Driving down Ventura in Studio City we spotted a nice looking restaurant, and were hungry for lunch. I'm glad we did- the food was great and so was the coffee.

This is French themed place, but has some unique things about it. There's a central table for community style eating. The coffee was served in a metal flask instead of your cup. I've seen this in England before. And my sandwich was served on a plate that resembled a cutting board-- with a hole on one end, and completely flat.

All of the food on the menu is health and "organic", which is a far cry from the heart-clogging (but yummy) meals we had in France on a past trip.

www.lepainquotidien.com

Speaking of Starbucks

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Tom Hanks sure likes his triple venti latte.

The actor is attached to star in "How Starbucks Saved My Life," about an advertising executive who loses his job and family and has to work at the coffee chain to pay the bills. He befriends the young manager and learns about life and love.

Gus Van Sant is in negotiations to direct the Universal project. Hanks will also serve as a producer.

The project is based on a fiction book proposal by Michael Gates Gill, a former ad exec who co-wrote the nonfiction book "Fired Up! The Dramatic Truth of What It Really Takes to Move from Fearful Employee to Successful, Fired Up Entrepreneur."

Hanks next stars in "The Da Vinci Code," which opens May 19. Van Sant is attached to direct "The Time Traveler's Wife" at New Line. His credits include 2005's "Last Days."

Starbucks Coffee Giveaway!

Starbucks will host its first-ever National Coffee Break, inviting customers in for a complimentary cup of freshly brewed coffee, on March 15 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. In more than 7,500 stores, partners (employees) will pour tall (12-ounce) cups of coffee for surprised customers and delighted commuters.

See the press release on Businesswire.

Black & Decker Home Cafe

I've become a Pod Person!

Recently at Bed Bath & Beyond, I spotted a Home Cafe pod coffee maker on the clearance shelf for $30. These things usually go for around $60-70, so I snapped it up.

The Home Cafe has had mixed reviews on the pod coffee websites. The popular brands are Philips Senseo, Tassimo, Keurig. But with this bargain price, I thought I'd take a chance.

So far so good. The coffee is not bad, but not great either. The biggest bonus is being able to have several hot cups of fresh coffee instead of one fresh cup and many burnt cups from a drip maker.

Target had a sale on pods (2 packs of 16-pods for $7), so I picked up two French Roasts, two Vanillas and two Cappucinos. The Cappucino is more like the flavored coffee powder you find next to the hot chocolate mixes. The French Roast is decent. I'll try other brand pods after I run out of this batch.

You can select 7oz, 9oz or 14oz sizes. The water reservoir is about 34oz, so depending on what size drinks you make you'll have to refill it more or less frequently.

The construction feels a bit flimsy. It's all plastic. But for $30 I'm not complaining!

There are several other brand machines under the Home Cafe name. Check out the website: http://www.homecafe.com

Here's a GREAT place to learn about pod coffee making. Single Serve Coffee has reviews, discussions even tutorials on how to get the most out of your pod machine.
http://www.singleservecoffee.com/