Let’s talk coffee, shall we?
I was given a blend of beans the other day with no information other than the person it was from, and the name he had given it. I was excited to try his homemade blend and see if my coffee knowledge was up to speed. Upon grinding the beans I immediately detected scents of berries, a characteristic of a sun-dried coffee.
Once the fresh ground coffee steeped in my French press for four(ish) minutes, I plunged, poured, smelled, slurped, and savored. My palate was overwhelmed with flavors of blueberries and nuts, and I immediately knew this blend had African and Latin American grown beans. What I didn’t pick up on was the Indonesian beans, which I was told about after I had guessed the blend. Apparently the full body and herbal flavor typical of Indonesian beans comes out as the coffee cools.
I didn’t wait long enough to let it cool. 😉
My life quote.
I haven’t been focusing on the tasting aspect of my job lately, simply because I’ve been focusing on grasping everything there is to grasp about being a supervisor. Now that I’ve got a handle on things I want to get back to my coffee tasting adventures.
I remember a time many moons ago when I tried to combine two very different coffee blends into one because I wanted to save space in my pantry. Coffee is coffee right?
Oh how wrong I was, I ended up throwing it all out. RIP handpicked beans.
I’m now comfortable with combining blends, knowing which will pair well, and which will not. When I noticed I was a handful of Maui beans shy of a full French press I knew exactly which blend to complete my morning brew. The Pike Place special reserve has similar notes to the Maui coffee and they went together perfectly.
They also paired perfectly with my new obsession: two ingredient almond butter maple cookies. The simpler the ingredients the better for me. 1 cup of almond butter mixed with 1/4 cup maple syrup and a dash of salt gave 10 chewy, nutty cookies that I couldn’t get enough of. Two cookies per serving thanks to the “fit in my hand” rule.
I sprinkled some cinnamon and salt on top. Bake at 350F for 10-12minutes.
Those cookies and coffee were the perfect fuel for a few extremely enjoyable runs.
I debated on up-cycling some discarded snake skin I saw while on this 5 mile run (which turned into 5.10 because I insisted on a 10min or below pace) but then I found this paracord bracelet in perfect condition! I love finding treasure!
Q: Do you pick up treasures you find while out exploring the land, or leave them behind? I usually leave behind the used Kleenex pieces and needles, but $$ and hiking tools are a must grab! Also I was totally joking about the snake skin.
Blissfulbritt 
46 thoughts on “Coffee Knowledge”
Amy @ A Desert Girl
You are an official coffee expert. Amazing that you can detect all the flavors and the origin of the beans!! I’m impressed.
esspressotrips
Ditto Amy!!! My thoughts exactly:)
Jessica @ VEGGIE RUNNING MOMMA
I wish I could taste coffee with you someday.!! You would teach me so much, haha. I feel like such a coffee newbie. But I love it.! and drink it all the time, but I’m always in the rut where I love one and drink it all the time because I’m afraid of getting one that I wont like. lol
Brittany
I find that knowing the certain tasting notes and even growing regions of coffee will tell me if I’ll like a new to me coffee or not. I’m usually right.
kathy at real talk
i love talking to people with coffee knowledge. the lady who owns the adorable mom and pop coffee shop always gives me amazing recommendations!
Kristel
Can we talk about the fact that those cookies have only two ingredients and they sound amazing! I am definitely going to make these! How long do you bake them for?!
Brittany
OH gosh, key point I forgot to mention. 10-12 minutes at 350F!! Seriously I was amazed they turned out with JUST two ingredients!!
Kristel
Thank you! Yummy! I can’t wait to make them!
Christina Does It All
You are such a coffee champ!!! I love it.
Christina Does It All
Also I cannot believe those cookies only have two ingredients! Amazingggg.
50statecanuck
Oh my good god. I didn’t even know that kind of level of expertise in coffee was possible!! Amazing!!!
GiGi Eats Celebrities
Your mouth be coffee crazy! But seriously. I am impressed by your coffee prowess! But then again, you just impress me all the live long day.
Jessica
Love it. I can also say, I will never pick up on Indonesian notes in my coffee. The mug is still steaming after I finish my coffee..
Mark
Hmm coffee and cookies, sometimes I think these are already the pinnacle of civilization. It’s all downhill from here.
karla @ finding my fit
Haha you made me LOL with leaving the used needles behind 😉
that FORGET LOVE, FALL IN COFFEE is my new mantra ❤
Heather @ HeatherRunsFast.com
I wonder how much flavor I’m missing since I always drink my coffee really hot? Even though you haven’t done a tasting in a while, you seem to still know what you’re talking about 🙂
AlexF
You sound like someone I should grab a coffee with. Also, I have got to try those cookies! They sound delicious and so simple. Keep an eye out on my kitchen experiments page (if anyone is going to mess up easy cookies it will be me).
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
Leaving the needles behind is a wise decision.
Your coffee skills are impressive. I can’t way for you to teach me your ways, also known as get me all jacked up on caffeine. I’m fabulously entertaining on caffeine or maybe just twitchy.
Amanda @ .running with spoons.
I would seriously kill to have coffee with you. Teach me your tasting ways? I pay in [vegan] cookies!
Brittany
Deal, you know I have a weakness for cookies.
Ellie
Being a supervisor is great isn’t it? FEEL THE POWAAAA! 😉 You need to teach me how to do these coffee pairings. I think I could make them a thing at CTB. The only treasures I find on runs are coins…which I run in front of traffic to collect. Solid.
Aja
That is so cool how much you know about coffee! I’m still learning to tell when it’s burned and stuff.
Amy
I miss coffee. So, so badly. I cannot WAIT to drink it again! I’m never going to be the connoisseur that you are (seriously, how do you work your coffee pairing magic??), but still… An occasional cup in the mornings, especially once the weather start to cool off, would be bliss. 🙂 And… I rarely pick up “treasures” that I find because normally they’re dead bugs on the sidewalk during my run. I need to find some mountains to hike!
Brittany
I really hope you can sip and savor a cup soon…it’s a sad world without coffee. At least you’ve still got your treats. 😉
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
You really are a coffee expert. I know nothing about coffee, except I know I like drinking it. The same with wine I guess haha
Lucie Elizabeth (@CollectingLight)
Firstly, I want to say a huge thank you for the kind words you always leave on my posts, the really, really mean a lot – thank you!
Secondly, I always love how you talk about coffee! None of my “real life” friends understand how much I LOVEEE my coffee and I think we must secretly be long lost twins, haha! Love you, girl!
Brittany
Of course!! You are a beautiful person inside and out and my comments come with ease on your posts. ❤
Sipping coffee together would be like a dream come true.
Shawna
giiiirl i want to sit with you and have you talk real coffee talk to me and just pretend i know what you’re talking about! i love that you’re so educated and passionate about it. i can differentiate between “this is so good and strong” and “gah that’s gross and weak” and that’s about all i got. 🙂 that bracelet is sweet! come visit me!
Brittany
As long as you know there is a difference, you’re doing just fine. 😉
Ed
Damn you are good. The more one learns of a subject, the more complex it is. Just like there are not just apples, but a large variety of apples with different flavors and features. Same with coffee huh? Seattle has been training me well, but I want to learn more! What is your favorite blend? Where did you learn your skills?
Hi btw! It has been a while!
Brittany
YES, exactly. Your apple analogy is the perfect comparison. Truthfully…I owe my coffee knowledge to the Seattle megamart of Starbucks. They have a fantastic program that I was able to complete in order to become a coffee master. While 8/10 baristas are just working the work to get through college, the other 20% of us actually enjoy the art and science of coffee, and are able to climb the knowledge ladder. From there it sparked a passion to explore more books and material outside of Starbucks.
I don’t have a favorite blend (although within Starbucks coffee I select the same few as my free weekly markout) but I have a favorite “type.” I prefer dark roasts that have a blend of Latin American beans, and Indonesian. These tend to have the smooth, cocoa notes that I enjoy in a good coffee. Usually I know I will enjoy a cup as long as it’s not an African grown coffee, those are MUCH too bright for my liking and tend to have a very high acidity. These are the more complex coffees that people tend to enjoy, but me..not so much!
Chelsea
I’m terrible at picking up scents & tones. I try to do this with wine, but mostly I just drink it 🙂 Can’t wait to try these cookies!
Rach @ This Italian Family
I need those cookies in my life!
Also, I find it amazing how great you are at detecting flavors in coffee!
P
I love how you love coffee so much! Haha. I feel like you would redefine the definition of a coffee date 😛
Daleian @ (not) The Sweetest Girl
I wish I loved coffee as much as you do! You’re an expert! 🙂
B
I just wanted to let you know I nominated you for a blogging award on my blog!
Brittany
AWWW, thank you! Btw I want you to know I pop over to your blog still, just can’t comment because I don’t have an account with your comment system. Womp womp.
An Unrefined Vegan
Nevertheless, snakes skins are pretty cool. I love finding “treasures.”
Jess @hellotofit
Love that those cookies fulfill the two-cookie rule. And I’m so amazed (but not surprised) that you could detect all of those details from the coffee!! Teach me your wayssss
Leslie @ TriathleteTreats
Those cookies look awesome! So easy!!
RunBikeThrow
Not to be a snob or anything, but with a palate like yours, what are you doing at a Starbucks? Around here, they over-roast everything to the point where I can’t drink it. Your store must be different.
P.S. I am not an SBUX hater – I’m a shareholder. I just hate what they do to coffee in A2.
P.P.S. I’ll bet some oatmeal mixed in with the almond butter and maple syrup would rock. I’ll have to try it.
Brittany
Hahaha I completely understand, and have had plenty of negative experiences with Starbucks myself. Sadly it’s not the coffee, but the person preparing it and when it’s neglected the over roasted taste comes out. My store does take great pride in what we serve, and we try to avoid the negative experiences. If only we could get everyone on board, it’s a shame really!
Yes, oats would round out the cookies perfectly! Thanks for the comment. 🙂
Jacklyn @ Jack's Balancing Act
Such a treat to have such a knowledgeable coffee drinker blogging 🙂 I had a really simplified perception of coffee until recently and am only now realizing how much there is to learn and appreciate about it. Thinking of all the tasting I have to do and information I have to acquire makes me pretty giddy!
stateeats
HI Britt – first let me say I am in awe of your coffee blending abilities. And I am with you, I love finding treasures on walks and hikes. I have a friend I used to run with who would scoop up metal bits and pieces bec her son loved making stuff from her findings, she got me in the habit of scouring the ground. – Kat
Sophie33
I also love good, good coffee & your simple yet lovely nut butter cookies look divine! x
esspressotrips
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