Tag: Coffee Tasting

• Chocolate Caramel Peanut Bites

  Posted at 7:22 AM by Brittany, on January 8, 2015

  It’s not often I make a treat so delicious that I jump through hoops of fire to share them. These caramel bites are one of those treats, but I’ll explain more in a minute.

  I’d been wanting to try a plant based caramel sauce for quite some time now and after perusing the world wide web for ideas, I complied a few different recipes to come up with this one. Delicious with chocolate, but also a star on its own. 
  

  Now back to my aforementioned fire jumping story. When attempting to photograph these delicious bites, my cameras SD card decided it wanted to go to Hawaii..indefinitely. You can imagine my dismay when wanting to document this caramel, because clearly when on vacation things like this become very important.

  This picture was one of the many failed results.

  

  I’m all for abstract art, but these wonky photos just weren’t going to work. After many failed attempts I decided to try plan B. I took a different SD card, plugged it into my camera and voila. I probably tried five times to get the photos. Oye.

  

  I guess you could say I wanted documentation bad enough.

  

  Chocolate Caramel Peanut Bites

  

  For the chocolate

  • 1 Cup Virgin Coconut Oil
  • 1/2 Cup Raw Cacao Powder
  • 1/4 Cup Natural Maple Syrup

  For the caramel

  • 10-12 Large Soaked Medjool Dates
  • 2 Tbsp Raw honey
  • 2 Tbsp Almond Butter
  • 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
  • 1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

  Directions

  1. Take the pit out of your dates, and let soak for 15-20 minutes/while prepping everything else.
  2. For the chocolate – place all ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor and blend until well combined. Set aside.
  3. For the caramel – place all ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor and blend until well combined.
  4. Coat small muffin tin with a layer of chocolate, thick enough for the bites to pop out easily. Layer in caramel, and top with more chocolate. Once covered I added a few raw peanuts for extra crunch.
  5. Place bites into freezer until hardened. I left mine in the freezer until I was ready to eat them. The coconut oil makes them a bit soft if left out at room temperature.

  From my Instagram

  You’d better believe I brought these to work for a coffee tasting. They went great with one of Starbucks Reserve Coffee’s: Columbia El Peñol. Also paired with dried fruit, we hit all the tasting notes of nuts, fruits, and chocolate. Total tongue party.

  When it was all said and done, I enjoyed this recipe as more of a “bowl” than a bite. Same layering directions, but into a small bowl to eat with a spoon. Or hands.

  Q: Would you have given up after the first camera fail, or persevered to get the photo? I almost gave up, but alas I did not. 

  

  | 76 Comments Tagged Chocolate, Coffee Tasting, Recipe, Starbucks

• “Nearly Raw” – Chocolate Banana Coffee Squares

  Posted at 6:28 AM by Brittany, on December 27, 2014

  I know what you’re thinking, “nearly raw, how can you be nearly raw?” Said in a tone similar to Hermione Granger upon meeting Nearly Headless Nick. Aside from a couple ingredients in this recipe everything is raw, thus “nearly” raw.

  Just roll with it.

  

  Christmas has come and gone, which means it’s time for the next seasonal coffee at Starbucks. Casi Cielo is back (available to the public soon) and this meant a coffee tasting was in order. A smooth, single origin coffee with notes of lemon and cocoa.

  I paired this with a creamy, chocolate bar made from dates, bananas, and almonds. Naturally sweetened with honey and maple, & topped with ground coffee of course.

  Chocolate Banana Coffee Squares

  

  Ingredients

  • 12 medium sized medjool dates
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate salted almonds <—definitely not raw
  • 1/4 cup raw walnuts
  • 2 medium sized ripe bananas, the spottier the better
  • 1/4 cup raw almond butter
  • 1.5 tblsp raw honey
  • 1.5 tblsp maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3/4 tblsp fresh UNbreweed ground coffee beans ( I suggest a coffee with natural cocoa notes, but if you don’t care use whatever. I used Starbucks Ethiopia beans)
  • pinch of lemon zest (optional)

  

  Directions

  First: Soak your dates in warm water for about 30 minutes. Once soaked, add dates into a high speed blender (or food processor) along with chocolate salted almonds, and walnuts. Blend or mix until well combined and then pour into a medium sized pan, about 8 x 6 in. Spread date mix evenly into the pan.

  Second: Blend your bananas into a mash, and then add almond butter, honey, maple syrup, and cocoa powder. Blend until well combined. Pour this mix onto the evenly spread date mixture and spread evenly. Sprinkle coffee grounds over the top and swirl into the mix until no dry particles are visible. Or you can blend this in before pouring.

  Once everything is combined place into freezer to set. Freeze time may vary, and I left mine to set overnight. These are very creamy and need to stay in the freezer when not being consumed. Eating the entire pan can help prevent melting.

  

  I decided not only did these squares need a dust of lemon zest, they needed ice cream, and an affogato shot. I needed an adult ice cream sundae.

  Tasting Notes: The cocoa matched perfectly, and the lemon zest on top complemented the lemon notes within the beans. I was surprised by how the flavors in the coffee really brought out the banana flavor of the bars. Next time I think I’ll try this pairing without the bananas because although delicious, the banana flavor was a bit strong for this specific coffee tasting. I still ate a handful with a side of coffee.

  

  A perfect way to end the Christmas season.

  Q: What’s your favorite “raw” recipe? 

  

  | 41 Comments Tagged Coffee, Coffee Master, Coffee Tasting, Recipe, Starbucks

• What’s a Party without Cookies?

  Posted at 4:01 AM by Brittany, on December 18, 2014

  After a month and a half, I finally got my fanny in my kitchen and baked. Nothing new, and nothing too wild, but boy did it feel good. Work party = cookies.

  

  I made my favorite chocolate chip coffee cookies, because what’s a Starbucks party without coffee in your cookies. I subbed some Trader Joe’s chocolate bars for chocolate chips, which resulted in chocolate CHUNK cookies. So.Good.

  

  I was amazed by how different each of the chocolate bars I used were. Of course I had to sample them as I chopped them up. My next goal <—chocolate connoisseur.

  

  I used decaf Christmas blend in these cookies because I wanted to highlight the beauty of this blend, but I also wanted to sleep that night. Thus decaf. While I waited for my second batch of cookies to bake I had a quick and easy coffee tasting.

  

  Tasting Notes: Christmas blend has been a yearly tradition for the last 30 years. It was first introduced with the hopes of building a small following, and has become one of the most popular blends Starbucks sells. Rare aged Sumatra beans give this blend a spicy, cedar, and syrupy flavor that pairs well with the flavors of the season.

  The coffee itself has an intense, but lovely bite to it, and the cookies have a smooth and subtle sweetness. The spice from the coffee balanced well with the sweet from the cookie. Cookies and coffee were made for each other, wouldn’t you agree?

  Good friends, good food, good life.

  Q: Do you have holiday work parties? I have the most amazing coworkers, we enjoy spending time together outside of work. It’s quite a blessing. 

  

  | 61 Comments Tagged Christmas, Coffee Master, Coffee Tasting, Cookies, Starbucks, Vegan

• Starbucks Christmas Espresso Coffee Tasting

  Posted at 3:42 AM by Brittany, on October 28, 2014

  Over the summer I took a general biology class to kick start my back to school adventures. It was the first of four classes I needed to take in order to apply to a holistic nutrition program, and it was a fantastic class. It wasn’t easy, but it also wasn’t hard. I learned a lot and had plenty of free time to spend my summer in the mountains.

  

  

  

  Fast forward to now and my life consists of chemistry and Starbucks. One of these is not like the other. By that I mean I love my job, and I hate my class. I’m in a constant mood of “blah” and I miss my mountain adventures. Things feel chaotic and I am no longer in a constant place of zen.

   

  

  I’ve realized spending each and every day stressing over one class is doing nothing but damage. My grade isn’t benefiting from my stress, and my happiness is nonexistent. In an attempt to balance my life again I’ve decided to focus on myself, and not feel guilty about it. When I’m done with my school work for the day – I’ll be done. I will do something for myself and not think twice.

  OK I may think twice at first, but in time I hope to balance out my work and play. I started with an at home coffee tasting pairing Starbucks 2014 espresso blend with a pumpkin fudgy cookie.

  

  Life is too short to be miserable, and this class is not worth my stress. If I do the work, I know I will be fine. So I put away my books and turned on my oven to create this mouthwatering pairing.

  These cookies are VERY rich, but mildly sweet. Think of them as a breakfast cookie, making them an acceptable pairing for your morning cup of coffee – specifically this espresso roast.

  Pumpkin Fudgy Truffle Cookies

  

  Ingredients

  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup almond butter
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup raw/organic cacao nibs

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F
  2. Combine all items except the nibs in a food processor or large bowl and mix until well combined. Add in the nibs and scoop each cookie onto a lined baking sheet, or use a pizza stone like I do. This made 12 cookies.
  3. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until tops are firm and center isn’t mushy.

   

   

  

  These cookies are soft like a truffle, fudgy like a brownie, and round like a cookie. It’s the best of all three worlds. The raw nibs balance out the sweetness of the maple syrup, but for a sweeter cookie use regular chocolate chips instead. I’m trying to behave with my sugar intake. Trying.

  Tasting Notes: The espresso blend has a caramel sweetness to it that pairs beautifully with flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, and spices. The acidity is low and the body is full helping to enhance the pumpkin flavors of these cookies. Each bite and each sip came together holding hands like two preschool kids on the playground. Two thumbs way, WAY up for this blend.

  

  This coffee will be available to the public sometime next month. I know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but I just couldn’t resist this deliciously smooth coffee. A warm cup of the holidays is the perfect way to slow down & appreciate life one day at a time, wouldn’t you agree?

  

  Q: What are your go to activities when you’re in need of some balance? For me I need to explore, bake, run, blog, or simply enjoy a good book or tea with a friend. 

  

  | 62 Comments Tagged Coffee, Coffee Master, Coffee Tasting, Gluten Free, Recipe, School, Starbucks, Vegan

• Coffee Tasting for One

  Posted at 7:13 AM by Brittany, on October 6, 2014

  My life has been taken over by chemistry. If I’m not doing chemistry- I’m working. If I’m not working – I’m running. If I’m not running – I’m eating, and if I’m not eating – I’m sleeping. Catch my drift? It amazes me how I ever got through chemistry when I first started college a few years ago. Either I wasn’t dedicating enough time to the subject, or…no that’s about it.

  I am now spending HOURS on my homework everyday, and I am only taking one class!

  

  I found myself with a free afternoon last week and while I would have loved to be out exploring the mountains, time did not permit such an activity. Instead, I drove 40 minutes out of my way for a cup of coffee and some grocery shopping. Starbucks + Trader Joe’s = BlissfulBritt. <–corny.

  

  Trader Joe’s wooed me with its fall themed charm, and infamously cheap squash. Where else can you buy all that squash pictured above for $10? No where I tell you..a single honey crisp will cost you $3, and a spag squash of this size could easily cost $6 elsewhere. Joe-Joe’s are priceless…

  Conveniently tucked next door to this TJ’s is a Starbucks Reserve store. This is why I drove out of my way. Actually it’s the combination of the two stores, but this post has coffee in its title so I’ll focus on that. The Starbucks I work at is not a reserve store, so in order to enhance my coffee knowledge I like to try the rare coffees that these stores sell. Plus after 3 hours of straight chemistry I needed to study something I was actually passionate about.

  

  Unfortunately what I asked for is not what I got. Knowing very little about these coffees (precisely why I want to try them) I asked the barista working which of the five they offered had the most cocoa notes. What he gave me happened to be the complete opposite, but I drank it anyway. This is what I get for not doing my homework before I walked through the door. Lesson learned.
  

  I’m not a fan of “bright”/ highly acidic coffee’s, and this one was very citrus-y. I wouldn’t buy it again, but I took some notes to add to my memory bank, and now I know how to describe this blend. Mission accomplished. Coffee and squash made for the perfect afternoon.

  

  While at TJ’s I briefly (all of 3 seconds) contemplated purchasing their pumpkin spice coffee. I realized how absurd this would have been due to the fact that I have pounds and POUNDS of (free) coffee at home, and all I needed to do was add my own spices to my french press. This morning that is exactly what I did. I added 1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spices and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon to 5.5tblsp (and about 24oz H2O) of the already subtlety spiced blend Komodo Dragon.

  Life is good.

  Q: Do you ever go out of your way for something you really want? Food and coffee usually warrant an adventure.

  

  | 46 Comments Tagged Coffee, Coffee Tasting, Starbucks, Trader Joes

• National Coffee Day

  Posted at 5:57 AM by Brittany, on September 29, 2014

  What kind of Coffee Master would I be if I didn’t announce and partake in National Coffee Day (NCD)?? Today is the day where coffee is recognized for all its wonderful abilities, flavors, pairings, benefits, and social affairs. Today is the day I have an actual reason to celebrate my love for the bean, not that I ever felt like I needed one! You can’t stop love I tell ya.

  In order to honor this day I prepared a tasting for myself, some of my fellow coworkers (including a regular customer,) and even my mom! It’s never a wrong time for a coffee tasting, and I often spring them on my fellow baristas when time permits, but it’s an absolute MUST for NCD.

  

  For this tasting I also wanted to honor the arrival of fall, because fall and coffee go together like cayenne pepper and sweat. My usual one cup a day habit has found its way to a “once in a while” two cup habit simply due to the cozy feels I get with a hot mug on a rainy afternoon. I feel warm and fuzzy just typing that out. Where was I..OH yeah, FALL!

  For starters I went with the obvious – pumpkin. A light and fluffy pumpkin spice sugar mini muffin to pair with Anniversary Blend one last time before it’s gone for the season. Have you snagged yourself a bag yet? It’s only going to be around a short while longer.

  Not to fear, Thanksgiving Blend will be here soon!

  

  Pumpkin Spice Mini Muffins

  Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 chia egg ( 1 tblsp chia seeds + 3 tblsp water)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  For the cinnamon sugar topping: coconut oil, cinnamon, and raw sugar.

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F, and prepare a mini muffin tin with coconut oil on the side to prevent sticking. These also successfully make larger muffins if you prefer those over the mini version.
  2. Make your chia egg and set aside for it to coagulate while you combine your first few ingredients.
  3. In a large bowl combine your flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, allspice, cloves, baking powder and salt.
  4. In another separate large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, almond milk, brown sugar, melted coconut oil, chia egg and vanilla.
  5. Pour this wet mixture into your dry mix and stir using a wooden spoon until combined.
  6. Scoop batter evenly into you muffin pan.
  7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  8. Allow to cool, and then top with cinnamon sugar mix.

  For the cinnamon sugar topping: I used 1/2 tblsp cinnamon, and about 3 tblsp sugar. I melted a little bit of coconut oil at a time and rolled the top of each muffin in the oil before rolling into the cinnamon sugar mix.

  

  

  Tasting Notes: The spicy notes from the cinnamon, and smooth flavors of the pumpkin paired beautifully with the crisp and spicy flavors of Anniversary Blend. Anniversary Blend alone can be a bit sharp, but the sugary coating to the muffin harmonized perfectly to tone down the flavor of the coffee. These muffins were AMAZING.

  Next I played it simple and somewhat safe. I made dark chocolate covered Fuji apples rolled in pumpkin seeds, and paired them with House Blend. For those of you that like an all around medium roast (medium body/acidity) I highly recommend this one, it’s very smooth.

  

  Assembly for these was simple – melt yourself some dark chocolate, cover as much of the apple as you desire, crush some pumpkin seeds, and roll the apple in the seeds. Voila.

  Tasting Notes: The rich cocoa and nutty seeds harmonized AMAZINGLY with the smooth, balanced body of House Blend. The cocoa notes stood out the most, and I was surprised by how well these paired together. House has a distinct nutty/cocoa flavor, and while this is a coffee that can be savored easily on its own, combining it with the chocolate takes your palate party to an entire new level. That’s a party I always want to attend.

  

  Coffee continues to amaze me the more I play around with pairings and flavor profiles. For those of you that don’t drink coffee (I will never understand, but I accept you anyway) check out this article for other ways to use coffee besides consumption. Not to mention my Coffee Energy Bites were featured, bringing over 16,000 readers to my blog in two days! Wow, thank you BuzzFeed!

  It’s the little things.

  Q: How are you celebrating National Coffee Day? Even if you don’t like coffee, I recommend you make these muffins. They are so good. 

  

  | 47 Comments Tagged BuzzFeed, Coffee, Coffee Master, Coffee Tasting, Recipe, Starbucks

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 10:43 AM by Brittany, on August 25, 2014

  1. I have fallen in love with smoothie bowls. Can’t stop, won’t stop.

  

  2. One of my regular customers came in without his wallet last week. I told him breakfast was on me and not to worry about it (the perks of being a regular.) He insisted he would come back to pay, and sure enough he did.  Along with paying for his coffee and lemon loaf he proceeded to buy a $20 gift card, and then gifted it to me. Humanity can be wonderful.

  3. I also channeled my inner Pocahontas last week and canoed myself just around the river bend.

  Or Lake Washington, same thing.

  

  This is what I look like getting blown away.

  4. I’m done with school for one month. I walked away from my summer biology class with a 4.0.

  5. On Saturday I hiked Mailbox Peak again. I didn’t even wait a full 30 days before going back. It was even more brutal the second time. I won’t be hiking this one again for a while.

  

  6. The day after the hike (yesterday) I had a Sunday long run. Ouch.

  7. Roasted cabbage….that is all.

  

  8. Looking for a good energy bite recipe? My coffee bites along with ten other recipes have been featured on Daily Burns “11 No-Bake Energy Bites” article!! So many good looking balls.

  9. Speaking of balls…I’ve become obsessed with coffee tastings and parings. Like, it’s all I think about when I’m not thinking about running, eating, or breathing. Nothing says fall like Starbucks annual Anniversary Blend. I wanted to do a tasting to highlight the spice notes along with some maple and pumpkin oat flavors. So I made some Maple Pumpkin Pie Oat Bites.

  Maple Pumpkin Pie Oat Bites

  

  Ingredients

  • 1 cup + 1 heaping tblsp uncooked oats
  • 1/2 cup ground flax seed
  • 1 tblsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup creamy almond butter
  • 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • heaping tblsp raw pumpkin seeds

  Directions

  1. In a medium sized bowl combine oats, ground flax, and cinnamon. Mix well.
  2. Stir in your remaining ingredients until well combined.
  3. Place the mixture in the fridge for 15 minutes.
  4. Roll the mixture into approximately 1 inch sized balls. Makes 10-12 bites.
  5. Store in air tight container.

  

  10. I then proceeded to bring these to work to have a coffee tasting with some of my coworkers.

  It was a fun time.

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 63 Comments Tagged Coffee, Coffee Tasting, Confessions, Hike, Mailbox Peak, Recipe, Run, Starbucks

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