Tag: Coffee

• Random Things

  Posted at 9:40 AM by Brittany, on September 5, 2014

  What happens when I have random pictures/things to talk about, but haven’t blogged in a week? You get random pictures tied to random things to talk about. What can I say, I’m living life. I’m also going to Disneyland with this babe in less than a week and about split my pants I’m so excited. Or maybe that’s from the cookies…but I digress.

  — Anniversary Blend has officially been released at Starbucks. Fall is coming, & I am so ready.

  All you haters can just stuff it because summer is done in my book, DONE! Bring on the crunchy leaves, apple pies, Halloween Joe-Joe’s, pumpkin patches, windy runs, and enough squash to fill a dump truck. Which is what I assume my backside will look like from all the Joe-Joe’s and pie I plan to consume. Winter hibernation starts now.

  

  I’m legit obsessed with this blend. Buy some NOW.

  — Remember that summer biology class I took?

  It left me with a bizarre obsession for any and all species of lichen. Now whenever I spot some on a hike I become entranced as if they have some kind of mind altering properties.

  

  Usnea – used for antibiotic and anti-fungal treatments.

  

  — I’m ready for fall, but still soaking up tank top hikes.

  

  Marmot Pass – 10.6 round trip miles, 6000ft elevation.

  

  

  “Does this look as awkward as if feels?”
  “yes.”

  — I don’t know who Levi is, but he’s got some pretty sweet wheels. I want to go for a ride.

  

  — I’ve been sitting on a secret for about 7 weeks now.

  

  More on this later…

  — I made this bread, and it basically ruined my life. So good.

  

  Not my photo, I was much too busy stuffing my suck to take my own.

  I apparently didn’t have as much to share as I thought. On that note I’m off to run/eat more bread.

  Q: Who wants to sit on top of a mountain eating chocolate bread and drinking Anniversary Blend with me? Bueller….Bueller…

  

  | 57 Comments Tagged Coffee, Explore, Hike, Marmot Pass, Olympic Mountains, Random, Run, Starbucks, Vegan

• 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

• Coffee Master Certification: My Coffee Tasting/Pairings

  Posted at 7:28 AM by Brittany, on August 18, 2014

  If you follow me on Instagram you probably saw this photo.

  After months of reading, tasting, talking, exploring, and learning all I can about coffee (alone, and also coffee and Starbucks together) I am finally a certified Coffee Master. This journey focused on coffee history, geographic origins, coffee agriculture, sourcing and buying, green coffee quality, the art of roasting and blending, and my favorite part:

  -coffee parings/tastings/flavors/notes.

  

  One of my new aprons.

  Coffee, like wine grapes, gets much of its flavor from the specific growing conditions and processing methods of whatever region it was produced in. Three of the main coffee producing regions are: Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Each of these regions have specific flavor characteristics that give each coffee blend its distinct coffee “notes.”

  What’s a coffee note you ask? Certain flavors are detected in coffee’s that allow them to harmonize well with certain foods. Have you ever had a cup of Joe that just didn’t mesh well with your blueberry muffin? This is due to the specific notes present with each blend. Alone this coffee may be just what you’re looking for, but when shared alongside a meal you’ll want to be a bit more particular.

  Coffee blends alone may survive just fine, but when you combine them with the right foods the harmony is out of this world.

  

  This is a fantastic chart.

  Lets break down the top three regions by their coffee notes.

  Latin America – high balanced flavors of cocoa or nuts, as well as a crisp, bright acidity.

  Africa – Floral and citrus characteristics.

  Asia – Full body and spicy flavors with balanced acidity and herbal notes.

  

  Part of my final certification was putting together a coffee tasting. As a food AND coffee lover you can imagine my excitement when the two come together. If anyone is interested in learning more about a proper coffee tasting with coffee alone, let me know in the comments.

  I chose one coffee from each coffee region, plus one coffee that is multi-regional and paired each with different foods.

  Kenya – An African grown coffee with complimentary flavors of grapefruit, berries, currants, raisins, and oranges.

  

  For this pairing I made an orange and currant quinoa salad. Sounds bizarre right? Oranges, quinoa, and coffee? This went together SO well it was almost magical. I could have cried from the joy I felt.

  

  Komodo Dragon – An Asia/Pacific coffee with complimentary flavors of cinnamon, maple, buttery breads, and pastries.

  

  For this pairing I chose almond butter stuffed dates sprinkled with cinnamon. The flavors harmonized almost perfectly. This is a common breakfast pairing for me, except I also use a rice cake for my base.

  Guatemala Antigua – A Latin American grown coffee with complimentary flavors of cocoa, apples, caramel, and nuts.

  Organic Yukon – A multi-regional blend with beans from both Latin American and Asia. This blend is mellow and well balanced with complimentary flavors of cinnamon, raisins, oatmeal, and chocolate.

  

  Due to the cocoa and chocolate notes in both of these coffee’s, they both paired well with some chocolate chip coffee cookies. I used fresh ground Yukon beans in the mix for these cookies. I also paired these two coffees with some toasted coconut cashews.

  

  While these all balanced well together, I found that the Yukon paired a bit better with the cookie, and the Guatemala paired a bit better with the cashews. Guatemala has more nutty notes while Yukon has more chocolate notes so this made complete sense.

  To conduct a proper tasting, each coffee should be brewed with high quality water, a proper grind for your brewing method, proper ratio of water to grinds, and your coffee should be fresh. Coffee should then be tasted in it’s pure form, without the addition of milks and sugars.

  

  Lucky for me I am a black coffee connoisseur so conducting tastings is naturally one of my favorite things to do. Tampering (or destroying in my humble opinion) with the coffee by adding milk or sugar hinders the natural flavors from being detected. Not a fan of black coffee? That’s OK, I don’t like beer..we all have our downfalls. 😉

  Q(s):

  • What’s your favorite coffee pairing?
  • Have you ever payed attention to how certain coffees can CLASH with certain foods? For example the orange quinoa salad would have been TERRIBLE with any of the other coffees I mentioned in this post.
  • Would anyone like to see a short post in more depth about how to conduct a coffee tasting? 

  

  | 85 Comments Tagged Coffee, Coffee Master, Food, Starbucks, Tasting

• A Few Pieces of Starbucks Knowledge

  Posted at 7:46 AM by Brittany, on August 11, 2014

  I really enjoy my job. It’s the kind of job that you’re excited to go to and are constantly wanting to learn more about. There is something about coffee that inspires me and I can’t seem to get enough.

  

  Most people don’t know this, but Starbucks does a LOT for its communities, and even more for the countries where they buy their beans from. People often jump to conclusions about Starbucks because it’s such a big corporation, but really they are very passionate about what they do, and giving back is huge.

  

  Did you know that Starbucks pays for employees to volunteer? I don’t mean the employees get paid, but the places where we volunteer get money for the hours we put in. #extrashotofgood

  

  Did you know that in an effort to ensure a transparent purchasing process, Starbucks developed something called C.A.F.E practice?  This ensures that quality of life for coffee farmers is ethical, pay is accountable, quality is high, and all environmental needs are met.

  

  Did you know that on top of paying a premium price for ethical sourcing (giving them high quality arabica beans) Starbucks helps coffee farmers with financial support when funds are low?

  I finally took the time to visit the Starbucks Center in Seattle, also known as Starbucks Headquarters. It’s kind of a big deal. I’m fortunate enough to live in the area where Starbucks first started, and visiting this location was just a hop, skip, and a jump across the water.

  Unfortunately without being an employee of the actual corporate building, I had limited access to the inner offices. I did get to explore the Starbucks shop, and enjoyed a free cup of “visitor” coffee.

  

  I’m still very much of an equal opportunist, and I adore local and small coffee shops too. I think trying local coffee is one of three great ways to explore new areas, and while I love Starbucks I don’t always go to one when I am traveling somewhere new. Local coffee usually wins.

  Seattle is a different story though, being the birthplace of Starbucks.

  

  It was a great experience to visit the place where all the magic happens so to speak.  Maybe one day I’ll have the opportunity to venture behind the “badge entrance only” doors.

  

  Until then I’ll continue making coffee I’m proud to sell, and educate people on the details that go down “behind the scenes.”

  Q: Do you “believe in” the story behind place you work?

  

  | 41 Comments Tagged Coffee, Seattle, Starbucks

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 6:50 AM by Brittany, on August 8, 2014

  1. Can’t stop won’t stop with the rice cake/nut butter/epic topping combo. These two were pre hike fuel, and by that I mean I ate these before eating another ten pounds of food on my drive to the mtn.

  

  2. One of the recent search terms that brought someone to my blog from The Google was the word “shanked.” Yup, sounds about right.

  3. Those blackberries pictured above? They were free. I walked about a mile to find some bushes and filled a bowl up. Food tastes better when it’s free AND when you work for it.

  

  4. Every time I incorporate certain kinds of gluten back into my diet I swell up like a puffer fish. The puffiness lasts a couple days, and it’s annoying because WHO can avoid cupcakes – come on man!

  5. My coworker and I finished part of our Coffee Master project. It’s a giant board of knowledge. I feel like a proud mama.

  

  6. The amount of sweat I’ve been producing on my runs lately is probably enough to fill a child size swimming pool. So.Hot.Outside.

  7. This breakfast bowl. My face was rocked so hard.

  

  …and this dinner bowl…really just this bowl. It delivers good things.

  

  8. I found this style of Teva’s at Nordstrom Rack for $30 off original price. Basically I felt like a boss, and they are my new obsession.

  9. My cat is a model.

  

  10. I’ve been getting inquiries about what I’m going back to school for, and since I’ve been lazy about writing a post on that topic I’ll give you the Cliffs Notes version: Holistic Nutrition through Bastyr University. Bastyr is a natural health college in Seattle and the program will be a bit different than your standard nutrition program.

  I’m thinking about going for the B.S. in nutrition and culinary arts to open more doors for the future, and because it just sounds like a blast. This college has a huge focus on whole foods and how they affect the human body. Totally my speed, totally crunchy granola.

  If you’ve read my blog for a while you’ll know I was going for dental hygiene in the past, which thankfully is paying off because most of my prerequisite classes for that program transfer over to the nutrition degree. I do have four prerequisites needed still which I am working on now. Long story short that’s what I’m up to!

  More on that later…perhaps.

  Q: What’s your confession? 

  

  | 46 Comments Tagged Coffee, Coffee Master, Confessions, Nutrition, Running, Starbucks, Vegan

• Garden Harvest – Summer Veggie Salad Recipe

  Posted at 7:41 AM by Brittany, on August 6, 2014

  I’m in the final stages of finishing my coffee master training for Starbucks, and have been lucky enough to go through the entire process with another coworker. She and I were able to get together at her house recently to work on our final “project” for the store.

  

  After working on our project for a little over an hour I decided it was time for a break, meaning it was time to explore her property. She lives on a small farm fully equipped with cows, chickens, a goat, and best of all a small organic garden. Talk about bliss.

  

  I was absolutely ecstatic when I was offered to take some of the luscious bounty home with me. Local, fresh, organic, free produce!? You betchur britches I wanted some! With a bowl the size of a small horse completely filled with green goodness, I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to get crazy wild in my kitchen.

  

  For starters I baked 4 small loaves of zucchini banana bread. I used this recipe and made a few alterations. It was very mild, and definitely needs something on top such as a nut butter or fresh berries.

  

  The real winner of this harvest was my roasted zucchini & carrot black bean salad with a creamy kale and walnut pesto sauce. I wanted to make something that would use almost everything I was gifted.
  

  

  So jazzed.

  Items from my bowl used for this meal were:

  • zucchini
  • carrots
  • snap peas
  • kale
  • basil
  • lettuce

  I also got some cilantro that I used for some taco salads, but I digress.

  Roasted Zucchini & Carrot Black Bean Salad

  

  Ingredients:

  For the salad:

  • 3/4 cup roasted zucchini
  • 2/4 cup roasted carrots
  • 1.5 cups boiled sweet potatoes
  • 1/2 cup black beans

  

  For the pesto:

  • 1/2 cup raw walnuts
  • 1/4 cup + 3 tsp water
  • 1.5 tblsp olive oil
  • 1 tblsp + 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 3 medium sized kale leaves
  • 3 medium sized lettuce leaves (or more kale)
  • 5 medium/large basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup snap peas (just the peas, and this is optional)
  • 1 tsp salt

  

   Directions:

  1. Slice your carrots and zucchini into desired size (you can see what I did in the photo above) and lay flat on a roasting tray. Roast for about 45-60 minutes. The zucchini didn’t roast well and was a bit mushy, but  still edible of course.
  2. Chop about two smaller sized sweet potatoes and fully submerge them in water to boil. Boil for about 20 minutes, be sure not to over boil them or they will fall apart.
  3. While everything is cooking you can make your pesto. Combine all your ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor and combine until smooth. You may want to add more water depending on how thick you like your pesto.
  4. Once all your veggies are done combine everything into a large bowl. This makes enough for 2 people with a bit leftover.

  Note: The veggies are all very soft, so something like crunchy chips or lettuce leaves will round out the texture of this meal.

  I used the rest of my lettuce leaves and I put just a dollop of the pesto sauce on top because I’m not a huge sauce fan. With chips on the side.

  

  I am amazed by the powerful taste of garden fresh produce. 10x better than anything in the store, but I suppose that’s a given! It took me all of three days to rip through this produce. I need a garden!

  Q: Did you garden at all this year? I tried to plant some cilantro, but the slugs got it…no excuses for next year! OH or winter veggies!

  

  | 44 Comments Tagged Coffee, Coffee Master, Farm, Garden, Gluten Free, Harvest, Recipe, Vegan

• Does It Make Me…

  Posted at 8:37 AM by Brittany, on July 9, 2014

  Does it make me un-American if I say I didn’t watch fireworks on the fourth of July? I did eat some Mac and Cheese though, which I think balances out the former sentence. Vegan of course, and Brittany-fied.

  

  Tomatoes, jalapenos, broccoli, and avocado added to the mix.

  Does it make me innovative for chopping up some chocolate salted almonds for my banana/oat cookies because they’re all I had? I totally turned on the oven despite the 80 degree temps. Priorities.

  

  I just really wanted to use my fancy knives.

  Does it make me a lazy runner for switching from a half marathon to a 5K this weekend? I can’t pretend to be Zues anymore, running 13 miles with zero training just isn’t going to work. So I’ll run 3 miles and then eat donuts as if I ran 13. This sounds much better to me.

  

  This has nothing to do with running a race, but they portray why I am not in running shape. Hiking shoes = hiking instead of running.

  Does it make me inappropriate for saying that due to the aforementioned comment about the warmer temps, I’ve been sleeping with minimal zero clothing? I want to die every night.

  

  Does is make me obsessed if I can’t stop eating/thinking about the flat of raspberries in my kitchen? Local, organic, and only $10!

  

  Does it make me a genius for unintentionally figuring out how to soften dates? I left them in my car and the hot temps made them so perfect. Soft mushy sugary heaven for my crunchy salty rice cake.

  

  Does it make me easy to please if my morning cup of coffee at home right now is already the highlight of my day? I’ve been opening at work every day the last week, and coffee on the go is nothing like coffee at home with nothing but empty, quiet space around you.

  

  Does this make me an acrophile?

  

  Q: Fill in the blank: “Does it make me ________?”

  

  | 61 Comments Tagged Chocolate, Coffee, Does it Make Me, Hike, Mountain, Random, Summer, Vegan

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 3:53 AM by Brittany, on June 11, 2014

  1. My one year Starbucks anniversary was May 28th, and my assistant manager made me the happiest barista in all the land…

  

  Love this company and LOVE my coworkers. I couldn’t ask for a better crew,

  2. I’m really lazy when it comes to using my dSLR for anything other than recipe photo shoots, as you’ll see in this post-iPhone photos.

  3. I’ve learned some pretty epic shit about coffee. So close…

  

  4. I’m also really lazy about reading/commenting on blogs lately. I promise I still lurk, and I still love all my blog babes, but I just kinda fell off the reading wagon. I publish my posts and fly out the door.

  5. If you’ve been keeping up with my posts lately you’ll know I’ve been doing more hiking than running. I went for two 5 mile “zen” runs without my Garmin or music last week and it was magical.

  

  6.  I spent $37 on this pizza. I worked all morning and then hiked two mountains to earn that “drain your life savings” pizza.

  7. I was lusting over a jacket at REI for months, and it finally went on super duper sale. I bought it a size bigger than normal because I didn’t try it on, and basically I am free to roam without pants when I wear it.

  

  so.legit.

  

  Jacket or mini dress, you decide. I’m obsessed regardless.

  8. I won two giveaways in one week. Does this make it socially acceptable to say “winning?” Because it’s literal….

  9. I am obsessed with these snacks right now…whoever said rice cakes were “diet food” clearly never had them smothered in almond butter. The crunchy/creamy/fruit sugar combo is unreal.

  The almond butter/cinnamon/dates combo is like dessert.

  10. I haven’t had a cupcake in weeks, I need to rectify this.

  **UPDATE** Moments after I wrote this post (because I sometimes save a draft for a few days) I went hiking with a friend and SHE BROUGHT ME A CUPCAKE. It was like the heavens opened up.

  Scenes from that hike…

  

  Oh HEY Mt.Rainier, I’d like to dominate you someday.

  

  Leftover pizza tastes even better at the top.

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 58 Comments Tagged Coffee, Confessions, Hike, Random, Run, Starbucks, Vegan

• Making my Meals Taste Better

  Posted at 6:12 AM by Brittany, on May 30, 2014

  I find that food takes so much better when I “earn it.” I always like to earn my treats such as cupcakes, cookies, or cupcakes AND cookies, but getting a good sweat in before an actual meal is just as rewarding. Running is my go to when I want to earn something like this…

  

  

  Local GF/Vegan chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes. Ohhh my swoon.

  These were savored and swooned over after a morning run.

  Another way I like to earn my meals is with a solid hike. I’ve been able to squeeze a good hike in every week lately, sometimes two in one week. My favorite local mountain is an easy default and after 9 miles on my feet and 3.5hrs in the heat/sun I head straight for food.

  

  View from the top.

  

  View from the restaurant.

  Sunshine and open decks mean sunnies and lots of water.

  I ordered a vegetable curry bowl, because for some reason I like hot foods even on hot days. I also always drink hot coffee, never iced.

  Can’t say I claim to be normal.

  

  Not a fan of the white rice, but I ate every last bit.

  I didn’t even attempt to use those chopsticks on the side of my bowl, give me a fork STAT. I usually give chopsticks my best shot despite looking like a sloth trying to pick up a piece of rice, but I was much too hungry for that nonsense. This meal was devoured. Moving on…

  I’ve been doing a lot of yoga lately. I start every morning with 10 minutes of sun salutations, and go to a class at least once a week-Ideally twice. I enjoy eating something light, but filling after a yoga class. Tofu spring rolls always hit the spot.

  

  Last, but certainly not least refueling after spin class always varies. Early morning spin classes usually result in a cous cous veggie bowl, and evening spin classes result in something lighter like a snack bowl.

  Early morning spin classes also earn me my coffee.

  

  

  Starbucks reserve coffee is such a rare treat!

  

  How I really feel.

  The Starbucks I work at is not a Reserve Store, so I don’t get to have reserve coffee as often as I would like. Anytime I find myself near a reserve store I get myself a clover brewed reserve coffee.

  I love coffee, I love to eat, and I love getting my sweat on. Life is good.

  Q: Would you agree that meals taste better after a good workout?

  

  | 62 Comments Tagged Coffee, Hike, Hiking, Run, Spinning, Starbucks, Vegan, Yoga

• Uncommonly Delicious Pairings

  Posted at 8:17 PM by Brittany, on April 23, 2014

  Sometimes things just go together. Peanut butter and jelly, chocolate and bananas, mornings and coffee…but all pairs need to be discovered by experimenting.

  1. Multigrain chips and chocolate chips – As if chocolate could go wrong. I found that the salty chip and the sweet chocolate were harmonious in a way that only salty/sweet can be.

  

  Who needs salsa? Just kidding…I do, I need salsa.

  2. French press coffee and citrus peels – One of my favorite customers at work (Hi Drew!) told me to put a citrus peel of some kind in with my coffee. I took it up a notch and chose a specific coffee (Starbucks Kenya) because this coffee already has citrus notes, and I tossed in an orange peel. The citrus flavor was taken from an 8 to an 11. It was awesome.

  

  3. Peanut butter Clif bar and almond butter/cinnamon – Ever slathered your PB energy bar of sorts with more nut butter? It’s mind blowing. Better yet, warm it up in the oven.

  

  4. Frozen and fresh – I have a confession…I buy frozen waffles because I am too lazy to buy myself a waffle maker! I try to make myself feel fancy by jazzing them up.

  

  5. Mexican spices and chocolate – OK so this isn’t uncommon, but this Mexican spice espresso cupcake rocked my face so hard. Obviously paired with coffee…

  6. Pink boxes and sugar – I don’t know who decided that good things come in pink boxes, but they were right. First VooDoo, now Bearded Lady Food Co…I ran 7 miles, walked 3 more, and drove 2 hours round trip JUST for these…happy Easter to me.

  For the record I shared these…except for bottom right. That was all me.

  

  Do not eat the box.

  Speaking of Bearded Lady, I am currently (aka always) obsessed with all things cupcake. They make the best vegan/GF treats I have ever had. I blogged about them once upon a time, but recently revamped my love for them. Cupcakes the size of my palm? Hell yes.

  

  I want to live under their kitchen table…troll style.

  Q: What pairings do you love that aren’t very common?

  

  | 43 Comments Tagged Bearded Lady, Coffee, Cupcake, Vegan

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