Tuesday, October 26, 2010

November Coffee of the Month: Celebes Mamasa

[sell'-uh-bees muh-mAh'-suh]

Oh, great, Blanchard's is throwing another Indonesian coffee your way.

You've had the Bali, the Sulawesi, and the Mandheling. What more could another Indonesian possibly offer?

Try rhubarb. Try sweet tobacco. Try fresh cherry and water chestnut with the texture of marshmallow fluff.

The Celebes Mamasa just beat out the Sulawesi (and runs a close second to the Bali). It's got a creamy, buttery texture you'll want to roll around in your mouth, trying to grab every note before it disappears.

Truly a French pastry masking as coffee, this one's the perfect complement to your Thanksgiving dessert.

If you're a Coffee of the Month subscriber, know that we'll be shipping this out on Thursday. Dena will be doing her deliveries on Monday for you special folk still on The List. If you're not one, you really ought to sign up.

We'll also have this one available in our online retail store starting Monday, November 1, where you can have it shipped or biked out to you, or you can pick it up from us at no charge in our Roastery Mon.-Fri., or at the South of the James Farmer's Market on Saturdays.

Plenty of options here, and all of them worth a try in order to get your hands on this spectacular coffee.

Holiday Blend may not roll out until next month, but this is a great primer.

-tom

sic luceat lux

Close match, but...Coffee>Wi-fi.

The New York Times has reported here on a survey seeking to determine the most cherished indulgence of American "millennials." When asked whether Coffee, TV or Wi-Fi would be the most difficult to forgo for a week, 75% of Americans (aged 17-29, mind you) chose Wi-Fi.

For me, TV was rendered inessential with the coming of Hulu. Furthermore, since forgoing Wi-Fi doesn't seem to mean forgoing The Internet altogether, I could make due without the 24/7 search for wireless connectivity in my car, at work or on a plane, etc.

Coffee, on the other hand, is simply irreplaceable. I am the kind of coffee-drinker that cannot replace coffee with other caffeinated beverages, and will suffer unrelenting headaches no matter the interventions of tea, soda or No-Doz. I'm convinced of coffee's unique psycho-activity above and beyond caffeine, for one, and its incomparable taste, for two.

Then again, I haven't had Mountain Dew for breakfast since my Sega Genesis days. Shout out: Kid Chameleon, Shinobi 3 &, of course, Sonic the Hedgehog.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Caramelized OpiNIONS Checks Out RVA Coffee Scene

Sorry I've been MIA with some travel and other items on my plate but that doesn't mean stuff isn't going on. Check out this great post from Carmelized Opinion that ran last week on the local coffee scene. I'm going to quote the part about us but you need to go over and read the article and the comments.
Of course, this whole personal coffee epiphany has occurred before a backdrop of a larger scene. In the past couple years, Blanchards has risen to prevalence and become Richmond’s home team brew, rivaling if not surpassing Rostov’s. Whatever restaurant your in, if you see a sign that they brew with Blanchard’s, you can bet a cup will be worthwhile. No wonder their name seems to go hand in hand with enthusiasm and local pride. And, no wonder I was so easily swayed to drink high-test coffee again with all that Blanchards around town.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Remodeled TaZa Formerly Blanchard's Coffee Shop Open for Biz

TaZa has pretty much wrapped up the remodel and is now open for business from 6 to 6. Check it out.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Best Coffee in DC

The Washington City Paper discusses the best spots to get your coffee on in the District. Unfortunately Blanchard's hasn't made it that far north yet.
Besides, if I want a good cup of coffee, I know where to go. I head straight to Qualia Coffee in Petworth. Listen, I know the District’s coffee culture has made tremendous strides in the past few years. You can find really good hand-pours at Peregrine Espresso on Capitol Hill, at Chinatown Coffee Co. on H Street NW, at Filter Coffeehouse on 20th Street NW near Dupont Circle, and at Mid City Caffe on 14th Street NW. But if you truly love roasted beans and the sweet liquid stimulant extracted from them, Qualia’s Joel Finkelstein is your guy. Finkelstein believes in serving only the freshest beans, which are all roasted in the back room of his small shop on Georgia Avenue NW.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Make a Coffee Bag Rug


This tutorial was found at i.craft@beewise and sent to me by Leigh. Thanks to both.