Happiness comes from lots of things in life; a smile from a stranger, an email from a friend, or your favorite seasonal Green Mountain Coffee® flavors - like Fair Trade Gingerbread and Fair Trade Spicy Eggnog - coming back into rotation.

I'd never made whoopie pies before, but I had my heart set on creating them using Fair Trade Gingerbread coffee since the moment we decided that would be this month's flavor. Can I tell you a secret? Whoopie Pies are now a full on obsession!

They're way easier than I ever imagined. You'll be able to bake up a dozen saucer-sized whoopie pies with tangy, creamy filling in no time at all. They'll make a fabulous impression beside all the sugar cookies and shortbread that make an appearance this time of year.

Imagine the oohs and ahs you'll garner when you present a tray of these festive Gingerbread Coffee Whoopie pies with Gingerbread Cream Cheese filling decorated with red, white, and green sprinkles!

Fair Trade Gingerbread Coffee Whoopie Pies with Gingerbread Cream Cheese Filling

Makes 12 saucer-sized pies

 

 

Ingredients

For the Pies

• 1/4 cup Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Gingerbread Coffee
• 1/4 cup butter flavored shortening
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (also known as graham flour)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup full flavor molasses
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

For the Filling

• 1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons Fair Trade Gingerbread Coffee
• Holiday Sprinkles (optional)

Directions

 

For the Pies

Brew one 4 oz cup of Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Gingerbread Coffee and set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, add vegetable shortening and softened butter, and mix on medium speed until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times. Add brown sugar and beat again until well mixed, then do the same with the egg.

In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine whole wheat pastry flour, kosher salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Stir with a whisk for one minute (this aerates the flour so there is no need to sift), then set aside.

Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture in the large mixing bowl and mix on low speed to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl often. When fully incorporated, add molasses to the mixture and mix on low speed again until fully combined.

Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix on low again. Scrape the sides of the bowl and make sure all the flour is mixed in. When this is done, add the buttermilk and cooled coffee and mix on low speed until these last two ingredients are well mixed-in.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then, using a large cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop, spoon 6 portions of batter onto the sheet, well spaced apart as they will spread.

Remove cream cheese for the filling from the refrigerator at this time and leave it on the counter. It will soften while you bake off the pies. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove immediately.

Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a moment, then carefully peel the parchment paper away from each pie half. Place the cookie on a cooling rack to continue cooling, and continue baking the rest of the pies.

 

For the Filling

Once all the pies are baked and are cooling, begin to make the filling. In a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whip cream cheese on high for about a minute.

One cup at a time, sift the powdered sugar and add it to the cream cheese, mixing on low at first, then on high to fully incorporate and whip.

When all the powdered sugar is mixed in, add vanilla extract and Fair Trade Gingerbread Coffee to the mixture. Whip on medium speed until the filling reaches the consistency you'd like.

If you find the filling too thick for your liking, add half and half or whipping cream one tablespoon at a time, mixing after each tablespoon, until you reach your desired consistency.

Spoon filling onto one half of a whoopie pie and spread with the back of the spoon in a circular motion towards the outside of the cookie. Top with a second cookie and press slightly so that the filling is visible from the edges.

If you would like, hold the pie over a baking tray and lightly coat the filling with holiday sprinkles. The tray will catch any sprinkles that don't stick to the filling and make for easy clean up.

Refrigerate the pies until ready to serve, up to two days.

 

[Psst - if you go over to Bluebonnets & Brownies, there's a Gingerbread coffee giveaway going on, too!  Go on over and check-it out!]

 

Wow – we couldn’t have asked for a better day yesterday! It was a sunny, hot day – making it perfect for a good old-fashioned carwash! The cars kept rolling in– keeping our employees busy scrubbing and spraying and scooping (free Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream that is) all afternoon. No wonder this is my favorite day of the year!

Although the carwash was busy, car detailing really pulled in the traffic! The detail line was full for the whole 4 hours. With a suggested donation of $25 per car, we couldn’t be more thankful for Gigi’s Cleaning Company for donating their equipment and time to detail these cars.

 

Grounds for Health is still counting up the donations, but we know this year’s pull will continue to support their important work within coffee-growing communities!

Below are some photos with some highlights from the day.

Safety first! Stretching to stay limber during their volunteer shift!

We’re watching our emissions – the carwash was a  “No Idle Zone”

 For a brief moment, we had a “sprinkler” situation:

As always, one of the great highlights was a visit from Ben and Jerry themselves! (pictured with Grounds for Health Executive Director August Burns):

And of course – the entertainment! Love to listen to The Growlers while washing!

Despite the recent rains, I have been able to enjoy the sunny days Vermont has had in May to prepare my gardens for the summer and fall.

This past weekend, I got a brief reprieve from the weather long enough to head out into the backyard to weed and map out my garden plans. I turned on the radio just loud enough to hear at the garden below, put on my garden shoes and gloves, and began clearing away the brush that had accumulated over the past year.

I've only been trying my hand at gardening at home for the past couple of years, so I still consider myself somewhat of a beginner. In the past, my green thumb experience included watering my indoor spider plants occasionally and growing a couple of potted herbs. However, I've graduated to cultivating a small garden of Gladiolas, daisies, bleeding hearts, dahlias and an area for some strawberries - not bad for someone who couldn’t recognize the names of simple flowers before.

By about midday, I had the garden cleaned up and ready for planting. I spent about an hour or so transplanting flowers and plants that were given to me from my mother’s garden as well as planting some new bulbs I had purchased. I only hope the plants take and the bulbs come up.

I realized later in the afternoon that I had neglected to put on enough sun screen and my fair skin was turning a bright shade of pink.

To relieve my skin from the sun, I ran inside and opened the refrigerator; first to feel the cool air and second to grab the iced coffee I had made earlier in the morning using my French press. I am particular about my coffee and enjoy the process of grinding and brewing it myself. This morning, I knew I would enjoy an iced coffee after gardening so I increased the ratio of coffee to water and added a few extra scoops of freshly ground Nantucket Blend®. This would ensure that after I added ice that I would not dilute the great blend.

That cup of iced coffee was the perfect conclusion to a day of hard work in the yard. The caffeine perked me up a bit so that I could finish cleaning up my garden supplies. Afterward, I grabbed my recent travel magazine, poured another refreshing Green Mountain Coffee® iced coffee and spent the remainder of the afternoon lounging on my back patio in the shade. Here's hoping the weather is nice next weekend so I can start on my tomato garden.

I don't know about the rest of you, but sometimes there's nothing better with a hot cup of coffee than a cookie. A really great cookie, where every bite offers a surprise. A crispy outer texture and a chewy middle are also must-haves. This is what I wanted when I started thinking about today's recipe featuring Green Mountain Coffee^®Fair Trade Island Coconut® Coffee. Island Coconut is one of my favorite Green Mountain Coffee seasonal flavors, second only to Fair Trade Pumpkin Spice (which, from me, love springs eternal). I dare say Island Coconut is my husband's favorite Green Mountain flavor, period. I was inspired to create a cookie that you would love, but also that he would adore, given it's his favorite flavor.

 

I gathered as many coconutty mix-ins as I could, and even went so far as to separate the Almond Joy Pieces - think M&Ms with toasted coconut and almond inside - by color, only adding the brown and cream colored candies. (There may have been discussion of my OCD behaviors as I separated out the blue candies from the brown and cream.) You coconut lovers are going to really enjoy that Fair Trade Island Coconut Coffee makes an appearance in both the cookies and a yummy glaze for the top. Don't skip the glaze! It's so easy to make, and really adds something special to your afternoon coffee break.

As you read the recipe, you'll notice that I say to refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 20 minutes. This is a recommendation I would make to you for any cookie dough, not just my recipe. Cookie dough bakes and tastes better if it is allowed to get cold again before baking. That's why those store-bought ready-made doughs taste so darn good and look so uniform when baking. Refrigerating your homemade cookie dough will get you the same delicious results. Let's just say if you place a plate of these next to the office Keurig^®brewer, you're going to be everyone's favorite co-worker. I hope you love them as much as we did!

 

Island Coconut Cookies

makes approximately 32 large cookies

Ingredients

For the Cookies

4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 1/2 cups of butter, melted (3 sticks)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup Fair Trade Island Coconut coffee
2 large eggs
1 cup Almond Joy Pieces
1 cup toasted angel flake coconut
1 cup cocoa dusted almonds, chopped

For the Glaze
1/4 cup Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Island Coconut coffee
3 tablespoons cream cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

For the Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Brew a cup of Green Mountain Fair Trade Island Coconut Coffee. Use the smallest setting your Keurig allows. I used my 4 oz setting. Allow the coffee to come to room temperature, placing in the refrigerator if necessary to speed up the process.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, kosher salt, baking soda and quick cooking oats. Use a whisk to combine the ingredients evenly and aerate the flour. Set aside.

When the oven is heated, place the angel flake coconut on a parchment lined baking sheet in an even layer and place in the oven. Bake for 7-12 minutes, checking often in the last 5 minutes of cooking. The coconut should toast to a spotty golden brown. Don't expect all of the coconut to change color.

Remove from the oven immediately if you see any pieces start to get dark brown. Turn the oven off again once toasted.

In the bowl of a food processor, place the cup of cocoa dusted almonds. Pulse repeatedly until the almonds are fairly small chunks.

In a medium bowl, combine the cooled coconut, cocoa dusted almond pieces and Almond Joy pieces. Mix by hand until evenly distributed, then set aside.

Melt the sticks of butter in a microwave safe bowl, then allow them to cool slightly. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter, both sugars, vanilla, and coffee. Mix on low until combined, then add the two eggs. Mix on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Add flour mixture in increments, mixing on low after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl before you add more flour each time. When flour mix is completely incorporated, add the toasted coconut mixture and mix on low or by hand until the mix-ins are well distributed.

Place the entire bowl of dough in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, though half an hour is better.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Using a large cookie scoop, scoop 9 cookies at a time onto a parchment lined baking tray. Place the dough back in the refrigerator after you dish out each set of 9.

Bake for roughly 17 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown. Allow them to cool for a moment on the tray, then remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before glazing.

 

For the Glaze

In the bowl of a mixer or small mixing bowl, combine coffee, powdered sugar, and cream cheese. Mix on medium high until the cream cheese has completely mixed in and the glaze becomes fairly thick. Add more powdered sugar if you would like the glaze to be thicker.

When the cookies are completely cool, spread them out on paper towel. Place the glaze in a frosting bag or ziptop bag. Seal the bag by twisting to remove all the air, pushing all the glaze into one sealed corner of the bag for piping. Cut a very small tip off the corner of the bag, then pipe glaze onto the cookies in any pattern you like (I did a criss-cross zig-zag). Allow the glaze to set for at least an hour, then place the cookies in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for freshness. Serve alongside strong cups of Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Island Coconut coffee!

You know we love to get creative with our coffee. In fact, you know that we know that you love to get creative with your coffee, too. Some days you just feel inspired to mix it up – maybe add a little cinnamon to your Nantucket Blend®, throw a dash of whipped cream in your French Vanilla, or maybe even scoop a little pistachio ice cream into your French Roast. And then there are days that you take a look at your Keurig® brewer and think, “Caramel Vanilla Cream would make a great mocha…” Fast as a flash you’ve brewed a Caramel Vanilla Cream and then a Café Escapes® Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa into your favorite mug – and with that you’ve just become a K-Cup® mixologist.

Here are a few favorite combinations from our team to get your mind perking on the mixing possibilities:

• Dark Magic® + Mocha Nut Fudge = Dark Nutty Mocha
• Double Black Diamond® + Hazelnut = Aerial Hazelnut
• Fair Trade Wild Mountain Blueberry™ + Café Escapes® Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa = Blueberry Mocha Delight

What coffees do you mix for your perfect cup?

Amber of Bluebonnets & Brownies is back for her Fall coffee-inspired recipe!  And I only need four words to introduce her latest recipe: Fair Trade Pumpkin Spice!

–

This is the recipe I've been waiting all year to write. Recently, a promotional email from Green Mountain Coffee^® went out. The subject line? "Pumpkin Spice is Here!". The text of the message? "Some people wait all year for this."

Yeah. I fully admit it. I'm pretty sure I inspired that marketing genius. Because I do. I wait all year. Or, actually, I try not to wait all year. I try to buy as many Pumpkin Spice K-Cup^® portion packs as I can get my grubby little hands on, and then I hoard them, rationing myself to 2 (okay, 3) cups a day, praying that they'll last through to August.

It never works out. I just can't get enough of the Fair Trade Pumpkin Spice coffee.

Two years ago, my husband added fuel to the fire, buying me a Keurig Milk Frother for our anniversary. In November.

Autumn + Pumpkin Spice + Milk Frother = one jittery recipe writer full of Pumpkin Spice Lattes, my friends. I don't regret a single cup.

I knew we had to go sweet for this recipe. Our last recipe was savory, Island Coconut Chicken Curry, if you remember. But there's really only one direction you want to go when it comes to pumpkin and spice and everything nice - and that's straight down Sugar Lane.

The first recipe I ever had featured on Green Mountain Café was a chocolate mayonnaise cake. A recipe near and dear to my heart because it was my grandfather's. It relies heavily on strong coffee for its signature flavor, and so I wondered, how would a Spice Cake with a coffee and mayonnaise base be?

If the email I received from my husband's coworker this morning is anything to go by, not only does this cake work, the combination of the coffee-base and Pumpkin Spice coffee infused buttercream are, and I quote, "like manna from the Gods". (He often foists the extras of my creations off on his co-workers - it's actually made him quite popular!)

I hope that you enjoy Pumpkin Spice coffee, and Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, as much as I have. They both embody everything I have come to love about the Fall: cozy comfort, inviting warmth, and enticing aromas.

Happy Autumn, everyone!

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cupcakes

makes 16-18

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon All Spice

1 cup Mayonnaise - no substitutes!
1 cup (8 oz) Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Pumpkin Spice Coffee, cooled
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and all spice. Stir completely with a wire whisk - this will allow the ingredients to distribute evenly and also aerate.

In a smaller bowl, combine mayonnaise, coffee, and vanilla extract. Whisk as well, until ingredients are well mixed.

Stir wet ingredients into dry, mixing completely to make batter.

Line 12 count muffin tins with paper liners, or spray with cooking spray. Using a 1/4 cup measure, scoop batter into each muffin well. You should end up with exactly 18 cupcakes if you use the 1/4 cup measure.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake removes cleanly. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened to room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cold Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Pumpkin Spice Coffee
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

Directions
In a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, cream butter until it is light and fluffy - 4-10 minutes at least. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add coffee one tablespoon at a time, mixing again after each addition, and then vanilla and pumpkin pie spice.

My kitchen was very warm, so my icing seemed a bit too soft at this point. I refrigerated it to stiffen it up, and then re-mixed it when I was ready to frost my cupcakes. If after refrigeration the frosting seems too stiff, add 1 tablespoon of half and half and mix well again with your mixer. Alternate between tablespoons of half and half and Pumpkin Spice Coffee until frosting reaches your desired consistency.

Cupcakes and frosting will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Having survived our first 100-degree spell this summer, our iced machine has certainly earned its keep.  We’ve brewed, brewed, and brewed some more – and have stumbled upon some n’ice ideas to make this summer’s iced coffees – like Brew Over Ice Nantucket Blend® or French Vanilla -  even more brew-tiful.  Here are some of our favorites:

1. Vanilla Infused Simple Syrup: No sugar clumps and it adds an extra burst of vanilla flavor?  Yes, please!  Here’s how to do it:
   
   
   
   1. Split a vanilla bean lengthwise into halves and place in a heatproof jar or bottle.
   
   
   2. In a saucepan combine 1:2 ratio of sugar and water.
   
   
   3. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar dissolves.
   
   
   4. Pour the hot syrup over the jar/bottle and let it soak up the vanilla-goodness for up to 10 hours.
   
   
   5. Store in the refrigerator (up to a week – but it doesn’t last that long around here anyway).
   
   
   
   


2. Coffee iced cubes: Okay, you’ve heard us extol the wonders of this little cube before.  As Brew Over Ice coffee is made so the flavor won’t be diluted when the ice melts, this a great way to plus-up your coffee kick for those who have other coffee makers– or even add a different flavor to your go-to iced brew.
   
   
   
   1. Brew your favorite blend (love to use Fair Trade Wild Mountain Blueberry™ for this one) into a cup.
   
   
   2. Pour the coffee into an ice cube tray and place in the freezer.
   
   
   3. Pop the cubes out when you’re ready – just brew over it like you would with ice (Brew Over Ice (coffee cubes)).
   
   
   
   


3. Iced (cream) coffee:  Lots of people reach for cream and sugar when they make their iced coffee – so why not add a scoop of ice cream as a shortcut?  We love to use a scoop of Ben & Jerry’s Fair Trade Vanilla, or, if you’re into a adventure, Coffee HEATH® Bar crunch!

What do you do to make your iced coffee uniquely yours?

“I always want to use my French Press!!! Seems complicated though, so it’s still in the box O_o Where should I start?”

- A grouping of a few questions on Twitter and the blog

--

Dear Soon-to-be French Press fans, I’ll show you how easy it is.

First thing's first:  Take the French Press (sometimes called a press pot) out of the box.   Run it through the dishwater and put it into service!

Some people get hung up with thinking that there’s a magic formula of grind size, amount of coffee, and time, but there’s no reason to be worried. The beauty of a French Press is its simplicity. Grind some coffee, pour it in, pour some hot water on top, let it sit for 3-4 minutes, press the plunger down, serve, and enjoy.

But it sounds like you're looking for more specifics to get started.

Grind: If you use the common 32-ounce pot, use 1.75 ounces of coffee ground at “coarse.” If you’re grinding at the store, just ask someone for the coarse setting. On a Bunn (the 1 pound grinder that you still see in grocery stores) it’s called “Electric Perc."  If you’re grinding at home and eyeballing the grind – you should be able to see some lighter colored flecks mixed in. That’s still coffee; it’s a part of the bean that would get ground up into smaller pieces with the more common auto grind.

Measurement: If you don’t have a scale to weigh out the grinds, go out and buy one.  While scooping your coffee for the French Press won't ruin the experience,  scooping is a suboptimal, volumetric way to measure coffee.  Why?  For example, the same volume of French Roast weighs less than the same volume of, say, Our Blend.  That's where weight comes in handy.

If you don’t have a scale, and you don’t want to do some trial and error to find the right ratio, you could start with putting in about 1 ½  inches of grinds at the bottom of the pot.

Process:

1. Boil up some water on the stove or from an electric kettle. Once it’s boiling, take it off the burner and set it aside for at least 10-seconds. That will bring the temperature to about 200⁰ Fahrenheit, which is the optimal temperature to brew coffee.
2. Pour the water into the pot until the “foam” gets to the top of the ring. (See how easy this is?)

3. Set your timer for at least 3-minutes.
4. When it goes off, stir the coffee like this:

5. Then press the plunger down, and - this part is important- leave it in.

6. Now, you can pour your French Pressed coffee in your favorite mug.  As studies show, with a nice warm beverage in hand, you’re more likely to be kinder to everyone, so a bonus for all!   Keep in mind that unless you have a thermal press pot, the coffee won’t stay hot for long, so just brew enough to drink right away (Or put it in a thermal carafe).

If you think the coffee is too strong, put less coffee in next time, and/or for less time too. If you want it to be stronger, put more coffee in, and/or keep it in there longer. There are no right or wrong choices for coffee to use, though I am partial to darker roast blends.  Fair Trade Organic Sumatran Reserve is very nice in a press pot, too.

Now that you know how it easy it is, you can make a fresh pot anytime you want.

In my five years at GMC, I've by no means become a coffee expert. But I'm getting better. My biggest learning is our odd obsession of roast at the expense of source. We Americans generally don't seem to care where our coffee comes from. At the same time, we'll claim to "love a super-dark roast", while drowning our brew with excessive cream and sugar. If you use three scoops of sugar and a long pour of cream, I'd argue that you like coffee-flavor, not coffee. And you probably don't enjoy a super-dark roast. Do you add anything to your favorite wine?

Vermont gourmet circles and our own coffee experts have taught me to relish terroir, a taste of place.  The Buy Local campaign is extremely prevalent here in Vermont, encouraging support of local farmers and food traditions.  It helps keep our lovely countrysides in tact while appreciating the beauty we have around us.  It's the postive way of opposing uniformity, suggesting a better path instead of merely cursing another.  Everything has its place.

Anthony Bourdain tackled this topic in reviewing Timothy Taylor's Stanley Park.  I'll confess, I don't have the patience for Taylor's 432-page discourse, but I love a good Bourdain rant.   Taylor argues the chef world is divided into fusion freaks (Crips), hell bent on merging incongruous worldy ingredients into creativity stew, and terroir tyrants (Bloods), dedicating their souls to preserving local traditions and ingredients.  Bourdain seems to prefer a looser, middle ground, admitting he started in the terroir camp, but has all too often traveled into fusion festivals deserving of admiration.  He later comments "I've since come to believe that any overriding philosophy or worldview is the enemy of good eating".  Agreed.

Let's apply this thinking to coffee.  Why do we always focus on roast, mindlessly add condiments, but ignore source?  The flavor wheel spins much more vigorously when comparing a smooth Guatemalan brew to a lively animal-like Kenyan offering than when debating the pros and cons of light versus medium roast.  I agree that a fantastic cut of steak should be quickly seared while a more modest cut should spend more time on the grill.  But isn't it more exciting to debate the kind of meat than how to cook said meat?  Choosing the source of your coffee is the equivalent of picking your meat.

I urge you to try (cup, if you will) a black cup of our Sumatran Reserve™ next to another black mug of Colombian Fair Trade Select.  There are significant differences between the coffees from these two equatorial regions.  But I won't describe those differences here -- please experience them for yourself.  Then compare our Kenya Highland Cooperatives (my favorite) to that same Colombian or our Guatemalan Finca Dos Marias.  Which cup is bright, which syrupy, which wild?  You tell me.

With this appreciation, maybe some of you will switch from "blends" to single origin coffees.  Blends certainly have their place, but by following the fusion / Bloods need of mixing unique offerings, something is lost.  That something is local climate combined with tireless, but unique quality controls applied by various coffee farmers across the world.  Their exhausting efforts should not always be blended away.

You'll see and taste what I'm talking about.  Then the next time someone asks "how do you take your coffee?" you can reply with a well informed "Kenyan, please."