You have the coffee to make mom feel extra special on Mother’s Day morning, but what to serve with it?  We have a slew of favorite recipes from Amber to wow your mom (her Wild Mountain Blueberry™ pound cake comes to mind), but how about a salute to mom's favorite full-bodied, artisanal flavor with a tender slice of coffee cake from our Vermont kitchen? 

Tully’s^® Coffee Cake

Ingredients

Streusel:

- ¾ cup sugar

- 1 teaspoon cinnamon

- ¾ cup walnuts or pecans

Cake:

- 3 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour

- 2 teaspoons baking powder

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1 ½ teaspoons salt

- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

- 6 ounces Tully’s® Italian Roast, cold

- ¾ cup sour cream

- 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

- 1 ¾ cups sugar

- 3 large eggs

Glaze:

- 2 ounces Tully’s® Italian Roast, cold

- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions

- Brew 8 ounces Tully’s® Italian Roast (available in bags, K-Cup® and Vue® packs). Place in refrigerator to cool for at least 2 hours prior to using.

- Preheat oven to 350° F.

- Butter and flour either a Bundt pan or a 13x9 inch baking pan. Set aside.

Prepare streusel. Finely chop nuts, and then combine with sugar and cinnamon. Set aside for later use.

- Prepare dry ingredients of cake. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Set aside.

- In a separate bowl prepare, combine 6 ounces cold Tully’s® Italian Roast, vanilla, and sour cream. Whisk. Set aside.

- In a separate bowl, beat together the softened butter and 1 ¾ cups sugar until fluffy and light. If using a standing mixer, beat on medium for about 5 minutes. If using a hand mixer, beat on medium for about 10 minutes. Then, mix in 1 egg at a time on the low setting.

- Combine the coffee, vanilla, and sour cream mixture (previously set aside) with the butter, sugar, and egg mixture.

- Combine wet and dry ingredients in the following manner, stirring after each step. Combine ⅓ of dry mix with ½ wet mix and stir. Add ⅓ dry mix and remaining wet mix and stir. Add the remaining dry mix and stir. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure the batter is well mixed.

- Pour half of the batter into your baking pan. Add all of the streusel mixture, spread in an even layer. Top with remaining batter.

- Bake at 350° for about 60 - 70 minutes, until golden brown and the cake begins to pull away from sides of pan, and a knife or skewer, once inserted, comes out cleanly.

- Transfer cake to a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Then, if using a Bundt pan, invert cake onto rack or a serving plate; carefully remove pan (gently slide a knife around the side of the pan if necessary to loosen cake) and let cake cool completely.

- For glaze, mix sifted powdered sugar with remaining 2 ounces of cold Tully’s® Italian Roast until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake.

- Let glaze harden for a few minutes, and then serve (with even more Tully’s® Italian Roast paired with it).

Breakfast in bed is the quintessential way to kick-off a quality Mother’s Day.  Mom gets to lounge, kids get creative in the kitchen, and dad gets to coordinate to make it all happen (and clean it all up)!  To simplify the process but still give mom that special, “For me?” moment, how about brewing her up a little something sweet and tropical in your Keurig® brewer?

Coconut Vanilla Cream

Ingredients

- Green Mountain Coffee® Island Coconut® K-Cup® pack, Vue® pack, or bagged coffee

- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar

- ½ - 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

- 2 teaspoons of heavy cream or whipped cream

Directions

- Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar into a large mug

- Brew or pour 6-8 ounces of Green Mountain Coffee® Island Coconut® into the mug

- Add ½ - 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to taste

- Stir

- Pour 2 teaspoons of heavy cream over the backside of a spoon into the mug creating a layered effect or top with whipped cream

Tip from the Brew Team

- Don’t stir again after adding the heavy cream or whipped cream. Sip the coffee through the cream and transport your senses!

A picture says a thousand words, and Alex Eshelman, Project Engineer, captured every single one in this photo of our Essex, Vermont site right before sunset. 

[Thank you, Alex!]

Something looked funny in the break room this morning.

Something felt amiss.

Switching the salt and sugar shakers?  Good try, Donut Shop. Good try.  There’s always next year.

Happy April Fools’ Day!

While I’m no glue gun goddess, I’ve been known to enjoy a good crafting session.  With Easter just around the corner, I have my DIY Easter list narrowed down to one project: K-Cup^® pack Easter Baskets!  This little beauty came from Karen on our Sustainability team.  Cute and bunny-sized, how could I not give it a try?  Here’s how to do it: 

1. Brew your favorite Keurig Brewed^® coffee – perhaps Green Mountain Coffee^® Island Coconut^® to welcome in spring?  Sip, savor, and enjoy that cup!  (And let the brewed K-Cup^® pack cool down a touch.)

2. Once cooled, carefully remove the foil lid, filter, and coffee grounds.  Your soon-to-be planted garden will appreciate a little coffee ground compost.

3. Gently wash out and towel-dry the empty K-Cup^® pack.*   

4. Poke two small holes on each side of the K-Cup^® pack below the lip and thread each end of your pipe cleaner through to create a handle.

5. Fill with Eater grass and your favorite candies.  Jelly beans and candy coated chocolate eggs are our favorites. 

6. Delight your family with this bunny-sized treat on Easter morning!

*Psst - If you want to add more color, grab some paint, glue, rhinestones, - you name it - , and decorate the pack before putting in the pipe cleaner handle.

T-minus 5 days until Saint Patrick’s Day, a glorious 24-hour period when everyone recalls their Irish roots – even if their family tree goes nowhere near the Emerald Isle.  As a holiday filled with cheer, camaraderie, and, yes, just a little libation, we thought it would be handy to start your preparations now, with spirited green teas! 

1. Feeling traditional in your green-ness?  Then brew Celestial Seasonings® Green Tea – available in K-Cup® and Vue® packs: A traditional green tea blended with delicate white tea for smooth taste.

2. Seeking cooling refreshment before you embrace the Luck of the Irish?  Say hello to Bigelow® teas’ Mint Medley Herb Tea – a perfect blend of fresh-picked cool garden spearmint and peppermint that soothes and delights. 

3. Know some activities on Saint Patricks’ Day may require your system to have a little antioxidant boost?  Celestial Seasonings Antioxidant Max® Green Teas are your answer.  Traditional green tea leaves and potent green tea extract (two natural sources of flavonoids) plus 20% of your daily antioxidant Vitamin C per 8 fl. oz. serving – go with Blood Orange Star Fruit or Blackberry Pomegranate.

Have a passion for coffee? Crazy for chocolate? Have a minty swish in your step as you imagine yourself on a piazza in Italy?  Then our resident K-Cup® mixologist in has a recipe for you:

Italian Peppermint Mocha

Ingredients

• - One Barista Prima Coffeehouse® Italian Roast K-Cup® or Vue® pack
• - 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract
• - 2+ tablespoons of chocolate syrup
• - Half & Half to taste
• - Whipped Cream
•  -Crushed peppermint candies (optional)

Directions

Brew 6-8 ounces (make it Strong brew on your Vue® brewer if you're in for a tres forte mocha) of Barista Prima® Italian Roast into a large mug

Add peppermint extract

Add 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup

Add Half & Half, gently stir

Top with whipped cream

Drizzle chocolate syrup and sprinkle crushed peppermint candies on top

Enjoy!

New Year, new you.  Or me.  Or us.  You get the idea.  It’s 2013 and it’s a new start.  Clean slate.  Blank sheet of paper.  An open road.   But we don’t want that slate/paper/road to be empty for long: we want adventure.  We want stories.  We want triumph.  That’s why we make resolutions – to be able to look back at the past year and have exciting tales to tell in the next.  In preparation for those stories, here are a few of our goals for 2013 (with a little Keurig Brewed® twist):

1. Take one small step toward a more balanced life.  Make a small change that helps our wellness – like choosing Wellness Brewed™ beverages like Green Mountain Coffee® Antioxidant Blend.

2. Embrace “me” time.  Stress is so last year – now is the moment to savor the moment.  Even if that’s just enjoying an indulgent cup of Café Escapes® Café Caramel (and it’s only 70 calories).

3. But don’t overlook the family.  Make time to be together – craft, hike, bake, and watch a family movie with some Green Mountain Naturals® Hot Apple Cider for the kids.

4. Appreciate the beauty around us.  Stop, look, and listen to the artistry that surrounds the everyday, may it be the beauty in a hand built gazebo, the tang of handcrafted cheddar, or the brightness of a mug of Tully’s® House Blend.

5. Learn a new language.  Bonjour, ciao, hola – expand your vocabulary so travel to your new favorite destination isn’t as intimidating.  And do it all with a mug of Barista Prima® Italian Roast by your side – bellissimo!   

What stories do you want to tell about 2013 next year?

Merry Christmas, from the hosts at our Visitors Center, to the visitors in yours!

With only a few days until Christmas, how’s the last minute planning and gift shopping going?  Are all the gifts wrapped and under the tree, or are you a bit frazzled and still trying to pull together menus, not to mention still struggling to figure out what to get that mother-in-law of yours? (Trust me: We're all there!)

To help out, we tapped into some of our K-Cup® Ambassadors to provide a few tips to help you check off some of those final tasks. 

• Take a break.  Kelby of Type-A Parent says, “It is so easy to get caught up in your endless to-do list for the holidays (and unfortunately, holidays are on the calendar and come with a definite deadline). Take a break to do something holiday-related just for the sheer fun of it. Almost every town or city has some sort of holiday displays, events, festivals or even just holiday lights driving through neighborhoods. Take one day to just enjoy the holidays. Believe me, all the other stuff can wait one day (unless, perhaps, you are reading this on Christmas Eve). 

• Do-ahead appetizers.  When planning appetizers, Amber of Bluebonnets & Brownies says to always include a few dips that can be made ahead of time, and quickly too, like this homemade salsa recipe. Throw some tortilla chips in a bowl, and you're ready to go. It's my mother's recipe, and I serve it at every party we host, no matter the time of year. It's always a hit, and it comes together in the food processor in about 3 minutes flat. Add to that, it can be made up to 3 days ahead of time, and the flavors only get better the longer it sits."
• Hostess Gifts.  Julie from The Little Kitchen loves to give little gift baskets with coffee and cookies in them - or even a cute coffee mug with a little baggie with a sampling of your favorite K-Cup® packs and some homemade biscotti or cookies.

• Take a “Me Moment”.  Kristen of Dine & Dish carves out a bit of “me” time each day. “I do that by sitting down to a cup of coffee. There is a reason coffee is hot… it’s meant to be sipped and savored, not rushed.  I use that 15 minutes in my day to get a grip on the day and it truly does work.”

Sometimes, a picture speaks a thousand words. 

Behold: Green Mountain Coffee® French Roast – as a cake!  This delicious beauty appeared in the office yesterday as a congratulatory gesture for work done between our IST and Digital teams.  Vanilla cake with mocha frosting – delish!

Which kind of "coffee cake" would you like to try?  I think Spicy Eggnog® coffee would be a treat - a new holiday tradition!

(Thanks to Jacques' Fine European Pastries!)

Each year, we look back in wonder, in awe, and in gratitude at all that was accomplished in just 365 days.  So many things happen in a year – triumph, challenge, laughter, and joy.  Sometimes it happens all at once; sometimes it feels like it’s never going to happen.  But when it does?  When it does, we’re grateful and need to give thanks. 

From our hearts to yours:

I’m thankful for having had the recent honor and privilege of collaborating with my brother to coordinate a 50^th Wedding Anniversary celebration for our parents (which went very well by the way, thanks for asking).

 -Roger

This year I am thankful for my coworkers within our Sustainability Team! I continue to be inspired by my colleagues’ passion and dedication to make a difference in the world. They’re also pretty fun to be around, too. :)

-Amanda

I first of all am thankful for hockey, arguably the best sport on two feet. Next comes Green Bean Casserole (The Best Thanksgiving Dish Ever! No Contest.) But most importantly I am so thankful for the friends and co-workers (and friends that happen to be co-workers) that keep me going throughout the year. Without these people I would not be where I am today.

-Rob

It’s abundantly clear to me that gratitude is directly related to happiness. I am thankful for forsythia in early spring, the loving support of my family, a job where I can make a difference in someone else’s life, and chocolate.

-Laura

I am thankful for the health of my family and warm, nose to nose snuggles from my boys.  I am endlessly thankful for their unconditional love. 

-Allison

Let’s get the big three out of the way: I am thankful for love, warmth, and laughter.  I am thankful for the love and support of my family as I endeavor on yet another unexpected journey.  I am thankful for the warmth of my coworkers, always cheering, always supportive.  I am thankful for laughter – deep, earth-shaking, belly-full-of-jelly laughter that my friends (online and in real life) bring to me every day, whether they know it or not.  I am thankful, and I thank you for that.

-Kristen

What are you thankful for this year?

Oh, no, it looks like a vampire got a hold of this coffee already...

Did you hear that?  It may have been the wind.  It may have been a swaying door. Or it may be a monster trying to eat you for breakfast.  Either way, your best defense may just be to have an equally terrifying coffee at the ready to give you the courage to be the survivor in this made-for-TV horror flick.  Here are the top four blends we’re taking with us into the zombie apocalypse:

1. Green Mountain Coffee® Dark Magic® espresso blend: Spellbindingly complex and sure to send a little hocus-pocus to those lurking baddies.

2. Green Mountain Coffee® Lake & Lodge: Inspired by the very location that most slasher films take place – isolated, in the woods, with nothing but your handy brewer to protect you.

3. Coffee People Black Tiger: ROAR!!!!  Fight monsters with a fearsome beast – in your mug.

4. Caribou Coffee® Daybreak Morning Blend: What scares vampires more than daylight?  This coffee, of course!  Who needs garlic – we have a light and fruity brew. 

Of course, there is one thing that is more terrifying than all of these coffees… running out of them!  The horror!  (So: never worry about: Join Café EXPRESS and get 15% off on every order, every time)

Happy Halloween!

We love you, we love you, we love you! And Michael Franti, too!

Michael’s free live in concert kicks off tomorrow night, October 24 at 10:30 PM EST, on Green Mountain Coffee’s Facebook page! We'll be brewing up Sumatran Reserve as we soak in the melodic tunes in the Great Coffee, Good Vibes Lounge – some of us in L.A. to see Michael in person and some of us virtually from home, relaxing in our pajamas.

Remember: If you’re in Los Angeles tomorrow, October 24, 2012 visit 7111 Melrose Avenue and enjoy a free cup of Green Mountain Coffee® Fair Trade brews.  You never know who you’ll meet when the great coffee is flowing and the good vibes are all around!

October is Fair Trade Month!  For more than a decade, Green Mountain Coffee® has been a leader in the fair trade movement, providing a better cup of coffee to you and a better quality of life for coffee farmers.

This year, we’re celebrating with our “Great Coffee, Good Vibes, Pass It On” campaign – bringing Fair Trade Month to life with good vibes you can taste, hear, and feel!  Here are some ways you can take part in the fun:

To celebrate Fair Trade Month, both Grace Potter and Michael Franti will give exclusive performances streamed live on the Green Mountain Coffee Facebook page. You’re invited to RSVP for the events on our Facebook page and experience the good vibes firsthand:

• - Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST — Grace Potter will perform live from famed music venue Joe’s Pub in New York City. Potter’s set will feature unique acoustic versions of songs from her new album, The Lion The Beast The Beat. You can RSVP here!
• - Oct. 24 at 11 p.m. EST/8 p.m. PST — Michael Franti will rev up Los Angeles from the first-ever Great Coffee, Good Vibes Lounge, brought to you by Green Mountain Coffee. Fans will be able to visit 7111 Melrose Avenue on October 24 and enjoy a free cup of Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade. Be sure to RSVP here so you don’t miss out!

Join us on the Green Mountain Coffee Facebook page to view photos and videos from Grace Potter and Michael Franti’s trips to fair trade coffee cooperatives in Colombia and Sumatra.  After watching these videos, you’ll have the chance to receive free fair trade coffee samples or coupons and enter for a chance to win a trip to one of our source countries: Costa Rica!

We're jamming a lot into 31 days so you can enjoy great coffee, listen to good tunes, and pass on the fair trade vibes!

It’s National Coffee Day!  While you know we’d use any excuse – finished breakfast, found a lost sock, waiting for a haircut, you get the idea – to enjoy a good cup of coffee, today is the day that no excuses are necessary!  To celebrate, we’re all brewing up our favorite coffees, just the way we like them.  But how does our blogger team like to take their coffee?  We weren’t so, so we asked!

Roger - "I like very strong, dark roasted coffee and I drink it black as night."

Missy -  "I like iced coffee year-round and take it as follows… strict guidelines, you know."

• - Full cup of ice
• - One shot of Dark Magic® Espresso Blend
• - Smidgen of Wild Mountain Blueberry™, double brewed
• - Fill to the brim with Nantucket Blend® coffee
• - Top with a little cream and simple syrup

Winston - "My wife says I am an old man and stuck in my ways. I'm only 47 and I disagree, I just like what I like. At night before bed, I put out my French press, my whipped honey, the blue mug that my aunt made, and I fill the kettle with enough water for the pot. When I get up (and I get up pretty early) it's all ready for me. I like Ethiopian Yirgacheffe in a French press, served with honey and half and half. I know, it's heresy to use condiments in such a nice clean coffee like that. But I'm 47 and I can have my coffee any way I like it."

Amanda - “I love the unaltered taste and aroma of black coffee. No sugar, no cream masking the flavors of a great Sumatran or Kenyan. Every now and then though, I enjoy a splash of almond milk (lactose and I don’t mix), whose nutty flavor brings out the earthy notes in my coffee.”

Kristen - "I don’t drink coffee, but I’ll happily say that I take ice cream with my coffee – who doesn’t love an affogato?  Coffee and ice cream? The perfect combination."

Did you know next Saturday is National Coffee Day?  For us, that means this week is an invitation to embrace our java joy and revel in our roasts as we work up to the ultimate celebration.  So, what better way to start the work week than to sip Newman’s Own® Organics coffee with Nell Newman? 

Did we mention you’re invited, too?

Newman’s Own Organics has a lot of proud partners: Green Mountain Coffee® is proud to source and roast a line of world-changing, Fair Trade Certified™ coffees for our friends at Newman's Own Organics and New England McDonald’s are proud to serve this exceptional coffee every day in most of its restaurants.  So, we’re sharing that pride with fans who love this coffee with a live virtual tasting.

Here are the details:

• WHAT: Newman’s Own Organics Coffee Tasting with McDonalds; live and interactive!
• WHEN: This Monday, September 24, 2012, 10:00 to 10:30 AM EST
• WHO: You and Nell Newman, Lindsey Bolger, GMCR’s Senior Director of Coffee, and Wayne Lebrun and Lou Provenzano, owner/operators from McDonald’s in New England. 
• WHERE: From the comforts of your computer on Livestream.com/VermontLive for you; Live from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.’s Coffee Lounge, in Waterbury, Vermont for us

If you want to taste along with us, follow the conversation, or ask a question of the tasters, follow @McDEasternNE  and #McDCoffeeChat on Twitter.

Chat with you soon!

It starts today.  The hauling.  The dirt.  The splashing.  The laughing.  The tires.  The surprises. The grit.

Today, for the eighth year, we go down to the river and see what we can do to make it just a little more pristine (even as we become grubbier).  As this is my third year using my Café Time at River Cleanup here in Vermont, I’ve been sharing some of my must-have items with the newbies so they’re armed for whatever the river can brings.

1. Water

Yes, you’re standing in a lot of water.  You’re soaked in it.  The walk back to your desk is more of a slosh than a saunter, actually.  But that doesn’t mean your body has been hydrated.  You’re doing major work during the day, hauling that trash from the water, so remember to drink.  H₂O all the way.

2. Sunscreen

Your skin does not like to be a lovely lobster red.  It does not like to peel and chap and make you all too familiar with the soothing properties of aloe. You may think you can get away with going au natural while digging up tires or scrap metal, but remember this: water reflects.  The sun?  Hitting you from above and below.  Protect yourself with a few SPFs.

3. Good water shoes

Ever seen the sign reading, “Slippery when wet?”  Rocks on the river bed take this as their motto.  Safety is first at our Company, so wearing shoes with tread that will not take on water and bog you down is key.  No rain boots – the river goes above your ankles 80-percent of the time.

4. Change of clothes

Did I mention this takes place in the river, hence the name “River Cleanup?”  When your shift is done and you’re ready to get back to work, there is nothing more miserable than being stuck in wet clothes, covered in river mud (trust me: This was my mistake last year).  There’s also a distinct river scent that doesn’t quite leave your system for an hour or two.  Fresh, clean clothes are your saving grace after this Café Time event.

5. A smile

A grin helps to make everything lighter.  That tractor tire?  Piece of cake when your pearly whites are showing.  That encased grocery cart?  Light as a feather when a group of four is laughing so hard at how hard is to move.  The sight of five feet worth of scrap metal piled up on the riverbed?  Not quite as disturbing when you smile about how you are going to clean it up for the next guy.  Smiling – it’s a necessity.

Anything I missed?  We’re on the river all week, so just leave me a comment with any suggestions and I’ll pass it on to the team. 

Who doesn’t love a potluck?

It’s the trifecta of good things: Friends, mingling, and great food – the signature items that you bring plus a slew of dishes you’d have never thought to make yourself.  A buffet of creativity that you get to enjoy with your best buds.  Win, win, win all around.

Those are just some of the reasons why we’re excitedly packing our bags for this weekend’s Big Summer Potluck, an annual gathering of food lovers put on by The Ivory Hut and Three Many Cooks.  It’s three days jam-packed with schmoozing with old and new friends, workshops galore, and of course, dishes from some of the best cooks around – the hosts and attendees!  Some of our very own K-Cup^® Ambassadors will even be on the ground, taking the weekend in for all its foodie worth and sharing the K-Cup^® love.    

So, what does a coffee company bring to a potluck?  We do have a lot of spectacular recipes using Green Mountain Coffee^® varieties thanks to Bluebonnets & Brownies, so we have some options. 

But let’s be honest: when it’s 8 AM on Saturday and you’re in need of a revelation, what do you want?  Coffee – hot and caffeinated.  When it’s 3 PM in the summer after a full day of inspiring workshops, what do you need? Coffee – cool and creamy.  Iced, hot, and creatively mixed (we’re talking to you, K-Cup^®  Mixologists!) we’ll be bringing a pallet of Green Mountain Coffee^® K-Cup^® packs for Big Summer Potluck guests to enjoy throughout the day.     

If you can’t make it to Big Summer Potluck, don’t worry!  Follow the weekend activity on Twitter with hasttag #bsp3 and have your own potluck at home! What’s your go-to potluck dish?  Wild Mountain Blueberry™ Pound Cake is a showstopper with crowds!

The weather is warming up in Vermont and our porch is lined with tables for our guests. Now, all we need is the music. Beginning this Sunday, May 27^th, we kick off our 5^th annual Music on the Porch series at the Green Mountain Coffee®Visitor Center & Café located in Waterbury’s historic train station. Join us every Sunday through September 2nd from 1-3 p.m. on our porch. Sit down and relax, watch the train go by, and enjoy a cup of iced coffee or another specialty drink. Each week we will raffle off a new Vue™ brewer and all proceeds collected will benefit Food 4 Farmers, a non-profit whose mission is to facilitate the implementation of sustainable food security programs in coffee-growing communities. We are very excited to support a cause that is addressing a serious issue in coffee-growing communities. Please visit food4farmers.org for more information.

Rain or shine, we hope to see you Sundays on our covered porch!