We're back...

Sorry for the radio silence. I was going through a period where I was eliminating caffiene from my diet. What a foolhardy experiment.

Today, I would like to review the coffee they serve at First Watch, a brunch chain in Ohio, Florida, and a few other states. They serve Sunrise Select, a premium, full-flavored coffee. They bring a pot to your table so you can refill your cup as often as you like. And they will keep it coming if you ask. :) The one I frequent also provides free small cups of coffee on Sunday morning when they are at their busiest and you have to wait a while. It's a nice touch. Of course, it seems wrong not to order a cup once you sit down, after you've been guzzling it for free. Not that I haven't done it. ::whistles and walks away::

The Sunrise Select has a nice rich flavor. A good "wake up" coffee to get you going in the morning. Excellent unsweetened when eating pancakes or waffles. Add a little sugar if you like as you eat your omelets. I find this coffee better than most restaurant offerings. Definitely better than IHOP's. I had that recently and it was drekkish and 1 cup at best. The Sunrise Select gets 3.5 cups. $1.99 for all you can drink.

So many choices, so little time

Lookout Joe in Mt. Lookout has a wonderful coffee bar of sorts. Each day, they have about 6 different coffees, some decaf, to choose from. And the choices vary from day to day. Today, I was torn between the Sumatran Fair Trade Italian Roast and the Tiramisu. The need for a major caffiene boost won me over. I went with the Sumatran. Rich. Bold. I probably would have needed an additional packet of Splenda if I had been drinking it with nothing else to consume, but the chocolate croissant I ordered for breakfast helped sweeten it up. Perfectly.

The nice think about Lookout Joe is that when you order a plain coffee, the first refill is free and then a dollar after that. So, I tried about a half cup of the Tiramisu. Mild. Light. Good drinking coffee when you don't need to be over caffieneated. I also loooove their Highland Grog for this very reason. I could drink cups of it and be happy.

The Sumatran, 3.5 cups. The Tiramisu and their Highland Grog, 4 cups.

Dark Roast, please!

It's been a while that I've gone out for coffee, but that will change next week. During an afternoon walk, I went to Ray's Monkey House and got a medium coffee. "Medium or dark roast?" they ask. Dark roast. Definitely dark roast. Mmmm... Coffee.

I got the Papua New Guinea Kimel... $2. It's good. That'll keep you walking for sure. Half and halfed and Splenda'd, I made my way down Bardstown Road, much happier than before. It gets 3.5 cups out of 5.

I was bad though and forgot a to-go cup, but Ray's uses eco friendly cups, so I didn't feel as bad as when I went in and realized I didn't have my cup. I'm putting this on my regular roster of coffee houses to visit, which also includes Highland Coffee and Java Brewing Co.

Two great tastes that taste great together

Okay, now to test some ground coffee, made at home.

Yes, I gave up sweets for Lent, but coffee does not fall under sweets for me. When we woke up Friday morning, after the long drive and the miserable fast food coffee, we decided to make some Royal Cup Coffee Bavarian Chocolate flavored to eat with our pancakes.

It helps that I'm decent at making coffee. Good flavor. Good with International Delight creamer. Good enough for a second cup. I'm going to give it a 3.5 out of 5 cups, because it was good, but not Vienna Cinnamon good or cappuccino good. But good.