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.

Mmm... Brew

Java Brewing Co., Cherokee Triangle roast. Good stuff. 4 cups out of 5. Perfect flavor. Good sweetened and creamed. I don't think you can get a cup of coffee here and go wrong. $1.50 or so if you have their to-go cup. Which is a pretty good deal if you ask me. Good coffee. Good deal. Good place to get some work done, provided that it isn't too busy and you can get near an outlet.

I've been putting this one off...

All right. I went to Heine Bros. today because that's where some of my friends meet up on Sundays. Because I'm broke I got a regular coffee. I put some cream and sugar in it. I drank it. I am not a fan of Heine Bros. coffee. In fact it gets 2 cups out of 5. I don't prefer it, I don't think it's great, but it's not revolting (0 cups) or barely drinkable (1 cup). So, why did I order it again? Because I keep hoping that I'm wrong. HB is a popular place in Louisville. It's locally owned. And I want to like it. But I don't. There's just this really bitter taste to it that I don't care for. I like their chai tea pretty well. Otherwise. Eh. $1.80-something if you have the plastic cup.

I will stick to locally owned places like Highland and Java Brewing Co., keep checking out Ray's and Quills, and see what else is out there.

There, I said it. All of you HB fans, please don't hate me.

Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don't.

Today, I'm consuming a medium-sized cup of Highland Coffee's Vanilla Nut house coffee. It has a vanilla flavor and a nutty flavor, so it is aptly named. The coffee definitely tastes nuttier than it tastes of vanilla though. Eh, I've never been a vanilla superfan anyway... I like it. It tastes good, but it will never be chocolate or peanut good in my opinion.

The coffee is mild, but satisfying. It gets 3 cups out of 5. I would give it a higher rating, because I think the flavor could be a little bolder. But in my rating system, a 3 cup-rated coffee is still a good choice... You can't go wrong... but it won't knock your socks off. Cost: $2 plus tip.

Third time's the charm...

Due to a tight budget this month, I bought a bag of coffee for $5 to make at home rather than go out and get a cup for around $2. Because I was so taken with the Folgers Gourmet Selections Caramel Drizzle, I thought I'd give the Vanilla Biscotti a try. I do want to try out the Dunkin' Donuts and Caribou Coffee offerings, but we will try that another time. When I have more cash.

The FGS Vanilla Biscotti smells awesome. After making it, I left the flat for a bit and when I came back, the aroma of coffee and vanilla filled the room. Sadly, it is not as good as the Caramel Drizzle. Don't get me wrong... it's not bad at all. I prefer the other one though. And in drinking it, is it strange that I taste more biscotti than vanilla? Seriously. It seems like there's this crisp cookie flavor to it. This flavor gets 3 cups. Not bad, but I will probably go with a different flavor next time, and the Caramel Drizzle for sure.

Round 2 of home brew

I woke up needing coffee. Needing it bad. I saw something in my sister's cabinet that intrigued me. Folger's Gourmet Selections Caramel Drizzle. I'm not a fan of anything that says Folgers, but can anything that says Caramel Drizzle be bad? I suppose this flavor and others like Vanilla Biscotti, Chocolate Truffle, and Hazelnut Crème is Folgers' answer to the kind of coffees I prefer. It's even packed to appeal to coffee snobs.

So, I make a whole pot for myself and the 4 other people in the house. If I pour myself a second cup, it's usually good coffee. Deffo got that second cup. It's a fairly light roast, so I wouldn't make it to help me wake up in an instant... I definitely could have used some stronger stuff that morning. It would be better as after dinner coffee rather than breakfast. I would consider buying some for home, depending on my budget and what my tastebuds want. Sweetened or unsweetened, I liked it. 4 out of 5 cups.

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.

Drive on by...

I'm not just rating the good stuff. You need to know where to get a quick, cheap GOOD cup of coffee for on the road, or just something that will do in a pinch.

During a late night drive from Louisville to Chicago, we stopped for gas somewhere between Indianapolis and Zionsville. Killing two birds with one stone, we stopped and got sandwiches and coffee at Arby's. The coffee was watery and tasteless. I added generic Sweet and Low, and I had a nice generic Sweet and Low beverage. I don't know what happened to the coffee but it sucked. You would think a pull over area would have decent coffee. I should have got it at the trucker stop. Now they would have stuff to keep you awake and going.

Other Arby's chains might have better coffee, but the stuff at this place was yuck. 1 cup out of 5 cups. And that's because it was still drinkable.

Vienna in the Highlands

Stop number three on my tour is Highland Coffee in the heart of the Highlands, Louisville, KY. If there were more tables here, I'd love to do Write Club here, but it's just not big enough. They also got rid of the comfy couch and now have two arm chairs here. Boo! The patio is nice though, on warmer days.

Anyhoo, Highland makes the most wonderful espresso beverages and what makes them better is the choice of whipped creams they have to put on them. Blackberry whipped cream atop a mocha = yum. I'll review one sometime after Easter.

Highland has a Hair Raiser coffee to get you going in the morning. I haven't tried this yet, but will someday, maybe on an early morning to see if it truly is hair raising. Besides this, they usually offer up five other house coffees. Today, I tried the Vienna Cinnamon, a 16 oz. cup going for $1.81 (that includes tax) if you bring in your own mug. Once slightly sweetened, a hint of the cinnamon comes through. It's almost like dessert, but not. It's also a milder coffee. I think my favorite house coffee so far is the Southern Toasted Pecan. In fact, I have to give the Vienna Cinnamon 4 out of 5 cups, because I thinke the Southern Toasted Pecan is that much better.

This is one of my favorite coffee houses in Louisville. They do the frou-frou beverages right and the assortment of coffee is awesome.

I think I'm giving up the picture idea. Unless it's a really pretty cup of coffee, coffee is coffee.

No pie for you!

Like an idiot, I decided to give up sweets for Lent. So, when I went to meet with some friends at the Pie Pantry, not only could I have no pie, but I also had to pass on the Ehrler's Ice Cream. I'm so tempted to go get pie a la mode right now. But no. I cannot. And it's a shame, because I lurve all of the Pie Pantry offerings, from the butterscotch pie to the cake batter ice cream. Ooh, and the peach blackberry is the second best pie ever (Mom's rhubarb pie still gets the blue ribbon in my book).

Instead of sweets, I ordered a regular gourmet Columbian coffee for $1.59 + tax, hence the reason for this post. Sweetened and creamed. It's John Conti brand. ::shrug:: It's okay. I think Lynn's Paradise Cafe serves John Conti, and I can't get enough of it there. Maybe it's the way it's brewed? And I know people don't come here for the coffee, but it would be nice to have more selections than half and half tubs, sugar, and Sweet-n-low. I'm a Splenda person, myself. And again, you get no picture, because it's not worth taking a picture of. It's coffee in a mug that's black on the outside, red on the inside. I rate it 2 out of 5 cups.

So, yeah. If you're hankering for coffee with your pie and ice cream, this will do. If you're just looking for coffee, you won't be wowed. Do come for the pie and ice cream, though. It's amazing.