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Tag Archives: breve latte


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The Drunken Monkey~Orlando Florida

 

The Drunken Monkey is located in the “Milk District” on Bumby Avenue in Orlando Florida. It has to be one of the most unique coffee houses I have visited.  Some people describe it as hipster but I call it “uniquely eclectic.” You will find local art and a variety of comfortable places to sit but no one piece of furniture matches! LOL! They also have a drive thru, which is pretty cool too.

Always a plus, the coffee is roasted in house and they only serve fair-trade, organic or rain forest alliance beans. In addition to coffee, The Drunken Monkey serves tea, smoothies, iced and frozen drinks. They also offer an assorted variety of vegetarian sandwiches, soups, quiches and pastries. I enjoyed the Iced Mocha and my husband had the Iced Caramel Latte. Both were really good. We also had the breakfast burritos, Anzac Cookie (banana, peanut butter and chocolate), snicker doodle and chocolate chip cookies.  The Anzac was by far a favorite. Delish!!! The staff and baristas were very professional and accommodating.

If you are a coffee connoisseur and find yourself in Orlando Florida’s Milk District, give them a visit. You will be pleasantly surprised and happy you did!

 

Yours in Coffee,

Alicia

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Serindipity Jazz Coffee House ~Washington, DC

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Today, my husband treated his girls to a pre Valentines Day breakfast at Serendipity Jazz Coffeehouse. This warm and cozy house is located in the heart of the Brookland neighborhood in NE DC. The menu offerings are great! Serving up delicious food, coffee, pastries and more. We enjoyed the chicken and waffles and a breakfast sandwich. All very delicious. My husband and girls had the double mocha latte. Yes! I said it! My girls. They were both so excited and finished it down to the last drop! I, of course tasted their drinks and honestly it reminded me of a high end “Hot Chocolate.” So, if I were to order it I would definitely add a few extra shots of espresso:)

We look forward to visiting again for live Jazz and appetizers. If you are ever in North East DC, pay our new friends a visit. You will be glad you did. #SerendipityJazzCoffeehouse
#serendipitydc.com

Love,
Alicia


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Always Brewing Detroit

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Are you looking for a solid cup of coffee? Well, you can find that and much more at Always Brewing Detroit. This cozy coffee house is located in the Grandmont-Rosedale Community (Detroit MI). They are serving up Fair-trade coffee from Chazzano Coffee Roasters which is freshly roasted in Ferndale, MI. All pastries, milk products, and food are derived from local sources. Some of these sources include: Fresh Corner Cafe, Soup from Corktown’s own Brooklyn Street Local, Detroit Institute of Bagels and Love & Buttercream. This is keeping it fresh for customers and gives back to the community. Gotta love that. Right? Speaking of Community, that is certainly the focus at Always Brewing Detroit. The owner,  Amanda Brewington provides a creative community space for local artists to share their talents during open mic night. You can also find art work from local talents, a good book and even drop in for a yoga class each week.  What a cool way to use a space and enjoy coffee too!

I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Brewington. She was super nice and personally  made me a “mean mocha” 🙂 It was superb!

If you are looking for a place to wind down, meet a few friends or colleagues Always Brewing Detroit is the place to go!

Yours in Coffee,
Alicia


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UPRISING MUFFIN COMPANY

Uprising

Image: Yelp.com

Happy New Year Coffee Lovers!

Recently, I had the opportunity to hang out with my family at Uprising Muffin Company (UMC). UMC is located in Washington DC: Shaw Neighborhood.  It appears that UMC established this company on the basis of making fresh and tasty muffins.  I can tell you they have completely met the mark and are living their motto: “offerings are simple, fresh & seriously delicious”. Now who can pass that up? I certainly can’t. I sampled the sweet potato, savory spinach tomato parmesan and the strawberry and cream cheese muffins. They were indeed delicious. But this is a coffee blog. Right? My Barista prepared a very delicious lightly sweetened Iced Vanilla Latte (with an extra shot of espresso of course). It had the perfect blend of Stumptown espresso, house made simple syrup and cream. What a treat!

Looking forward to another visit. If you ever find yourself in the Washington, DC area do yourself a favor and go check out Uprising (http://uprisingmuffins.com/) You will be glad you did!

Happy Coffee,

Alicia


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Plum Brew Coffee~Johnson City TN

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Today was an exciting day!  I visted one of the most interesting coffee and art establishments by far: Plum Brew located in “My Hometown” Johnson City TN.  I always feel a sense of great joy coming back to visit family but Wow this makes it a little sweeter!

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Plum Brew is located downtown inside the Nelson Fine Art Center. They offer a variety of coffees, espresso drinks, hot teas and hot chocolate, local-made backed goods and house-made crepes!  They even provide delivery to downtown businesses! P.B. has an online store but more excitingly they now serve Nitro! As you may have read in my last post, Cold Brew Nitro is a high caffeine “on tap” coffee that pours like Guinness.

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My husband and I had the Johnson’s Nitro! It was so smooth and had a beautiful finish. The Crepes were amazing! We had the Skinny Italian: with tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and balsamic drizzle. To finish, we enjoyed the Banarama: with Nutella and Fresh Bananas! Oh what a treat!!!

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If you happen to find yourself in East TN, especially near Johnson City, do yourself a favor and stop by Plum Brew. You will be pleasantly surprised!!!

Plum Brew
324 East Main Street
Johnson City TN

Nitro Love,
Alicia


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Common Grounds Coffee Company and Roasters~ Lexington, KY

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Started in 1992, Common Grounds Coffee was the first official coffee house in Lexington, KY. This company has grown into the largest locally own coffee business in Lexington KY. They roast their own beans in their local warehouse. This warehouse facility also serves as their commercial kitchen and coffee supplier in which they provide freshly roasted beans to other Kentucky owned coffee shops. The proprietors have also partnered with Willet Distillery to craft their own bourbon barrel coffee.

My family and I had an opportunity to visit “The Original” site; located at 343 East High Street Lexington Kentucky 40507.  The décor is reminiscent of their appreciation for the Music and Arts. They have Open Mic Night and display the work of local artist on their walls. There is also plenty of nice seating and is a good meeting place for those who just want to hang out and connect with friends.

My husband and I enjoyed a few of their specialty lattes. He had The Buckeye: a creamy blend of peanut butter and chocolate. It was simply delish. I had the Depth Charge: a very rich drink with 4 shots of espresso, caramel, chocolate & vanilla. I requested this drink to be lightly sweet. It had a very unique and lovely taste. Full of body and flavor. This drink is for an experienced palate for sure! No newbies here!!! Overall,  the Baristas and other staff were very professional and took time to explain the menu. We also shared a slice of Triple Chocolate Cake. Yummo!

If you are ever in the Lexington area, do yourself a favor and give Common Grounds a try. You are in for a Treat! For more information visit their website: http://www.commongroundsoflexington.com/

 

For the Love of Coffee,

Alicia

 

 


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Mill Mountain ~ Coffee and Tea Downtown Roanoke VA

 

 

Picture Credit: www.pinterest.com

Picture Credit: http://www.pinterest.com

Mill Mountain has become our “go to” coffee shop on road trips to TN, NC and SC. Their philosophy is “Be the Best”. Being the best can be achieved by roasting the beans on location and by providing excellent customer service.   Mill Mountain roasts their beans for use in the coffee house and ships them globally. It is clear that this makes the difference cup after cup. However, Mill Mountain lacks a bit when it comes to great customer service.

The service is usually pretty slow (even when we are first in line???) and many times the cashiers are less than friendly. The barristers are a different story! It is evident that they enjoy their craft. From the Vanilla Latte to the Espresso Cooler each drink has been hand crafted to our expectations. Fresh and Delicious and Always Consistent! They also make a mean breakfast sandwich! The bacon egg and cheese is my favorite:)

If you ever find yourself in Downtown Roanoke, you should give them a try! It’s  definitely the coffee that brings us back year after year:)

Here’s the link: www.millmountaincoffee.com/

 

Coffee is Love,

Alicia


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SPoT Coffee~ Buffalo New York

  SPoT Coffee, located in Elmwood Village is a great coffee house and cafe.  It is nicely decorated with lots of comfy seating.  The staff is very friendly and the menu eclectic.  I had the Mike Sandwich and it was Superb!  My nephew Idris, had the chocolate macaroon.  He was very sweet and shared it with me. It was insanely good.

The Baristas at SPoT know their craft. They use Arabica Beans and  roast them “in house”.  To me, this is what makes the difference in terms of the fresh rich taste that coffee can bring.  While there, I enjoyed a Breve Latte. It was very creamy, and everything I would expect from a Breve’.

If you are in the Buffalo area, you should definitely check out this neighborhood cafe. The  SPoT team has definitely figured out how to serve up a great cup of coffee along with a unique and tasty meal.  I guess you can say they are SPoT On:)

Coffee Love,

Alicia


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Ebenezer’s~ Coffee with a Cause

Ebenezer~ Coffee with a Cause~ ebenezerscoffeehouse.com

Washington, DC

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As a Christian and Human Services Provider I understand the mission of Ebenezer’s Coffee House.  They offer and sale Fair Trade Coffee to support producers in developing countries to make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. According to their website they are owed and operated by the National Community Church and all proceeds go to their Outreach Programs. Ebenezer offers a small variety of baked goods and devotional books for your edification.

I have visited this Coffee House on many occasions and find it to be one of the most consistent in terms of service and in products. I have ordered various iced and hot espresso drinks.  They have all been very good.  Most recently, I order the Toasted Marshmallow Latte (seasonal item).  It was so very delicious.  The flavor was bold but smooth.  It was very hot (unlike some coffee shops) and lightly sweetened.

Coffee with a Cause is all right with me!  Check them out: http://ebenezerscoffeehouse.com/ .  You will see that their products and service is superb!

Coffee Love,

Alicia