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Community Coffee’s Military Match Program: I LOVE This Even More than Coffee

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Community Coffee K Cups
Add Community Coffee to the list of great names in coffee who now offer K-Cup Pods. I was recently sent the Golden Caramel and Breakfast Blend K-Cup Pods to try and I loved them both. I honestly expected to prefer the Golden Caramel, because I have a bit of a sweet tooth (and when I say “a bit of a..” I actually mean a mouthful). However, I can honestly say that I’m just as wild about the Breakfast Blend.

The Breakfast Blend is very well named, because it goes perfectly with eggs, bacon, and – YUM! – pancakes and syrup. It gives you a delicious, rich wake up call without any bitterness.  It’s just a beautiful cup of coffee.

The Golden Caramel is, as you’d expect, decadent! This is my “go to” when I need a little pick me up around 2:00. For whatever reasons, it’s like clockwork in my home office – 2:00 brings what I call the “draggies.” My computer typing slows down, my brain all but shuts off, and I find myself gazing out the window more and looking at my computer less.   It’s right around this time that my brain begins fantasizing about how great a nap on the couch would feel.

The draggies.

The draggies always bring an ultimatum, too – nap, shower, or coffee. As you’d imagine, the third choice always wins. K-Cups were custom made for the draggies!

Some coffee snobs look down their noses at K-Cups – they reason that if their coffee experience doesn’t begin and end with beans in a grinder, it isn’t a coffee experience at all. God love them, I appreciate their earnestness and passion for coffee but, if they used good quality K-Cup pods, like Community Coffee, they’d soften their stance.

They’d also enjoy the heck out of the cups of coffee these K-Cups provide.

Community Coffee’s Military Match Program

Community Coffee has been giving back to our military troops for over a decade with their Military Match Program. Like you, I respect the brave men and women in our military with all that’s within me and I don’t just applaud companies like Community Coffee that give back, I STAND and applaud loudly!

Community Coffee Company’s Military Match program has helped Americans across the country send more than 4.2 million cups of coffee to active-duty personnel worldwide.

When customers purchase 4 bags or boxes of Community® coffee online, the company doubles each order, donates a Signature Military Mug and sends them to any APO/FPO address provided!

How it Works:

STEP 1:
BUY 4 – Buy your favorite Military Match Set of four 12 oz., 16 oz., or Single-Serve 18 ct. coffees.

STEP 2:
GET 4 FREE – We’ll match your purchase with an additional four items, and send all eight items to the APO/FPO or military base address you provide.

STEP 3:
A FREE MUG! – We’ll even include our Signature Military Mug with your shipment.

Please read more about Community Coffee’ s Military Match Program and jump right in, with coffee cup in hand!

Community Coffee Caramel
 

Community Coffee’s Golden Caramel with a Little Creamer… HEAVENLY! 

5 Fast Facts About Stevia

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Stevia Infographic

 

  1. There are more than 250 species of the stevia plant. Like apple varieties or wine grapes, each type of stevia has a different taste based on its molecular make up and the terroir of where the plant was grown. Most stevia brands harvest a variety of stevia species, blending them together through the production process along with filler ingredients. That’s one reason most stevia brands have a bitter aftertaste. Instead, shop for stevias that only harvest single stevia species and sources its finest leaves.
  2. Stevia is 350 times sweeter than sugar. One grain of stevia does not equal a grain of sugar. In fact, the extract from stevia is up to 350 times sweeter than a grain of sugar. That’s why stevia brands must add filler ingredients to serve as bulking agents that level off the high level of sweetness. Look for ingredients labeled USDA organic and Non-GMO verified to ensure you are getting the highest quality stevia choice for your food and beverages.
  3.  Stevia is ideal for baking, unlike most sugar alternatives. Stevia isn’t just for sweetening your coffee, tea or cereal. Unlike other sugar alternatives, stevia extracts are pH-stable with a very high melting point – similar to sugar. That means there are stevia blends ideal for baking – great news for diabetics seeking more cooking and meal preparation options, and for anyone who loves to bake but is trying to kick the sugar habit.
  4. Stevia is a highly self-sustaining plant. Stevia is a member of the sunflower family – it does not require a lot of water to thrive and is very self-sustaining. It’s a small shrub – typically no more than three feet tall and can grow in climates ranging from arid to humid. It’s a very drought tolerant plant with little need for extra inputs.
  5. While stevia is ideal for diabetics maintaining blood sugar levels, some studies have suggested stevia may also reduce blood pressure. Stevia is already widely known as an ideal sugar substitute for diabetics and others seeking to maintain healthy sugar levels as it does not induce glycemic response when ingested. Studies have also suggested replacing sugar with stevia may be linked to lowering blood pressure.

Being a true Southerner, I love my tea like I love everything else – as sweet as I can get it.  Same goes for coffee.  Unfortunately, sugar comes with unwanted calories and artificial sweeteners are… well.. artificial.

Who wants to put anything artificial into their bodies?

That’s why I’ve fallen head over heels in love with Stevia.  You can actually use less Stevia than sugar in tea (or coffee, hot chocolate, apple cider.. told you, I love things sweet..) and enjoy just as much sweetness.  Personally, I think it’s even better – and that, coming from Madame Sweet Teeth, is quite a statement.

Founded in 2008, Pyure Brands is a privately-held leading innovator of healthy sweeteners and one of the largest and fastest-growing independent stevia companies in America. Under the direction of Founder Benjamin Fleischer, Pyure has successfully established itself as a pioneer of sweetening solutions by introducing the first USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified stevia and erythritol to the market. The company’s commercial stevia extracts and blends provide the reduced-calorie sweetening solution for more than 300 food, beverage, and personal care products. In an effort to help further health awareness, Pyure donates a portion of its proceeds to organizations and foundations that have a focus on diabetes education as well as other social and environmental causes. For more information, please visit www.pyuresweet.com or find the brand on Facebook.

Coffee Review: Caribou Coffee, Mahogany

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Caribou Coffee, Mahogany

When it comes to buying coffee, I buy coffee online… I buy coffee offline.  I buy coffee by the bag… I buy coffee in bulk.  I buy expensive coffee… I buy bargain coffee.

I buy coffee like it’s my job, with the one stipulation being that it’s whole bean.  As I often say when doing coffee reviews, whole beans make ALL the difference.

Like everyone else, I have my favorite coffee brands that I turn to again and again. Caribou Coffee is one of the brands I’m most loyal to. In fact, I always have at least one bag of Caribou Coffee on hand. Caribou Coffee is reasonably-priced and readily available.  Of course, if these were the only things it had going on for it, they wouldn’t be nearly enough to make it a permanent guest in my kitchen.

Fortunately, Caribou Coffee has never let me down. The flavor is so rich, intense and beautiful that it always makes me think I’m actually drinking one of our costlier coffees.

Expensive taste at an inexpensive price – is is any wonder it has its own shelf in our kitchen?

I recently bought a Caribou Coffee blend that I’d never tried before, Mahogany. I’d picked it up a few times before, carefully considering it, but always choosing a lighter roast in the end (Daybreak and Caribou Blend are a few favorites).  I’ve never been an especially big fan of dark roast coffees because they can be so overpowering.  A lot of the darker roasts are also known for leaving behind a not so lovely aftertaste.

My brief experience with dark roasts just wasn’t anything to write home about.  In fact, I’d always wondered how people who prefer dark roasts could live with themselves.

Now I know. If you’re lucky enough to find a dark roast coffee that’s exceptional, there is no overpowering flavor and not even a hint of an unpleasant aftertaste.

Mahogany is everything that’s right about dark roast coffees and it has, you could say, won me over to the dark side.

 Caribou Coffee, Mahogany

From Caribou:

Mahogany is roasted to bring out the body of the El Salvador and Sumatra coffees, yet also preserve the delicate vanilla and floral notes of the Guatemala. Accented by aromatic woods notes and finishing with a raw sugar sweetness, this coffee will become a staple in the cupboard for those who appreciate complexity in a cup.

I, admittedly, have always preferred my coffee sweetened – at least a little. However, with a delicate sweetness and hints of vanilla and molasses, I never sweeten Caribou’s Mahogany. It comes with a sweet enough personality on its own.

Although there are subtle flavors of sweet vanilla and molasses, even the most die-hard coffee purist (you know the ones… “Coffee should just taste like coffee – with no extra flavors!“) will fall under Mahogany’s spell.

If I needed to serve coffee to a guest and wasn’t sure if they preferred light roast, medium roast, dark roast or flavored or unflavored coffee, Caribou Mahogany would be one of the first coffees to come to mind. I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to serve this coffee to anyone, anytime.

In addition to making a perfect cup of old-fashioned black coffee, Mahogany is also ideal for espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, and iced coffee drinks. The strong, bold flavor makes it a great multi-tasker.

Where can you buy Caribou Coffee?

I, personally, buy Caribou coffee from two places: Target and Amazon. You can also, of course, buy coffee directly from Caribou Coffee’s Website. It doesn’t get much easier than that, does it?

I actually just visited their website and found my next bag: The new Inspiration Blend has “hints of toasted marshmallow.” How is that not something I need in my life?

Buy Caribou Coffee’s Mahogany on Amazon or directly from Caribou Coffee.

 

 

La Colombe Coffee: Why This Has to Be the Next Coffee You Buy (Review)

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La Colombe Coffee

Now that I’ve gotten my raving review of Dangerous Grounds out of my system, I’m free to totally concentrate on my review of La Colombe Coffee.  This coffee is so spectacular and uncommonly perfect that it deserves nothing but my complete attention.

Some of us love coffee so much that we’re as associated with it as much as Garfield is with lasagna. A few of us have a passion for coffee that puts Garfield to shame. He only wishes he could reach our level of devotion.

I’ve been a lifelong coffee fanatic. I actually had my first cup of coffee when I was around 5 or 6. My parents weren’t loco – my mom was actually acting on the advice of my pediatrician. I had chronic asthma and my doctor wanted me on as few medications as possible. A few times he had to hospitalize me – placing me in an oxygen tent that (for whatever reasons) scared the living daylights out of me. He told my mom to give me coffee each morning, as well as when I was having difficulty breathing. She added so much milk,  sugar, and dollops of Cool Whip that I’m convinced she came up with the first frap.

I’m hoping that early in my coffee-drinking career I never feigned or exaggerated breathing difficulty, but I’m not making any promises.

So, you see, many people will claim that they’ve been drinking and loving coffee most of their life but a few of us literally can’t remember a time when we didn’t drink coffee.

As with most things in life that we love and rely upon, sometimes we take them for granted. There are even times when they become “commonplace” and “ordinary.”  I guess I never really thought about the possibility of this happening with coffee until I recently tried La Colombe Coffee.

Every now and then, not only do we need a reminder of what truly FINE coffee tastes like, we need a reminder of what the COFFEE EXPERIENCE should be.

Put simply, we need to fall in love with coffee all over again.

Each time we’d watch an episode of Dangerous Grounds, I’d  think about La Colombe. I’d imagine just how amazing coffee would be when someone as passionate and devoted as Todd Carmichael is involved. Each time my thoughts go my taste buds worked up, I’d hose them off by thinking, “Wow. That coffee probably costs a fortune.”

I’d watch the lengths Todd Carmichael would go through to find the perfect beans, the perfect growing conditions, the perfect aroma, and the perfect taste – and with each step, my perceived notion of “a fortune” grew. At one point I was convinced one would need to take out a loan for a single bag.

I’m delighted to say I couldn’t have been more wrong. La Colombe coffee actually costs the same amount I give for my previous favorite beans.  But here’s the thing – after just one cup of the first La Colombe coffee we tried (MEXICO), I realized I would have given just about any price they’d asked! Coffee isn’t just a beverage, coffee is an experience and La Colombe doesn’t just “get” this fact, they “own this fact.”

My husband has said several times that the Mexico coffee is the best coffee he has ever had in his life. While he has loved each of the La Colombe coffees, the Mexico coffee remains his favorite.  I can certainly understand why – it’s simply outstanding.  As for me, it’s one of the three best coffees I’ve ever had. The other two that tie?

  • La Colombe Ethiopia
  • La Colombe Panama

When it comes to our favorites – La Colombe’s got it on lock.

La Colombe: Mexico – Finca El Retiro

La Colombe Coffee: Mexico

The Mexico – Finca El Retiro coffee is really something special. You taste it in each sip – and, believe me, you’ll finish every drop in your cup. This is a light roast coffee, but seems to have more flavor and personality than a lot of light roast coffees. There’s also a hard-to-describe but near-impossible-to-miss little flavor of cocoa behind this beautiful coffee. Make no mistake, it’s 100 percent coffee and no one will ever mistake it for chocolate – but there’s an amazing little flavor there that’s worth getting out of bed for.

Read more about Mexico – Finca El Retiro by clicking the link. You’ll find ordering information, growing conditions, and a lot of other fascinating facts. A 12 oz bag is just $12.95. I’m not kidding or even exaggerating when I say I’d have paid at least twice that.

La Colombe: Panama – Hacienda La Esmeralda

La Colombe Coffee Panama - Hacienda La Esmeralda

La Colombe Coffee Panama – Hacienda La Esmeralda is also ridiculously Heavenly.  It costs a bit more than the Mexican coffee but the experience is more than worth it. As I’ve often said when writing my coffee reviews (or any reviews for that matter), I pay close attention to the first words that pop into my mind.  After enjoying a few sips of this coffee, I distinctly remember thinking, “PERFECTLY LOVELY.”  And, yes, my thoughts were in all caps.  Whereas the Mexican coffee had a delicious cocoa flavor in the background, this one has a bit of a “fruity” flavor in the background -it’s out of this world fantastic.

Read more about the Panama – Hacienda La Esmeralda coffee by following the link.

La Colombe: Ehiopia- Gera

La Colombe: Ehiopia- Gera

The La Colombe Ethiopia – Gera coffee knocks my socks off every time I drink it – whether I’m actually wearing socks or not. There’s something “pure” and deliciously traditional about this beautiful coffee. In fact, if I were told to brew a cup of coffee for someone who’d never had coffee before and to try to convey to them why coffee deserves the classification “Eighth Wonder of the World” with a single cup… I’d reach for my  bag of Ethiopia coffee beans.

You simply will not find a better ambassador for coffee than this!

While the first words that sprang to my mind after enjoying the Panama coffee were adverb-licious and downright flowery, the first words out of my mouth after trying the Ethiopia – Gera didn’t tiptoe threw any flowers or adverbs. After just one sip, I announced to my cat, “Now THAT’S what I’m talking about!”

Coffee how God intended coffee to be.

Read more about the Ethiopia – Gera by clicking the link. To experience the “Now THAT’S what I’m talking about!” moment for yourself, order a bag of this coffee today!

Okay, here I am, at the end of the review. Naturally I’m going to celebrate by brewing a cup of La Colombe coffee (Ethiopia – Gera).   I’ve come to a couple of conclusions after attempting to write this review:

  • It’s almost impossible to tell you how delicious these coffees are. You really have to experience them for yourself. Trying to tell someone else how amazing something tastes is kind of like trying to tell someone how beautiful a child’s smile is. Some things simply have to be experienced to be appreciated. Children’s smiles, being in love, rain, coffee….
  • The level of perfection La Colombe coffee achieves, ironically comes down to one word: RESPECT.  I say “ironically” because with each episode of “Dangerous Grounds,” I’m always left speechless by the respect Todd Carmichael, the producer, the director, photographer(s), network (Travel Channel), and everyone involved have for the individuals they meet along their journey. They respect these beautiful people and their customs,  beliefs, food, rules, laws, and their way of life. They never lose sight of the fact that they are guests in these people’s world and they always seem genuinely honored  when the welcome mat is extended. This level of respect for the coffee growers carries over to a respect for the coffee, itself. Finally, the respect extends to all of us who buy La Colombe coffee. They respect us enough to give us what we’re looking for – an opportunity to fall in love with coffee all over again.