JarBee Coffee Seattle Blend Dark

Company: JarBee Coffee
Name: Seattle Blend
Intensity: Dark
Description: Heavy Bodied Blend of Indonesian & Columbian, Dark Roasted.
Purchase: Here

Grind: Auto-drip (was a free sample)
Preparation: http://coffeegeek.com/guides/presspot (20 ounce press pot - 5 minutes)
Amount: 2 Tablespoons
Water: boiling water, electric kettle
Additives: An ounce of half & half
Body: Medium
Smell: Scent of the ground beans is very strong and sharp, brewing mellows the harsh
Taste: strong coffee
After-taste: mild floral aftertaste to come to my attention when the coffee was cool enough to taste

Notes: Adding a ounce of half & half, as is my wont, did not eliminate the floral markers, but did curbstomp the bitterness that crept in as my cup of coffee cooled. Good coffee, but not so awesome that I would expend special effort to acquire.

Rating: 2/3

This was a free sample.

JarBee Coffee Hazelnut & Creme Medium

Company: Jarbee Coffee
Name: Hazelnut & Creme
Intensity: Medium
Description: The sweet, rich, nutty flavor of our Hazelnut & Crème coffee creates an experience second to none! This combination of slow roasted hazelnuts and the flavor of fresh crème blended with our roast-to-order Colombian beans is perfect as a breakfast coffee, middle of the day pick-me-up or an after-dinner dessert. It’s so good, it may just become your favorite new indulgence. Another gourmet flavored coffee from the from JarBee Coffee line.

Purchase: Here

Grind: Auto-drip (because it was a free sample)
Preparation: http://coffeegeek.com/guides/presspot (20 ounce press pot - 5 minutes)
Amount: 2 Tablespoons
Water: Cold water boiled in an electric kettle
Additives: one teaspoon of sugar, and one oz of half & half added after brewing

Body: Light
Smell: Hazelnut scent
Taste: A sweet yet bitter undertone, can't taste the hazelnut
After-taste:

Notes: Of necessity the coffee flavor is mild, the scent of hazelnut strong in the brewed cup, but it seems like the coffee was contaminated with a fruit flavor, raspberry perhaps? This additional flavor detracts from the hazelnut. The creme didn't really help the flavor.

This packet came with an "aroma sampler" of their "white chocolate raspberry truffle," and I am wondering if the sample contaminated the coffee.

MilitiaJim Rating: 1/3

Free Stuff

Monday January 18, 2010
I received a Starbucks gold membership coupon for a free
Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte
or
Skinny Vanilla Latte
or
Tazo® Vanilla Rooibos Full Leaf Tea

I choose the Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte and it tasted diet or something, I was glad I didn't pay for it.

Tuesday January 19, 2010
I received a coupon for a free oatmeal at Starbucks
are they trying to make up for taking away my 10% with these coupons?

i assume these are because I am a gold card holder, can anyone confirm?
I am also a stockholder
I am also a duetto holder

Weighmax® Black boxTM 500/g Digital Pocket Scale

I recently purchased a Weighmax® Black boxTM 500/g Digital Pocket Scale from ebay for $9.99

I hope to use this to better weigh out portions

Starbucks Guatemala Casi Cielo® Medium

Company: Starbucks
Name: Guatemala Casi Cielo®
Growing Region: Latin America
Flavor: "Rich, smooth and slightly sweet"
Intensity: Medium

Purchase: Here

Grind: French Press
Preparation: http://coffeegeek.com/guides/presspot (12 ounce press pot - 2 minutes)
Amount: 3 Tablespoons / 25.5 grams Coffee
Water: a little under 180 F (wanted 172)

Body: thick
Smell: earthy, mellow, a little nutty
Taste: spicy, bitter
After-taste: sweet, citrus

Starbucks Pike Place Blend Bold

Company: Starbucks
Name: Pike Place Blend
Flavor: Bold
Latin America

Purchase: Here

Grind: Espresso
Preparation: My new Klassica Espresso Coffee Maker that i won on ebay
I couldn't find a how to online so i resorted to following the directions
fill water to right under safety release valve
fill filter with grinds
heat

Amount: 3 Tablespoons, 4 oz water
Body: thick
Smell: acidic
Taste: bitter
After-taste: bitter

MilitiaJim: bitter, ick
AmazonV: bitter, ick

Try 2
Measured the water - 4 ounces
measured the grinds - 1 tablespoon

MilitiaJim: bitter but drinkable
AmazonV: bitter, ick, not drinkable, but better than the last time

Touchless IR Thermometer

Just ordered the Touchless IR Thermometer from ThinkGeek

Hopefully this will help better record the temperatures of the water and increase the quality of our brews?

Kopi Luwak also known as Civet Coffee

After we go through our current coffees, I want to try these two next

Kopi Luwak also known as Civet Coffee

Wikipedia

http://www.realkopiluwak.com/

http://www.animalcoffee.com/

and

Weasel Puke Coffee

Unique Vietnamese coffee - actually eaten and regurgitated by a weasel - with a rich chocolaty flavor

There's a little animal in Vietnam which has magical properties. Locally, it's called a weasel (though technically, it's a type of civet, but let's call it a weasel like the locals) and it sure likes to eat the fruit of the coffee plant. But the seeds don't sit well in its tummy, so it vomits them up. And that's where the fun comes in - for local coffee folks gather up the beans and lightly roast them. The stomach acids seem to wear away the bitter taste of the coffee beans, and the resulting coffee is delicious and smooth.

Ok, right now you're probably thinking we're full of crap. But nothing we've written above is false. Weasel Puke Coffee really is made of beans thrown up by local Vietnamese weasels. And it really does give the coffee a different taste - a rich chocolaty flavor. Weasel Puke Coffee is truly a gourmet treat. And if the thought of drinking puked up coffee makes you throw up in your own mouth a little, then you are just the person to try this. Because puke makes the coffee better. Trust us.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/drinks/b439/

Yes that's right we're going to compare civit puke to civit poop coffee