Ryan J. Allen » coffee

Espresso-based Beverages

Ryan J. Allen — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:55:53 +0000

The espresso wars have begun. I decided to try out the Tim Hortons latte and the McDonalds latte to compare them to Starbucks. Now, it’s true that I am a loyal Starbucks customer so it is possible there is some bias here, but I did approach each vendor with an open mind.

I’ll start with Tim Hortons. I had their latte one morning. It was sweetened even though I didn’t request it to be. It was also way too sweet. The coffee, unfortunately, had that Tim Hortons smell to it. I didn’t care for it, primarily because it was too sweet.

I decided to give Tim Hortons another shot a couple of days later. This time I was asked if I wanted it sweetened (no). I observed them “make” the beverage. It was done with a Nescafe Milano machine. I didn’t ask anything about the machine. The latte was better, but the coffee still smelled like Tim Hortons and I didn’t care for it.

McDonald’s: I went after lunch. I asked for a decaf latte. They couldn’t do it. So I got a full caf latte. It was not bad, but also not good. I have come to learn that they can make this with either skim or 2% milk. I did not get the impression that the staff knew much about coffee, but I can’t say that I’d call that a revelation.

In general I don’t think I would go back to either Tim Hortons or McDonalds for an espresso based drink. It may be acceptable if I were on a road trip and was in the mood for a latte. I certainly wouldn’t go to sit and meet someone for a coffee there.

Bicycling and Cooking–the Perfect Day?

Ryan J. Allen — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 03:49:00 +0000

I spent my day bicycling and cooking. I’d like to tell you about both.

This morning Adam and I bicycled from my house to Carleton Place. This was almost 80 km round-trip. We took the Ottawa-Carleton Trailway, best described on this page about cycling from Ottawa to Carleton Place. We stopped at Gourmet Restaurant for breakfast and then headed back to Ottawa, actually to the Sippy Cup Cafe before returning to my house. We recovered a bit, cleaned up, and met up with Kyla to start the work on dinner.

Dinner was awesome and I have a few recipes to share. First, appetizers. Eric was kind enough to prepare an awesome appetizer that included shrimp, cheese, cucumbers, and crackers. It was delicious but I have no idea what all was involved so I can not share the details with you. I was able to prepare a tasty salsa, which I have made once before, and I do have the recipe for that. It is based on D’s Famous Salsa Recipe. Modifications are: fresh (obviously) vine tomatoes, and fresh, jalapeno pepper instead of that canned business. I might change the proportions slightly and scale the recipe as appropriate, but this is all done to taste. Both Eric’s shrimp and my salsa were fully consumed, which I believe is a sign of approval.

The entree was a Maple Peameal Roast. I didn’t do an adult and child variant so I doubled the glaze. Most importantly, I cooked the roast rotisserie style on the barbecue. It was perfect. I believe some of the guests may have had some uncertainty about eating bacon as an entree but this uncertainty was washed away in the first byte.

As a side to the bacon we had green beans and Smushed Apples and Sweet Potatoes. I would say that this recipe also rated well. It smelled amazing. I didn’t alter the recipe at all because I haven’t really worked with sweet potatoes in the past. I will say that the apple slices were, for the most part, present in the final output and I was quite happy with things that way.

Dessert featured chocolate chip cookies prepared by Kyla using my Grandma’s secret recipe. They were so tasty that nobody had just one, and most had more than two. The cookies were served with vanilla ice cream and fresh, cut strawberries. I served some of Sippy Cup’s “freakin’ good” coffee. It was satisfaction all around.

There wasn’t much leftover, but I am thankful for the few bytes leftover that I do have. And the cookies.

Starbucks, PlayBook, Flickr, YouTube, White Mocha

Ryan J. Allen — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 01:21:48 +0000

This morning after church Adam, Kyla, and I went to Starbucks to enjoy a beverage and company. It was a nice day so we sat on the patio. I was showing Adam and Kyla some photos from Will and I’s east coast trip on a PlayBook when, simultaneously, two things happened: 1. Adam saw a photo of Will playing at an open mic night and asked about this; and, 2. a nearby patron noticed that we were sharing memories around a PlayBook. In response to (1), I multi-tasked over to the YouTube app to search for the short clip of Will performing in Charlottetown. This also served to showcase the PlayBook for the crowd of people that had grown in response to (2).

It was weird and hilarious.

It’s also worth mentioning that I had an Iced Grande two-pump white mocha light-ice latte. It was amazing.

Starbucks

Ryan J. Allen — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 05:03:22 +0000

Here are some bits about Starbucks.

Starbucks has a “Tea Time” promotion going on in Canada this week. From January 7 through to the 19th, from 2-5 pm Starbucks is selling tea lattes for half price. I had an EGTL on Friday afternoon. It was okay. I don’t care for the tea lattes as much as the espresso drinks. I suppose I’m not as much of a tea person. I’m trying to enjoy tea more.

Last week Starbucks announced their new logo. It has been very interesting to read the reactions from people. People can be very passionate about brands they identify with. I think the new logo is just fine; it really brings out the Siren (obviously) which is something that I associate with Starbucks but not as closely as it seems the company wants me to.

And finally, this weekend I was at Starbucks three times. Here’s what I got:
1. Saturday morning, after squash: grande 2-pump no-whip extra-hot white chocolate mocha;
2. Saturday afternoon, after (late) lunch: decaf tall 1-pump SFV non-fat caramel macchiato;
3. Sunday afternoon, after church: decaf short 1-pump caramel latte.

Ryan Allen Endorses: Starbucks Corporation

Ryan J. Allen — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 19:26:55 +0000

When I was with Katy in London I would point out the Starbucks that was visible from every entrance to the Tube. When Evan, Matt, Kevin, and I are in Prague we would “Czech In” every morning to Starbucks in Wenceslas Square. Last winter Adam, Eric, and I would enjoy the occasional 7 a.m. Starbucks trip before work. I visited Jill many times at Starbucks, even sharing her excitement in having some of her photos on display there. A photo of Tiffany is on display in the very Starbucks that she so happily works at. Muis, Foran, Gilles, Misha, Gervais, Joel, and I will relieve our minds from the grip of work with the occasional trip to the Starbucks a mere 300 metres walk from the office. My first apartment was right over a Starbucks in Kingston.

Without argument, Starbucks has played a supporting role in my life. It is a place of warmth–literally and figuratively–warmed by coffee, friends, and love. The experience is nearly perfected, and is consistent across cities, countries, and continents. In those areas where Starbucks can improve they welcome ideas from customers and staff from around the world via mystarbucksidea.com.

The moment you walk into a Starbucks the contemporary music fills the air mixed with various conversations and the occasional sound of spray from the milk steamer. The cashiers are consistently welcoming and happy to take your order. Even when your drink has four modifiers the cashiers or expediters are happy to record and call-out your order.

This is the first step to your own hand-crafted beverage, made just the way you want. Behind the bar the magic happens as the barista mixes tea, syrup, espresso, milk, and/or spices to make exactly what you are waiting for. As the time passes you can find a seat, chat with a friend or fellow customer, or catch up on emails via your BlackBerry.

Is there a better moment then the one when the barista calls your drink to announce that it is ready at the bar? In the summer the cool feeling of a frappuccino or iced latte is refreshing; and in the winter, the warmth from a latte is overwhelmingly appreciated. A visit to the condiment station to dress up your drink a little more, or just cap it with a travel lid is the last step before you partake in the exact thing that you crave.

If you are enjoying your beverage “for here” the Starbucks experience continues, with comfortable seating and intimate table settings. You can sit alone and read the daily news, or sit comfortable as a group from 2 to 10. This is universally true, whether you’re in Ottawa, Kingston, Vancouver, Frankfurt, London, Karlsruhe, Munich, Prague, Madrid, or Zurich. Anywhere in the world you are welcome, and feel welcome.

The wonder of Starbucks doesn’t stop at the experience–just ask anyone who works there. Starbucks provides benefits to more of their employees, as well as higher wages when compared to others in the food service industry. The Corporation encourages employees to contribute to the long-term success of the company, and offers a stock purchasing program to provide extra incentive. I have heard people describe working at Starbucks as working with friends, even if you have gone into a store knowing nobody on staff.

And perhaps it is that work atmosphere that creates the welcoming atmosphere for customers. I have no doubt that every little thing contributes to the Starbucks experience which leads me to endorse Starbucks Corporation in its entirety.

Breakfast Blend

Ryan J. Allen — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 14:01:36 +0000

I’ve traded one bad habit for another.

I love Starbucks. I love the coffee, the consistency, the social-ness. I love a hand-crafted beverage, made to order, just for me. The company takes care of the employees, so you see the same ones. Even if I don’t know their names, I know the faces. I can go to a Starbucks in Kingston and still see a face or two I recognize.

The one downside to Starbucks is that it can be a bit expensive. It has positioned itself in the “affordable luxury” market which means that most people have to give up something to visit regularly. In my case, I would spend the same amount I pay for my motorcycle insurance each month just to visit Starbucks as often as I did. Now that I have a mortgage to pay, and a car payment, I can’t keep this up.

So I have been trying to curb my visits to Starbucks and I have done this by replacing trips with visits to the work coffee machine. I have never been one who needs coffee in the morning to get going, but I’m afraid I’m developing the habit. Sure, now it’s just coffee for the sake of getting up from my desk and drinking something, but tomorrow it may be more.

I usually have a Breakfast Blend coffee in the morning. If I go for a second coffee at lunch I’ll go for a Columbian. If I go for another coffee in the afternoon it’ll be decaf Columbian. I also find that I really enjoy a nice sweet, like chocolate covered almonds, with my coffee.

Cheaper, yes. Better? I don’t know.

Some of my Favourite Starbucks Drinks

Ryan J. Allen — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:31:21 +0000

I enjoy a good beverage from Starbucks. In fact, I am planning on enjoying a good beverage from Starbucks in the next hour or two with some close friends. While I think about what I might have, I wanted to share some of my favourite drinks. I’d love to hear about your favourite drinks as well–maybe I’ll give it a try.

Hot

Grande 2-pump non-fat no-whip extra-hot white chocolate mocha. This is the perfect drink, save the price. Two pumps of Starbucks’s delicious white chocolate mocha syrup to match two shots of espresso (I’d get one pump in a tall, three pumps in a triple venti, etc.). Milk steamed to 170 degrees fahrenheit to last just that little bit longer (16 oz is a lot to drink). I (usually) opt for no-whip because I find it too sweet (hence the less syrup); I also usually opt for the non-fat milk because I prefer it in a large coffee drink. This drink is one of the more expensive ones, unfortunately. Starbucks must know just how tasty that white chocolate mocha syrup is! I think Jillb. first served me this tasty drink.

Half-sweet extra-hot upside-down caramel macchiato. If you’ve ever thought a caramel macchiato needed a little more of a caramel taste, and a little less in-your-face sweetness, try this. Vanilla syrup, espresso, caramel sauce, milk, topped with foam. The hot espresso and milk will melt the caramel sauce much better than if the sauce were on top. This drink is hit-and-miss when you order it. My experience is that an untrained barista will make it a vanilla latte with caramel sauce on top, completely missing the point. Perhaps it would be better to order it as a (for example) tall one-pump extra-hot vanilla latte with caramel syrup on the espresso. From the Internet.

Double short whole-milk no-foam latte. As close to a flat white as you’re likely to get at Starbucks. This is a coffee flavoured drink, and it’s delicious. I usually add a little bit of sugar. It is simple, and it tastes great. I read about this in England (not at a Starbucks).

For-here short whole-milk dry cappuccino. Europe in a cup. Add a little sugar, and get a spoon. If Starbucks had small tables that you stand at I would be in heaven. Personally, I have to have my cappuccino’s in a ceramic cup, which is why this one is for-here only. I find Starbucks’s cappuccino to have too much milk, which is why I prefer it dry. A remanence from my year abroad.

Cold

Iced grande two-pump light-ice (no-whip) white chocolate mocha. I’m sure it’s hard to see where this one comes from. I found that in Europe the iced white mochas come with whip; I don’t know if this is the International standard but I had never received whip on my iced drink in North America. Light Ice isn’t a trick to get something for free, I just find that this drink is so good that I end up drinking it so quickly that I have a huge cup full of ice. If going a size up or down, add or remove a pump of white chocolate syrup. This happens to be one of MK’s preferred iced beverages as well.

Coffee frappuccino. Sweet, thick, and delicious. Plan on having a lot of energy afterwards. This one I read off of the menu.