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If any of you are into Pinterest, you should really follow my coffee Pinterest board! This board consists of recipes, pretty pictures of lattes, and really anything coffee related!
Pin my pins if you are in the coffee, just as much as I am! Share your Pinterest board if you have a coffee board!

Guest Blogger-Christine Schmitt

Guest blogger, Christine Schmitt is a 3rd year Human Science major at Georgetown University in DC. She is originally from Rochester, NY.

After leaving Rochester to go to school in DC, I realized I was leaving behind Java’s at the Market and Canaltown Coffee Roasters, and was sure that no coffee would compare to theirs.  I still firmly believe there isn’t any coffee that compares to a Java’s Aztec Mocha or Canaltown’s Rochester’s Blend. But of course, that hasn’t stopped me from trying to find the best coffee in DC to hold me over until my next Saturday morning at the Public Market.  But if you’re willing to wait in absurd lines for a cup of coffee, the search across DC may be worth it.

Baked and Wired is just a few short blocks from our school. To be fair, I did initially go there because I wanted one of their famous cupcakes (specifically the Chocolate Cupcake of Doom) and not a coffee, but hidden behind their seemingly endless display of cupcakes, cookies,and biscotti is a little espresso bar which offers the perfect beverages go along with their sweets.  Their espresso is from an eclectic mix of roasters around the country including Stumptown (Portland), Intelligentsia (Chicago), PT’s (Topeka) and Elixr (Philadelphia).

After receiving your latte, complete with latte art, from the barista, you’re only a block away form the scenic Georgetown Waterfront.  Bring your latte and cupcake along for a walk down the river to the monuments, Kennedy Center, or the historic Watergate hotel. Or, bring your cozy drink with you in wintertime while skating at the Waterfront Park under the lights.

While I have found some great coffee in DC, nothing will stop me from trekking through the snow on that first Saturday morning I’m home for Christmas to grab a cup of coffee from Java’s.

Baked and Wired Instagram Pic

Fig. 1: Baked and Wired, a student’s perfect study break - you get in some exercise while walking around DC and get to pick up a sweet treat and a coffee.

The Story of Coffee

Today, I watched a short documentary from PBS called "Coffee From Bean to Cup." This video is from Feast TV showing coffee goes from the mountains to your cup.

The host, Cat Neville, heads to El Salvador to see how coffee is grown. The coffee is grown in the volcanic mountains.

The owner of the coffee farm discussed how the economic prosperity of the coffee farm has helped employees. The employees used to take the bus and now they can afford to get motorcycles.

Each day during harvest season, the farmers go up the mountain. There they will pick only the best cherries. Then the trucks carry the cherries down to the mill. The higher up the mountain, the higher quality the coffee is.

The coffee is processed and dried. Then it is bagged up and sent to where the roaster wants it. The roaster tastes the coffee every week to see how they are going to roast it.

Coffee Dessert Recipes

Hello everyone!

Today, I am going to share coffee dessert recipes! I did not make any of these recipes, but they look like they would be interesting to make!

White-Chocolate Cappuccino Cookies- from Taste of Home


Ingredients

• 2 envelopes mocha cappuccino mix
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2.5 cups all-purpose flour 
• .5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces of white candy coating, melted
• Baking cocoa, optional

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve cappuccino mix in hot water. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in cappuccino mixture and egg yolk. In another bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. 
2. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll. 
3. Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. cup-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on an uncreased baking sheets. 
4. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. 
5. Pipe melted candy coating over cookies as desired, or dip each cookie halfway into melted candy coating; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. If desired, dust with cocoa. 
6. Freeze option: Transfer wrapped disks to a resealable plastic freezer bag; freeze. To use, thaw dough in refrigerator until soft enough to roll. Prepare, bake and decorate as directed. 

Yield: about 4 dozen. 

Coffee Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie- from espresso and cream

Ingredients

• 1 pre-packaged graham cracker crust
• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 pint coffee-flavored ice cream
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted (optional)

Instructions

1. With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk and beat until creamy. Add in the ice cream and beat until smooth. Pour mixture into graham cracker crust and freeze in the freezer for at least 3 to 4 hours, or until completely firm and frozen.
2. Before serving, drizzle with melted chocolate, if desired.

Double Chocolate Mocha Mousse- from Women's Day

Ingredients

• 4 oz. semisweet chocolate 
• 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2.5 tsp. instant espresso powder
• 5 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1.5 cups heavy cream

Directions

1. Place the semisweet and bittersweet chocolates in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt according to package directions. Let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, espresso powder, 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture lightly coats the back of the spatula (do not let the mixture simmer or boil), 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Scrape the egg mixture into cooled chocolate and whisk cooled, about 25 minutes.
4. Using an electric mixture, beat together the remaining cup cream and tablespoon sugar in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form. In two additions, fold the whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Divide among serving dishes and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before serving.
5. Sprinkle with shaved chocolate before serving, if desired. 

How to Make a Latte

For two years, I have worked at a coffee shop on campus making lattes for students and faculty. At first, it was tough to learn all the drinks, but after awhile it was a lot of fun! Recently, I had to leave due to another job opportunity, but I still love to make coffee.

Today, I am going to teach you how to make a latte on your home espresso machine! Really simple, just a few easy steps!

1. Put your grounds into your little espresso container (don't know what it is called)

2. Compress the grounds with tamper.

3. Lock the espresso container into place and press the button to get the espresso. 

4. Fill up your steamer about half way or so with milk. 

5. Steam the milk until the steamer is hot where you can almost barely touch it. 

6. Take a spoon and pull back the foam, while letting the steamed milk come out.

7. Leave a little dollop of foam on top.

There you go, now you have a great latte!

Did you know Tim Hortons Roasts in Rochester?

Probably not too many know Tim Hortons roasts their coffee beans in Rochester! Why Rochester you may ask? They say it was because of Tim Hortons growth in the US market and the proximity to Canada.

Tim Hortons does not release too much information about the plant. It is roasted by the wholesaler, Maidstone Coffee, located in Henrietta. They also have another roasting facility in Hamilton, Ontario for their Canadian stores. Between the two roasting facilities, Tim Hortons produces 75% of their coffee requirements.

Just a fun fact for your Saturday!