Fa lalalalalala ... Christmas bells are ringing ...

I always love the week before Christmas. I love that the shop comes alive with new and old faces, we love being busy, and there is a joy behind helping our customers find the perfect gift.
Coffee brings people together, not just at Christmas time but throughout the year; to having conversation over a cup of coffee, reading the newspaper before a long days work, or sharing moments with friends on your down time (or day off), there is something magical behind a coffeeshop, and it's coffee. Its a hub where people come together in a comfortable environment and share life over cups of coffee.

"Coffee is real good when you drink it it gives you time to think. It's a lot more than just a drink; it's something happening. Not as in hip, but like an event, a place to be, but not like a location, but like somewhere within yourself. It gives you time, but not actual hours or minutes, but a chance to be, like be yourself, and have a second cup."                       

~Gertrude Stein

We hope this holiday season that you have time to sip your cups of coffee and share life with your loved ones. The New Year brings so much opportunity and refreshing joy, we hope you can share these days and the ones to come drinking Coffee Times coffee with us. :)

Merry Christmas from your local coffee shop!

And CHEERS to a new year!!

love,

your Coffee Times staff

 

gift guide for the COFFEE and TEA lover.

If you have a COFFEE or TEA lover in your life, we've got great gifts for you this season.

Everyone is looking for the perfect gift this year for their special person, and if that person loves coffee and tea we have the special gift for them.

 

For your tea lover ...

We have an incredible tea selection from the Metropolitan Tea Company, that gets the best tea from all over the world!

We carry a wide variety of loose leaf tea, especially for someone who is trying out tea and not sure what they want you can purchase smaller quantities. We also have tea infusers for steeping tea, we have 2" and 3" infuser balls and some decorative ones too! We've got Price & Kensington teapots and accessories, which come in vibrant colors and some have infusers included.

 

For your coffee lover ...

We have fresh roasted coffee! What else could you want? We roast on site, so nothing is ever stale or old. We also flavor all the coffee on site too (at LCT), by hand. So we add a little love into everything that we do and serve at Coffee Times.

So we have a large variety on our sales floor for our customers, anything you want from espresso blends to dark, bolder roasts to something a little lighter like a medium roast. To go with your fresh roasted coffee we also have lots of brewing mechanisms. Toody, Aeropress, BUNN, Capresso, Bodum, Bonjour, Hario, and Chemex to name a few brands we carry here at the shop.

What does your coffee or tea lover have on their Christmas list?
 Maybe we can help. We love to share our knowledge and help!


Stop by and let us help you find the perfect gift for the holidays!! 



Gift Giving!!

If you are gift giving this year ...

you have to come to Coffee Times!

 

With Christmas right around the corner we have some great ideas for your gift giving this year.

Stocking stuffers, ornaments, brewing mechanism, and great gift boxes of coffee and tea already wrapped and ready to give!

 

Coffee & Tea?

 

This year we've wrapped and preground awesome coffee boxes to grab and GO! With a great select of coffee in each of them for any coffee drinker! Includes 4-1/3 pounds of automatic drip ground coffee, a scoop, wrapped in classy Christmas paper

Winter Wonderland: the flavored box; it contains Mistletoe Jo (a unique blend of cinnamon, hazelnut, vanilla, and almond), Chocolate Hazelnut, Mexi-Cafe (cinnamon and chocolate, anyone?), and Reindeer Rum (a spiced vanilla rum).

JOY to the WORLD: The around the World box with coffees from different growing regions. It includes Guatemalan (South American), Tanzania Peaberry (African), Maui (Hawaiian), and Indonesian City Roast (a Sumatran bean roasted to a City Roast ... so from Indonesia).

Peace on Earth: All fair trade and organic coffees. This box is great with FTO blend, Fair Trade Colombian, Fair Trade Guatemalan, and Organic Peruvian included. A delicious gift!

I'll have a Big Blue Christmas: A delicious gift box filled with all the favorites! Big Blue Blend, Bluegrass Breakfast, KY Bourbon, and Bourbon Ball. Perfect for UK fans or even someone who loves a little Bluegrass!

12 Days of Christmas: the variety box! A gift box for anyone! 6 regular coffees and 6 flavored coffees all in 1 potters, so it'll make 1 FULL pot of coffee. A yummy surprise!

And ... O'Christmas Tea: a little different from the coffee box including 5-1/8 pounds of tea. Vanilla Chai (warm chai with a little milk makes this tea perfect for a cold night!), Earl Grey Green (who doesn't love that Bergamot taste?), On the Waterfront (an herbal peppermint tea with hints of rose and peach), Orient Express (fruity and cinnamon mix), and Evergreen and Red (our secret blend of black, green, and red teas). 

 



we open our house to you!

It's here! Christmas time is here! 

We've hung all our Christmas ornaments and stockings up, we've lit up our display window with another John Feather original display- and it is fabulous, we've also created a holiday menu with wonderful drinks like the Turtledove Chai, a Peppermint Moka, or even a simple hot chocolate. This is the time of year when we get to share more of what we do best- COFFEE! Everybody wants something warm during the cold months, and we have the best coffees, teas, and cocoa!

This Saturday we are having our annual Christmas Open House

from 9am-6pm.

Its going to be an event to attend!

 

There will be festivities all day long and some really good discounts on coffee side.

We will be sampling one of our holiday favorites, Aspen Mulling Spices and cider, along with Moonshine or Bourbon balls, and cookies made by Mary Parlanti. Is that a triple yum, or what?

EVERYONE who purchase something on coffee side can receive a chance to get either 10,20, or 50% off their purchase!! And that is a deal!!

There will be live music from Chris Grills and John Forgy from 2-4pm.  

 

And here's a tip from the wise ... make sure you download our app for a secret deal that will be posted at 11am and good for the rest of the day!!!



Merry Christmas flavors

We have our Christmas flavors out!

What you have been waiting for!!

 

We have a lot of new flavors this year, some are oldies (but goodies!) and others are new and interesting!

Who doesn't want a little coffee in their stocking for Christmas? It's a great stocking stuffer and we have a little something for everyone. Spread some holiday cheer with our new flavors, or our old :).

 

Our HOLIDAY COFFEES are:

 

Gingerbread Man:Run, run as fast as you can ... because we caught the flavor of the Gingerbread Man! It's true. The flavor of a gingerbread cookie but with a hint of cream, this is a true holiday treat!!  



                                        Mexi-Cafe: chocolate and cinnamon lovers this is for you! It is the perfect balance, and if you've ever had our Mexi-Cappuccino (or cocoa) you'll love this deliciousness in your cup!  

Cranberries and Cream: a great cranberry flavor. Smooth and fruity, but everything cranberry you crave!     

Snow Cream: A fresh vanilla but a creamy, sugary sweet. Unique blend and a true vanilla taste.

Spiked Egg Nog: Who doesn't love a little holiday cheer (oh, and for extra cheer add a little something special ;))? This couldn't be any closer to a cup of egg nog with a splash of bourbon, top it with whipped cream. Yum!

Reindeer Rum: a spiced vanilla rum, perfect for the holidays ... and maybe rum? :)

 

 Stop by and try our new holiday coffee's, take some home with you, get it as a Christmas gift!!

 

Come stop by as we are winding into Christmas! Catch our coffee calendar, our newest iPhone app, or on Facebook for updates on coffees of the day to keep you posted on what we will be serving this holiday season.

You can try it before you buy it!  

 

 

 

  

                          



Who doesn't love cider?

(it is definitely my favorite Fall drink!)

 

It's something about the Fall crisp air, harvesting apples, Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays, and the leaves falling from the trees that makes me crave all things Autumn.   (Cider is one of those things I crave!)  

For us here at Coffee Times, this is the time where we really get geared into our busy season, the weather is finally cool enough  customers want something like a Caramel Apple Cider, Cider Chai, a warm Cider :). We serve Evan's Orchard cider in our Fall drink concoctions; local, fresh pressed Kentucky Apple cider. YUM!!

Cider sacks are handy to have and make great Fall gifts. Inside are all the ingredients to spice up your apple cider, including allspice, cloves, black peppercorn, cinnamon sticks, and orange rinds.

How to make a cider sack:

Wrap up a Cider Sack by placing 8 black peppercorns, 6 whole allspice, 6 whole cloves, 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks, and 3 (3- x 1-inch) orange rind strips on a 5-inch square of cheesecloth. Gather the edges, and tie securely with kitchen string. Give it as a gift!!

Other Cider Recipes:

Mulling Spice (serve 8-10 people)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• Zest of 1 orange (or orange peel with pith removed)
• 2 (1/2-inch thick) slices peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2 gallon organic apple cider or low-sulfide red wine
• 1 tablespoon of allspice

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat cider or wine over medium-high heat; stir in allspice, cloves, cinnamon, orange zest and ginger.

2. Bring to boiling; reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, six to eight minutes or until desired flavor is achieved.
3. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve; discard solids. Serve warm

Spiced Cider

Combine 1 gal. apple cider, 2 qt. cranberry juice cocktail, and a Spice Bag in a large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Discard Cider Sack before serving. Serve hot or cold.

tough on tummies.

Is coffee tough on your tummy? We've had a lot of customers that have sensitive stomachs and don't drink coffee because they can't find anything that suits their stomach's situation. Acidic, too harsh, "makes my stomach upset", burns ... are all words, or explainations, customers use as to why they don't enjoy a cup of coffee.

We do offer several kinds of coffee that are easier on the stomach and a brewing mechanism that does brew out 65% of the acid in coffee.

So let's explore options ...

We don't roast all of our coffees dark (like City, Vienna, French, or Italian Roasts) which some people associate with 'harsh' or 'acidic'. We offer a lot of varieties of medium roasts, such as Tanzania Peaberry, Java, and Brazil Santos which we  suggest for those who have more sensitve stomachs and can't handle the acidy taste or aftermath of coffee. It's a matter of trying different types until you find something that agrees with you.

Brewing the acid out! 

The Toddy Coffeemaker is a cold brewing system. Toddy comes with a maker (duh!), a plug, 2 filters, a handle for the maker, and a decanter with lid. This brewing mechanism is unique because of how it brews ... 

How does it work? 

Let me tell ya! First you want to pick out a coffee of choice; I love Big Blue Blend, Copenhagen, and Dudley's Blend brewed in Toddy. But, whatever YOU want!

So, because of the filter and the way the Toddy brews it takes out 65% of the acid, basically extracting it when you pull the plug and drain it.

Let me explain the set up ...

To brew a full decanter you want to use a pound of coffee (a true pound, 16 oz.) to 9 cups of water.

First, add one cup of water to the bottom of the plastic maker.

Then, you want to add half a pound of coffee, and in a circular motion add another 4 cups of water on top to saturate the grinds. Make sure that you get the coffee ground electric perc, or really course.

wait ... 5 minutes ...

 Then you want to repeat the second step again, so add the other half pound of coffee and another 4 cups of water repeating the same circular motion getting all the grind wet. You want to make sure that it doesn't overflow and that all the ground are saturated without stirring it. If you stir a Toddy you could clog the filter, which is why you need a courser grind as well. ;)
If coffee is tough on your tummy don't give up on coffee all together unless you've tried a remedy. Hopefully, we can help find something that will be easier on your tummy without hurting, or being too acidy. Try the Toddy, try a coffee that is lower in acidity, but none the less if you LOVE coffee let us help you find something that will work for your sensitive tum-tum!  

 

always put the stopper on the outside :)

maker with stopper

ground coffee inside

the whole set up

filters

eat, drink, and be SCARY!!!

I love Fall and it's festivities.







I love the shop around this time of year. Well we love it all the time, but I love it when  people are stopping by to grab a hot cup of coffee because the mornings have gotten chilly, the seasonal goodies we have, cider and pumpkin. Yum, yum. This is the time of year the shop thrives the most, we love being busy and we love the holidays! With Halloween right around the corner the shop is filled with all things Halloween.



feather and slush

spiders eating slush :o

 

We have lots of spooky decorations and festive wear for you this year. Not to mention we are also serving pumpkin falvored drinks at the bar and cider too! We've been playing around (preparing ourselves) for a kooky & spooky Halloween filled with all things scary! Grab a pound of Pumpkin Pie Spice or hit the bar for a Caramel Apple Cider, a Pumpkin Latte, or maybe even a Cider Chai. We'd love to celebrate the season with you and warm you up!

aspiring roasters.

Home roasting has becoming increasingly popular the past few years, and working at a local roasting plant I've have heard all kinds of tales about the 'how-tos' and the methods they have found that work for them. We get the joy of helping these home roasters find a particular kind of green bean that will work for them, something they can practice on. I have heard everything from hot air popcorn poppers to cast iron skillets, one guy made a crazy hot air popper with a metal topper because after melting several tops to his hot air poppers he decided to create something that wouldn't melt :). There are lots of ways to roast at home, and whatever works for you in your roasting endeavor is great, but I want to share a simple way that I have learned of home roasting ...
To start:
You want to preheat your oven to 500 degrees for about 30 mins before putting beans in there, so while that is preheating get your beans ready ...
Make sure that you have a reference color in mind for your beans, something that you can compare colors to (already roasted coffee that you enjoy). Coffee continues to change colors after it's roasted, so if it's not right at the color you want wait ... because it very quickly could be. Think of like a mahogany or a light brown ... whatever you can come up with that relates to a particular color/taste preference. And take notes of what you are doing so that you can have a detailed account of what you've done, changed, and what didn't work. Using a perforated baking sheet is the simplest way to home roast and it ensures that you don't invest more than what you need to and also gives you the chance to try it without losing the investment.

perforated baking sheet

What you'll need:

•  a perforated baking sheet
• an oven that can withstand a 500 degree temperature
• green coffee beans
• 2 medium metal sieves
• a stop watch or timer that shows seconds
• a scale that can weigh grams

How to:

• Put the baking sheet in the middle of the over rack to ensure that it will get even heating.
• You'll want to weigh out the green coffee with your gram scale to know how much weight the coffee will lose in the roasting process.
• Spread the coffee evenly across the baking sheet, no bean should fall over another, but make sure that you only have beans on 1/2 - 2/3 of the baking sheet
• Have LOTS of ventilation, open windows or turn on your range exhaust because you are likely to have smoke rolling ...
• Put the beans in the oven!!
• Make sure that you don't have to oven door open more than 4-5 sconds at a time, you might need a flashlight to be able to observe the beans and see the color brightly.

color difference between green and roasted

The Breakdown:

• At 2-3 1/2 minutes the green beans will turn a more intense green color
• Around 4 minutes it will turn yellowish, you want to agitate the pan so that the outer beans come more towards the middle of the baking sheet.
• At 5 (maybe 5 1/2) minutes the beans will start to turn brownish, a light brown. Go ahead and agitate the beans again swooshing the baking pan around so that they are turning.
• 7-8 minutes you'll hear the first crack ... its similar to popcorn (both go through a heating process to get a finishing product)
• 20-30 seconds after you hear the first crack agitate the baking sheet again, swooshing the beans around the baking sheet
• 45 seconds after you hear the first crack, around minute 9, the coffee is significantly changing in color and taste. REMEMBER to take notes because it will help you in the future with time and taste for batches you'll do in the future.
• Take it out just before you think it's done, because coffee will continue to change colors after you remove it.
• When you remove it from the oven take it outside and use the sieves to pour the beans from one sieve to another, back and forth, holding them an arms length away from one another. This helps remove the chaff from the bean and helps cool the bean down.
• Make sure you weigh it once you are done to see what weight you ended up with.
• Over the next 5-10 days the flavor of your coffee will start to set in. You can drink it sooner, but our Master ROaster suggests waiting a few days because roasted coffee usually is its best 5-6 days after roasting.

metal sieve (collander)

VOILA! You've roasted your own batch of coffee at home, and probably a little safer than a potentially meltable hot air popper. ;) Hope that this helps and maybe creates a new hobby for you, because let's be honest there is nothing like freshly roasted coffee.
 

for the love of mugs.

otagiri

otagiri

Coffee is a ritual.
 How you make it, what brewing method you use, the kind of coffee you choose, what you do while you drink it, and what you drink it in.
I have come to recognize and observe working at a local coffee shop that every person enjoys their coffee differently ... and what they choose to drink it in falls along with all their coffee particulars.

otagiri

otagiri

I have (& share) a love for mugs; but not just any mug, an Otagiri mug.
Each one is different. They all were designed to have something new on each one of them, unique little Japanese handcrafted mugs ... and I love them. It was something in the style, the way the handles feel, the thickness when it touches my lips, they perfect amount whether I was using a smaller one or a larger one, the odd pictures decorated across the front, and Otagiri mugs are simply unique. It is because they weren't uniform and I didn't know what I was going to get every time I happen to find one, it was that I had no clue what shape or design it would share, and that is what I love about them. The search for something different and you wouldn't know that it was Otagiri unless you knew what you were looking for. It's like finding a treasure, no one else thinks it's treasure but you.

otagiri

 
Everyone has there own mug, or style mug, that they go to every morning to drink their cup of coffee in. A friend of mine has a love for very small mugs. She collects little trinkets, small knick-knacks, and small mugs. Anything tiny that she can wrap her tiny hands around; she loves. It is the perfect amount for her to sip, and refill it with more hot coffee (maybe a splash of bourbon too ;)) Ceramic, handmade, and individuality are key. Another friend loves mugs without handles. The feeling of the warm mug, nothing between her and the hot mug. She can hold it with both hands, or one with no nuisance of the handle getting in the way. Without handles there is a since of freedom with the mug, but they have to catch her eye, be attractive and what she like in style, colors, appealing to her. Others I have encountered always carry a travel mug because they are always traveling. Travel mugs offer the ability to not fill up as frequently but still have hot coffee throughout the day.
However you like your coffee, and however you brew it I'm sure you have a mug that you enjoy drinking out of the most.    


tiny mug and mug without a handle

keepin' it fresh

Coffee beans are taken from a live plant so storage for the beans after they are roasted is important to ensure that the freshness remains and that you are preserving the flavor of the particular coffee. We often are asked what is the best way to store coffee, and we hear a lot of ideas people have some up from storing it in the freezer, refrigerator, and even zip lock bags. So I want to share what we have found that works best to keep your fresh coffee fresh. :)
First let's start by recognizing that anything that you would buy at the grocery store or even at Starbucks isn't going to be fresh. Sorry guys, but it isn't. To get the best flavor from your coffee, you should brew it within two weeks of roasting, and immediately after grinding. In fact, after coffee is roasted the flavors really start to enhance 3-5 days after the roasting process, bringing the heightened characteristics of each individual origin of coffee out in the bean. Coffee from Tanzania don't have the same characteristics as beans grown in Kenya and Colombian doesn't have the same qualities as Guatemalan, they are all different. If you can't grind it everyday because you don't have a grinder, etc ...
Here are some tips for storage:
1. Buy your coffee whole bean, if possible. Invest in a grinder to truly ensure that you are keeping your beans fresh. Only grind what you needs to make the coffee you want to drink, whole bean coffee stays fresher longer. :)
2. Pick an airtight canister, not glass or clear, but something that you can seal tight. No sunlight should be able to hit the beans, so store it in a cabinet or pantry. Anyway you choose and whatever container your choose it needs to be stored at room temperature.
3. We NEVER suggest freezing coffee. The reason being is because coffee often picks up the flavor of things around it, especially if it's already ground, and the moisture from the freezer/fridge will only dehydrate it and hasten the flavor decay.
4. The fresher the better!! Only buy what you need for the week, we are always open and have coffee :), but that will help decrease the chances of you being stuck with yuck!

Here are some good canisters that we have around the shop ...



vacuum seal canister



vacuum canister set

glass (only for cabinet)

new fall, new flavors

 

We will be offering a few new flavors this year ...

Peanut Butter Cup

&

Very Berry Blue

are coming next week.