Beans

Oak, berry, pineapple... these are words for wine tasting. But have you ever heard anyone commenting how flowery, buttery and bright their coffee was? I recently learned that the three fundamental tasting terms for coffee are flavor, body and acidity. Now what, a coffee sommelier certification test??? I'm a tea aficionado and not much of a coffee connoisseur, but I love to entertain at home. While I'm still figuring out how to work my old espresso machine, I at least have a stash of decent coffee beans to finish off my dinners when the coffee connoisseurs are over. In Napa I came across a Bouchon blend at their bakery. It's a med.-dark roast and while I didn't taste it, I knew if this had the stamp of Thomas Keller so I couldn't go wrong (owner chef of the French Laundry and Bouchon, among many others.) I'm also fond of their decadent French Laundry blend too. Conveniently you can order online at Equator Estate Coffee too so you don't have to hike to Napa: http://www.equatorcoffees.com/home.html To my delight, they now have a good selection of the "Chef Blends" category that this blend rightfully belongs to. Did you get your caffeine boost today?