Ritual IHTIERI KETI ARA SUMATRA

It's late on a Monday night and you realize that all the beans have run out and a grumpy morning is in your future, well my friend there is still hope yet. Whole Foods sells this variation of Ritual coffee that will put a pep in your step. This is one of those coffee's that make me miss sitting at a truck stop late at night talking with my friends about nothing important, but everything that is good in life. IKAS is a really beefy brew which is right up my alley. I've been dripping the brew and getting some really good results, unlike with the Chapadao from earlier. I think my little wooden spoon to stir the drip is the magic wand. If you don't have a little wooden spoon you should rush to the little wooden spoon store and pick one up. But seriously I would definitely get the coffee again. Way to go Ritual for keeping the fresh beans on the shelf. I picked these up on the 20th, so 5 days after being roasted is really good for the grocery store. Keep drinking the strong stuff.

2004 VAN RUITEN VINEYARDS CAB-SHIRAZ

I pulled this bottle out of the new and improved "wine cabinet" in our new apartment to find a pretty horrid looking stuffy label. I'm bad about choosing things based on the packaging... Anyways, at first sip the wine was simple and flavorful. I would consider it to be on the lighter side of full bodied wines, a good "drinking" wine. I say this because when paired with meats, it didn't really hold up at all. The label said that it would pair well with most meats, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Does not pair well with Steak. The bottle did not specify but I could guarantee this was like a 60% Shiraz 40% Cab because of it's splashiness factor. Even though it didn't go with the steak (not the wines fault) I really enjoyed the wine and am looking forward to finishing the bottle. I'd like to try this again with a soup or some light pasta, probably a better combo. Retails for around $15.99.

Blue Bottle Misty Valley

Have you ever had a blueberry cobbler? Not just any cobbler, but one that your Maw-Maw made especially for you and then your Paw-Paw put some Breyers' Vanilla on top and then you sat around and talked about the good ole' days and those fish that they never really caught? Me neither. But when I tried the Misty Valley it came real close to what that would feel like. When I asked the young lady at the Mint Plaza Blue Bottle what would be a good coffee to drip she stumbled through several options asking about my likes and dislikes, and then she got a twinkle in her eye. "Misty Valley, Misty Valley, you have to try the Misty Valley it's one of our new blends" I took that excitement as a really good sign, I know that look when I'm telling someone about a coffee I really like, and she definitely had it. Blueberries is the first thing that comes to mind when you take a whiff of these beans. It's really amazing how the fragrance of the beans draw you in to "just one more cup." I found myself sniffing the mug like I would a deep purple Cabernet, Not quite the same..... As the week went on I took note of how the beans were changing with the "older" they got. And I have to say you can really tell a difference. I first had these Beans two days after they were roasted and they were amazing, I mean really amazing. Then I had a few beans left and I made a drip at work about a week later and the flavor had dimished extremely. I still can't believe most coffee shops are serving beans that were roasted weeks, and some even months ago. Those shops are missing the point. Misty Valley gets it and you should get some if it. Buy this blend