Meet me for coffee - HEB Cafe Ole' Houston Blend

This is one of HEB's Cafe Ole' Taste of Texas series of K-Cups - How could I resist trying the Houston Blend?!

Love the logo design for the flavor, which is described as "This rich coffee is marvelously blended with a combination of praline, pecan and coconut flavors for a finish that is smooth and delightfully sweet"  Medium roast, 100% Arabica coffee.  I have no idea what that means, as you all know I am first and foremost a tea drinker.  But I'm trying to hang with the cool kids and they all drink coffee, too.

For $6.99 you get a box of 12, which are now Keurig 2.0 compatible.    Good news if you don't live near an HEB, you can order online, unless oddly you live in California.

Cute stereotyping

This flavor is also available in whole beans, which you can grind in the store.  Which I tried to do in order to try a little bit in the my K-cup at home first before buying the box.  At least I could smell the beans first before I tried to ground them with whatever the heck was left over in the grinder...and it did not smell the same at all.  Some stores have dedicated grinders for flavored coffees, perhaps HEB should consider that, just saying.  I dumped that bag in the trash and took a chance going back for the K-cups instead.  If you have a grinder at home, you can also buy the bags with whole beans or already grounded.  Don't mess with the grinder at the store, seriously.  Drop a few beans in your hands and see if you like the fragrance and take alternative routes.

The flavor and scent - definitely coconut, but not overbearing.  The praline and pecans add a nutty sweetness.  You may want to rethink your creamer if you use it.  The Italian cream made it really sweet.  I think I would cut it with some fat free half & half.  You definitely don't need sweetener.

I also thought it tasted similar to Starbucks new Iced Coconut Milk Mocha Macchiato, so if you are looking to save calories and carbs, give it a try.  And also the Starbucks drink if you get that in a Tall size.  Seriously, that is a yummy drink and a smaller size will still keep you within and under range of your added sugar gram limit and you behave yourself for the rest of the day.

But I digress...this Houston girl would give and show hometown loyalty to the Houston Blend with five stars.

Meet me for coffee - Houndstooth

While traveling through Dallas, we found this neat coffeeshop, Houndstooth (1900 N. Henderson Avenue)

and tried Japanese Iced Coffee.  It was really good, very light.  It was a pour-over coffee and gave a nice little energy buzz.

While I was there, I spied their unique coffee cups and saucers.  My daughter saw me looking at them and when I turned around, she had bought a set of two for me.

My other cups and mugs fit on this, too!

Aren't they neat?  I also think the saucers are a unique shape.  The cup holds 6 ounces, perfect for tea.

We had no idea they were founded in Austin, never seen nor heard of until we found them on Yelp while we were in Dallas.

It's a nice atmosphere inside and out.  Low key, chill-able music playing in the background, fast wifi.  A very pleasant experience for road-weary travelers.

Impressed by Wal-Mart?!

Yeah, I'm just as surprised as you were reading that title.

Remember when I was in Miami and found the Puroast coffee shop and brought back a box of their Vanilla Nut K-Cups?  After carefully rationing, I finally ran out last week.  I looked all around here locally and on their website since I returned without any luck.  Until I Googled last week and saw that Wal-Mart had them...online!  And for a few dollars less.  I could select free pick up in the store (hell no) or for a few dollars extra ($4.97 but when I got the receipt, I was only charged $2.48)  have it delivered.  The only drawback was the estimated delivery date of August 9.  August 9th?!   Okay.  Just as with Dutch Bros., I could order two boxes for the same postage cost as one box.  So I put in my order with Dutch Bros. and Wal-Mart the evening of July 28.  Dutch Bros arrived August 1, and Wal-Mart today, August 2, by Fed Ex yet!

...Along with shampoo/conditioner samples and coupons.

Not to be outdone, Dutch Bros. did send me a new sticker, which I promptly put on my sketchbooks.

Thursday Tea Time - Back to Bed

This week - Bigelow American Breakfast Tea with Honey

Price: ~ $2.49 at Kroger
Size:  20 teabags, individually wrapped
Caffeine:   Yes
Type of Tea:    Black
Steeping time:  4 minutes
Mix ins:  It tastes awful plain, and Coffee Mate Sweet Italian Cream Sugar Free cannot save it.
Fragrance:  Slightly sweet, you can detect a honey scent.
Ingredients:  Black tea, natural honey flavors with other natural flavors (?), black tea extract, licorice root.
Opinion:   Being carb conscious, I was intrigued with the idea per the box this tea had honey in it, yet no carbs/nutrition information was listed.   Perhaps I should have read the label further and saw it was honey flavor and had licorice root.  Let's just say licorice and honey are not a simpatico combination in this tea.  The tea has extra caffeine from the boost of Theanine - black tea extract.  You would think it would be winner worth getting out of bed and starting your day - no.  Hit the snooze/pass button on this.

Yum and Fun with Caffeine

Instead, play around with your My K-Cup on your Keurig and try this.  Eventually I am figuring out how much to fill it.  So far I'm now leaving about 3/8th of an inch from the top and it only overflows/expands a little bit now under the lid cover.
Rating:  0

Thursday Tea Time - Traveling Texas

This week - Tea is For Texas Farmers' Market Series - "Texas 'Dirty' Chai" from the Independence Coffee Co.

Price:  $3.99 - $4.99  at HEB
Size:  1 ounce
Caffeine:   Oh my, YES!
Type of Tea:    Black
Steeping time:  4 minutes
Mix ins:  Coffee Mate Sweet Italian Cream Sugar Free
Fragrance:  Cinnamon, spicy, coffee - Mmmmm!
Ingredients:  Black tea, cinnamon, cloves, orange peel made 'dirty' with crushed coffee beans added
Opinion:   What a great way to wake up in the morning and when you need a jumpstart later in the day.  It is tea with a kick.  In a 1, 2, 3 - you get cinnamon, spices and then coffee flavors, and you can't stop sipping it.  I have "exported" this so far to friends in Australia and New York.    I will also be posting reviews about their coffee K-Cups called Indie Shots, keeping in mind, I'm not a huge coffee fan, but I am of theirs.  Madalyn's Backyard Pecan?  Old New Orleans Creme Brûlée?  Seriously.   (Local Houstonians - not all HEB's carry the tea and the K-cups, whole and ground coffee. The HEB on Dunlavy has the tea and the K-cups.  The Sugar Land/Highway 6/90A has the coffees.  Get your store manager to order for you or at least look up and see which store does.  And I'm also usually grabbing the last box of Creme Brûlée - it's a mover, so if you see it, try to restrain yourself and leave one behind if you can!  Just kidding, the more y'all buy, the more they will make and sell.  Win-win-win.)
You can order online via the Independence Coffee website or H-E-B's website  Also if you are heading to Brenham looking for bluebonnets, here's two coffee shops to check out which also sell the line.
Must Be Heaven (oh my, they have pie too!?)
107 W. Alamo St.
Brenham, TX 77833
(979) 830-8536
Park Street Bakery (their website is under construction, but check out both of these places on Facebook!)
112 S. Park St.
Brenham, TX 77833
(979) 836-6122
Rating:  5!  And now you have more fun and yummy places to check out in Texas - Hello Roadtrip!

See? Coffee Beans!

Coffee Nut

In my travels, I love to try new coffee and tea places, (and shop grocery stores to check out their coffee, teas and spices...I can get lost for hours roaming the aisles.  I'm talking to you, Wegmans, and now Coles and Woolworths in Australia).

Woolworths is a grocery store in Australia!

Last visit to Rochester, Lori and I spent HOURS in here!
They also sell wine by the glass in their food court, FYI
; )

Let's not even get started with bookstores, Harry Hartog.  (More on that store later.  Suffice to say they had the nicest clerks who actually knew something about books and had wonderful suggestions which I accepted.  Lesson-up time, Barnes & Noble!)

A spinner, to boot!

I had to buy an extra suitcase to bring home all my tea and books.  Good thing I travel light to get to my destinations only to travel heavy on the way home.  And add to my luggage collection.  (Thank you, Travelite!  A very lightweight and purple-bonus! suitcase from Australian Luggage to hold all my finds and treats.  And an easy way to shop/bring my packages back to the hotel. )  As one friend so nicely put it, "How lovely!  A suitcase filled with tea and books!"

Anyways, I love the Yelp app and will use it to find even more coffee and tea places, even some undiscovered right here in Houston.  (Stay tuned for Tea2Go, which turned out to be less than 4 miles from one of my walking trails.  Talk about incentive!  Extra lap? Yes!  I will walk two extra laps for their Chocolate Cake tea!  Seriously good.)

While in Miami, we found Puroast, by taking a serendipitous wrong turn in the Brickell area downtown.  They had just opened less than two weeks earlier amidst all the construction in that part of the city.   Sadly we discovered it the day before our return to Houston.  What a cute little place and great coffee.  I so would have bought their little red rooster winter coffee cups had they been for sale, too.  Yes, I offered.

I could totally hang out here

After enjoying a yummy Bourbon Pecan latte, I picked up a bag to take home, along with a box of Vanilla Nut K-Cups.  Their deal is their coffees have more antioxidants and less acid than other brands.  To me, as more a tea than a coffee drinker, they tasted great.  Bonus for the other benefits.

Alas, I hadn't been able to find the Puroast Vanilla Nut locally.   I did find their dark roast K-cup at HEB, but I'm all about the odd and offbeat flavors.  And starting to panic as my Vanilla Nut supply dwindled.

Yesterday I stopped by CoffeeIcon in Katy to see if they may have it or could order it.  They didn't but would suggest it.  However in the meantime, they offered Don Francisco's Vanilla Nut as a free take-home sample.

the one to beat. . .

Local Winner!
Don Francisco's Vanilla Nut

While I was impressed with Puroast's claim to have less acid and more antioxidants, Don Francisco's Vanilla Nut punched it out and had a more vanilla flavor and a very pleasant nutty aftertaste.  Puroast seemed a little bland in comparison, but still very smooth and not bitter.  I would buy it again if I ever find it in the stores Puroast does not seem to stock this flavor on their website.  And I will be going back and grabbing some of the Don Francisco's Vanilla Nut for my refill box.

Orchid, 'K?

Keurig K10 Mini

Have you all been seeing the background of my Keurig peeking in my post when taking the pictures of my K-Cups from CoffeeIcon?  Yes, that is purple - Orchid to be exact.  You can't find it in the brick and mortar stores, (unless...keep reading!) but you can online at Target.com.  While shipping is free, you can save an additional $10 by picking it up at your favorite brick and mortar Target.  They also have other fun colors, but they are often quickly discontinued and replaced with more.  This little guy was just the right size, even though it replaced the larger one I had which would store the water.  It can make up to 10 ounces at a time (6-8-10) and you can remove the tray to fit your larger mugs.  The only ones that won't squeeze underneath are the tall latte ones.  But you can brew into a Pyrex measuring cup and pour into your favorite latte mug.

Regular price for the Mini is $99, but right now this color is only $79 -- then with the additional $10 off, you can get your pop of purple for only $69

K-Cupdate - Updated 11-24-15

So far the K-Cups from CoffeeIcon are proving to be winners!  Anything 4 and above will be a definite repeat purchase.

Coffees:  They seem to be edging over the teas, go figure!  Even more so the more I try.

Are you sure there aren't crushed up cookies in here?!
*****+
Gets the + because it really does taste like a cookie!

It really does taste like vanilla buttercream frosting!
Gets the + for innovative flavor concept
*****+

I swore there were chocolate chips in this!
Tastes just like a bakery chocolate chip cookie!
*****

****1/2
Smooth!
Your loss, Dunkin Donuts when you discontinued
your Peppermint Mocha K-Cups!
There's a new chocolate mint in town.
(And I like this even better!)

Wolfgang Puck Vanilla French Toast
It does taste like it, albeit with cinnamon,
wish it were more vanilla-y
Good chance I may buy again...
*** 3/4 to ****

Cake Boss Italian Rum Cake
Meh, not that rum-y, not that cake-y
Tastes "different"  perhaps better for afternoon
Not first thing in the morning
**

Teas:

This slightly edged out Copper Moon's Chai Latte
Nice balance of spices
**** 1/2

It already has milk (powder) so it was ready to drink at the get-go.
And vitamins and minerals!
(maybe from the milk?)
****

First one I didn't like
Very astringent, hot bite and aftertaste
Didn't even finish the mug

This is good - I needed the black tea caffeine boost
However, I have this in the teabags, so next time I will reserve
it's space for something else
The teabags are also capable of being brewed a little stronger
 *** 1/2

Disappointed.
It tasted a little too artificial and too sweet,
especially since I have been cutting back on adding sugar.
I'm giving it a 2, just incase you like sweet tea.
I thought the spices were really nice
Note: This has the milk already added
**

Cocoas:

Oh yes!
This will be my new go-to hot chocolate.  It really does taste like Tootsie Roll!
My only advice is to use 8 ounce of water, not 10, for even more richness.
****1/2

Just my K-Cup of tea and coffee

(I kinda made this my tea section of the box...)
I like those teas with the clear top.

Seriously, TOOTSIE ROLL Hot Cocoa?!
I grabbed 2!

A serendipitous discovery while trying to find parking to go into Trader Joe's - I found CoffeeIcon.  Whoa!

I was blown away by all the varieties of Keurig K-Cups.  As you know, I'm usually a tea drinker and will only drink coffee if it doesn't taste like coffee.  There are plenty of teas and coffee "drinks" to choose from.   I especially went crazy with the 18 cup build your own box for $15.99.  If you bring the box back, you can get a dollar off the next "refill".  Individual K-cups are only 99 cents, so you can try before committing to a single flavor 24 count box, or just grab a few of your favorites, which will become many.   I loved the three I've tried so far  -- Cake Boss "Vanilla Buttercream" (yes, it does taste like frosting when you add a little Natural Bliss to it),  CoffeeIcon branded "Salted Caramel Shortbread Cookie" (hello!) and Copper Moon Chai Latte.  All winners so far, 15 more to go!

There are four locations in the North/West Houston area - Katy Cinco Ranch,  Cypress,  Magnolia and Tomball.  For those of you living outside these suburbs of Houston, you can order online.  The shipping may just be a wash considering the Grand Parkway or Westpark Tollway EZ Tag tolls.  But it would definitely be a nice stop if you are in the area.  I love the Fort Bend County Cinco Ranch Library, just a block away.  Cinco Ranch also has a very nice Whole Foods (they have a taco and burrito bar!) and probably the best World Market store next door in the Houston area.  Make a day of it.  The La Centerra shopping center is chockablock with a great variety of stores and restaurants.

And by the way, that is a nice Trader Joe's around the corner. . .