Brewin’ with Brandi: Mocha Syrup
Life is sweet when you’ve got Brandi around! Not only does she have a lovely demeanor, she also crafts deliciously naughty treats like this Mocha Syrup! Reminiscent of the chocolate chip pancakes from our youth, this syrup can also be used on ice cream or anything else that needs a healthy dose of rich mocha goodness!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup strongly brewed drip coffee (we used Velton’s Twilight Blend — claro!)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
In a small saucepan, whisk together the coffee, cocoa powder, sugar and salt, then bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Stir continuously as the syrup begins to thicken — about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Serve warmed or chilled over pancakes, ice cream, whatever your imagination brings
Brewin’ with Brandi: Power Up Smoothie
Looking for ways to pack more power into your coffee’s punch? How about incorporating fruits and veggies rich in anti-oxidants? Yeah, we said it. Watch as she puts everything from chocolate sauce to kale into the Vitamix … then we drink it — and it’s good!
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped kale
- 1 frozen banana
- 2 tablespoons walnuts
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
- 6 ice cubes
- 2 shots of espresso
- 1 oz Monin Sugar Free Dark Chocolate sauce
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend well until fully incorporated. Enjoy!
The Sun Will Come Out With Cold Brew!
In follow-up to our test video that we posted yesterday, we thought we’d break down and compare the different cold brew options we have — including the Sowden / Hario / Bodum variety and more!
 French Press |
Dual purpose for hot and cool drinks, making cold brew in your french press will give you that kick in your pants all summer long. Whether you make it as a coffee concentrate to dilute or if you drink it STRONG like the SCG crew, all it takes is your desired amount of coffee, cold water and 12 hours in the fridge. This is great for making a big batch and stocking it up so it’s available whenever you need a cup o’ cold joe. |
 Sowden Soft Brew Coffee Maker |
While you can use it to make cold coffee similar to that from a french press, the Sowden Soft Brew gives you more flexibility in that you can use different grind consistencies. The microfilter features over a million tiny holes that enable you to brew with even the finest grind, producing a richer cup or more concentrated coffee in a similar amount of time. This can also be used for make hot coffee, as well. |
 Chemex |
It may look like a science experiment, but the science of the Chemex is easier than it looks. Unlike the french press and Sowden, you’re going to start your coffee out hot and as it brews it’ll cool down in the second chamber. All it takes is placing a good amount of ice in the bottom chamber, placing a paper filter in the top chamber, filling it up with your desired amount of coffee, pouring hot water over the coffee and watch as the coffee is extracted on to the ice giving you a smooth, cold and refreshing cup o’ java. |
 Hario Cold Brew/Mini Pot |
Made specially for cold brewing, the Hario Cold Brew and Mini Pots come in a sleek glass pitcher that will guarantee you will extract the most flavor out of your coffee. No need to heat up your water, whether it be cold or room temperature, fill up your pot’s nylon filter basket with coarse grounds, pour the water and brew it in the fridge for about 12 to 24 hours. You won’t need to finish your brew all in one sitting as it can keep for up to one month in a sealed container. |
 Hario Cold Brew Dripper |
If you’re fancy and have a lot of time on your hands, the the Hario Cold Water Dripper is what you need. A unique way of making your average cup of coffee or coffee concentrate, this dripper uses the classic cold-drip method. With every drop of water per second it saturates your coffee and drip by drip it will extract 26 oz. of coffee concentrate in about 5 hours. With a little more patience and learning curve, once you get the hang of it you’ll be sipping on some non-oily and acidic-free java. |
Brewin’ with Brandi: Coffee Cup Coffee Cake
Okay, maybe she’s not technically brewin’ here, but she is taking on pastries for the first time! If you’re looking for a delicious — and super easy — delectable to pair with your favorite cup of coffee, this coffee cake is where it’s at.
Watch Brandi whip up this lovely treat!
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 tablespoon butter (at room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 of an egg
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese (could also use applesauce or sour cream)
- 1/4 cup of flour
- 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
Topping:
- 1 tablespoon butter (at room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
For the cake, begin by combining the butter and sugar in a coffee cup and stir until they are fluffy. Add the rest of the ingredients, incorporating each one at a time. In a separate dish, combine all the ingredients for the topping and mix well. Crumble the topping mixture over the cake and cook in the microwave about 1 minute (duration depends on the microwave you’re using).
Cooking with Kaylie: Mocha Granita
It’s summer (sort of), which is the time of year when coffee lovers search for new and creative ways to get their caffeine fix.
Iced coffee? A delicious and trusty standby. Mocha smoothie? A great way to drink coffee and chocolate while still sounding like it’s a healthy option. Coffee-infused popsicles? A tasty alternative, but you need a popsicle mold.
So, I was pondering new ways to meet my summertime coffee intake requirements when I came across a recipe for Mocha Granita, which I modified a bit for espresso rather than French press coffee.
Ingredients
- Espresso (I used Caffe Umbria’s Terra Sana blend)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
Directions
- Brew 3 shots of espresso
- In a baking dish, combine hot espresso shots with sugar, cocoa powder, and 1/2 cup hot water
- Mix until sugar and cocoa powder dissolve
- Place in the freezer
- After 30 minutes, mix with a fork
- Repeat every hour until completely frozen
- Transfer to a glass and enjoy!
This granita is super rich and almost tastes like a frozen coffee brownie. You can’t go wrong with that! Added bonus: Other than the time factor, this recipe takes very little work.
Brewin’ with Brandi: Mocha Pops
If you know anything about us it’s that we love, love, love hot weather! What are we doing living in the Pacific Northwest, then?! We ask ourselves that all the time … except for when summer finally shows up and showers us with gorgeous sunlight dappled through lush evergreen trees. Then it all makes sense.
In celebration of summer’s arrival, Brandi has crafted a delicious and simple frozen treat. Delicious because it incorporates the amazing blueberry notes of Atomic Cafe’s limited edition Ethiopian East Harrar coffee and simple because it has only three ingredients!
Ingredients
- 2 cups strong cold brew coffee or espresso
- 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of unsweetened dutch-processed cocoa powder
Directions
Mix the coffee, condensed milk and cocoa powder together. Whisk for a couple of minutes (as the coffee is cold, you’ll need to put a little elbow grease into this to fully incorporate the cocoa). Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for about 8 hours (we did our overnight).
Brewin’ with Brandi: Luscious Lavender Lemonade
This recipe has all the sweetness and light we need right about now. The Pacific Northwest is fighting summer tooth and nail, so while we huddle up next to the fireplace and scurry through rain showers (yes, in June!), we’ll nod to the summer weather no doubt happening elsewhere in the northern hemisphere with Brandi’s delicious concoction.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 oz Monin Lavender syrup
- 1/2 oz Monin Pure Cane Sugar syrup
Directions
Combine all the ingredients together, mix and then pour over ice.
Brewin’ with Brandi: Violet’s Folly
We tasked Brandi with creating some non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated drinks to expand our repertoire, so she opted for a summer-inspired Italian soda! Watch as she crafts this deliciously creamy, berry-infused drink.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz Monin Blueberry syrup
- Sparkling water / club soda
- ice
- Cream / half & half (to taste)
- Fresh blueberries (for garnish)
Directions
Fill glass with ice. Pour 1/2 of the Blueberry syrup over ice then fill the glass 3/4 full with the sparkling water/club soda. Pour the remaining syrup into the glass and then add cream/half & half to taste. Top with fresh blueberries and enjoy!
Brewin’ with Brandi: Smashing Sunset
If we leave Brandi to her own devices, she just causes trouble for everyone. And, in this case, that trouble is in the format of a ridiculously delicious vodka cocktail that is perfectly refreshing and the best choice for your breakfast, lunch or dinner beverage all summer long. While she used Monin’s Blackberry syrup, we’re pretty sure this will go great with any of their berry syrups — strawberry, raspberry, blueberry … heck, we’ll even give a nod to mango.
Ingredients
- 3/4 oz Monin Blackberry syrup
- 1 1/2 oz vodka
- ice
- lemonade
Directions
Fill a tall glass with ice and then pour the syrup and vodka over it. Fill with lemonade, give it a stir and enjoy.
All That (Caffeine) — and a Bag of Chips!
When you think of energy boosting drinks and food, thoughts of Red Bull, Rockstar and even your average shot of espresso come to mind, right?
But wait, did you ever think a bag of potato chips could give you the same amount of energy?
Arma Energy Snx and NRG have done the what many may consider to be the unthinkable: Created a crunchy + salty + caffeinated snack with a dash of taurine (an ingredient often found in energy drinks) to boost our mood.
Given that we often associate potato chips with being a couch potato, a high energy version definitely borders on ironic. But Arma claims that each 2-ounce bag comes with about 70 milligrams of caffeine while NRG says that every 3.5-ounce bag is ‘equivalent to 3 and a half cups of coffee, 350 mg of caffeine.’
However, with each bag also comes 290 calories. Compare that to an energy drink that has 80 mg of caffeine and 110 calories and a shot of espresso with only 5 calories and 75 mg of caffeine.