coffee... how i love thee

to say i'm a lover of coffee would be a tad (read: ginormous) understatement. everywhere i go i'm on the lookout for new places to get coffee~ there are some rockin' coffee joints around the world! i've had coffee all over europe, the middle east, asia and of course, every state in america practically. i usually stick to my staple of fresh brewed coffee at home, or a skinny latte if i hit up starbucks. occasionally when chris and i go out for breakfast (not too often, it's a special treat) i will get a specialty coffee like tiramisu or gingerbread. love them too. i just recently got a bag of la canduella estate from starbucks' black apron exclusive line. it's about five bucks more than their usual bags of coffee, so i hesitated, but chris egged me on, and i walked out of the store admiring the beautiful box its in. love at first sight. its a great cup of coffee, and i've thoroughly enjoyed it so far. not sure if they are selling it in the states, but if so, check it out. worth the extra five bucks. i also really really really enjoy kona coffee from hawaii, which my lovely mother keeping my addiction going with care packages from the islands! there are all kinds of fun flavors, like chocolate macadamia nut, strawberry white chocolate, maple something-or-another... the list goes on. all in all, i haven't found a flavor that i couldn't stand. yum-o.


japan has a few crazy coffees i have found... they are big into fancy coffees, but also strange flavors. i found a starbucks iced drink they sold for the kyoto green tea festival. it was simply, green tea and coffee. it make me want to puke my guts out. for reals. what made it worse: it was pea-soup-green. absolutely repulsive. they also have a plethora of vending machines with tiny cans of coffee- some of which are dispensed hot. very cool when it's cold and you are stuck at the train station! cheap hand-warmers too if you don't like coffee! :)


the other thing i love to do is add things to my coffee to spice it up a bit. cinnamon is one of my staples to add after reading about the way it helps speed up your metabolism. i have to admit, i started putting it on everything from my coffee, to yogurt, to my veggies for dinner. it's kinda like crack for me! haha. so anywho, the reason i started writing this in the first place was to share my love of coffee, but also to share this recipe with you i thought you might like trying to add to your coffee! here goes: dulce de leche. aka sweet milk. it's kinda like caramel sauce if you have never tried it before. the recipe is from the skinny chef who i sometimes find my motivation to cook up something new from. check it out, and enjoy your fancy coffee from home! happy sipping!

tiramisu coffee *delight in a glass cup*

my fav coffee & crepe shop *made with love*

crazy japan coffee... coffee jelly (aka jell-o) awesome

green tea latte - gross green goop. eeew!

my new yum-o coffee from starbucks. hearts for it.