Coffee, Tea And Spice!
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I have an addiction to caffeine. I used to work as a barista, and I have a not-at-all-hidden adoration for coffee and tea. I'm a pumpkin spice kind of gal, and I'm not at all ashamed!
Coffee Brands
Coffee brands from across Canada and the United States. Don't come at me about Tim Hortons. I may be Canadian, but I have standards!
I know as a Canadian I'm supposed to be a diehard Tim Hortons lover, but I hate their coffee. Second Cup's butter pecan was where my addiction started. I hated coffee until I tried this stuff, and now I'm fully hooked.
Second Cup has a special place in my heart, as it is where my love of coffee began. You can't go wrong with the basics; a simple Irish Cream is clean, fresh and perfect for spring. Also pairs perfectly with Baileys.
I first came across Peet's coffee on a trip to the United States. I'm a sucker for pumpkin spice, and they had a bag of ground pumpkin spice coffee. I was absolutely floored by it- not sugary, just properly spicy! It was so, so good. I have trouble f...
I prefer medium roast coffees. Dark is too harsh, light is too acidic and too high in caffeine. Medium roast is my Goldilocks blend. Pike's Place is your classic Starbucks medium roast, and it's popular for a reason. I love the stuff.
Java Moose is a local favorite of mine. I've never had a bad coffee from them, but this chocolate and peanutbutter blend is literally life-changing!
Black and Herbal Teas
I started drinking tea when I was three. My family was big on tea drinking, and my grandmother had a soft spot for King Cole orange pekoe. At a party, I once asked ‘Where’s mine?' as the cups were being handed out. They thought I'd hate it, but I've ...
I love chai tea. I buy it in bulk from David's Tea all the time, although I favor the basic masala chai. This turmeric rooibos tea is caffeine free, which makes it great for evening sipping before bed.
King Cole was my grandmother's favorite brand, so it's what I grew up with. Red Rose would also do in a pinch, but she kept a box of King Cole in the kitchen until the day she died. This box is a bulk purchase, so it'll last a while. Great value.
The second-best brand according to my late grandmother, and I bow before her wisdom when it comes to black tea. It was all she drank!
Ginger tea is an absolute must at my house. It keeps us warm on cold Canadian nights, and it works great at fighting off colds and flue. I'm prone to getting sick, so I drink as much of it as I can.
In my humble opinion, nothing in the world is better than masala chai. Seriously. Black tea and spices, infused into a cup of warm milk and honey? Heaven on Earth. It's best sipped in the autumn if you want to maximize the vibes, but I drink it year ...
Coffee and Tea Pots
My mother is obsessed with tea pots. I collect shawls, she collects pots. Electric pots, kettles, old ceramic pots with patterns, whatever. She can't pass them up. I'm a simpler beast; I can't live without my Keurig!
Legit, I would burst into tears if my Keurig broke. Literally the most used, most beloved appliance in my kitchen. I had this exact model for years- and while I've since upgraded to a slightly different one, this one covers all you need for your morn...
If you plan on trying matcha tea, you're going to want to experience it in the traditional Japanese way. A proper tea set with a bamboo whisk, traditional bowl and scoop turns the whole thing into a meditation ritual. It even comes with a handy dandy...
French press coffee makers are really simple to use, and they make a great-tasting cup. We break ours out for a special treat whenever we order a bag of beans or pre-ground coffee—we have a coffee grinder of our own, so we have the option of doing it...
Mugs and Cups
I went to college at a Craft and Design school, and I always loved the ceramic artists. I collect mugs from local artisans, and I love a big earthenware cup over the fancy ones from big box stores any day.
I went to the same college as the artist who crafts these mugs. I have one of these sitting on my desk right now, and I love it more than I can say. The texture is super cool, each mug is unique, and they have so much individual character. Support sm...
The Artisan District is a small shop in downtown Fredericton, the provincial capitol of New Brunswick. I like to visit this shop whenever I travel to Fredericton because it hosts a variety of local artists who are otherwise hard to find. I love to su...
Coffee Syrups
Working as a barista, you gain an appreciation for how much weight a simple flavored syrup carries. Nothing beats a warm, spicy latte with a hit of cinnamon dolce!
Torani is the syrup brand that a lot of local coffee shops use here in my town. I'm a sucker for spicy chai flavors.
I'm a basic white girl and I'm not ashamed. Bring on the pumpkin spice!
Vanilla syrup works well for lattes when you just want something sweet and simple. It pairs well with cinnamon and other spices, too. One bottle lasts for freaking ever, so you don't need to buy them very often. I have a couple in my pantry and I've ...
Accessories
Espresso presses, milk frothers, steam wands- all of the fixings for bringing your drinks to the next level.
I picked one of these up from a small shop downtown. It's the same brand as you find at places like Walmart or Costco, and it's not super fancy. But it works really, really well for making Dalgona coffee or whipped cream treats.
Simple, easy to fill and easy to clean. That's all you really need in a tea infuser, and they're useful for loads of different applications. I've loaded mine up with cloves, peppercorns and ginger before and used it to infuse spice flavor into plain ...
Half of my job at the coffee shop involved grinding fresh beans to various settings. One of the first things I bought when building my own coffee station at home was a good coffee grinder. The little ones are great for grinding spices for cooking, bu...
Recipes
I like to tinker in the kitchen, and beverages are no different than food. There's no reason you can't add a little somethin' somethin' to your coffee to make it extra special.
I'm a sucker for Dalgona coffee. I tried it at a cafe just the once and got instantly hooked. It's really, really easy to make at home and if you serve it on ice it's perfect for the summer!
Nothing beats a chai latte. I like a dirty chai myself, which is a chai latte with an added shot of espresso. The milk frother I put in the accessories section comes in handy for making this drink stand out even more.
Matcha is a classic powdered tea that has numerous health benefits. It's very traditional. But given how obscenely bitter it is, I personally really need the addition of milk and honey to make it a regular drink. Froth your milk to make it extra crea...
Making your own syrups can be surprisingly simple. Pumpkin spice syrup that you buy from the store is never as good as the homemade stuff, and it's surprisingly easy to make and not all that expensive. Well worth giving it a shot!