Lightweight Eats

I grew up with Peet's coffee. I never realized it was anything special, until I went to school in New Jersey. We flew out to California for a race and the first thing my coaches did was visit the Peet's. At the time, I didn't really drink coffee except when I was desperately tired.

Since then, I've learned to enjoy a good cup of rich, sugary, milky goodness. For a while, I was getting in the habit of buying a coffee from our local Peet's a few times a week.



It got expensive quickly.

Still, we were trying to avoid having a ridiculously large coffee machine taking up counter space. So went we got a Sur La Table gift card, we went in search of a French press. Had we known their reputation for making incredibly strong coffee, we may have gone with a different choice.

In the end, I think we're really happy with our decision. Our press, an Oxo product that we got a great deal on, makes enough for about 2.5 mugs of coffee. We usually save our leftover coffee in a glass bottle and use it to make mochas with instant hot cocoa mix.

It's also super quick--a big perk when practice starts at 6:30AM, thirty minutes away. Of course, we could have purchased a machine that would have coffee waiting for us in the mornings, but it would have been very bulky, and we don't always drink coffee in the mornings--sometimes it's tea or water, or nothing at all. Including boiling the water and pouring mugs, it takes ten minutes.

We are in the process of sampling all of the coffee varieties from Peet's. (Although we have a recommendation for Vanilla Chai Coffee from Trader Joe's that might sneak in.)

Our first choice was their Sumatra blend. We didn't really like it very much, and found that their "slightly earthy" description really meant "tastes slightly of dirt". Overall, though, it was still a decent cuppa.

In our second round, we purchased the Ethiopian Super Natural--a limited edition blend. I loved this one. It was sharp and fruity and tasted a little bit like dried blueberries. I drank this one with a lot less sugar and still enjoyed it. Dan wasn't as big of a fan--I think he is still holding out on a nutty, chocolatey coffee that tastes like a mocha.

Which brings us to our third variety: Arabian Mocha-Java. Not a fan. I'm not sure where they got "bittersweet chocolate overtones"--more like unsweetened baking chocolate. I guess it is similar to chocolate, in that it's much more pleasant with lots of sugar and a good dose of milk. I'm looking forward to finishing this one off.

On the other hand, I had their Guatemala San Sebastian in the store, which also mentions "fine bittersweet chocolate" in the description and really liked it. (I found it slightly astringent, but not enough to mind.)

Next up, I think I'd like to try a fruity variety again, although we might try one of their standard blends: Blend 101 or House Blend.

Any Peetniks out their have recommendations?