BAH HUMBUG!

The Grinch stole my event listings!!!! Sorry, fans, if you were lost for a day. Saturday's events are now being updated. I think I was dozing off while blogging . .  . as I often say, CoffeeCat needs more caffeine to do this job!

Humbug Status Update

Still not humbug! Feels kinda weird, like something is missing this year. I refuse to think of Christmas while I'm still in Thanksgiving mode. So, I think I'll go bake a pumpkin pie.

Coffee Shop Dilemma

One day after I wrote the yummy post about all the coffee shop treats I found on coffee shop Facebook pages, Cafe Roche posts this:
"Civet Cat Coffee is here! $49.99 per French Press. Great Gift for any Coffee Connoisseur!"

Thanks for the conversation
starter, Cafe Roche!

What is it and why is it 50 bucks, you ask? If you haven't seen Morgan Freeman's explanation to Jack Nicholson in The Bucket List, read all about it on Wikipedia, then hurry back to the blogspot.

Now, you're back. My dilemma is, do I say "Blech, gross, how could you??" and forget about it? Or, intrigued by two of the greatest actors ever, do I try it to see what all the fuss is about? Or, does the price pretty much weed out all the people who aren't already believers?

Now, the information is in your head and YOU have a dilemma. My suggestion: Buy the coffee, invite all your friends over, and watch The Bucket List. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll start writing your own list. The experience is probably worth the $50 bucks and if the coffee tastes great, it's a bonus. As we near the start of a New Year, the timing couldn't be better.

Now that's some profound advice from CoffeeCat (no relation to Civet Cat.)

Coffee Shop Treats

the perfect gift
uploaded from Perfect Blend

Reading CoffeeCat's Facebook page is making me hungry, so I thought I would share some of these coffee shop treats with you, plus a coffee road trip.

Simplyummy's Groupon deal runs Dec. 1. It's a deal you won't be able to resist. And try the new prosciutto breakfast panini.

Coffee Shop, Gift Shop: The Wet Whistle Co. offers gluten free and vegan products from Zen Cat Bakery, including pumpkin bread, fig cookie, triple ginger and lavender-lemon shortbread. Great stocking stuffers!

Not just for breakfast anymore! Krankies Airstream offers sandwiches made fresh by Camino Bakery, including homemade pimiento cheese, vidalia onions, tomato; brie, apple, arugula, balsamic-poppyseed vinaigrette; basil pesto, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes; and artichoke lemon tapenade, sweet peppers, sprouts, manchego cheese.

Why settle for a candy cane when you can have a peppermint affogato (two scoops of Homeland Creamery peppermint ice cream drowned by two shots of espresso) at Cafe Roche?

Coffee Lovers Love Books! See what NPR says about a new book on the specialty coffee trade, God in a Cup.  
 
Coffee Road Trip: Charlotte, Counter Culture Coffee Charlotte Regional Training Center, Dec. 9, 7:30 p.m. 

Join some of Charlotte's most talented baristas for a Thursday Night Throwdown latte art competition. Free admission. Open to the public. $5 to enter competition.

For more cool stuff about coffee & tips on coffee shop treats, join CoffeeCat on Facebook.

An Escape from the Ordinary . . . refrigerator

After a Thanksgiving day of eating, napping and baking holiday treats for humans and canines, this morning was time for Mocha Mutt to escape from the almighty, overstuffed, delectables-filled refrigerator at home . . . and to get back to work!! Where better to do this than one of my favorite Triad Coffee Shops? I could get a sandwich (chicken, not turkey, thank you!), a warm, highly-caffeinated beverage, and about 10 miles between me and the refrigerator. So, I could focus on my work, enjoy holiday music in the background, and eat only what I needed to eat, and not everything in sight.

While the thrill of the hunt motivates many people to shopping centers on Black Friday, Mocha Mutt prefers the relaxed, happy atmosphere of a coffee shop - - it's a refuge from the traffic, noise, and busy-ness of the season, and a pleasant way to enjoy a small meal and "comfort" beverage. Won't you join me?

Thank You!

Thanks, Mom & Dad!

 On Thanksgiving, let's give some thanks to Triad Coffee Shop owners and staff who:

• get out of bed when it's cold, dark, and too doggone early so they can have the coffee ready for us
• hold charitable fundraisers and share the dough with worthy organizations
• learn everything there is to know about coffee so we can enjoy the best
• buy fair and direct trade coffee so folks can provide for their families and their communities in developing countries
• enjoy the company of the neighborhood regulars and make strangers feel just as welcome
• let regulars keep their own mugs handy!
• post pictures of yummy baked treats and espresso drinks on Facebook
• employ hard-working college students
• make the world a better place, one cup at a time.

Let's also give some thanks to the coffee shop fans who:

• support small businesses and buy local every day
• know a good cup of coffee when they smell it!
• take time to enjoy a conversation with neighbors at the coffee shop
• put green money in the tip jar
• read this blog. CoffeeCat writes it for you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey Grumpy! Yeah, you!

Don't go to the in-laws' house in a foul state of mind. Don't go shopping in a funk. Get some caffeine from your favorite Triad Coffee Shop before you go anywhere!

Check out the Events page for holiday opening/closing info and some "get-me-out-of-the-house" happenings on Friday & Saturday!

Come to think of it, you can do all your shopping & football watching at a Triad Coffee Shop. Hmmm. . . I'm thinking of some new holiday traditions for CoffeeCat!

Coffee shop owners, please post info about your holiday weekend events here!