They came, they drank, they barked!

Mocha Mutt and Coffee Cat enjoyed a joint outing this evening - - the fundraiser for the Forsyth County based Sergei Foundation. Café Roché on Hawthorne Road was the perfect setting - plenty of patio space for the canine guests, who appreciated their own water bowl & frequent dog biscuit treats, plenty of staff and volunteers on hand to take care of the human guests and to answer questions about the Foundation, a wine tasting in the back and music in the front of the café made for a lively atmosphere that literally had "something for everyone." Daphne Nichols provided excellent musical entertainment.

And the winners are . . . .

Congrats to Krankies, Brew Nerds, and Cafe Roche - named The Best Coffee in Winston-Salem by Smittyheads! And a shout out to Smitty!
http://www.smittysnotes.com/best-of-winston-salem_2011.htm

Does life get any better?

How could life be better? It's a coffee and cat weekend. Friday: iced drink at Chelsee's during the monthly Gallery Hop and enjoying lots of artwork featuring cats in the galleries & gift shops. Saturday: volunteering at a fundraiser for Siamese Cat Rescue Center. Sunday: Relaxing in Krankies with coffee and writing about meezers (that insider language for Siamese!). The only way life could be better: if I didn't have to switch to decaf halfway through my writing. I am bzzzzzzzing with  good coffee vibes.

CoffeeCat hopes all my fans are enjoying life just as much as I am on this beautiful, HOT summer day. Next task: finding a sunbeam for a cat nap.

It's Coffee Shop season!

Or, as Coffee Cat would say, every season is coffee shop season!

Winter trips to the local coffee shop are a no-brainer - warm air, cozy sofas, hot coffee, baked goods - what's not to love?

Fall is coffee shop season - - with the days getting cooler and shorter, hot drinks, hot apple cider, pumpkin flavored everything - - you can't let autumn pass by without visiting your neighborhood coffee shop!

Spring -- yum - - fruity, cold drinks make their debut, and, with unpredictable weather outside, who can resist the predictability of climate controlled, comfy seating areas, cheerful, friendly baristas, and a wide selection of drinks and food?

Coffee Cat and Mocha Mutt are a little concerned that coffee shop fans will feel displaced in the summer time, and we just can't let that happen! Triad Coffee Shops have a wide & creative selection of iced coffees and teas, fruit smoothies (some tea based, some yogurt based) and many offer ice cream and milkshakes with ingredients from local creameries. Fans, it just keeps getting better in the Triad! Mocha Mutt can't wait to celebrate the summer season with a frozen hot chocolate - - the hotter it is outside, the better the frozen hot chocolate tastes.

Therefore, once again, it is Coffee Shop season. Take a friend with you to grab cool refreshment, or go alone and make new friends, see a band you haven't seen before, or join a book club or game competition you haven't joined before.

If you can't decide what to try, ask the barista - chances are, he/she have tried many of the seasonal menu items and can give you the "inside scoop" on delicious options!

Cheers!

Coffee Shop Hop

I recently enjoyed a weekday visit to a couple of Triad Coffee Shops. Usually, my visits are reserved for weekends and late evenings, so this was a rare opportunity to see another side of coffee shop life. The first coffee shop on the tour was a cozy, well-appointed shop with comfortable furniture, beautiful works by local artists, and a lively game of mah-jong in progress. While others enjoyed the social scene and a friendly competition, I settled into a comfy easy chair and sipped a yummy, iced chai latté (expertly blended by the barista!) and a chocolate chip muffin (warmed up to gooey goodness by the same very pleasant barista). These treats sure did make the pile of paperwork I had much easier to attack. Before I knew it, my snack was gone, I was slurping the last drops of my chai latté, and my paperwork was done. Yippee!!

It was time to move on to another coffee shop and more yumminess, and, of course, more paperwork. The next stop on the tour is a popular hangout for university students, professors, and employees. Given that it was a weekday afternoon, the coffee shop was more quiet than usual, but still had enough activity buzzing to keep me awake as I dug into yet another pile of paperwork. I didn't attack the stack alone, however. I had the company of a large, cold, strawberry smoothie. I had to be careful to pace myself, though, because the smoothie was so delicious I was in danger of chugging it down long before the big pile o' paperwork was done. But, all things come to an end, in this case the good (smoothie) and the bad (paperwork), and it was time for my weekday coffee shop tour to end.

The lesson of the day - - no matter how unpleasant the task that awaits you, it is much more bearable, perhaps even enjoyable, in a pleasant coffee shop environment with the tasty treat(s) of your choice. So, Coffee Shop Fans, pack up your chores, grab your coffee shop coins, and head out to try some of the awesome shops listed in our Coffee Shop Guide.

Get out and shop/drink/be merry

Today is a great day to get out into the sunshine & enjoy that rare event in North Carolina called "sunny & mild" as opposed to tomorrow, when it's going to be downright hot outside. If you love bargain shopping, walking in the sunshine, animals, or all of the above, check out the Howls & Meows page for a variety of fundraising yard sales & walk/run events to raise money for animal rescue. Don't forget to stop at a Triad Coffee Shop for an iced latté or frozen drink to take along with you!

CoffeeCat's Back!

Whew, a whirlwind of life has kept me otherwise occupied and away from the blogspot. Never fear, CoffeeCat never stays away from Triad Coffee Shops for long!!! Even though the pesky doctor put me on a caffeine diet! And exercise! And healthy eating! Oh no . . . . but all this means I'm happy, healthy, and fully entitled to coffee shop treats after a long walk.

Since my neighborhood doesn't have a coffee shop, I seek out others' neighborhood coffee shops. I've noticed a pattern since I started exercising every day. My favorite walks all lead to coffee shops. Take a look at this . . .
1) Hanes Park in Winston-Salem is a great place to walk, run, bike, play tennis, and play Frisbee with the bow-wows. And once you start walking, you can walk right up the road to Krankies AirStream.
2) Ardmore neighborhood in Winston-Salem is a long-standing "walkable" neighborhood. The well-kept lawns and high volume of walkers, joggers, and well-behaved bow-wows make it an interesting walk. And, suspiciously, most roads lead to Cafe Roche.
3) Triad Park in Kernersville. It's off the beaten path, but a great place to meet up for long walks with Mocha Mutt and the bow-wows. And after the walk, head over to Juicy Java for a smoothie. It's a great motivator to get the walk done before closing time at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. on Wednesdays).
4) UNC-G campus . . . . hang with the college crowd and build your walking endurance (backpack not required) by walking the campus and then heading to Tazza Cafe, Tate Street, Coffeeology, or The Coffee Break. Better yet, walk to them all in one day and burn the cappuccino calories.
5) Downtown Winston-Salem. Wow, the best coffee shop trail starts at Cafe Prada, down 4th Street to Community Arts Cafe Coffee Bar, then Brew Nerds, Wolfie's Frozen Custard (serves Krankie's coffee), take a detour to Trade Street for Chelsee's, then back to 4th Street for the sojourn down to Krankie's Wherehouse. Sit and catch your breath, recharge with an ice cold coffee, then head over to Liberty Plaza and Kouboura Coffee. You will be totally abuzzzzzzzzzzzzzz with caffeine and endorphins!

In fact, I'm getting out of the chair right this minute and putting on my walking shoes! Coffee shops, here I come!