**REVIEW** COFFEE - Lavazza Gran Selezione Dark Roast

 I'm still trying to find my regular coffee groove. Lavazza is a brand I've been seeing on Amazon for almost as long as I've had a membership. Finally, I broke down and gave the Gran Selezione a try.

"Intense and chocolaty"
their description

The coffee is not bad at all and the price is great. It comes in a 12-ounce bag and at $0.53/oz is less than 7 bucks a pop on a Subscribe and Save plan. I tend to write really detailed Amazon reviews but I kept this one short:

"This is a great price so I'm not mad. The flavor is not as "dark" as I'd like but it is good coffee. I do make it "Euro-style" (measuring by grams and milliliters instead of tablespoons & cups) and that helps boost the flavor.

I can smell them but only taste a little bit of the chocolate notes. The price, the price, the price is what will have me buying this again. I mix it with some of my other coffee that is more expensive to add flavor & save money."

Y'all know I am long-winded so for me to do such a short review kind of says it all. The coffee had me at hello with the price but I wasn't sure at first about a long-term relationship. I might end up doing a subscription just because I am tired of looking for something affordable...

Anyway.

I have been drinking the Lavazza every day for about 2 weeks now and it's growing on me. It is kind of  "chocolaty" but not that "intense". However, every time I look at the prices of other coffee, this one looks better and better. I have one more coffee to try before I give up. The next coffee I'll be trying was bought with a gift card but the non-discounted price is $1.18 an ounce so... that's going to have to be some really good coffee to win me over.

The thing with the Lavazza is that I really do have to measure the coffee out at 2 tablespoons (24 grams) for every 2 Ninja-size cups (or 360-370 milligrams) of water to get the best flavor. The bag doesn't last long at the rate that I drink coffee. This is why I need something at a better price.

When I get the Lavazza made perfectly, it's really good. It has some of the dark chocolate "bite" to it that I love in a dark roast. It's just not a true dark roast if that makes sense. It's like the Kid & Play of coffee where I prefer some Public Enemy strength java.

Unless I love (and can afford) the next coffee, the Lavazza will be my steady while I cheat every now and then with Jim's Sweet Love. They're both Subscribe and Save items so I can get the Lavazza monthly and the Jim's every three or four months.

I've already got plans for when I decide on a regular coffee. Every year, the nieces & nephews ask what I want for Christmas. I was going to ask for one of those little Bissell carpet cleaners. Instead, I'm asking for a set of airtight coffee canisters. 

What does that tell you about my priorities?

Coffee snobs will laugh but what I wish is that I could find Yuban Dark Roast on a regular basis.

Yuban survived the Civil War

The Yuban I've found lately is not the lovely Yuban it used to be (or the lovely Canadian Yuban of today?) but, if I make it just right, it is still the best coffee for the price. And I'm not exaggerating when I say that I have some 2-year-old Yuban vacuum-sealed in 1/2 cup amounts and stored away that still tastes great. I always open up one of the little pouches of it when I'm waiting for my other coffee to ship.

When I try my gift-card coffee, I will, of course, write up a review here.

Peace

--Free

Chasing the Perfect Dark Roast Coffee

 Hi. My name is Free and I am a coffeeholic.

When I gave up smoking a few years back, I thought I wouldn't enjoy coffee as much. Wrong. Coffee has become my main addiction. Sometimes, that can be a problem. For instance, the only time I have trouble with intermittent fasting is during that last 30 to 40 minutes before I can have my coffee with sweet cream. It's kind of sad. I go into special ops mode to avoid even looking into the kitchen. Otherwise, I catch sight of the coffee pot and get tempted. 

My apartment is barely big enough to cuss a cat in (as my mama would say) so the coffee machine is visible from everywhere except behind the closed doors of the bedroom or bathroom. There are times I try not to come out of the bedroom until I can have my morning coffee. Once, near the end of a 24-hour fast, I started to hallucinate about that first cup of brew.

I usually spend those stressful last minutes of a fast just pretending that coffee is not even a thing. I will avoid looking toward the kitchen as I get ready for the morning. I keep my head averted as I go through the apartment - opening the blinds and turning on plant lights and the humidifier -doing the general morning stuff. At that time of day, my muscles are still half asleep and I'm like mud flowing uphill. But when my phone chimes to let me know that my 16 (or 18 or 20 or 24) hours of fasting are ... I'm moving at warp speed toward that coffee pot. No kidding. 

Nothing smells or tastes as good as that very first sip of morning coffee. 

It's not just the first cup. Any time of day, I love a good cup of coffee. And a dark roast is preferred - probably because I have to have sweetened creamer with mine. I love a good cup of coffee more than I ever loved any kind of food.  

In my opinion, the best coffee is strong and rich. I love a little bit of dark chocolate flavor coming through the brew. I'm not talking bitter or burnt but just enough chocolate "bite" to hit the back of my throat. 

What I absolutely hate is a weak cup of coffee. Especially coffee that is so weak that you can't make it stronger without getting a taste like bad office coffee. I'm talking about coffee that is nasty in a non-descript way. The old, rank, stale coffee you get in the lobby of a car dealership or emergency room. 

Lately, I've been trying to find a brand of ground coffee to replace the Gevalia I've been drinking on the regular. I'm not crazy about all the Gevalia coffees like I used to be. They changed something since I used to get that subscription service way back in the day. Remember back when you could get a free coffee pot if you signed up for a monthly delivery of Gevalia? That's how I discovered the brand but that has to have been 20 years ago or more. There'd be these little subscription cards inserted in a lot of the women's magazines.

These days, the only Gevalia I love is the Dark Gold Roast. I was usually able to find the 11-ounce bag for about 11 bucks and change (or around $0.90/oz). That Gold Roast is tasty. It's extra bold and has the chocolate/brown syrup notes that are so yummy. However, that particular roast has just gotten too unreliable in availability. I think they might be phasing it out or something...

So.

I've been on the hunt for a new favorite brand of ground coffee. Coffee that I can afford, can easily find and don't have to work too hard to make. Price is important. I drink at least 7 cups a day so I cannot be playing around with anything that's going to cost more than it should. I've found a couple roasts I like. I just have to figure out how to work a regular purchase into my grocery budget.

Here's what I've tried so far:

1. Kaladi Brothers Waykan (Guatamala). $17.95lb or $1.12/oz. This is definitely a favorite, and it's from my favorite roaster - an Alaska-based roaster. However, it only comes as whole bean. I like freshly ground coffee but I don't always have the time, energy, or motivation. (I still might get the occasional bag though.) Notes, according to Kaladi are "warming spices, raisins, and chocolate". That sounds about right to me. This is what made me fall in love with Guatemalan coffee.
2. Jim's Organic Sweet Love. 11 ounces for $12.34 or 1.12/oz The first time I had this, it tasted so good that I set up a Subscribe & Save. It's much better than the Gevalia. The problem is that I go through the bag too quickly (for the price). It reminds me a lot of the Waykan except I get a lot more of the chocolate note. The brand describes it this way:  "Ambrosian aroma with full-bodied, smoky taste". 
3. Tim Horton's Dark Roast. 12 ounces for $7.59 or $0.63/oz. First of all, that price... Second of all, I happen to find Canadian-made products of all kinds to be of a higher quality overall. Having lived in Alaska all those years, I've driven through Canada many times. Everything I bought there - from aspirin to coffee - was just top quality compared to American-made stuff.  I think the last time Yuban coffee still tasted good was when I bought it in Canada. Anyway... Tim Horton's coffee is tasty. It's not as richly flavored as the K.B.'s or Jim's but it's good. The description I found from Horton's is simply "Rich and full-flavored". I think they are being modest.  Elsewhere, I found this description of the flavor: "subtle notes of chocolate, cedar, and even hints of fruit and floral characteristics". 
4.  Fresh Roasted Coffee's Dark Guatemalan Huehuetenango. 32 ounces for $26.99 or $0.84/oz. This is the next one I am trying. That price is good but I worry about ordering in a 2-lb bag. I will have to let you know what I think when I try it. I wanted it because of the price and because it's another Guatemalan. The brand describes the flavor profile this way: "Full bodied with dark chocolate notes. A bold and spicy body, and a smooth finish. A wonderfully rich dark roast with little to no acidity" except they used a lot of capital letters. The worrisome thing is that of over 3000 Amazon reviews for the brand, none is for this Huehuetenango. Oh boy.

Since I need to get something for my daily brew, I came up with a plan:

If I love the Guatemalan Huehuetenango, I will order that every 3rd month since it's a 2-pound bag. If not, I will do a Sub & Save on the Tim Horton's monthly and Sub & Save on the Sweet Love every 4 months as a treat. Of course, I will order some of the K.B.'s a couple of times a year as a treat. I'm done with the Gevalia. As I was writing this post, I checked and see that it's currently unavailable. Again. I've only been able to find it twice out of the past 2 and a half months.

By the way, because I am intermittent fasting (it's been over 8 weeks now), my grocery list tends to be lighter. I'm not baking every week or cooking larger meals. I haven't fixed spaghetti in at least 4 weeks now. So all this cutback on groceries leaves a little room in the budget for a decent coffee. If only I could learn to drink coffee black...

I will continue to be on the hunt for a dark roast coffee with that chocolatey, rich, sweet taste to it. Let me know if y'all have any suggestions.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: I seriously do NOT like Starbucks coffee. How did it get to be so popular? Just saying.

Stories I Shouldn't Tell (Part 1000)

 I have to share a funny story about myself. I was joking to my family that I should be embarrassed but...

So in my "coffee journey," 🙄  I have been trying to get away from boring and be a little more adventurous. Instead of ground coffee, I'm buying whole bean; I've been using my little hand grinder to go all the way fresh for each pot, and I am exploring different methods of brewing.

Right now, of course, I have been using my 12-cup pot maker most of the time. I do have the little brew basket gadget that I use every now and again. However, that's as far as I've gotten.

The other day, a suggestion popped up for me on YouTube. It was something about French press coffee. The little blurb mentioned how good coffee can be from such a device. 

Hmmm...

I clicked over to Amazon and priced a couple of French press pots. Not bad but not something I need to spend money on right now in my broke-ish situation. I moved on but kept thinking about what it would be like to make coffee in a French press. I tend to get fixated on things - if you didn't know by now.

When my neighbor came over for a cup of coffee, I was telling her all about the French press situation. I went on and on about how I might get one soon. She said, "But you have one." She pointed to one of the kitchen cabinets.

There on top of a cabinet I look at about 50 times a day sat a like-new French press. 

Yeah. That one.

That's a freebie that I got about 5 years ago to try out. Without learning anything about French press coffee - how to make it, how to use the device - I gave it one go and decided it was too much work for my sarc-addled brain. I think I even apologized to the folks who sent it to me. At any rate, I packed it away when I was leaving Alaska and it got moved here with me. I always liked the look of it so I stuck it on top of the cabinets. I once thought about making it the home for one of my pothos plants.

Anyway.

I am going to actually check out some more information about using French presses. Maybe I can learn to make a decent brew of coffee in it. Maybe it will make a nice home for a plant.

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Farberware 50124 Classic Yosemite Stainless Steel Coffee Percolator

 I talked in a previous post about why I wanted to replace my Keurig. I still have the stupid thing, I've just moved it into the storage closet for now but maybe not for long. I can't count on it for a decent cup of coffee anymore. Oh well. I did get over 4 years' hard use out of the thing.

I have been saving 5 and 10 dollars at a time for a replacement for that Keurig. I just didn't want to spend as much again on another machine that I'll be replacing every few years. This time, I went cheaper - sort of. Keep reading.

What I have now is this:

Nice simple setup. 

I'm really happy with it. As I mentioned in that previous post, there are pros and cons - and some of the pros are personal. But let's talk about it.

The Pros:

It's a nice-looking appliance, beautiful really. I have always loved stainless steel for the kitchen. I also don't like plastic parts for certain items because I think that metal is more durable and sturdy. Farberware has always been dependable when our family has had their stuff in the past.

The percolator was around $24 with tax. Price was a big concern because, as you will read later, I might need to go bigger. So I didn't want to spend any more than I could deduct from groceries for the month without feeling deprived.

Anyway.

I mainly wanted something that, if it stops working in a year, I won't feel ripped off. There's nothing on this to stop working, really. It's metal, inside and out except for the handle and the knob on top. 

It's pretty easy to clean. I've been rinsing it out between uses and I can put every part into the dishwasher if I want. I plan to just do a soap and water wash once a week or so. I do hate that the inside top holds water so you have to shake the pot to get it all out.

Using this is simple. You can make coffee with or without a filter and not get a lot of "grime" in your brew. I spent a few bucks on filters specific to it but they haven't arrived yet. In the meantime, I've made coffee both with and without filters that I've cut to fit. I can't tell much difference, honestly. I did think that one design feature could be having a strainer built into the inside to cover/strain where the coffee exits to pour. ~shrug~ To be honest, I wish now that I hadn't bothered to order filters. They aren't necessary.

finally got the Breakfast Blend
right!

The aroma when brewing the coffee in the percolator is stronger and more delicious. My whole apartment smelled like fresh-perking coffee. I'm sure that it has a lot to do with the coffee I was using, but I have used the same coffee in the Keurig with a universal filter and the smell wasn't as alluring. 

I can see when the coffee is getting strong enough by watching the color as it perks. And there's so much about watching the percolating action that reminds me of days with my late mother. A big part of my decision to get a percolator was to do with memories of Mom and my youth.

The whole process is soothing and relaxing. Setting up the appliance with coffee and water, then bringing it to a boil, and watching it brew makes me feel calm and peaceful. I don't know why this is. Maybe because I have to stop long enough and take the time to make the coffee instead of just plugging in a pod?

My favorite thing about percolated coffee I think is the temperature. I love, love, love piping hot coffee. With the Keurig, the output is decently hot but not enough to stay that way once I add creamer from the fridge. When I added creamer to the percolated coffee, I still had the perfect sipping temp.

Now, let's talk about some of the hassles.

The Cons:

While going through the ritual of making coffee in a percolator is part of the appeal, it can also play the other way. If you are in any kind of a hurry, you better have a backup machine or some instant. I do have a really small 2-cup travel machine. It fits in the smallest part of my pantry and takes about 7 minutes to add coffee, water, and run a brew through.  That's my backup but the coffee it turns out is not that great. It's really old and has started clogging up a lot. It's something to do with the little plastic tubing that the hot water runs through. Maybe it's in cahoots with that Keurig? Whatever the case, I will not be replacing that when it dies out.

It takes a little practice to get measurements of coffee-to-water right for different roasts. My first cup was perfect. I used some of the Green Mountain Dark Magic that time and got the brew just right. When I first used the Green Mountain Breakfast Roast, things didn't go as well. Because I went with more grounds (because of the lighter roast), I let the coffee perk too long. I had a strangely weak but burned-tasting brew. Ugh. But I don't really like light roasts anyway so that won't happen much.

One benefit of the Keurig vs the percolator is the same as with the Instant Pot vs stovetop cooking. Heat and steam. The percolator fits best on one of the front burners of my stove, but the steam still fogs under the hood unless I turn the spout just the right way. And, of course, the steam warms the kitchen. This will be lovely in the winter months but it's already way too humid where I live. I can turn on the hood ventilator but that thing is noisy. So... oh well.

The biggest downside is the time this takes to brew. When I have the time, it's wonderful. When I am on the way out to appointments or not feeling well, it's... tedious. I don't ever want to have to buy a coffee on the go. 

But, really, that's about it for the negatives. And I think that the positives outweigh them. 

I can't tell you what a money saver this is. Not only is the machine inexpensive, but there is no need to buy filters. And whole bean or ground coffee by the bag is much more affordable than pods. I can adjust the amount of ground (or whole bean) coffee I am using to my needs. With Kcups, you have to use the whole pod - whether you want to make 6, 8, or 10 ounces (the settings on the K-classic Keurig I have). With a pod, you are adjusting water for strength and with the percolator, I am adjusting coffee or water. Also, I can mix coffee if I need to. I currently have some really super-dark roast coffee that I plan to even out with the too-light breakfast roast I have.

Well, not always

I know that there are coffee lovers who look down their noses at percolated coffee. They might think that coffee made in a French press or a pour-over system is better. That could be - if you are really into tasting every tiny atom of difference from coffee to coffee. Personally, I have had coffee done in a French press and I don't find much difference in the quality of the brew. My Polish relatives have made me coffee that they steep right in the cup and that was kind of tastier than mine. I think that perhaps I or the coffee I drink are, as the kids say, too 'basic'. After all, I don't even grind my own beans from pot to pot.  How common!

But...

Now, since I had saved up some Amazon credits to use, I also got an electric percolator. My goal is to use both machines for a time and decide whether or not to keep one or both. That will depend on money, Amazon credits, and some budget necessities. If I keep the electric percolator, I will be selling my Keurig to a neighbor who wants one no matter how it works. Poor thing... I have until mid-August to return the stovetop percolator. So... we will see what we will see. I really don't want to get rid of the stovetop percolator. I like it so much.

The one reason I have to maybe keep the electric percolator is that it doesn't raise the heat in the kitchen. That's a real consideration in the summer months. Even if I keep both machines, I'm still nowhere near what I paid for the one Keurig - even with an extra 3-year warranty. Yes, I have spent a lot of time thinking this all out. You have to plan and make all your pennies count when you don't have a lot of them! I've probably spent more time and research choosing a coffee pot than many people do when buying a washing machine. That's life.

In the meantime, I do have one brand of coffee that I can't brew in any of my machines - it's a mushroom coffee (yes, child, mushroom, and I will do a review). I only brew 6 ounces a day - which is the suggestion and the only amount I can afford to brew. For the mushroom coffee, I use a little single-serve filter thingie that I have in the cabinet. (By the way, that filter is the best thing ever for when you are visiting someone who either doesn't drink coffee or doesn't drink the kind you like. You can baggie up some of your  own grounds to stow in your luggage and have it when you want.) I will have to do a review on the mushroom coffee and maybe even the filter since I never got around to that.

Peace

--Free

Doing Coffee the Way Mama Did It

Why I'm mad at my Keurig

My Keurig ~sigh~ that freaking thing... it's been acting really crazy. It sometimes doesn't put out but about half the amount of coffee I select. It's supposed to brew 6, 8, or 10 ounces. I always select 10. I get about four and a half. And every time it brews, it takes a looong time to start. 

This started happening a few months ago and I read up on all the "fixes" for a sulking Keurig. I've burped it, let it rest for a few days between uses. I run vinegar or citric rinse through it about once every couple of months. The coffee I get from it is of unreliable strengths and flavor. I've taken really good care of that thing. But I'm kind of over it now.

The discounted 59-dollar price tag I paid at Walmart for my Keurig K-Classic when I moved here 4 years ago is not worth the aggravation. Plus, apparently, the price has gone up to around $90+. That's a nope from me.

What I've been using in the meantime

I went on an instant coffee binge. I love Aldi's store brand (which gets high marks) when I can't afford Nescafe. They are great but, really, they can't completely replace coffee coffee. Know what I mean? Thankfully though, I keep some around because I've been making a lot of messes trying to brew ground coffee without the Keurig.

I've used my favorite large tea strainers. These are useful but tedious and I can never get the measurements of coffee to water just right. I pulled out the old one-cup machine I'd packed away. It works but it's messy and, if you forget that it's still hot and try making another cup of coffee, it's dangerous. I am always forgetting and trying to add more water for a second cup too soon. The reservoir will shoot steam out with a horrific, heart-attack-inducing hiss.

A long while back, someone sent me a French press (like this one) to review. It's a beautiful piece of equipment but not for everyday use, in my opinion. I rarely even have the right grind of coffee around for it anyway.

What I wanted to replace the Keurig

Getting another Keurig would have been an option if I hadn't requested other things for my birthday. I don't want to be that greedy, needy sister and auntie. And I really am over the Keurig right now. Seriously. K cups are pricey, The machines take up a lot of counter space. There's a lot of cleaning and maintenance to keep the machines in top shape. Yeah, Keurig is done for me.

I wanted a Bunn. My mother used to have one. We got it for her. I can't remember what it cost but I think they were cheaper back then. The prices are kind of out of my range - even though I did find a cheaper one after some hunting. Besides, I don't want the kind Mom had. It used a glass decanter or carafe or whatever it's called. Mom loved hers because she drank gallons of coffee with her friends and the Bunn was always ready to spew out another 10 or so cups at a time.

Looks just like Mom's

When I looked at machines similar to Keurig, I thought they would probably have the same problems eventually. Besides, I didn't see any that I really liked in my price range.

What I wanted was something that would make good coffee. Something that didn't cost a lot to buy or maintain. Something that would look decent on the countertop. I knew I didn't need anything that made a lot of coffee but I was not down for another machine that uses pods. 

After the first day of looking, I gave up and continued using the instant coffee. In the meantime, I thought about the several partial bags of coffee in the freezer. People in my life know how I love coffee so I get a lot of it. Don't let them find bags on sale! I also still have some random pods around. When I woke up the next day and was about to make another cuppa instant, inspiration struck.

Why I settled on a percolator

Before I ever heard of Keurig and before my mother had a Bunn, coffee in our house was made using a percolating pot. Mom had a plain one that I remember from when I was really young, then Daddy or someone bought her a nice shiny one that plugged in. She used electric percolators from then until they went out of fashion.

I remembered watching the little plops of coffee hitting to glass at the top of the percolator. I remembered the smell of coffee that wafted all around the kitchen and living room first thing in the morning.

That was my answer. Percolators come in all price ranges. There is a lot of discussion among coffee snobs  , uh, connoisseurs about percolated coffee not having the flavor nuances... blah blah blah la-di-dah... I don't need to taste every molecule of the different flavors of a coffee. I need it good, strong, rich, and tasty. Period. And I'm too dang broke to even mumble about being a connoisseur. I can't stand weak coffee, bitter coffee, or artificially-flavored coffee. 

Anyway.

With an electric percolator, you are gambling with parts giving out or having other problems.  They aren't made like back in the day - and what is? With the stove-top machines - like the first ones Mom had - your only worry is about leaving it on the burner too long.

I thought of the other pros and cons of electric vs stovetop.

A lot of the electric ones I saw had Keep Warm and Auto Shut Off functions. They came in all sizes, shapes, and colors.

The stove-top ones came in a lot of sizes but ran mostly around 4 up to 12 cups. And the prices were better.

I decided to try one that was nice-looking, a decent size for my needs, and that had a lot of good reviews. And that wouldn't lop money off my grocery budget. This is what I chose:

Did I make the right choice?

I like the look of this one. I also have liked and trusted the Farberware brand in the past. And this one has an 8-cup capacity that works well whether I am solo or have company over. Oh, and I made sure it was returnable - just in case I hated it. But I don't.

Percolating my first brew was so soothing. (I will review it in another post - there are pros and cons - but I'm happy with it.) There was something comforting about taking my time to make the coffee. Of course, I have a lot of happy memories tied to coffee and my mother, and my youth. They all flooded back and I wallowed in them while I enjoyed that first delicious cup. 

As I said, I will be doing a review of the particular machine I got but there are a lot of different ones out there. For anyone with the time to use one, it's worth taking a look at them. I am also going to be looking at an electric percolator. The funds I set aside to replace the Keurig might allow for that, depending on what I can find...

For too long, coffee has been another rush-rush addiction. With this percolator, I have gotten back to enjoying the process of making and drinking a good cup of coffee. I highly recommend taking time - at least every now and then - to get back to the basics.

Peace

--Free

A Little Scare & Lifestyle Changes

 Every time I have one of my regular infusions, I have to have a blood draw to test levels of ... whatever in my body. Most times, everything is fine and I sail right from the lab test and into an infusion chair. Every now and then, one of the levels of... whatever is high or low or something, and the nurses will check with my doctor. The doctor will give the go-ahead for my having the infusion. Usually.

The last time I went in for my scheduled infusion, the nurses called the doctor and he did not give the go-ahead. 

What???

Less than 8
bucks for this

The nurse scheduled me for another lab test and an appointment with my doctor for that very next week. I don't do so well when my infusions are not done within every 7 to 8 weeks.

I was a little puzzled but I didn't get too shook up until the nurse mentioned that the problem was with my kidney function.

Oh, please, Lord, not the kidneys.

I went home and stressed myself to prayer, tears, and insomnia. I worried about my weight (I've put on a few pounds lately), and I worried about not drinking quite enough water. I worried about everything. 

I was in a higher than usual state of stress and anxiety all the way up to my appointment with the doctor. I went and had the labs done, then had to wait another hour until time for the appointment with my doctor.

$7.99
on Amazon

When the doctor came in and saw how tense I was, I think he was confused but he's probably used to me being weird. He immediately let me know that my labs looked good and that he would have my infusion re-scheduled quickly. He said that there had been a problem showing up with my liver on the day the nurse had called him from infusion, but it was fine now. He said that I had probably had some kind of viral infection that had cleared itself up in the meantime.

Well. Okay.

Not my kidneys, then. Oh, thank you, Jesus. what a relief. Whew!

Tasty but
so tangy

healthy
but, ugh!

But... my liver? What the heck? That explains why the nurse had casually asked about whether or not I was a drinker. If only she knew the sorrow of having lost an uncle and two exes to alcoholism. I might be many things but a drinker is not one of them...

I was relieved and kind of mad, then just relieved again. But I realize a need to step things up with my health. And, for once, I didn't just think about doing better, I've actually gotten into the game. I am about to turn 60 so if not now, when?

I now have one of those water bottles with the time markings on it. I empty that at minimum twice a day and sometimes more. I started getting out on the days I can and taking short walks - twice a day most days. I have cut back on creamy-sugared coffee I love and am drinking more tea - and not just tea but the healthiest I can find. 

I can always smell leaves
burning when I get to this block 
of homes

 Do I feel better? I don't know. I still struggle with fatigue. Contrary to what I've been told, walking is not helping to alleviate that. I do think that walking helps with my balance. I mean, I don't go walking on days when I feel off-balance, but my good days are better than ever. I've only tripped on the carpet a few times this week and I have not walked into door frames turning the corners. 

This is the shady
stretch & my favorite
part

One of the reasons that walking is such a challenge for me, even when my balance is good, is that I get anxious. I don't like walking through a lot of people or where there is a lot of noise or activity. I don't know why this makes me feel like laying on the ground and curling into a fetal position. It is what it is. Thankfully, I live in such a beautiful little town that there is plenty of space to walk without going near the crowded beach or park.

If I make it to this point,
I'm probably going to finish

I have gotten used to following a couple of different routes that let me get in a good 15- to 20-minute walk. I try to go before it's hot out or when the day has cooled off. Since I am such an insomniac, this works well.

Let's hope this is true!

There are days when I think I am addicted to the morning walk, then there are days when I have to fight my anxiety and depression to get out the door of my apartment.

Hopefully, I can keep this up. Hopefully, it will help with the weight and the moods. I did not walk yesterday. My fatigue kicked in big time. I couldn't sit up without feeling like my body was made of lead. Maybe one day, someone will come up with some cure for fatigue.

I think that maybe we sometimes need a good scare to motivate us. I wish I had had some kind of warning before I got this silly sarcoidosis. For now, though, I want to baby my kidneys. And getting my weight down is a good way to do that. Keep prayers going up for me, people.

Peace

--Free

...The Way I Like My Coffee

I don't know whoever started the saying about liking their men the way they like their coffee, but I get it. I like my coffee the way I like my life: dark roast, light roast, and all the toasty roasts in between. It's been more dark than light lately, but that's all right.

Not using sugar or flavored creamer in my coffee was only possible because of a particular coffee brand. For the past couple of years, I have so wanted to learn to enjoy plain black coffee. Black coffee (instead of the sugary, heavily-creamed stuff) has a lot of potential benefits:

• It's low (or no) calorie, free of fat and cholesterol.
• Can be a good source of antioxidants (check my post on ORAC values and if you're a data wonk, check this article. ) The ORAC value for coffee is in the 15,000 to 17,000 range, according to this source. I have not yet looked into the Cascara Powder from coffee.
• "Possibly effective" for digestion, diabetes, gallstones and other issues. You should also always keep in mind the way any ingested item could interact with your medications.

I won't get into all the other debatable claims about weight loss, cancer-curbing, memory-boosting, artery-cleansing, etc. Some of those claims have studies behind them and some are potentially true for some or most people.

As I said, I've had to learn to drink black coffee. A lot of people have the opinions I used to: coffee is not made to drink black, it's too harsh-tasting and... just blecch! What I know now is that it's all about roast, grind, and brewing method. I started drinking Luzianne brand black because it's mellower-tasting the darks roasts I always liked. Now I have discovered 2 other brands:

First one I tried

Number 2

I got the Caribou from Hy-vee for just over 5 bucks for the 12-oz bag. The taste is mild enough to drink black, but I wasn't impressed by the bland flavor. It will do for when I run out of my other coffees.

It is lighter than my Luzianne and Cafe du Monde dark roasts.

Caribou
I heightened the contrast so you can tell it's not
much lighter than the Cafe du Monde or Luzianne dark roasts

The Kicking Horse brand is from Amazon and was 10 bucks for the 10-oz bag. Crazy. I really wanted to kick my own horse for splurging on this one. Except... It's kind of yummy. It's not dollar-per-ounce-yummy but it's nice. The one negative about this one (other than that price) is that I like it better with at least a drop or two of creamer. Minus creamer, it's got a very slightly and pleasantly woody taste; with a touch of creamer, it gets all smoky and toasty-tasting. Yeah, so, nto helping me in the calorie department.

Kicking Horse
is very finely ground too

When it's time to get more coffee, I think I am going to try one that is light roast but has a touch of chocolate. I think I can do anything as long as chocolate is involved.

Overall, if my opinion matters, I would recommend the Kicking Horse Hola (for those who can afford it). The Caribou is a Nope for me because Luzianne is just as good black and is a better coffee all around.

That's my coffee post for now. I will update when I've had the chance to try more flavors/brands.

Peace
--Free

*I do NOT get paid as an affiliate for any of the links in this post

Coffee and Comfort Zones

I can sometimes be such as ass. And it's always to my own detriment.

Ever since I first heard about the Keto craze and all the other low-carb diets, I have wished to be able to drink black coffee. I'm not kidding when I say that my daily saturation of sweetened coffee is where most of my unnecessary calories come from. Coffee is a necessity, yes, but all the sugar in my flavored creamers is pure indulgence. Not only do those creamers turn a simple cup of coffee into a dessert but they are starting to take a chunk out of my grocery budget.

The look, the feel - all hits a little close to home!

I love, love, love my coffee. And not just any coffee. For the past couple of years, I've grown more attached to coffee enhanced with chicory. Coffee can be good for you. Chicory can be good for you. There is nothing good for your body (outside of your tastebuds) about heavily sweetened coffee creamers. However, I have always had a hard time drinking plain, black, unsweetened coffee. I've never even liked coffee with sugar if it was also without cream.  For a while, when doing Keto and OMAD, I tried to convince myself that I could do the black coffee thing but... Ugh. I think that McDonald's had the only coffee that I could gag down - if I absolutely had to - without the sugary creamers. But now...

Okay, this is where I explain how I can be such an obstinate ass. I get set in my ways and think that I must never change. Never, ever. Because I am always right. Always. Until I am wrong.

A while back, I heard of Luzianne coffee with chicory. At the time, I couldn't find it for an affordable price. Then the other week, I finally ran across some in Amazon's Prime Pantry. It was so affordable that I got 2 bags just in case the price was a fluke.

Now all the Amazon customer reviews for the coffee just ranted and raved about how delicious it was. Other customers swore by it because they claimed that it was better than any other coffee, that it was their preferred brand, and that it was so strong without being bitter, and blah blah blah. I fell for the hype and was thrilled to place the order. I just about assaulted the UPS driver when he made the delivery.

The last time I was so excited to make coffee was after not being able to drink any for a 36-hour fast (and refused to have the allowed had black coffee). I brewed up the first pot like a junkie setting up a fix. I could tell right away that the Luzianne wasn't going to be as strong as Cafe Du Monde or French Market brands (which are both the same, I'm sure) and I got a little worried.

Of course, I added my sweetened creamer and... Nope. I was not impressed at all. In my opinion, the brew was much too weak. It looked like a very weak cup of tea. With the other brands, adding creamer gives a nice mellowed out cocoa-frost kind of shade. With the Luzianne, the tiniest bit of cream turned the coffee the shade of Almond milk. Just whited out all the color and all the flavor. Nasty, nasty.

I tried making a slightly stronger brew, and then a third even stronger brew. The color deepened a little but the creamer still killed all the coffee flavor. I burned through over 5 scoops (about a tablespoon and a half each) of ground coffee before I gave up. I tossed the bag of Luzianne in the fridge and made myself a cup of reliable Cafe Du Monde.


Once I got my usual java fix, I wrote a 3-star review on Amazon for the Luzianne coffee. I  complained about how weak the coffee was. I didn't say (though I may have implied it) that the other reviewers were wimps who had no idea what "strong" coffee is. And I made up my mind to give the coffee to my sister-in-law. She's kind of a coffee wimp.

Before I could give the coffee away, a neighbor stopped by for a chat. She, too, is a coffee wimp. I made her a cup of the Luzianne and continued drinking my mug of the good stuff. As soon as my neighbor sipped her coffee she was kind of wowed and asked me what kind it was. (She's had some of my nuclear brew before and I've had to water it down for her since.) I told her that I didn't like the Luzianne because it wasn't strong enough and she said that it probably was meant to be drunk black. I ended up giving her the rest of the opened bag since she liked it so much.

I couldn't quit thinking about what my neighbor said about drinking the Luzianne black. That was the one thing I had not tried when I was doing my taste test. So I brewed up a cup.

Listen. This coffee is goooood. It's so good that cream and sugar only ruin it. I think I like this coffee plain more than I like my other coffee with the creamer. No, that's a lie, but I do like it almost as much as the calorific coffee. By the way, I did go back and amend my Amazon review (so I'm not a total ass).

Drinking Luzianne coffee black makes me appreciate why some people only drink their coffee black. This coffee is kind of amazing. For the first time in my life, I on purpose made and drank black coffee all day. It's been two days now and I have only had my dessert coffee once.

I am excited about this. When I was doing Keto and OMAD (and trying to go 16 and 18 hours between meals), coffee was the thing that tripped me up every time. The rule was that you could have all the black coffee you wanted in between meals.  All the BLACK COFFEE. I would make it up to almost 15 hours before I got cranky and needed my java fix so I'd cheat. Now that I'm trying to cut back on sugars by using the miracle berry, I've been doing well with everything except my coffee - because coffee with lemon is just nasty.

I love the idea of getting the health benefits (and caffeine kick) from coffee without all those calories. On a normal day, I usually make a 16-ounce mug of coffee and add at least 5 tablespoons of the sweet creamer. That's over 170 of the most useless calories in my world. Crazy delicious but also just crazy.

Just imagine if all the coffee I drink in a day is good for me, right? Understand that I can go through two of my big mugs in a day. If I don't feel well, I can do three. My mug keeps the coffee hot for so long that those two helpings get me from early in the morning until late at night.

One thing I have to mention though about coffee with chicory: do not forget the laxative effect. For some reason, when I drink the Luzianne coffee black, the laxative properties are way stronger than when I drink my other coffee with the cream. I know that the chicory has an "emptying" effect but I've never experienced it with the other brands so I assume this has to do with the sugary additives I was using. I'm just guessing but... I have warned you so be careful.

Peace
--Free

Because it's a blast from somebody's past

& it mentions coffee

**REVIEW** Vremi Single Cup Coffee Maker (with 14-oz travel mug)

Well, my Keurig is still packed away since it's cheaper to make a car payment than it is to keep myself stocked with pods. I was able to get by with the world's cheapest coffee pot for over a year until recently. It finally started tapdancing on my last good nerve a few weeks ago when the lid wouldn't completely close. Actually, it was a good little pot considering I picked it up for under 10 bucks at Walmart.

When it came time to replace the pot, I considered using the Keurig (which I only put out when I have guests staying for more than a few days) until I priced pods again. There are some cheap ones to be had but, honestly, I've been drinking chicory coffee lately and don't want to give that up.

Both Walmart and Amazon had pots similar to the one that was dying, but then I saw this:

That is the Vremi Single Cup Coffee Maker that comes with a 14-ounce capacity travel mug.

Of course, it didn't arrive like that. It came in a box and that box is freaking cute! Here's a collage of the different things written on it. Also, there is a little bonus inside. It's a nice bonus, too.

#thisboxrocks

People think of me as a rabid coffee drinker because I seem to always have a mug in my hand, but that's not true. I love my java but only ever make about 2 cups of coffee to fill my Kleen Kanteen (thank you again to my darling niece!) once, sometimes twice, a day. The Vremi seemed like a good deal at under $15. And I would have logged out of Amazon spending just that if I hadn't kept looking and saw this:

Keeps the coffee fresh!

cannister goes well with the coffee maker 

That will be in a review later, but let's talk about this coffee maker.

Positives

The main thing that mattered - other than that price - was that the pot not take up a lot of counter space. That was a bonus of my old, dying pot. Thankfully, the Vremi is basically the same size.

It doesn't matter to me that the old pot held more coffee. The Vremi has me covered with that 14-ounce capacity.

Another Pro is that the lid closes easily and completely on the Vremi. The lid is probably the biggest negative to small coffee makers. I'm not a total grouch first thing in the morning, but I don't want to have to wiggle and jiggle a lid closed to make my first cup of the day.

Next best: this thing brews fast! I usually set up my brew before I go to bed. In the morning, I hit the power button before I open the blinds and turn on the plant lights. No more than 2 minutes and my coffee is ready. Perfect.

The Vremi has an auto shut off. That right there is huge for me. The last time I left town to see the family, I had a panic attack right after my plane took off. For over 3 hours, I was twice as miserable as I usually am when flying. I could not remember if I had turned off the coffee pot. There have been times when I have woken out of a dead sleep to run into the kitchen and check that dang pot. I need a Valium right now just for these flashbacks.

So, yeah, the Vremi is pretty awesome but there are a couple of things I'm not thrilled with.

Negatives

First thing: the travel mug doesn't keep my coffee hot for very long - only very warm. This is not a problem for me because I always drink from my Kanteen. Still, some folks are going to think they can use this mug to savor their hot morning coffee for half an hour or so. They will be fine if they don't mind really warm, kind-of-sort-of-hot coffee.

The mug is described as being stainless steel on the product page. In my opinion, that should read as "stainless steel wrapped" because the inside is total plastic. It's so lightweight that it feels like it's made entirely of plastic. I just had to check the weight with my food scale.

may be off by a bit but...

Under 6 ounces. Very lightweight even if my scale is slightly off. Also, the lid does not have a strong seal so...  Like I said, for me, that's a minor complaint since I only use the mug to collect the brewed coffee. My own Kanteen mug won't fit the maker. If you want to know if your mug might fit, the travel mug is just around 5.75 inches tall and 3.5 inches at the base. The maker, from top to base, is stated to be 9.75 inches while the base is 7.125 inches.

The last negative is just plain pesky. It's to do with the permanent (but removable for cleaning) metal mesh filter.

I love and hate those things. They are convenient, of course, but they seem to let a lot of gritty residue seep into the coffee. Since I don't have any teeny-tiny paper filters on hand, I have been cutting out substitutes from the paper filters I have left over.

Overall

I'm really happy with the maker itself. That mug sucks though. Still, I would buy this again and I have already recommended it to one of my neighbors. It only took me the first 3 brews to figure out the best coffee to water ratio to use for the strength I prefer.

The positives are so high with this machine, I can't even really care about the pesky little cons. Also, I'm not kidding when I say that the bonus Vremi included is the best I've gotten with a purchase like this.

Peace
--Free

Coffee, Chicory, and Bulletproof Recipe

Unless you are into Intermittent Fasting, Keto, Paleo, or any eating regimen included Bulletproof Coffee, you might want to skip this post. But if you are curious about chicory, you might want to hang around.

First, let talk Bullet Proof Coffee:

I am curious what any of the rest of you think of using MCT oil in your coffee? I've posted about my experience with it, but I don't know if everyone feels it makes a difference in their diet.  The kind I am using is great but... that price tag is a little scary.

For now, I am still using the MCT (because I have some left) in my BPC and I have gotten back into using chicory also. I don't know that I will be re-purchasing the oil again anytime soon.

This is my recipe for Morning B.P. Coffee:

• 3 tablespoons dark roast coffee (had to order Yuban it online, but it's worth it) brewed with 2.5 cups of water (because I like my coffee strong). Recently, I'm adding chicory but I'll get to that later.
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. I keep a small amount in a sealed container on the counter so that it's softened for use.
• 1 Tablespoon of MCT oil
• About 2.5 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream
• Either 2 packets of Monkfruit Golden or 1.5 tablespoons of Monkfruit Classic White
• Sometimes, I use a couple tablespoons of coconut milk or coconut cream.

After I add everything to the coffee, I hit it with the stick blender until it's a little frothy. I happen to have an excellent thermos-type mug that keeps my coffee hot for hours. Thanks to my niece for sending such a useful Mother's Day gift.

It's a "Kanteen" and
you can get one with other wraps

I usually go through 2 mugs of my coffee in a  day. If I'm sick from my meds, I will even do 3 because the ingredients make up for the food I don't eat those couple of days. It's a really filling, satisfying drink. Adding the coconut milk or cream is perfect when I need something extra in my stomach.

Now, this is the golden variety of the monk fruit sweetener that I have fallen in love with:

I guess it's supposed to mimic brown sugar the way the white variety mimics table sugar. It does have a somewhat richer flavor but it's not anything like actual brown sugar. I love me some brown sugar in my coffee, but this will have to do for now.

There are benefits to black coffee that you can look up online. Chicory root also has benefits you might not have heard of - and I am not saying that these are proven benefits, but just things I have heard of from others including my family that chicory might have an effect on:

• Lowering blood sugar
• As a laxative (my mother told me about this years ago)
• To help increase or decrease appetite.
• To help lower blood pressure
• As a caffeine-free substitute for coffee

When I was young, my mother made chicory root tea to help ease my constipation but I didn't like the taste to drink enough of the tea. As an adult, I can say that, if I ingest enough chicory, I get mild laxative benefits. (By the way, I have heard of chicory root being used as a sweetener.)

I used to get chicory from the health food bulk bins at Carrs Safeway in Anchorage and loved the smell and taste when added to coffee. I ran out of the last of my very old supply and ordered this from Amazon. I was not pleased. The product smelled and tasted rank and stale.

There are quite a few coffees that have chicory added- or even java substitutes that made solely of chicory. I prefer just adding chicory to my own choice of coffees. Thanks to social media photos I have taken and captioned with a mention of chicory, I have been offered a couple of chicory coffees to try.

This is French Market Chicory Coffee. It is very reasonably priced. This one is about $5 for a 12-ounce can at Walmart (but is not available at my local Walmart so it has to be ordered from their online store). I will be doing a full review later, but this is what the coffee looks like:

 I expected the chicory to have that nice, dark color (along with the scent of coffee, but this is what I got:

As you can see, the color is not very deep. The smell is very stale and unpleasant. There was zero coffee-scent to it. I will not be using the brand again. The brand I used in Anchorage was as dark as the French Market coffee.

So, obviously, there are some things to consider when choosing a chicory:

• It should be organic and fresh (read lots of reviews)
• Origin should be USA (because I think there are flavor variations by country of origin)
• Use a seller who offers a freshness or other satisfaction guarantee

Anyway, I would love to hear about anyone else using BPC and/or chicory. Do you have a special recipe and do you feel that it helps you in any way? Also, if you know of a good brand of chicory root (fresh and affordable), do let me know.

Peace
--Free