29 September 2014. Hey, Hey, Hey, It’s National Coffee Day!

******

******

******

______________________________

It’s NATIONAL COFFEE DAY! Hey, I need a cup o’ good industrial-strength joe to get the ol’ brain cells firing and up to speed (contrary to konvertsy rumour, I’m not just running on my brainstem). If you can put in a slug of something nice, well… that just makes a good thing BETTER. Trust me, try a fresh cuppa java with a shot of anisette… a little brown sugar and cream (no, not milk, you moron… cream… the real deal… NOT half n’ half)… now, that’s the ticket on a cold winter’s night.

Coffee… the staff o’ life of the civilised world… along with tea, of course. I split the ticket, having a foot in the Russian World and a foot in the American World. Which do I prefer? I take the Fifth on that one (and a slug off the fifth, if you catch my drift)… I like both equally… it’s like kids… you love ’em all, but each one a little bit differently (but with the same intensity). Don’t leave home without it…

BMD

Advertisement

21 July 2013. RIA-Novosti Infographics. Latte, Iced, or Mocha: What’s Inside Trendy Coffees?

______________________________

The menus of modern coffee houses are full of obscure names… latte, iced coffee, lungo, ristretto, macchiato. This RIA-Novosti infographic will help you to understand the difference between popular coffee styles in a flash.

Most coffee drinks on offer in restaurants and bistros are based upon espresso. It’s made using special coffee machines… the coffee is brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through finely-ground dark roast coffee. This produces a robust, full-bodied, and aromatic drink. Then, the fun begins. For example, the addition of water makes espresso Americano. If you add foamed milk, it becomes macchiato, cappuccino, or latte. Tossing in some whipped cream creates espresso con panna. If you stir in some ice cream, it gives you an affogato. That’s just the beginning… the barista can experiment and come up with new coffee blends, not using the classic ingredients.

The editors want to thank Olga Orel, Russian-certified Barista Champion, and a leading connoisseur coffee company from Vienna for their help in the creation of this infographic.

17 July 2013

RIA-Novosti

http://ria.ru/infografika/20130717/950325157.html

http://www.en.rian.ru/infographics/20130719/182303702/Coffee-Guide.html

24 December 2011. It’s Almost Here… “Merry Christmas” to My Catholic and Protestant Friends

______________________________

You made it. The tree’s up… the presents are bought and wrapped… the cookies are baked… the very little ones are getting ready for bed. Pour yourself an adult beverage and smile. Another holiday just went swimmingly. Sure, there was this, that, and the other… isn’t that always the case? Slip out of your hose and heels, and slip into something comfy. It’s OVER…

UNTIL NEXT YEAR…

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

Barbara-Marie Drezhlo

Saturday 24 December 2011

Albany NY