Gift Basket Delivers All Manner of Christmas Goodies

Destination Cafe's gift baskets arrived on Saturday afternoon (Christmas Eve). Linda D., the cafe's business coordinator, delivered the two baskets (one for myself, one for my sister) with a smile and a Merry Christmas.

It didn't take long before I broke open the contents and investigated further. Sure enough, there was about a half pound of Peruvian coffee, freshly roasted and ground. This coffee is also fair trade and organically grown. Immediately I set about the task of making myself a cup.

While I was in the midst of doing so, my neighbor dropped by for a visit, representing the perfect opportunity for an unbiased opinion! My neighbor loves coffee, so I was full of promises for a special treat.

While boiling the water, I added about four heaping tablespoons of fresh Peruvian coffee to the bottom of the French Press. This coffee was coarsely ground to ensure that there were no coffee grounds in the coffee cup. Once the water was boiled, I poured the water into the press until it was about four-fifths full, which would allow room for the basket to be inserted later at the end of the process.

Stirring the water and coffee together occasionally, I allowed the coffee three minutes to work its magic and finish the brewing process. I then inserted the filtre and cover, pushing down on the metal stem attaching the two together so that the basket in turn pushed the coffee grounds down to the bottom of the Press.

Then came the fun part: drinking the coffee. It was absolutely delicious; my neighbor was as enthusiastic about the results as I. So there we were: drinking coffee and feasting on chocolate goodies that came with the gift basket. All in all, a very pleasant experience, and one well worth the $25.00 price tag.

So as the day waned and night advanced on Christmas Boxing Day, I decided to treat myself once again to some relaxing times with a good cup of coffee, also deciding to publish another post on the joys of good coffee. tea, chocolate (and even the occasional pop). Coffee of course remains the dominant theme in these Chronicles, but you would be surprised what posts get the most hits. Two of the biggest views come from a post I did on the Kola nut earlier this year, while the other is an analysis of Kirkland Signature Diet Green Tea. The Kola post in particular gets a lot of hits.

So as 2011 draws to a close I hope everyone who reads this blog will discover the joys of the little things in life; the small comforts that make living so much easier, whether it be a good book, a good song on the radio, good friends and of course good food and drink.

Have a healthy and enjoyable new year everyone!