Coffee S'Mores Pie Recipe. Need We Say More?

It's summer and that means s'mores! "S'more what?" "You're killing me, Smalls!" Also, coffee. It is the incredible combination of the two best things on earth. Aside from having coffee in the recipe, this pie goes great with a dark roast coffee.

Ingredients: 

The Crust

• 9 graham crackers. Smashed finely. 
• 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons of Nutella
• 1 ounce of semisweet chocolate, melted
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, melted

The coffee ganache

• 12 ounces of semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1 & 1/4 cups of heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons of fresh coffee grounds

The meringue

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup of sugar, white

The graham cracker crust prep

1. Mix the graham cracker crumbs and the other ingredients in a mixing bowl. 
2. Once mixed, spread this mixture into a pie tin. Push until firm. 
3. Chill for about 30 minutes. 

The coffee ganache prep

1. Place chocolate and butter in a large mixing bowl. 
2. Bring the cream, the coffee, and 2 tablespoons of water to a boil in a small saucepan. 
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let steep for about five minutes. 
4. Strain the cream mix through fine, mesh sieve into the bowl with the chocolate and butter. 
5. Toss the coffee grounds. 
6. Stir the mix until it is all melted and smooth. 
7. Pour this into the chilled crust. 
8. Let set for an hour. 

The meringue

1. Use an electric mixer on medium speed. 
2. Beat the egg whites in a medium sized bowl until they are light and frothy. 
3. Add in sugar in 4 additions to avoid sugar rebounding everywhere. Beat for one minute with each addition. 
4. Beat egg whites and sugar until stiff and glossy. 
5. Spread the meringue over the coffee ganache. Feel free to make it decorative! 
6. Use a kitchen torch to brown the meringue a bit to give it that campfire roasted marshmallow look. 
7. Keep the pie chilled. It can be made 8 hours ahead of time. 

Chick-fil-A Wants to Give You Free Coffee. Find Out More

Through the entire month of February, Chick-fil-A plans on giving away its coffee away for free. The deal gets even better, they plan on doing so without requiring a minimum purchase.

To compete with McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts, Chick-fil-A wants you to know that it believes its coffee is not just coffee to have with breakfast but rather, it is coffee you want to have. The coffee wars are heating up and not just because the coffee is hot.

The deal is through Chick-fil-A locations nationwide so make sure you stop by one! Coffee will be hot or iced coffee, serving up THRIVE Farmers Coffee, all day long.

Of course, the hope is that people will come in for free coffee and stay for some breakfast.

Do you want a great deal on coffee that you can keep in your home? Then shop Coffeevines and purchase coffee K-Cups to enjoy anytime!

Let's Make 2015 a Great Year with Great Coffee.

Let's make it a great year. Need a new hobby for 2015? Consider coffee. Already a coffee fan? Try Coffeevines.

Happy Holidays from Coffeevines

It is that time of year when we are to gather with friends and family and celebrate what matters most, being with those we love.

Take time this holiday season to spend some time with those that make your life better and return the favor. Whether you enjoy your time together over some aromatic K-Cup coffee, therapeutic K-Cup tea, or luxurious hot cocoa, make sure sure you make some good memories.  

Enjoy the season, my friends!

Coffeevines is a retailer for K-Cup coffee in Chicago.

4 Common Mistakes People Make with Coffee

Coffee is at the heart of many Americans, and frankly, people around the globe. Many of us consume it first thing in the morning, then again later on in the morning, perhaps again in the afternoon, etc. We drink a lot of it. It smells good, it tastes great, and keeps us happy and sane.

However, there are certain things that we do with coffee that are not great to do with coffee.

1. The first thing is that some people try to use coffee as a substitute for smoking. While this can be a great idea, replacing the cigarette with the coffee K-Cup is that some of the effects of the chemicals in the cigarette and the tobacco can make the liver perform faster; this makes the metabolism burn the caffeine faster than a coffee drinker who does not smoke. Due to this, smokers can have a higher caffeine tolerance than non-smokers and might have to drink three to four times the amount of coffee to have the same effect. Having too much coffee can create some health risks, remember, everything in moderation.
2. Having coffee too late in the day creates another issue. The point of coffee is to wake us up but we do not want to have coffee but we do not want it to prevent us from falling asleep at night. If you have coffee too late, then you might find your bedtime is thrown off, which disrupts your sleep cycle. Know your body and how it reacts to caffeine. If you really want more coffee later in the day, try using decaf coffee.
3. Trying to sweat out the caffeine is not something that works too well either. Have you ever had one cup too many and then you feel jittery and anxious? Often times, we try to do something to sweat out the caffeine. Sometimes, we try to eat something to soak up some of the caffeine as well. The ladder might work, depending on what you eat but not always. See, caffeine is metabolized at the same rate no matter what so trying to sweat it out or eating food to soak it up does not really work too well.
4. Believing that only die-hards can tolerate espresso. Yeah, we know that espresso can be a real bold way to drink coffee but it is not reserved for the dedicated and seasoned coffee consumers. A shot of espresso has less caffeine than an 8 ounce cup of coffee. You also might find it interesting that a lightroast coffee has more caffeine than a dark roast coffee or a mediumroast coffee.

Coffee sure is an interesting beverage. We love it!

Do you need a quick fix for your short coffee supply? Then shopCoffeevines and get your coffee delivered to your door right away! No need to stop at the store, especially if the closest one is a long drive away!

Fall Coffee Recipe: Maple Mocha Latte

This recipe is wonderfully easy and worth it. All the ingredients are easy to get (if you don't have them already). The maple mocha latte is a fall coffee recipe favorite around the office and for good reason.

The ingredients you will need are: 

• 1 coffee K-Cup of your choice. It can be whatever blend or brand that you like. I personally like to use the Starbucks Caffe Verona K-Cup. 
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder, unsweetened 
• 3/4 cup of warmed milk
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon of whipped cream

Now that we have the wonderfully easy ingredients ready to go, we are able to get to making the coffee!

1. Brew your K-Cup in your machine into a 16 ounce mug. 
2. Warm the milk in the microwave but do not do so much that it boils. So a couple minutes. 
3. After that, add in the 2 tablespoons of maple syrup into your mug. 
4. Mix in the 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder. Mix this all together a few times and make sure they blend well. 
5. Mix in the milk. Stir. 
6. Top it off with the whipped cream and sprinkle on some of the cocoa powder, if you have any left over. 

Make sure to shop Coffeevines for any of your coffee needs! We are carriers of many famous brands and deliver right to your door (home or office). Not a coffee fan? We also carry many selections of tea and hot cocoa as well. 

Which Professions Drink the Most Coffee?

Journalists and reporters consume more coffee than other industries, according to a recent study that studied the coffee habits of 10k people. Especially since the invention of the coffee K-Cup machine where coffee is made quickly.

Apparently, 85 percent of the participants stated that they consume at least three cups of coffee per day while another 70 percent believed their work quality would suffer if they went without their daily coffee.

It would seem that drinking coffee is a must for business professionals, states Pressat survey researchers, the group that conducted the study. Some of the professionals in PR, the industry that ranks 1st, consume as much as 6 cups of coffee per day. Those with stressful jobs/careers consume the most, which makes sense since PR is often ranked in the top 3 for stressful jobs.

After public relations, police officers come in 2nd, then teachers, plumbers and other trade professionals, nurses and doctors, company execs, telesales, IT support, retai
l, and drivers (truckers, limo, buses, etc).

One hypothesis includes the possibility that professionals are being overworked, overstretched and pushed beyond limits.

The recommended dosage of caffeine is 200 mg per day; this over consumption can lead to health concerns.

So if you need coffee to get through the day, make shopping for it less stressful and buy from Coffeevines- we will deliver right to your door with easy UPS shipping. Shop for brands like Starbucks, Green Mountain, Peet's, and more.

A Brief Explanation of the Coffee Nap

You read it here! The traditional nap where you just feel tired then lay down and sleep for a couple hours are naps of the past! The new "coffee nap" is in. The next time you feel tired, take a coffee nap, my friend.

It sounds contradictory, right? Well, yeah, it does sound contradictory. However, in reality, it works out great! Scientific evidence suggests that taking one of these will actually power you up more than just having a cup of coffee or just taking a nap.

How does the power nap work? Well, it's all about the chemistry; there are two competing effects at play here: caffeine and adenosine. Adenosine is the neurotransmitter in our bodies that tell our minds when we are feeling awake (it accumulates) and when we are feeling tired (when it dissipates). Caffeine takes about 30 minutes to take effect and make you alert.

How does one accomplish the coffee nap? When you start to feel tired, drink a cup of coffee. If you want the coffee quickly, then choose K-Cup coffee. After you consume that, take a 20-30 minutes and when you wake up, the caffeine will have kicked in and you'll feel great. This will help fight off sleep-inertia, or, the grogginess you feel right after waking up.

So the next time you want to take a nap, have some single cup coffee right before and then do a power nap. Let us know how well it worked out for you by commenting on the blog post!

Pancake Recipe Perfect for Pairing with Coffee

On a nice weekend morning, nothing is better than having a delicious plate of pancakes and a hot cup of single cup coffee. We found an incredible recipe for apple-bacon pancakes with cider syrup. Oh my, they will even make pancake lovers out of someone who once despised pancakes. If you like apples, pancakes, and bacon, you will absolutely love these. These pancakes have a nice sweet, yet slightly smoky taste to them.

The ingredients in this recipe are very easy to find in a store, if you don't have them in your kitchen cupboards already.

• Half cup of apple cider
• 3 tablespoons of light brown sugar, and make sure it's divided 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch
• half cup of whole-wheat pastry flour. Yeah, has to be whole wheat. 
• Quarter cup of all-purpose flour. None of that flour that isn't cool enough to do more than one job! 
• 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. That's not a typo. 
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• Half cup of nonfat buttermilk
• 1 cup of apple, peel it and dice it (about 1 medium sized apple)
• 4 slices of bacon, fried and cut
• 1 teaspoon of canola oil, and make sure it's divided

Now that you have ingredients good to go, let's get to frying up some pancakes to pair with your medium roast K-cup coffee! Or, if you like K-cup tea, that works too! Delicious. 

1. Mix the cider, brown sugar (just 2 tablespoons), lemon juice, and the cornstarch into a small saucepan. Bring your mix to a medium heat until boil. Whisk it and cook it until it thickens; this should take about a minute or two. 
2. Whisk the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and the last bit of brown sugar (there should be 1 tablespoon left) in a small mixing bowl. Mix in the egg, egg white, and the buttermilk in a large mixing bowl. Then, mix in the dry ingredients, bacon, and the apple chunks until it is all combined. Yeah, it will be thick batter indeed! 
3. Grab a skillet (large) and with a half teaspoon of oil and put on medium heat. Use a quarter cup of batter and cook four at a time. They should be about 3 inches in diameter per pancake. 
4. Cook until the edges are dry and you see bubbles start to form in the middle (this will take about two minutes). Flip. Cook a couple more minutes or until they are golden brown. 
5. Serve pancakes, pour on apple cider syrup. Sip a dark roast single cup coffee, read your favorite section of the paper. Repeat.