Today’s Userfriendly strip makes fun of flavoured coffee. Quite funny.

I have a thing for apple cider. Some days I don’t feel like coffee or tea or steamed milk, or I’ve already had my share in these products. When that’s the case, and I still want something warm and yummy, I turn to apple cider.

Now, not many places actually serve apple cider year-round. It’s a pity. And, even worse, most make it from what tastes like the powdered sugary mix. Not the good stuff. I personally make a rocking apple cider, and a great mulled version, so I am picky.

Couple days ago I decided to try an apple cider from Take 5, ant it’s the best I’ve had from a cafe in a very long time. Tasted warm (in terms of spices) and based more on apple than on sugar. Good stuff!

Tags: apple cider, warm

Today we are drinking Indonesia Flores, roasted on February 27th. I am a fan of Indonesian coffees. Find them very pleasing from the first drop to the last.

The last batch of coffee, which we unfortunately didn’t write about, wasn’t as good. It started well right after roasting but didn’t last well as we continued to finish our half pound. Since we don’t get fresh coffee every day, it’s good to have one that can last a week.

The flavour of the coffee is not very strong. Perhaps it’s a little on the more flat side as opposed to many others we have tried that have distinct flavours.

About Flores:

The island of Flores was never really part of the Dutch East Indies. It was discovered by the Portuguese in the mid 15th century and was settled by them soon after. The Portuguese influence lasted for over 100 years before the Dutch drove them out. However Portuguese missionaries remained and today most of the population is Christian, unlike the rest of the country which is predominately Muslim. The island itself is a fantastic place- from the Komodo dragons in the east, to the volcanic lakes of Kelimutu and the friendly port city of Larantuka…vast jungles cover the island and many of the roads are narrow and allow limited access to the hinterland. The arabica produced on the island displays mellowness reminiscent of that found in Java.. Several large plantations produce beans for export, however again the small hold producers grow beans with unusual and very favorable qualities. - Source

Wanna know how to convert your popcorn machine into a coffee roaster? Well, I don’t but some may ;)

Anyway, if you think you can roast beans good enough for your taste, then hop on over to engadget for the step by step instructions. And be prepared - it looks like you’ll need to be quite specific about your parts and on how to put it together properly.