Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Worlds Most Expensive Coffee. And its Not Starbucks!

Now there is an unlikely sentence. Yep, Starbucks doesn't offer the world's most expensive coffee beans. That award actually goes to a Costa Rican brew which just won the 'Taza de Excelencia' (means 'excellence cup') competition with their Aserri beans, and are now selling at the equivalent of $21.35 per pound. Not bad eh? So next time you think of that $12 bag of Starbucks think, hey, it's not THAT expensive...

http://insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2007/june/23/nac02.htm

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Burgers and Folgers?


For those of you that like Folgers coffee, you are in luck. Why? Because Wendy's has jumped on the premium coffee bandwagon by starting to offer Folgers premium coffee in all of its North American stores. So now you can chow down on your favorite Wendy's burger while sipping on a tasty Folgers cup of coffee.

Interesting they decided to partner, and not make their own premium brand, like McDonalds and Burger King have done. So which fast food chain is next to offer premium coffee? In-n-Out featuring Maxwell House? I wonder...

Monday, May 14, 2007

Bikinis. The new coffee shop marketing idea...

Yep, believe it or not, a coffee shop in Oregon is making their staff wear bikinis all summer! And its paying off - their sales have doubled to $1000 a day! Its actually part of a Haiwaiian Tropic promotion called 'Bikini Days' there - including free samples and advertising on coffee sleeves. Pretty good idea right? This would definitely work for coffee shops in San Diego too! All they need is to offer pina coladas and it would be the perfect hit ;)

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Impress Your Friends with Coffee Art

Yes, coffee geeks are impressed with doing cool stuff with coffee and the foam on top of it. I know this all to well after working in Starbucks before!

Anyway, I just found this cool website explaining how to draw some cool patterns in your coffee while pouring, called 'Latte Art'... check it out, very interesting! First person that can draw an english flag on their coffee gets a special prize from me ;)

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Latte-Art

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Vintage TV Coffee Adverts/Life With Crap Coffee

Coffee really wasn't really that big or very good in the 50's and 60's. I guess people were just happy with watery un-buzzable coffee back then. Just take a look at these vintage TV coffee adverts I found on YouTube. Can you imagine life back in those days with no good coffee and having to watch embarrasingly cheesy commercials for 'coffee' and having to rely on Folgers 'fresh-perked' or whatever that means? Check these out... very strange!

Fresh-Perked? What's that mean?


Drive-in Movie Coffee/What the hell is that kid eating anyway?


Difference, Difference? Weird...


Hold it Soon? Even weirder...

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Zanzibar in Upcoming Pacific Beach Restaurant Walk!

Not only do Zanzibar brew a good cup of coffee, but their food is great - so good that they have just been nominated as one of the 18 featured places on the 'Coast of Pacific Beach Restaurant Walk', on Tuesday April 17th, from 5-9pm.

Tickets are only $15 and you get samples at all participating restaurants. Come hungry and check it out - and congratulations to Zanzibar! Here's all the details:
http://pacificbeach.org/visitorinfo/calendar.cfm

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Coffee Shop Karma Anyone?

Ever wondered why people seem so happy in a coffee shop? Perhaps its the moment you walk into your favorite coffee shop and the smell of fresh ground coffee beans sends your senses into overdrive, you know you have entered another world, away from the hussle and bussle of life - and you really can't help but smile.

Or perhaps you smile because you see some great friends who are regulars there - and they always pet and make fuss over your dog - coffeeshops truly are increasingly becoming life's little escape pod. And they are appearing everywhere lately - true, you could go to coffeeshops 20 years ago, but its taken the birth of the 'Starbucks culture' and appearance of true coffee aficionados to help create this whole new coffee-karma world. And with the advent of wi-fi internet, coffeeshops can now the perfect place to focus on work, away from the hectic office.

So go ahead, order that caramel latte and banana nut muffin, and sit back relax - take a book that you have been meaning to finish, or my favorite - people watch. Coffeeshops bring all sorts of people together - the local artist who sells their work there, the aspiring local musician, the people in search of their morning coffee buzz to get their day started, and the pet lovers that enjoy being somewhere there dog is actually welcome and encouraged.

So next time you go to a coffeeshop, smile, if you aren't already! Its infectious - and who knows, you may even meet your soul mate there. Yep, its true, more and more people are meeting their certain special someone at a coffeeshop. Next time you see someone smiling at you, why not say hi? You never know what might happen! And for those of you that haven't been in a coffeeshop, or those that don't go very often, go out exploring, and you will soon find your own little piece of coffeeshop karma!

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Ning. Will you Marry Me?

Wow. Ever heard of Ning.com? Its a social networking web application that allows you to design social networks, complete with members, blogs, videos, photos and more! Its so amazing that we decided to use it as our social network partner. We were going to use Myspace and blogger.com, but thats yesterday's news. And ning does both of these, better!

On each of the coffee shop review pages at CoffeeShopCritic.com you will now find a link to join the coffee shop's online community, powered by Ning. There you can join and become a member, read blogs, upload photos, chat with other members and get involved with the blogs! Here's an example: http://caffecalabria.ning.com.

So join your favorite coffee shops right now! We are sure you are going to like using the social networks!

And big kudos to the guys at Ning.com! So how about it? Will you marry me? I really can't live without you...

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Beware of Fake Wi-fi Networks in Starbucks!

I hate online hackers and 'phishers' who try and steal your credit card details. How would they like someone stealing their credit card and running up a $1000 bill at Walmart? And things are getting worse. Even coffeeshops aren't safe now!

I read an interesting article today about the increasingly common (and alarming!) trend of hackers setting up identical named wi-fi network accounts at coffee shops. These appear to be legitimate and collect your credit card details when you want to pay for your wireless access at the coffee shop. But they are actually fake and steal your credit card details! Its happening more at coffeeshops like Starbucks where you have to logon and pay for wireless access. Grrr.

My solutions? Either sign up and pay for your wireless account from home before you get to Starbucks, and just simply login when you get there. That way at least they don't get your credit card details if you fall for the scam!

Better yet. Don't even go to coffee shops like Starbucks or Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf where you have to pay for wireless internet! Go to one of your local neighborhood coffee shops, and chances are they will have free wireless - no need to even logon or put your credit card details in! And that way you support your local coffee shops too instead of the corporate coffee shops! ;)

Monday, March 26, 2007

20th Coffee Shop Review - Cream

20th New Review! Yep, its our 20th featured coffee shop in San Diego! And what a great coffee shop our 20th is! Cream coffee shop in University Heights really is one of the best I have been to in San Diego - definite 5 stars. Check out the review and let us know what you think!

Saturday, March 24, 2007

New Featured Coffee Shop - Caffe Calabria

New Review! Our newest coffee shop review on coffeeshopcritic.com is Caffe Calabria. This great coffee shop in North Park is for serious coffee lovers - they even roast their own beans! Take a look and let us know what you think.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Regret not saying hi to that cutie in the coffee shop?

Always find yourself wishing you would have talked to that cute guy or girl in the coffee shop or local bar? Worry no more!

Because for 'shy' people like you there is a new service in San Diego and other cities. It's called Kizmeet, and it allows 'missed connections' to try and find each other, just like the section on CraigsList. Its actually pretty good - they even have a san diego coffee shop section, which seems to be getting popular.

I'm sure chances are pretty slim of the other person reading the post, but I actually made a post on there recently to see if my 'missed connection' replies... so we shall see if she replies! Anyway, check it out!

http://www.kizmeet.com/missed-connections/coffee-shops/san-diego/

Monday, March 19, 2007

New Featured Coffee Shop - Pannikin

New Review! Here is our latest coffee shop review on CoffeeShopCritic.com - yep, we are keeping them coming! This time, its Pannikin coffee in La Jolla - its actually one of the oldest coffee shops in San Diego.

CoffeeShopCritic.com website update too - its growing and evolving, particuarly the homepage. We are going to start really promoting CoffeeShopCritic.com soon and get some good traffic there. Plus look for the CoffeeShopCritic MySpace page coming very soon! As per usual, feel free to comment and give feedback!

Saturday, March 17, 2007

McDonalds Premium Coffee Review

McDonalds and premium coffee are two words that I would have never associated together. However, after McDonalds has sat and watch Starbucks take the world by storm with its premium coffee, they recently decided to launch their own premium coffee and get in on the action. So I decided to take the plunge and order myself something that I never thought I would order from McDonalds - premium coffee!

My McDonalds premium coffee review:
Well, considering the old McDonalds coffee tasted like scalding hot mud, it didn't really have to try that hard to get better. But I must say, I was pleasantly surprised - and this is coming from someone who drinks a lot of Starbucks and premium coffees in local coffee shops. It actually had a reasonable 'roasted' flavor to it, although it tasted a little watery still. And the main problem with McDonalds premium coffee? The fact that you can't actually drink it for 10/15 mins unless you have a heat resistant tongue. Yes, its that damn hot. It is much cheaper than Starbucks though - only $1.09 for 12 ounces (a Starbucks 'tall' size) - Starbucks charges $1.50-75 for the same size.

Overall, McDonalds premium coffee still doesn't compare to a good Starbucks Sumatra or Verona blend, but I personally thought it was better than the very over-rated Dunkin Donuts coffee, which seems to have got a cult following on the east coast. And its light years ahead of McDonalds old coffee, and that crap they serve for coffee in other fast food restaurants like Jack in the Box or Carls Jr. Good job Ronald - how about making all your burgers 'premium' too next ;)

Rating: 7/10 (i'm 'kinda' lovin' it I guess)

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

New Featured Coffee Shop - Living Room, La Jolla

New Review! Our newest coffee shop review is now up - this time we feature Living Room, La Jolla. Its one of about 5 of these coffee shops in the San Diego area. Its a little pricey there, but other than that, its a pretty good coffee shop! Let us know what you think.

Are you Kidding? Seen on Java Jones Bulletin Board

I had to do a double take on this one. I found the following notice posted on the bulletin board in Java Jones, Pacific Beach. Does anyone else think this is funny or is it just me...

LOST!
We have lost our pet turtle. She is 25 pounds. Please return her - we miss her. Call 858 xxx xxxx.

Are they serious? I had a good mind to call them up and say try looking on your front porch! Just how far can a turtle get? Funniest thing I have seen in a while!

Anyone else got any 'Funny Bullet Board Posts' to beat that? Feel free to comment!

Sunday, March 11, 2007

New Featured Coffee Shop - Kahve

New Review! I should be outside in this beautiful 80 degree weather, but nope, i have been doing the Kahve coffee shop review. Anyway, its a very unique coffee shop in Mission Beach and it actually has no 'inside' area. Check it out and let me us what you think!

Sunday, March 4, 2007

New Featured Coffee Shop - Turquoise Coffee

New Review! Our latest coffee shop review to be added to CoffeeShopCritic.com is Turquoise Coffee in Pacific Beach. This is an appealing coffee shop that makes a good quiet alternative to the nearby often very busy but good coffee shop Java Jones. Check it out!

Friday, March 2, 2007

Find Starbucks Easier (as if its that hard anyway!)

Just in case you don't know which of the 5 local Starbucks coffee shops is closest to you, or if you don't want to dare risk drinking at a local coffee shop when you are travelling and just HAVE to find a Starbucks instead, then this is for you.

Our wonderful caffeine friends at Starbucks have introduced a cool way to find your nearest Starbucks by using a text message. Searchers simply include their zip code in a text sent to MYSBUX and a list of stores will be returned. Not bad eh?
Now whats my ZIP code again?

Thursday, March 1, 2007

New Featured Coffee Shop - Claire de Lune

New Review! Our third new review of the week - this time its the very popular and colorful Claire de Lune coffee shop in North Park! Check it out and let us know what you think.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

New Featured Coffee Shop Review - Twiggs

New review! Our newest reviewed San Diego coffee shop is Twiggs, in University Heights.

The sad news is that, effective tomorrow, that Twiggs will be offering no more live music there, which was a great feature of this coffee shop. Apparently they had a clause in their lease saying they weren't allowed to play live music all along, yet they got away with it until now. Oh well, its still a great coffee shop!

Saturday, February 24, 2007

New Featured Coffee Shop Review - Brickyard

New review! Great little coffeeshop called Brickyard, a few minutes walk from the gaslamp district downtown. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Congratulations, its a baby CoffeeShopCritic.com!

Well, its finally happened. CoffeeShopCritic.com is now live, after 2 months of 'in the oven' time! We have just pushed it live after 2 crazy weekend days of intense finishing up work/labor. Complete with emergency run to Best Buy to fix my wireless card yesterday!

Special thanks go to Gelato Vero coffeeshop here in San Diego where it all happened over the last 2 days. It really is like I've just given birth - I am physically and mentally exhausted! And this is only just the start of things....

So go check it all out, and let us know what you all think! We are proud of our new arrival... and we are off to get a much needed beer or two to celebrate!

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Update & More Love For YouTube

You might start thinking that I own shares in YouTube or something, judging by how much I have talked about them lately! Anyway, I have uploaded the first coffeeshop interior videos to YouTube - and they look great! We are about 85% done now with the website, its definitely taking way longer to finish than I initially thought. And Brian is sure eager to get coffeeshops signed up! Anyway, keep your eyes peeled. February 1st launch is looking tough, but hopefully it won't be much longer!

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Coffee Coffee, I love My Coffee (videos)!

In a genius brain wave last night, I decided to build a new section for CoffeeShopCritic.com, featuring funny and cool coffee videos!

And no you can't see it yet ;) Lets just say there are plenty of hilarious coffee videos out there on YouTube! I would have included more, but too many had the f-bomb word in them. Shame.

Look out for the ones I have chosen, in particular a crazy coffee song, and a rather shameful fake coffee charity video.

Things are progressing well, even though having the Chargers lose on sunday was a real setback to my productivity ;) Hopefully we are on course for a Feb 1st launch of the website, with our first coffee shops signed up shortly after!

Saturday, January 6, 2007

Historic Day...

See the funny thing is, Brian really doesn't like the taste of coffee that much. Crazy huh? But he wants to get into it. And today it finally happened. Thanks to a flying nun. No she really wasn't flying - its the name of Santos coffeeshop's signature drink. And he actually liked it! It's probably due to the fact that it has caramel syrup and sweet condensed milk in it... actually it is pretty tasty - and it has 3 shots of espresso in it! Brian's first coffee buzz is coming right up ;)

Oh, and we have also added a email subscription box to this blog, so you can receive updates in your email. Cool eh? Just put your email address in to the right, and click 'subscribe'. And you will witness the formation of coffeeshopcritic as it happens!

Wednesday, January 3, 2007

Happy New Year & Back On Track!

Happy New Year to everyone! Finally back in San Diego now and we are pressing ahead with finishing the CoffeeShopCritic.com website! We had anticipated launching before christmas, but we want to make sure everything was just right and not rush things. Over the holidays we thought of some great new additions that we are working on right now. Hopefully we will go live by the end of the month... keep your eyes peeled!