Cricketscoffee Blog

  Starbucks now offers wine after 4 p.m. at three Portland-area coffee shops and is applying with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission for additional licenses to serve alcohol at nine others across Oregon.   It's part of Starbucks rollout of the "Starbucks Evenings" brand in a select few metro areas across the United States. In addition to wine, participating locations also offer a new dessert menu.   Wine is already available at the Starbucks locations in the Pearl District (1031 N.W. Couch St.), downtown Portland (614 S.W. 11th Ave.) and Bethany Village (4708 N.W. Bethany Blvd.), and the company has applied for liquor licenses at several more Oregon locations. Will your local Starbucks be next? Stay tuned.  

Cold Brew .......Coffee, not beer or wine Making cold brew coffee is a snap to make at home. These directions tell you how to make a cold brew coffee overnight in your sleep. For that fresh cold brew coffee the next morning.  Coarse-grind 1 cup of your favorite roasted coffee beans for every 3 cups of cold-filtered water. Stir the coffee and water thoroughly, don't get lazy here. stir it...stir it good to get a good initial soak.   Pour the mix into a glass jar and seal with its lid. A Mason jar works great for this step. Put the mix into the fridge for 12 hours minimum. A 24 hours soak gets you the best results.  Strain the mix into a new glass container after the soak in the fridge or straight into your chilled coffee cup with crushed ice.  

  Easter is this coming Sunday, so the odds are you will have some chocolate in the house. You know chocolate bunnies, eggs, kisses, and on and on. So you try and think of new and inventive ways to pilfer those chocolate goody's from the kids Easter baskets.        The old tried and true ploy is of course "chocolate is bad for you" but you internet savvy 5 year old tell you about the health benefits of dark chocolate. Rat's you think to yourself. So you resort to bartering, A new game app for their iPhone you offer for one chocolate bunny. No deal is the reply you get. The new game app and 1 additional hour of internet surfing time is the counter offer. Knowing you are out classed you give in and do the deal.    Now the next big question you must answer is. What adult beverage goes best with your chocolate bunny? Well here are some recommendations. Prosecco – all chocolates --White Burgundy – milk or white chocolate -...

 Moderate alcohol intake—perhaps red wine especially—is associated with health and long life, This appears to be the standing thought from many health experts today.   Light drinking in general—up to a drink a day for women, and two for men—is known to be good for you. It’s associated with lower risk for coronary artery disease, diabetes, congestive heart failure and stroke. With most experts agreeing that red wine takes the first place. Red wine is clearly the drink of choice if you are doing light to moderate drinking for your health, and daily consumption just before or with the evening meal may be the most protective pattern.  So this brings us to the next question. Are all Red wines equal in their health benefits or does a top of the line Red wine have more of what your looking for over a lower cost Red wine?  

  The federal government's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is going to approve the sale of a powdered alcohol product, it is called Palcohol.  Its inventor is Mark Phillips who says the product is meant for hikers and the like who do not want to pack additional bottles of alcohol when they’re out on the trail. Just add 6 oz of liquid to the powder. Be it water, coffee, or whatever suits your taste, to your alcohol powder and you can have your alcohol fix on your hike.    To say the least there’s been loud roars of protest with the approval.  Those in opposition are saying that Palcohol is a form of alcohol that is going to lead to uncounted way's for it to get into the hands of under age drinkers. Not to mention the countless ways for the product can be misused by the adult population. Yes, it's true ...

  Need to lose weight? Champagne may be the alcoholic beverage to turn to if someone is looking to lose a little weight, as it is as a rule is lower in calories than red wine, white wine or beer.    And that is not all that champagne has to offer.  Like red and white wines, champagne has heart-healthy properties, according to some study's.  Researchers found that, as in red wine, champagne has a positive effect on endothelial function, a strong indicator of heart disease. Study results indicate that daily moderate consumption of champagne may improve vascular performance. Beyond the heart, champagne could benefit your brain as well.  Three glasses a week of bubbly could help prevent brain disorders, including dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Study's have found that certain black grape varieties used in champagne can aid memory because of a compound called phenolic acid.  Researchers recommend that ...