Any Starbuck's(coffee) Addicts? [Archive] - Women's Cycling Discussion Forums

Thorn

05-19-2007, 05:38 PM

Chai latte....I've concluded that it is a perfect recovery drink. Well, according to me, that is. :rolleyes:

My logic? Chocolate milk is supposed to be a great recovery drink. Milk and sugar with the antioxidant properties of chocolate. By that reasoning, I can justify my chai latte--milk and sugar with the antioxidant properties of tea, not to mention the effects of the spices.

snapdragen

05-19-2007, 06:00 PM

Peets! Large Nonfat Latte please! Starbucks in a pinch. Local barista - I love Orchard Valley in Campbell. Palo Alto Roasting Co is good too.

I have become a coffee addict. It's a bad sign when you crave a latte instead of a LemonDrop:eek:

Trek420

05-19-2007, 07:12 PM

Peets for me!

Also have many local coffee shops. Jobob introduced a bunch of us to Mission Coffee Roasters and now that's my recovery bev provider after any AC Trail ride.

www.missioncoffeeroasters.com

Pictured below the Peets jersey, on the Peets website as a benefit to Team in Training. :)

KnottedYet

05-19-2007, 07:18 PM

Soy chai latte, soy double-shot latte, or plain ol' black brewed coffee.

I don't know that I have a favorite place to get coffee, but I love Chocolati; they sell their own truffles and you just can't beat a coffee and a locally made truffle! MmmmmmmMMmmm!

Wahine

05-19-2007, 07:18 PM

My local coffee shop is called 10 speed. It's the bestest. The owner, Brian, is a triathlete, rides a Trek Madone and also races cyclocross. They make very good lattes. They always use whole milk. Mmmmmmmmm.

He has old Tour de France photos on the wall, sculptures made out of bike parts and bar stools made with old rims and schwinn saddles.

SadieKate

05-19-2007, 08:08 PM

Peet's!

I dearly miss the Mexican Mochas at Royal Blend in Bend. It isn't the same since De Luca's bought 'em.:(

crazycanuck

05-19-2007, 10:59 PM

My fave cafe is Tiger Tiger (for all you lurking perthites-just beside Secret Garden off of Murray street).

Why do I love them so? Claire & the gang make a mean Iced Coffee & flat white..Thier lunches are divine(couscous w veggies...and exotic dishes such as bagels w kangaroo..) as is thier homemade rocky road :o

We don't have Starbucks in Perth and would not go there even if we had one.

C

Zen

05-20-2007, 03:24 AM

Not much of a coffee drinker but when I do get a hankerin' I go to Dunkin' Donuts for a Latte Lite (and a sour creme donut)

The best chai in this town is from the Indian restaurant.

I can't take Starbucks hipper than thou attitude.
Why do they make ordering a cup of coffee so complicated?
and why do they need to know my name?
I always make something up. I think I was Frank Zappa last time I was there.

Pax

05-20-2007, 04:27 AM

Love my local, it's called Espresso Royale...YUM! I enjoy Starbucks when I'm not near Espresso though.

Mr. Bloom

05-20-2007, 04:46 AM

I bought Silver the Cycles Gladiator poster for mother's day. In 1899, Cycles Gladiator was located at 18 Boulevard Montmartre.

Today, 18 Boulevard Montmartre is STARBUCKS.

That knowledge, along with $3.50 :eek:, will get you a cup of Starbucks:)

tangentgirl

05-20-2007, 06:44 AM

Ah, coffee, a substance near and dear to me. Peets is the best around here. Yay, Peets! I just like a good old fashioned cup of coffee. I end up at Starbucks a lot, tho, since it's on my route to work.

Why is it that the sites that sell Starbucks coffee but aren't Starbucks locations (like my work cafeteria) can almost never get it right? They've got a decent quality coffee, why can't they manage to clean their coffee pots correctly, measure the right amount in and not burn the stuff? "Starbucks Proudly Sold Here" seems like a sure recipe for gak.

The best chai in this town is from the Indian restaurant.

Word. I haven't found a chai that can compare to the real stuff, except maybe ye olde ren faire turkish coffee house chai, which is different, but damn tasty.

Wandering off topic...Mr. Silver, my boy also got me the Cycles Gladiator poster not too long ago - it's framed and hanging in our living room. I LOVE it! That's a great gift for Mom's day. That's very funny that the location is now a Starbucks. Better than Mickey D's, I say.

snapdragen

05-20-2007, 07:18 AM

I can't take Starbucks hipper than thou attitude.
Why do they make ordering a cup of coffee so complicated?
and why do they need to know my name?
I always make something up. I think I was Frank Zappa last time I was there.

I try my best to p!ss off the Sbux baristas by never using their cutesy names. They are stupid.

I was just thinking the other day - why do I give them my name so readily? Next time I'm gonna be Trixie.:D

//Peets asks for names too --- I shall be Francesca there.

Eden

05-20-2007, 07:39 AM

Word. I haven't found a chai that can compare to the real stuff, except maybe ye olde ren faire turkish coffee house chai, which is different, but damn tasty.

Soy Chai for me please! - I like the spicy ones more than the sweet ones, so far I think my favorite has been Peets, but we don't have too many of those up here.

This place www.seattleteacup.com has an awesome Chai blend and they ship! (its a loose tea with spices, not a liquid concentrate - it is ground quite fine so you need a fine tea strainer and some patience to brew it - pour the water in sloooowly, but it is really quite nice)

BleeckerSt_Girl

05-20-2007, 07:55 AM

I have my favorite most mornings in my own little home town....a skim double latte (extra hot) at Ralph's Pretty Good Cafe.

ehirsch83

05-20-2007, 07:55 AM

I will drink starbucks if I have to, but I feel that their espresso tastes burnt!
When I am in Boulder I prefer Penny Lane or Buchanons, I used to be obsessed with Prufrocks before they closed(they had the best coffee and the best homemade soups and sandwiches).
Let's see back In Ft.Lauderdale I loved Brew, during the day it is an urban coffee house-great big leather chairs, funky music playing, local art work. At night it also sells microbrews and wine. Very funky idea. Great coffee

Now that I am in Albuquerque I am finding that I like Satellite's- it is a local chain.

And what do I drink? Usually a triple machiatto for me! if I am feeling naughty I go for a cappucino or a chai

tangentgirl

05-20-2007, 08:03 AM

I try my best to p!ss off the Sbux baristas by never using their cutesy names. They are stupid.

I hate it when they pretend they don't know what small, medium and large mean.

Pax

05-20-2007, 08:24 AM

Am I the only one who likes just plain strong black coffee? I'll have a mocha once in a while as a treat but mostly I just love strong black coffee.

salsabike

05-20-2007, 08:50 AM

There are a lot of us Seattleites who try hard to go to the indie coffee places rather than the megaempire Starbuck's. And I think they DO overroast their coffee so it's fairly bitter.

I have a local, no-name expresso place run by a mother and two daughters that I go to. They're right next door to a skilled nursing place and the espresso stand owners built a garden for the nursing home residents.

My favorite drinks--double short Americano, or double short nonfat mocha with half the usual amount of chocolate.

surgtech1956

05-20-2007, 09:05 AM

QUEEN - You're not the only one who loves just a plain black coffee.

Trek420

05-20-2007, 09:15 AM

There are a lot of us Seattleites who try hard to go to the indie coffee places rather than the megaempire Starbuck's. And I think they DO overroast their coffee so it's fairly bitter.

I think there are a lot of us who like indie places whether it's for the better less bitter coffee, a sense of culinary adventure or a statement.

There's that term the "mall'ization of America". Some seem to have a need for the same places logos menu wherever we go "oh look! whew, a Starbucks in Uzbechistanigrad. I thought we'd never find a place to have coffee".

Why travel at all? Why go anywhere if we're just gonna have the same blasted burnt coffee? Try the local bev of choice in Uzbechistanigrad just to say you did. :p :cool:

I love finding the out of the way spot, the cafe that looks intriguing from the outside, local plates on cars in the lot "ooh look, the cops go there. Now we know it's good".

I'm pretty good at spotting these places and rarely have a bad meal. But I've heard this is a good site for that out of the way spot

www.roadfood.com

Knott's taken me to both Chocolatis in Seattle. I'm not saying one shouldn't go to Starbucks but how less special would it be "oh, remember when we went to Starbucks, just like this Starbucks which is just like the one in ...." :p :cool: ;)

pooks

05-20-2007, 09:35 AM

Well, in Dallas it's harder to find good espresso drinks. And I can't tell you how many times I've ordered lattes and couldn't drink them, they were so bad. Starbucks may not always be best, but it's consistantly better than average in my experience.

If you get drinks that have sugar and/or flavorings it might not be such a big deal, but all I get are lattes (made with organic milk, when possible) and if the barrista doesn't know what they're doing, you can definitely tell the difference.

I love going to small independent restaurants, cafes, etc. and if there were any viable options around me for lattes I'd jump at the chance to patronize them, but unfortunately I don't have that option.

We definitely like to "do as the Romans do" when we're traveling, and our favorite cup of coffee (just plain coffee) is a brand called Farmer's Brothers, that is mostly available at restaurants and cafes. I can't begin to tell you how many times we've said, "Wow, this is good coffee," and been told it was Farmer's Brothers, whether in a tiny cafe in rural New Mexico or a Greek restaurant in Dallas.

As for Starbucks, I've been to Starbucks in London, and also in Salisbury and Chester (both in England) and each time it was a welcome chance to get a latte. In Salisbury I was actually ill and when we found that little Starbucks right by the gate to the cathedral, a Starbucks with medieval stone interior walls, even! -- I sank into the familiar chair and sipped on that familiar latte and just rested for a very long time. It was nice.

Mind you, that majority of our time in the UK is driving our rental from village to village and eating at pubs and tea rooms and staying in very basic B&Bs. And if there were no Starbucks there, we wouldn't whine about it.

But on the few occasions where we've visited them, we've enjoyed them!

(One of my favorite lattes ever was in a little Italian sandwich shop in London, though.)

Crankin

05-20-2007, 01:04 PM

I also prefer independent coffee places. My favorite is the Continental Cafe in West Acton MA. It's low key, a bit of a grungy atmosphere, excellent food, too. Plus, I get to eavesdrop in on conversations, so I get to find out which one of my children's former classmates are in trouble, arrested, etc (just kidding). I get a medium mocha latte with skim milk. mmmmm. I like regular plain black coffee, but I have that everyday. Now that I live in the next town over, I go there because it's like Cheers to me; everybody knows your name. I do go to Main Street cafe in Concord Center, but it is packed with those pesky tourists who are here on a history binge.
I have no problem with Starbucks, although I don't like their coffee as much. Most New Englanders think Dunkin Donuts is a gourmet coffee place. Yuch... I avoid it.

KnottedYet

05-20-2007, 02:29 PM

My brother found a Starbucks while he was stationed in Dubai. (and took a picture of it) Kinda like taking coals to Newcastle, I guess, but it was popular with the military guys.

(I get this funny image in my head of these Arabica beans leaving port in Dubai, shipping to the east coast of the US, then to the west coast, getting roasted, then shipping BACK to Dubai to be served. very efficient?)

RolliePollie

05-20-2007, 03:09 PM

Pax

05-20-2007, 03:18 PM

The closest nearby town has 5 Starbucks and I believe the population is around 7,000. Do we really need that many Starbucks?!?! They are the best coffee place in town though. Grande Non-fat Carmel Macchiato or Venti Iced Passion Tea w/ 2 Splendas (ugh) for me!

You have so many because they skipped other places FOREVER! We got the first one here (town of around 150,000) two years ago, by the end of summer we'll be up to three shops.

cosc

05-20-2007, 04:34 PM

I'm strictly a black and flavored coffee bean girl. Nearest Starbucks is 140 miles.
I grind my coffee fresh before making a pot. I buy 8:00 Coffee brand in colombian and vanilla/hazelnut flavored beans. It is very good and much cheaper than other well-known brands.

Laterider21958

05-20-2007, 11:07 PM

Have never experienced Starbucks coffee (live in the country), but love the smell of coffee beans. Unfortunately, I am a coffee novice (don't go out much) and don't know what to ask for when I do go out. Often I am disappointed. Isn't it amazing that you can make a coffee, using identical ingredients and proportions, and one day it tastes fantastic, the other mediocre - why?

SheFly

05-21-2007, 04:34 AM

My name is SheFly, and I am addicted to coffee. Specifically Starbucks - I even grind and brew my own at home...

Most New Englanders think Dunkin Donuts is a gourmet coffee place. Yuch... I avoid it.

YUCK! Only drink DD in an ABSOLUTE pinch... Although I did start out drinking coffee at DD. I compare their coffee to the Tim Horton's phenomenon in Canada - terrible coffee, but people will line up for miles to get a cup.

I've gotten so bad, that I will drink about 60 oz of coffee in a day...

MMM - COFFEE!

SheFly

bmccasland

05-21-2007, 05:08 AM

My favorite is a local, independant - Cafe Luna, where the owner has water dishes out for your dog. Starbucks has made a point of opening shops across the street from local shops when they first came to town, but New Orleanians are very loyal to local and this out-compete-the-local idea bounced. Several Starbucks have not reopened post-Katrina. There's a BIG stink right now about them trying to open a shop on Jackson Square in the French Quarter in an empty restaurant space. We'd rather have another restaurant. If you want coffee, go down the square to Cafe' du Monde for a cafe au lait and beignets.

So at Cafe Luna, I'll have a non-fat latte, BIG, please.

Pax

05-21-2007, 05:41 AM

...I've gotten so bad, that I will drink about 60 oz of coffee in a day...
When I was a firefighter I drank 3-4 pots a day of coffee, it was sooooooo good! Then my doc told me the reason I was having heart palpitations was too much caffeine, now I only drink 2-3 cups a day. :(

pooks

05-21-2007, 06:07 AM

As I type --

I am sitting outside Starbucks at a table, watching the rain drizzle down.

This was my first ride in the semi-rain (it's not raining hard) and I loved it.

I have a for-here tall organic latte beside me, and life is good.

(To me there is nothing better than a for-here latte -- in a cup with foam atop. I think the tall lattes have the best flavor, but find I'm too cheap to buy two talls when a venti is cheaper and theoretically should be the same thing. But it isn't. Don't ask me why.)

Brandi

05-21-2007, 06:33 AM

We have a little cafe called "cuppa de oro". And they have great coffee, but my favorite is a Ice tea drink called "Green Dragon". It is Green tea with a touch of Soy milk , honey, and mint. Over ice of coarse. It is so yummy. I like to get one on monday during our farmers market that happens right in front of the coffee shop. They also have really yummy bagel sandwiches. I think I need to go!

Brandi

05-21-2007, 06:35 AM

When I was a firefighter I drank 3-4 pots a day of coffee, it was sooooooo good! Then my doc told me the reason I was having heart palpitations was too much caffeine, now I only drink 2-3 cups a day. :(
Yea that was my problem too! Had to cut waaaaaaay back. Now I only have a mug in the mornng and sometimes one in the afternoon.

Trek420

05-21-2007, 07:40 AM

My name is SheFly, and I am addicted to coffee. Specifically Starbucks - I even grind and brew my own at home... SheFly

Hi SheFly :p :D :cool: :rolleyes:

KnottedYet

05-21-2007, 07:42 AM

Pssst.... Costco coffee is Starbucks, and a big huge bag is pretty cheap!

Knot-fellow-caf-fiend

spokewench

05-21-2007, 07:59 AM

Peets coffee from the Bay Area, California. That's the best! Starbucks is everywhere and very dependable, but I still love Peets

YUMMY - Got to have it. especially when I'm camping

SheFly

05-21-2007, 08:23 AM

Pssst.... Costco coffee is Starbucks, and a big huge bag is pretty cheap!

Knot-fellow-caf-fiend

Just finished a bag this morning, and have to dump the next bag into the coffee canister.... AHHH - [cheap] Starbucks coffee! :D

SheFly

madscot13

05-21-2007, 09:27 AM

I love coffee. For everydays I brew my own from Starbuck's beans that a friend/ Starbuck's employee brings me. Hey its free and coffee is coffee to me as long as i get to add the whipping cream- so rich and velvety! Coffee is sort of expensive and I will get what I can.

But on special ocassions or exam days I like to treat myself with a white chocolate mocha from Coffee News our local establishment. Their food is great and I am hooked onto their mochas. although others may not like them as much.

maybe I will brew a pot.

Crankin

05-22-2007, 05:09 AM

madscot13

05-22-2007, 05:24 AM

Hey SheFly,

I often say that coffee is my only vice. The worst thing about commuting to work is that I have to drink the school coffee unless the day before I ride in, I remember to tell my colleague to bring me some when he stops. Seriously, we should ride to a coffee place one day. (It can be a recovery day for you).

Robyn

I say that coffee is my only vice and my roommates scoff and chuckle. Could i possibly have more than one? I think not!

Oh and I bring coffee with me in a cute little thermos that let's me brew it the way I want to and have oh so delicious coffee when i arrive at school. You should too!

Trek420

05-22-2007, 05:29 AM

We should do the "Three Peets" ride. I don't have it mapped out but you start from Castro Valley Peets up Castro Valley Blvd to Dublin Grade to Peets Dublin, get on Iron Horse Trail which I think takes you right by San Ramon Peets....then turn and re'Peet :p

fultzie

05-22-2007, 05:32 AM

OMG, i love this thread! possibly even more so than the "hot male riders" thread! :rolleyes: :cool:

when i travel, i make a point of scoping out the cafes in the area... i worked on vashon island, WA last summer, and by far the BEST coffee i have ever had came from Vashon Coffee Roasters, across the street from the pool where i swam in the morning. they had a front porch where you could sit and sip your coffee and smell the beans roasting and watch the mist disappear as the sun rose. HEAVEN!

that was probably one of my favorite things about the PNW... all the little drive-thru espresso stands, even in seemingly the middle of nowhere!

my mom and i got made fun of relentlessly by the rest of our group when we rode down highway 1 three summers ago... we'd set little goals for ourselves like "20 more miles and then we can stop for (another) coffee!" we discovered that the best bearclaws ever can be had outside of pigeon point, CA.

locally, i go to Espresso Royale for black coffee if i don't brew it at home. see, i always bring my own travel mug (IMBA's "Ride to Live" one :D), and it's only $1 for a refil. and they have organic/fair trade coffee every day :cool:

my roommate has recently started purchasing Trader Joe's Half-Caf in an effort to get me to cut back a bit (and himself, i guess! but i drink more of it). usually i buy their Bolivian Blend, and grind it at home.

mmm, drinking some of it right now, poured over leftover hot cocoa (almost like a mocha :p)

Trek420

05-22-2007, 05:42 AM

we discovered that the best bearclaws ever can be had outside of pigeon point, CA.

that's only because you didn't go here ;) right, Knott?

http://sweetnapa.blogspot.com/2006/02/bovine-bakery-point-reyes-station.html

KnottedYet

05-22-2007, 05:46 AM

And Bovine Bakery has really good coconut macaroons! (NO flour!) And goooood coffee. And the benches are comfy and great for watching folks go by.

(I liked that place)

SheFly

05-22-2007, 06:16 AM

Hey SheFly,

We are both coffee addicts! I grind my own coffee and we have an expresso machine (her name is Sylvia, no joke, she came with a name) that is so complicated to use that I can't even begin to approach it. My husband is an amateur barista and my older son actually was a barista at Continental Cafe for 3 years.
I often say that coffee is my only vice. The worst thing about commuting to work is that I have to drink the school coffee unless the day before I ride in, I remember to tell my colleague to bring me some when he stops. Seriously, we should ride to a coffee place one day. (It can be a recovery day for you).

Robyn

Sadly, coffe is not my only addiction - I'm also addicted to cycling :D . Now combining the two - THAT'S a great idea! We'll definitely have to plan this for this summer...

On another [similar] note, does anyone know of a thermos that will fit in a water bottle cage?

SheFly

fultzie

05-22-2007, 06:26 AM

And Bovine Bakery has really good coconut macaroons! (NO flour!) And goooood coffee. And the benches are comfy and great for watching folks go by.

(I liked that place)

OH my goodness! i MUST go there!!!! the person's blog you linked to... is that one of you ladies? attending culinary school in Napa, now that is one of my dreams :cool:

rebran

05-22-2007, 06:29 AM

At our local coffee shops it's a 16 oz. black coffee preferably Highlander Grog, Sumatra or Costa Rica. I rarely order specialty drinks (I worked a coffee shop during college and I am very picky).

I love Starbucks too and usually order an Iced Soy Chai Latte or Breakfast Blend. . . but the nearest Starbucks is 2 hours away.

Ohh. . . Peet's coffee is excellent! (I'm originally from No. Calif.)

I heart coffee!

Pax

05-22-2007, 06:43 AM

...On another [similar] note, does anyone know of a thermos that will fit in a water bottle cage?...

Yup, Trek's new "Soho" urban bike comes with a thermos/commuter coffee cup designed for a water bottle cage, they sell the thermos separately (I asked :D ).

surgtech1956

05-22-2007, 07:04 AM

Queen - are LBS going to sell these thermos or are they available online from Trek??? Have to get me one.:cool:

SheFly

05-22-2007, 07:08 AM

Queen - are LBS going to sell these thermos or are they available online from Trek??? Have to get me one.:cool:

I just looked these up online (thanks, Queen!). You can buy direct from Trek for $14.99...

SheFly

Pax

05-22-2007, 07:10 AM

Queen - are LBS going to sell these thermos or are they available online from Trek??? Have to get me one.:cool:

My LBS has one on the shelf. It looks like a commuter coffee cup (stainless) but is supposed to not leak when bounced around on the bike...I almost bought the Soho ($1150) instead of the 7.5 ($750) cuz I like the cup so much. :p

Trek420

05-22-2007, 07:34 AM

OH my goodness! i MUST go there!!!! the person's blog you linked to... is that one of you ladies? attending culinary school in Napa, now that is one of my dreams :cool:

No, that's neither one of us, and nobody here as far as I know. I just liked the picture. And it would not be right to copy it here without crediting the artist and blog so .... it's a great bakery and lovely place to ride.

KnottedYet

05-22-2007, 07:46 AM

Or if you don't want to buy the thermos and cage from Trek, you can buy it from Soma, who developed this handlebar mounted coffee thermos a few years back.

www.somafab.com/morningrush.html

I dig the "my other legal addiction..." on the thermos.

madscot13

05-22-2007, 08:01 AM

On another [similar] note, does anyone know of a thermos that will fit in a water bottle cage?

SheFly

To my roommates' dismay, I have several coffee containters that fit in my water bottle cage.

1. Aletta grand canister is what I currently use on a day to day basis (it has a little storage spot I use for a ten spot and my keys. I can't drink and ride with this one but I use it anyways.

2. standard .5 liter canister- more expensive and you can't sip from it but it keeps it nice and warm
http://www.rei.com/online/Search.do?vcat=REI_SEARCH&vcat=REI_SEARCH&query=thermos&x=0&y=0

3. Nissan leakproof backpack bottle (JMW-500)- What I will probably buy at the midwest Mountaineering sale this weekend! This one you can definitely drink and ride with at the same time

cheers and happy drinking

Crankin

05-22-2007, 08:18 AM

I seriously thought of buying the coffee thermos for the bottle cage, for my commutes, but I really do like to bring 2 bottles filled with my water from home, so I can drink one during the day and have one for the ride home. On the days I drive, I have a Starbucks thermos.
I guess I have 2 addictions, too, SheFly. OK, now I have to arrange for my colleague to bring my coffee in on Thursday AND Friday, because I am going to try and commute both days. I need to make my goal of 1,000 miles by June1st. And tomorrow I am taking a personal day, to go on a group ride. Is that not addiction??????

Bikingmomof3

05-22-2007, 11:33 AM

Am I the only one who likes just plain strong black coffee? I'll have a mocha once in a while as a treat but mostly I just love strong black coffee.

Queen,
You are not alone. I prefer to grind my own beans and make my own very strong and very black French pressed coffee. :)

Dianyla

05-22-2007, 11:57 AM

Mmmm, coffee! :D

There are a lot of us Seattleites who try hard to go to the indie coffee places rather than the megaempire Starbuck's. And I think they DO overroast their coffee so it's fairly bitter.
Yes, ditto on all counts. SBux will do in a pinch, but I always prefer to look for local coffee shops. Preferably ones that roast their own. And if the baristas can't make microfoam, I don't come back.

For Portland, Stumptown is my favorite for downtown coffee. Fresh Pot would have to be a close second, but it's a little less convenient for me as I'm in Beaverton. Speaking of the burbs... some surprisingly awesome coffee can be had at Java Mama in Beaverton on Scholls Ferry Road @ Nimbus. Don't be fooled by their generic suburban strip mall location behind the Booger King. They roast their own beans every weekend and bake wicked muffins & treats from scratch (which I can sadly no longer eat due to gluten).

For home use, I've got a manual espresso machine (La Pavoni) and a Solis burr grinder. Sometimes I will buy freshly roasted beans but I have to say that my favorite coffee ever is Spanish Espresso torrefacto roast. You can get it online here (http://www.tienda.com/food/coffee.html). The beans are lightly coated with sugar before roasting, and this caramelizes on the outside of the bean. This originally started out as a way to stretch the value of coffee beans during shortages, since sugar is cheaper than coffee and it increases the weight of the roasted beans. Typically they mix 20-30%sugar-roasted torrefacto beans with regular roasted beans. The result is a smooth caramel espresso.

PS: Y'all may like to visit http://www.coffeegeek.com/