VIA from Starbucks is actually good

Like most Americans, I drink coffee. Unlike most, I drink mine black. But no matter how you drink your coffee, most can agree that instant coffee blows. Well, VIA from Starbucks might make you change your mind.

So my preferences for coffee are different from other New Englanders who drink theirs "regular". I know Dunkin Donuts are on every corner around here, but their coffee can seem watery at times. Sure with enough cream and sugar, it tastes "good", if by good you mean you like to drink cream and sugar with a bit of coffee. I usually prefer Starbucks' Pike Place roast. It's cheaper (don't argue with me, I did the math by the ounce) and the flavor is more robust. I'll admit it's not the best coffee, especially since it's too acidic and the roast too strong. But it's better than Dunkin Donuts.

When Starbucks announced that they were releasing an instant coffee and that it is nearly as good as their Pike Place roast, I thought they were stupid. One, why compete with your in-house brand. Two, $1 for an 8-ounce serving? Seriously? And I have to make it myself??? Well, I've tried it the day it came out. It was good. Maybe because it's instant, but it was smoother than their Pike Place roast. It was a lighter roast with less acidity. I mean, I was surprised it was instant coffee. Could you tell that it wasn't Pike Place? Yes. If you drink coffee at all, you can tell right away. But it was good enough that I'm thinking of stocking VIA at home for coffee cravings and guests. I don't have a coffee maker at home, so this is the next best thing (that and my Maxwell House is not cutting it - yuck).

So go out and buy some VIA. It's about $3.00 for a 3-pack and $10 for a 12-pack. And no, I have not been paid by anyone to write this. But here are some of my thoughts on coffee:

Dunkin Donuts: Okay. Be prepared to be slightly disappointed. Black is okay. If you hide your coffee with cream and sugar, then you'll like it. They're heavy-handed.
Starbucks: Good. Nice strong taste, but a bit too strong. Be prepared for the strong roast and a bit too much acidity.
Green Mountain: Bland. If you must, go as dark a roast you can get, otherwise you're getting dark water with a hint of coffee.
@ Bickford's: Nasty. But it's cheap and bottomless. Drink it for the caffeine.
@ Cheesecake's: Pretty good. Lighter than Starbucks.
@ Finale's: Good stuff, but a bit pricey.

There are others I can't remember, so whatever.

Oban 14 Year Single Malt Scotch

So after sipping my Balvenie Single Barrel for awhile, I decided it was time for another bottle of single malt scotch. I've stopped by a few liquor stores during the past couple of months, but all I did was browse the scotch aisle.

Last week on my way to Finale's, I stopped by the wine place next door. They were closing, but the owner was gracious enough to let us in and browse. I struck up a conversation with him, and we discussed my scotch experiences. After describing my progression from blends to single malts, he commented that my palate seems to be developing right along and gave me a brief summary of his journey. I left that night with a bottle of Oban 14 Year Single Malt Scotch ($64.99), which was what the owner described as a nice "next step" on my single malt journey. He encouraged me to stop by and tell him what I thought.


Well, I didn't really have a chance to sip it right away, but a couple nights ago before bed, I poured myself a bit to try. On the nose, it smelled sweeter than the Balvenie. So that right away got me a bit excited. I took a nice sip and let it linger in my mouth. There were hints of sweetness and spice, and it finished quite nice (haha..). I didn't get a lot of burn, and I couldn't really remember how the Balvenie was like. So I poured myself a bit of the Balvenie and went back and forth. In the end, the Balvenie definitely left a presence after the sip. The burn lasts a bit and really warms you up. I also thought the Balvenie was bolder and demanded attention, whereas the Oban was smoother and softer. I don't favor one over the other, just as I don't favor one particular beer, but it was nice to have a different single malt. I'll enjoy this bottle for a bit before moving on to another step.

One thing I do have to note is that after trying the single malts, the Johnnie Walker blends just aren't the same. Granted I've only had the Black Label and the Gold Label, but I had some of those a few months back, and they are lacking compared with the singles. I've had a shot of Blue Label once, and I'll admit that was very smooth, but I haven't had that for a while and can't give that a good comparison. Maybe, when I have a spare couple Benjamins, I'll get a bottle to keep on hand. For now, the Oban will be good enough!

Note: After writing this, just found out Oban is owned by Diageo, which owns among all their liquor companies Johnnie Walker! They also own some other names such as J&B, Guinness, Crown Royal, Captain Morgan's, Bailey's, etc....

Move over Dom!

Over the New Year's, I had the fortune of having a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin La Grande Dame in my possession. My cousin was generous enough to give it to me before she had moved. At the time I didn't think much of it, but when I went to open it, I noticed it had a vintage year on the label. 1995. As I studied the label, I realized that this was more than an ordinary bottle of champagne. With a little research, I realized this bottle ranked up there right along with the Dom Perignon.


I also had the fortune of having a bottle of Dom before. A friend had given it to me (what luck huh?). I remember not being overly impressed with it, at least not impressed enough to spend $200. I mean, it was a great brut; not too dry, good flavors. Just not a $200 bottle to me. But anyhoot, I had some company over and we opened the Grande Dame. The cork came out with a very small, very disappointing pop. But man, it tasted nice! Just enough bubbles to dance on your tongue. Just enough dryness to cut to the palate. Just enough sweet to satisfy. This bottle, I could clearly see why someone would pay $160 - $200 for. Would I? I wouldn't say for sure I would go out and get one. Maybe for a special occasion.

I have heard that Veuve Clicquot makes a very nice Rose Champagne, and those go for $65 - $80. I'll probably try that in the near future. It's just that for me, if I were to spend $60+ for a bottle of liquor, it should be a long lasting type of alcohol like a nice single malt or a premium hard liquor. But as I've said, for the right occasion, I wouldn't mind splitting a bottle. Last bottle I split was the "Black Bubbles". Mmm...that was tasty too.

My "bar"

Those who know me, know I have a decent liquor section in my apartment. Here's the setup in my new place:


Top: bartending supplies/shot glasses, Balvenie Single Barrel, Johnnie Walker Gold, Johnnie Walker Black, Mount Gay aged rum, peach schnapps, Hennessy, Godiva Chocolate, Chambord, Bombay Sapphire, my Grandpa's ginseng stuff, vermouth, various little bottles
1st rack: Finlandia (in the process of trying out vodkas besides Grey Goose and Belvedere; most brand names taste just like vodka is supposed to taste: tasteless), Ketel One citrus, Barcardi (2x), Barcardi 151 (fire!!)
2nd rack: Jose Cuervo (trying to get rid of it, will replace with Milagro as the everyday tequila), Canadian Club
3rd rack: Sour apple, triple sec, coffee liqueur
4th rack: random bottle of white wine, and a bottle of nice champagne that has moved on (yum!)

As you can see, I try to have a bar that is ready for a variety of drinks. I would definitely like to add some other liquor/mixers in. On my would-like-to-have list are: Bailey's, Kahlua, Jack Daniels, Tanqueray (only cause it fits on the rack, unlike the Bombay Sapphire; both taste like gin is supposed to taste: burning, though great with tonic), Captain Morgan's.

Well, that's all!

Sparkling red wine?

I was out with some friends a couple weeks back. After a filling dinner, we stopped by Finale's by Park Plaza to grab some desserts and drinks. While checking out the wine list there, we came across a sparkling red wine. It was the Imperial Star "Black Bubbles", a sparkling Shiraz. Now I don't love wine, but I do like it. And I've never had a sparkling red wine. According to our server, it would not only be carbonated, but chilled as well. That sealed the deal. We ordered a bottle with some other drinks and dessert.

The bottle came to the table and our server distributed the bottle among the glasses. I took a sip and boy was I surprised. The wine was delightfully chilled and the bubbles leaves a refreshing feeling in your mouth. It was unlike any red wine I've ever had. I'm not sure if it was because it was chilled or because of the bubbles, but the Shiraz didn't have that acidic cut that most red wines have. It felt light enough to go along with our dessert.

So next time you go to Finale's, go ahead and try the "Black Bubbles" out.

We don't need Patron to party!

When I was in Cali, we had decided to cook dinner one night just to take advantage of a full kitchen. While shopping, we decided to get some tequila for drinks. Thinking we would do shots as well, I started looking for my go-to tequila for shots, Patron. As I searched for the $34.99 bottle (It's so much cheaper to drink in Cali, here it's $49.99), a man in the aisle overheard us and asked what we were doing with the Patron. So I told him that we were going to make some margaritas and maybe shoot some. He then told us his recipe for his favorite margarita.

He grabbed a bottle of Milagro and told us that it was less than Patron but nearly as smooth. He grabbed a bottle of Grand Marnier and told us to use that as well. He then told us to go to Trader Joe's and get their margarita mix for $1.99 and to pick up some limes. The recipe was 1 part Milagro, half-part Grand Marnier, and two parts Trader Joe's margarita mix. I'm always one to try things out, so we grab our ingredients and headed home.

After dinner, I busted out the bar stuff and made some margaritas. Now let me tell you, it was the best margarita I've ever made. I mean, the margarita mix wasn't too sweet, and it was all-natural. No corn syrup there! Then having a high-end triple sec (Grand Marnier) was nice too. The Milagro was smooth, but still showed its presence in the margarita. Just to make sure, I sipped the Milagro and swirled it around. Slight burn and pretty close to Patron, but the price was lower! As the night went on, we did some shots. Those went down smooth. Well, for me anyway. Haha. By the end of the night, we were sauced, laughter was in the air, new friends were made, and the bottle of Milagro sat empty on top of the fridge. It was a great night. It would've been a great morning if I hadn't had a couple shots of cognac, but whatever.

Grown Up Soda

So I was on vacation at California, and in the middle of the week, I had went to San Francisco. While walking the cursed hills of the area, we had to stop for a bathroom and drink break. So we entered a cute cafe and while my friends went to the bathroom, I checked out their beverage coolers. While standing in awe of a cooler that held beer and wine, I noticed some interesting juices and sodas in the cooler next to it. A certain bottle caught my eye and I pulled out a bottle of Dry Cola from Grown Up Soda. It was made with all natural ingredients and contained maybe 1% caffeine. I was curious, so I bought the bottle.

After twisting the metal screwtop cap off of the glass bottle, I swigged a couple sips. The taste was pretty kick@ss. Now I'm a Coca Cola fan, but this was just awesome. I compared the taste to Coca Cola diluted with ice. It was "not too sweet". Anyhoot, give it a try if you ever find it.

Venturing into the world of single malt scotch

So, I'm not a big alcoholic or anything, but one visit to my apartment and you will see a decent sized "bar". Ever since going from "eww, alcohol" to "ooh, alcohol", I've collected/stocked my fair share of alcohol. Now, I don't drink everything I have, but I like knowing that I have the essentials to entertain and make drinks. Personally, I'm a beer drinker (I've been into the stouts and porters lately) and enjoy the occasional wine. I'm not that big with cocktails, though I like making them. There's just something slightly amiss about hiding the smell and taste of alcohol (hence, beers and wines).

Anyway, I've been trying to get into scotch lately. If you know me, you will occasionally see me having a blended scotch over rocks, usually Johnny Walker Gold Label. But I've been doing some research and scotch lovers seem to rave about single malts. So I stopped by the liquor store over the weekend and had a 20 minute conversation with the liquor manager. We discussed the blends and what a nice single malt would be. After determining that I like the Gold Label, he pointed out the Balvenie Single Barrel and told me that would be at the level of a Gold Label. After some consideration and almost buying a bottle of Blue Label, I left with the Balvenie. It was a bit hefty at $66.99, but the Gold Label retails for $99.99, so relatively it's a bargain.

Now, I'm determined to really see what I like in scotch, so I had a friend pour about an ounce or so each of my Black Label, Gold Label, and the Balvenie into separate but identical rocks glasses. After the prep, I nosed, tasted, and took some notes on each. I then tried guessing the scotches. As the first two were pretty similar with the third having a floral scent, I guessed that the third was the Balvenie. I was wrong. Surprisingly, the Black Label was the one with the floral scent. In the end, I liked the Gold Label best with its smooth finish. The Balvenie had a honey sweetness to it upfront and ended with a slight burn. Otherwise it was pretty similar to the Gold Label, so the liquor manager was correct about his pick.

This also marks the first time I am taking my scotch neat, as recommended by the liquor manager and nearly every scotch lover. Therefore, I had to adjust to the stronger taste. I must say I still have some adjusting to do, but my appreciation of scotch has grown from the first time I ever had it. So far, I can't tell the big difference between the single malts and the blends, but I hope to develop a grasp on the nuances of the scotches. I have read that single malts can provide a lot of variety as every cask can yield a slightly different result; blends tend to stay a bit more consistent.

What's exciting now is that as I continue to explore the vast world of beers, I can also add to it my emerging venture into scotch, especially the single malts.

As a side note, my Gold Label is running low and I've heard that the some of the whiskys that the Gold Label uses in the blend is increasingly rare. This explains the slight bump in price as time goes on. I'm just wondering when would be the good time to buy a case instead of by the bottle. Haha...