coffee

Brew Up Your Favourite Beverage Any Time with a Keurig Brewing System from Staples

May 13, 2013 by Kathryn 4 Comments

I love coffee but since I’m the only one in the house that drinks it, I often find myself miscalculating how much I want and then wasting coffee as a result when I make a pot. I have a specialty coffee maker that’s great for creating individual lattes and cappuccinos, but what I really wanted was a way to make a single cup of good coffee so I could have one when I wanted without wasting.

Recently, Staples Canada came to my rescue by giving me the chance to review the Keurig Elite Single Serve Brewing System. This single-serve coffee maker brews a variety of tasty beverages ranging from coffee to tea to hot chocolate. I was excited to see how it compared to my other machines and I had it filled and ready to use within an hour of receiving it.

keurig elite [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: brewer, brewing, coffee, coffee machine, elite, keurig, keurig cups, keurig elite, serve, single, staples canada, system

Find Fresh and Functional Gifts for your Favourite Coffee Lover at Williams Fresh Cafe

December 19, 2012 by Kathryn

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Williams Fresh Café has won acclaim across Ontario for its fresh and tasty food and delicious holiday drinks. But this Christmas, the popular coffee chain has expended its holiday line to include a fantastic selection of gifts all priced under $25!

I received a box of the Williams Fresh Café gift items to review and I feel in love as soon as I opened the box. Coffee mugs, travel mugs and gift sets are designed with a fresh and contemporary look and feel that is sure to be appreciated by your favourite coffee lover.

My personal favourite product was the Sentiment Mugs. These mugs feature two different inspiring words, one on either side of the mug, and I loved the idea of starting the morning off on the right foot with one of these uplifting mugs. Best of all, they are just the right size for that first cup of coffee or your favourite Williams Fresh Café drink. Candy Cane Hot Chocolate anyone? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, Men, Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways, Women Tagged With: cafe, christmas, coffee, coffee gifts, coffee shop, fresh, gifts, holiday, presents, williams, williams fresh cafe

Weaver’s Coffee and Tea is Now Available at Winners and HomeSense in Canada-Giveaway

October 15, 2012 by Kathryn

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When I was in my twenties, I discovered the great taste of organic coffee. Rich, mellow and complex, it was a completely different experience than the regular store brand I’d always had in the past. I’ve tried a few different brands of organic coffee since then but I had never heard of Weaver’s, so when the company contacted me about reviewing its handcrafted organic coffee and tea, I leaped at the chance.

Weaver’s is a true artisan brand that was started by John Weaver, a man recognized as one of the most accomplished coffee roasters and tasting experts in the world. And now for the first time, this specialty organic coffee and tea is available in Canada at Winners and HomeSense stores! I received a fabulous package of Weavers coffee and tea to review and I was so excited to brew up a pot.

weavers coffee and tea [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: astral blend, canada, coffee, espresso blend, homesense, organic, organic coffee, organic tea, tea, weaver's organic, weavers, Winners

Enjoy All the Benefits of Dark Chocolate in a Delicious Hot Drink with Crio Bru-Giveaway

May 9, 2012 by Kathryn

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I love my coffee. I mean…I really love it. In a can’t-live-without-it kind of way. But I love chocolate just as much. And so when I learned about Crio Bru, I knew I’d probably found the most ideal drink ever. Crio Bru is a brand of organic roasted cocoa beans that provides all the same health benefits as dark chocolate and brews just like coffee. I was lucky enough to receive a starter set containing two varieties of Crio Bru and a French Press from Crio Bru Canada and I couldn’t wait to brew up a pot of roasted chocolate goodness!

crio bru starter set I tried the Cavalla Crio Bru cocoa beans first. This blend has flavour notes of coconut and cinnamon that are found naturally in the cocoa bean. I measured six heaping scoops of Crio Bru into the French Press and then filled it with boiling water. After ten minutes of steeping, I pressed the plunger down carefully and poured out a cup of the chocolaty brew. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: bru, cocoa, cocoa beans, coffee, crio, crio bru, crio bru canada, french press

Enjoy Easy and Creative Desserts with Torani Syrups from Buy Coffee Canada-Giveaway

April 26, 2012 by Kathryn

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I love coffee. I love it black, with cream, in lattes and pretty much any other way it can be prepared. I’ll drink it hot, cold, or even lukewarm if need be. But as a special treat, I like it flavoured and that’s why I was thrilled when I got the chance to review some Torani syrups from Buy Coffee Canada.

I’ve had Torani syrups in coffee bars before so I was pretty excited to have a bottle of the syrup in my house that I could use whenever I wanted. I received the Butter Rum and the Chocolate Macadamia Nut syrups to review, along with a challenge. Instead of just using the syrups to flavour my coffee, I was asked to come up with some creative dessert ideas using Torani syrups.

vanilla ice cream with torani chocolate macadamia

Of course, I couldn’t resist trying both varieties in a hot cup of coffee first but after that I got cooking. I loved the rich flavour of the Torani Chocolate Macadamia Nut Syrup and since I didn’t want to drown the subtle macadamia flavour, I thought it was best to use it on something fairly mild. I created an easy and elegant dessert by pouring about a tablespoon of the syrup over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was quick, easy and tasted absolutely decadent!

For my dessert using the Torani Butter Rum Syrup, I got a little more creative and created an easy dessert recipe. The best part is, it can be totally customized to suit your tastes by using different flavours of syrup or cake mix!

Easy Torani Syrup Cake

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix, any flavour

3 eggs

2/3 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup Torani Syrup, any flavour

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare pans as directed on cake mix box.

Combine cake mix, eggs, oil, water and Torani syrup in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer on low speed for 3o seconds or until combined. Increase speed to medium and beat for two minutes.

Pour batter into pan/s and bake as directed on cake mix box.

Allow cake to cool completely and ice with favourite icing if desired.

To serve, drizzle a small amount of Torani syrup over individual pieces of cake.

I used a Spice Cake Mix and the Butter Rum syrup in the recipe and the result was absolutely scrumptious! I iced the cake with a simple Whipped Vanilla icing and then drizzled just a little of the syrup over the top of the cake. The entire family loved it and I was so impressed by how easy it had been to make my own gourmet dessert!

torani butter rum spice cake

Whether you prefer your Torani syrups in your coffee or in your cakes, you’ll be able to find your favourite flavours at Buy Coffee Canada, and thanks to the site’s price-match guarantee, the prices are unbeatable. There are even Torani Sugar Free syrups for those that are concerned about their sugar intake. And Buy Coffee Canada is very generously offering Mommy Kat and Kids readers 5% off their online orders! Just use coupon code KATMO73 at checkout.

If you want to experiment with Torani syrups, you’re in luck because one lucky reader is going to win their own bottle of Torani syrup from Buy Coffee Canada! Just leave a blog comment about what syrup you would choose if you won. I had so much fun experimenting with Torani syrups in my desserts and it was nice to realize that I could use these tasty flavourings for more than just coffee. Check them out for yourself and see what flavour inspires you!

TASSIMO T20 Home Brewing System-Review and Giveaway

December 22, 2010 by Kathryn

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When winter arrives, there is absolutely nothing I love more than sipping a hot drink on a cold day. Whether it’s my piping-hot coffee first thing in the morning, a satisfying cup of hot chocolate after some time outdoors with my son or a soothing cup of tea right before bed, a warm drink is just the perfect compliment to winter weather. I enjoy the basic drinks, but spoiling myself with a specialty drink makes a day seem even more special. After all, the price tag that comes along with a scrumptious cappuccino or an expertly prepared hot chocolate is enough to ensure that fancy drinks are saved for special occasions.

But those days are in the past since I received the TASSIMO T20 Home Brewing System to review. This phenomenal machine prepares single servings of hot beverages ranging from the standard cup of coffee to a fancy cappuccino or latte. I have always wanted to see why so many people raved about the TASSIMO system, so I couldn’t wait to get to work testing it out!

I received the TASSIMO T20 in white, a yellow color accessory kit and two packages of T DISCs to review. The white T20 brewer has a fun and unique extra feature incorporated into its design, since the look of the brewer can be quickly and easily interchanged with the help of a separately sold color accessory kit that fits into the unit. Now, honestly, bright yellow is not a color that looks especially great in my kitchen, but I was so enraptured by the concept of customizing my brewer that I insisted on putting on the yellow accessory kit at once and it remains on the brewer even now. It may clash with our kitchen, but the burst of yellow is so much fun!

The first step before using the brewer was to rinse and fill the reservoir tank. I loved that the tank could be easily removed from the back of the unit and just as easily set back into place without any leaks or drips. Once the tank was back in place, I removed the small green service disc from the back of the brewer and inserted it into the T DISC holder. According to the instructions, I needed to run a cleaning cycle with the service disc in place five times before using the TASSIMO for beverages.

At first, I couldn’t figure out why the machine wasn’t starting. Despite repeatedly pressing the button, nothing was happening. At one point, my husband said, “Maybe we need to take this bar code off the disc,” but thanks to the TASSIMO commercials I knew enough about the system to scream, “No! That’s how the machine knows what disc is in there!” before he could take action.

After a few tries, we figured out that the reason the machine wasn’t starting was because we had inserted the service disc before the TASSIMO was plugged in and turned on. Once we opened and reinserted the service disc with the brewer turned on, it started perfectly.

After the five cycles had run through, I put the service disc back into its convenient slot in the back of the unit and grabbed the T DISCs I needed to make a Starbucks Single Serve Cappuccino. The process uses two T DISCs, one of cappuccino milk and one of Starbucks espresso. I loved the way that the machine was able to recognize the bar codes and make the appropriate amounts of beverage at the right temperatures for a perfect cappuccino. Even the milk creamer came out deliciously frothy and steaming, just like a restaurant beverage!

The cappuccinos were absolutely mouth-watering and my husband and I polished off the entire box in less than a week. We also tried the TASSIMO Suchard Hot Chocolate, which was creamy and delicious and an instant favorite with our son. I noticed that the temperature of the hot chocolate was noticeably lower than that of the coffee, and was amazed anew at how the bar code system of the TASSIMO could produce such perfect beverages. A TASSIMO hot chocolate is ready to be carefully sipped as soon as it is brewed, and even my sensitive son only has to wait a minute or so before he can drink it without finding it too hot. Compared to the ten minutes he usually has to wait, he is thrilled by the TASSIMO difference!

We also received the TASSIMO Gevalia Signature Blend Coffee T DISCs, and I really appreciated that I could brew up a single cup of coffee so easily in the afternoons. In the morning, my husband and I both drink coffee and both have more than one cup, so our old traditional coffee maker works fine. But before receiving the TASSIMO T20 Home Brewing System, I often faced an afternoon dilemma when I wanted a cup of coffee, because I knew that I had to choose between making too much coffee and wasting half of the pot, or just going without. No longer do I have to make that choice, and I am so happy to finally be able to enjoy a cup of great coffee in the afternoon!

I am absolutely in love with my TASSIMO T20 Home Brewing System and can’t wait to try out some of the other delicious-sounding T DISCs available for the machine. The Twinings Chai Tea Latte sounds especially delicious since I’m a huge chai tea fan, and I’ll be picking up a package before Christmas for sure! The TASSIMO T20 Home Brewing System retails for about $129 and is a sure-to-please Christmas gift if you’re looking for one final present to put under the tree. For scrumptious restaurant-quality beverages in the comfort of your own home, check out the TASSIMO T20 Home Brewing System today!

Buy It: To purchase the TASSIMO T20 Home Brewing System, check the website for a retailer near you or shop online now

Win It: One very lucky reader is going to win their very own T20 Home Brewing System from TASSIMO

To Enter (mandatory): Visit the TASSIMO website and tell me about something you liked or something you learned there

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Giveaway ends 11:59 pm CST on January 15, 2011. Open to US Only

Disclaimer: The product/s mentioned above have been provided free of charge by the manufacturer or PR firm for the purposes of this review. Opinions expressed belong to Mommy Kat and Kids and are NOT influenced in any way. Please view full Terms of Use and Policies