Coffee Art

To continue the theme of my previous post, I wanted to share some impressive pics of coffee art my mom sent my way. I hope these lattes are as tasty as they look!













Anybody know if you can find these in the Bay Area?

Ode to Coffee

It used to be that the world was divided into cat-people and dog-people, but that seems to have faded away, and culture has shifted to distinguishing between coffee-people and non-coffee-people. (Among my coffee-loving friends here, we've broken that down even further to "Starbucks" vs "Peets Coffee")

When I was a little girl, I couldn't understand how on earth people could drink the stuff. That was before "frappucino" was a part of our vocabulary. My experience with 'coffee' was limited to my dad's morning routine black-instant-decaf cup of joe (blech - my tongue hurts just remembering!).


I'm so glad those early memories did not permanently taint my opinion of what is now my favorite beverage. Because coffee is not just a drink, it's a way of life. A morning routine. A place to meet friends. And the coffee that we drink, and the ways we take it, in some small ways define us.

For me, coffee signals hope - the fresh start of a new day. It means hospitality - there's little I enjoy more than an after-dinner cup of decaf at a friend's. It even helps me connect with God - I never crack my bible in the morning until a warm cup is in my hand.

So, when I saw this video of current world racers making their own coffee from scratch in the Andes, I couldn't help but smile, then determine, I'll never again travel to coffee-country without a hand-grinder and a french press:

Isn't Christmas Over Yet?

Since Katherine's gone to a women's retreat this weekend, I thought I'd put in a little work to keep the dust off of the blog. To get thngs rolling, I need to do a little venting.

I've been making a fair number of trips to Starbucks lately, and my drink of choice is the grande brewed coffee. It's cheap, it's delicious, and it meets my needs. Also, I enjoy the great variety of coffee blends: Cafe Verona, Yukon, etc. They're all delicious.

So here's the problem. I am perhaps the only person on Earth who dislikes the Starbucks Christmas Blend. I find it too citrusy to be considered real coffee. Thus, the yuletide, that special time of year when the Christmas Blend reemerges, is for me marked with inferior coffee. I am always thrilled when the Christmas Blend disappears back into the shadows, making way for far superior blends.

Today is the 26th day of January, 2008. So why is it that, on this very day, at two different Starbucks locations, I was offered the Christmas blend? It's not Christmas, is it? In fact, it's nearly February. And yet, I'm made to suffer at the hands of crappy coffee. Is there no justice? Must I drink decaf? ACK!!

I thank the Almighty for the advent of Casi Ciello, a full-bodied and rich coffee Starbucks is pushing this month.

So mark my words: if I ever become Supreme Dictator of the Universe, my first decree will be that Christmas Blend must disappear on December 26th. Life is too short to drink bad coffee.

Tell me how you really feel...

On a recent excursion to Santa Cruz, we happened upon Bonnie's dream car...

Everything Counts

As much as I think and pray about helping orphans in Africa, especially Swaziland, it surprises me sometimes how (relatively) little I blog about it. I've continued to investigate opportunities for getting involved, and thought y'all are about due for an update.

Saint's Coffee - This is a brand-new Christian-run company that was started with the primary intent of raising money for orphans in Swaziland. Each purchase feeds an orphan for a month, and the website claims that in their first five weeks of sales, they've already been able to feed 270 kids 8,100 meals! That's great!

I've now sampled three of the blends that Saint's Coffee offers on their website. The mild and medium roasts are unfortunately too subtle to stand up to my Starbucks habit, but the St. George is not bad. If you'd like to sample any of the blends, please let me know.

Christmas in Africa - Children's Cup is a ministry that feeds children in various Care Points around Southern Africa. Each year they provide a huge Christmas party for the children, and this year they are encouraging a personal connection with sponsors around the world.

What you do is order a Christmas card from Children's Cup (preprinted in Siswati or Portuguese), write a note to a child, attach a picture of you and your family (if you like), and send it back along with $6. The money will cover the cost of a Christmas gift and dinner for the child. The child will then fill out a note and send it back to you. I just ordered a bunch to do as a youth group project, and am really excited to see our students connected to African kids.

5 for 50 - This is a charity that Tom Davis talks about in his new book Red Letters (I just received a copy - haven't gotten to read it yet). Each copy purchased results in a donation that goes directly to feeding orphans. On his blog, Tom talks about how they are able to do this: all the money raised pays for shipments of donated food. Not sure this is the right thing to do? Watch some of the videos posted on his blog. Keep tissues handy.

Wherever you are, whatever place you are in life, I pray that you will respond to the tragic need. I believe that we in America have been given rich material blessings, not for our own pleasure but to partake in the joy of giving to others.

So, if you can sponsor a child, do it! If you can send a Christmas gift for $6, do it! If you believe that God answers prayer and wants to heal the brokenhearted, do it! In the kingdom of God, no gift is too small.

Saint's Coffee

If you are a coffee drinker, and you'd like to help orphans, check this out!


I just read on Tom Davis' blog about Saint's Coffee , a new company that was founded by a Christian businessman to raise money for organizations (such as Children's Hopechest and 5 for 50) that help orphaned children.

You can order online at www.saintscoffee.com

For every pound of coffee you buy, you will feed an orphan for a month!

Coffee aficionado Bonnie and I have agreed to order some and give it a try. We'll let you know the results of our taste testing.

Gary Black says:

Brett, Tom, and I were sitting on the banks of the Crocodile River looking over Krueger Park last June with some World Racers. We were thinking up businesses we could do that would help us feed the orphans God has called us to and fund more families to get over here and fight with us on the front lines; Look what Brett has done: Saint's Coffee.

Please try the coffee and if you like it, buy all of it you can. Thanks!

Tom Davis says:

Besides being an awesome concept, here are some other pluses:

Only the top 3% of coffee in the world is good enough for Saint's Coffee - Fair trade - It's organic - It helps the poor instead of lining rich people's pockets! - Roasted fresh and in micro-batches - Cool Blends like St. George the Dragon Slayer dark roast - Flat out tastes better than any coffee you've drank.

Look at it this way, you can know you are really helping a child in need because when you are enjoying that piping hot, delicious, fresh coffee, drinking that cup feeds an orphan for a day.

Be A Saint, Drink Saint's Coffee!

How addicted to coffee are you?

I am 65% Addicted to Coffee

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