I still drink a lot of coffee and have taken to playing with a variety of flavors to enhance my intake experiences.

My most frequent combination is baking cocoa and almond extract, put it in the pot prior to brewing, and whip when done.

Try raspberry or peppermint extracts, and cinnamon, too,  (put ground cinnamon on the coffee grounds or it will tend to thicken into it’s own little mass in the pot.

I really like cardamom, pry open the pod and scrape the seeds onto the grounds, then brew.

Use pumpkin pie spices or ginger, get bold with curry.

There’s no limit, try caramel or orange flavorings.  I’m not talking about syrups, just extracts, or artificial flavorings.

Here’s a link to more recipes – try the White spiced Coffee.

BLACK BEAR COFFEE is amazing!  (IMHO)

Before you link to the article click here for appropriate audio  -   then come back and click here to learn how to brew the JAVA.  DO NOT MISS THE LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ARTICLE.

P.S.

This is MY favorite coffee.   It’s produced by a master.   The website will seem a bit home grown, but the hearts of  Jim & Annie are in the coffee they produce – not in extraneous visuals.

Visit The Black Bear.    Previous post about coffee here and here.

It is perking into my consciousness bit by bit while I peck away at my keyboard. A hot brewing thing demanding attention and stirring me to action.  I never meant for this to happen but it has insinuated itself into my life and I feel a need to share.  A little background first.  I live near a very small  village in the wilds of New Hampshire.  It’s darn hard to keep secrets in a community  this tiny. This post deals with one such secret.

Digression.

During my career in kitchens I, along with every other cook in kitchens world-wide, clung to my glass of coffee as if it were a built in extension of my arm.  The energy and alertness derived from it sustained me through countless hours of line cooking and early morning prep sessions.  The focus was on the stimulation the brew provided not so much on quality. A helpful boost in dealing with the pace of a kitchen.

Fast forward.

I stepped back from day to day kitchen supervision and settled in my cabin-in-the-woods and a gentler life style.  Still,  there was coffee.  I further admit to purchasing the least expensive, grocery shelf grounds available.  The mind-set was still about the ingestion of caffeine you see.

The secret – one small farm.

If you were here I’d take you for a short trip down the road to the general store/post office,  hang a right on Federal Corner Rd. and follow it up the hill past the end of the pavement and turn left on Burleigh Rd.  A short distance further brings us to the picturesque antique farm of Jim and Annie Clark.  It’s not the most remote spot in the world but it’s far enough that cable access hasn’t reached there yet. Peacefulness abounds on Burleigh Road, hiding the small, albeit intense and fervent, enterprise called Black Bear Coffee.

I had heard that they were producing coffee up there and decided to introduce myself and take a peek. I did so. I tasted. I became an ardent fan.  They are doing for coffee what Napa Valley did for wine 50 years ago or more.  With a passion!

The old barn on the property was revamped into a state of the art brewing and storage facility that produces the best darn coffee you could slip past your tongue. It’s an experience akin to sipping a Grande Champagne cognac and savoring the aroma while doing so.

These two people have put heart and  soul into their endeavors along  with a level of personal integrity, and commitment to perfection, seldom seen these days.

Please don’t take my word for it. Visit the website. Read. Try.

Oh.

My Dark Sin ?

A Black Bear blend of hazelnut creme, cinnamon, and a touch of chocolate.