Starbucks Coffee's Pike Place Roast

It's National Coffee Day, so here's a bonus coffee review! (You can see other ones I've done recently by clicking here.)

STARBUCKS CORPORATION: PIKE PLACE ROAST

I have never considered myself a coffee snob, nor anyone who cared all that much about what was in my cup. Recently, I have discovered that is not true. At least not anymore.

I think my transition away from "so long as it has caffeine, I'll drink it with as much milk or creamer added as needed" began when a friend brought me Costa Rican coffee that had been roasted in Costa Rica; it was literally the best coffee I'd ever had.

Lately, I've been drinking a lot of coffee from the Bones Coffee Company, including their Costa Rica blend. While it wasn't quite as good as what my friend brought me, it reminded me of the coffee that was literally Costa Rican in every way.

I have known for years that my preferred coffee is a medium roast. My favorite used to be a couple varieties from Seattle's Best--one with vanilla flavoring and one that was straight. When they got absorbed by Starbucks and those were no longer easily available, I have regularly gotten Starbucks' Pike Place Roast and was quite happy with it... so long as I loaded it up with creamers and/or almond milk of various stripes.

Today, September 29, it's National Coffee Day, and Starbucks was giving away free cups of Pike Place Roast if you brought your own reusable mug into the store. So I did, they filled it, and I walked away happy. I hadn't really intended to do a review of the Pike Place Roast... until I tried it, for the first time since my experience with the Costa Rican medium roasts from some mountain-top roaster from Costa Rica and the Bones Coffee Company (not to mention the various flavored varieties which are mostly based on medium roasts).

Visiting the Starbucks Mascot at home (with Milo Manara)

I took my travel mug full of hot Pike Place Roast and added some sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer--roughly the same amount I added to the Costa Rican blends mentioned above, and what I've been putting in the flavored coffees I've been posting about. I would like to say that I enjoyed my free beverage, but I can't say that I did. At least not as much as I've been enjoying the Bones Coffee Costa Rica blend... or the Sumatra blend for that matter, which was a dark roast.

Until today, I've often been insulted on behalf of Starbucks' roasters when coffee snobs complained about their coffee tasting bitter or burnt. To me, their coffee tasted great... or at least better than some of the stuff I'd get at 7-Eleven and gas stations. The bags I would get of Pike Place Roast for home brewing purposes generally also turned out tasting better than whatever random grocery store roast I picked up to try (barring that lovely Seattle's Best Vanilla whenever I'd spot it on the shelves). But, since I've been brewing and drinking Bones Coffee blends at home pretty much exclusively since mid-May, maybe my tastes have... changed? Become more refined? I now know EXACTLY what the coffee snobs meant when they said that Starbucks coffee tastes burnt.

The Pike Place Roast I drank today was the very definition of burnt. Unlike some of the subtly flavored Bones Coffee blends, and VERY unlike their Costa Rican blend, this coffee tasted bitter and burnt. For the first time ever, after being shocked at how bad I thought this tasted, I looked up what Starbucks says the Pike Place Roast should taste. They say it's supposed to be a smooth, well-balanced medium roast that carries flavors of chocolate and nuts. I've never really noticed any such thing, and I certainly did not notice it in the cut I drank today.

Bottom-line, I find that I am unable to recommend the coffee that used to be one I described as my favorite. Maybe I just got a bad batch--I went in around 2pm, so maybe it had been sitting there simmering all day?--but given that I now can identify with the coffee snobs out there who always dumped on Starbucks, maybe I've just outgrown my one-time favorite?

I will still occasionally end up at Starbucks, but I'll probably stick to the Chai Lattes. Maybe, in the not too distant future, I will get myself a bag of Pike Place Roast and brew up a pot for old time's sake... and to see if it's the coffee that's terrible or just the way they make it at my local Starbucks store. 

Of Wolves and Girls in Hoods

We're closing out this month's Little Red Riding Hood theme with some artistic' visions of the story of the girl, wolf, and gramma's house.

Of Wolves and Girls in Hoods: Walt Disney

Before he ascended into legendary status as a producer and entertainment industry mogul, Walt Disney was himself an animator and created his own cartoons. Based on his "Little Red Riding Hood" adaptation, we think he made the right decision to move from being a creator to the guy who hired and managed the creators, and eventually to managing those who managed those who hired the creators. He had great talent for the latter, but not so much for the former.

Case in point: Walt Disney's adaptation of "The Little Red Riding Hood" fairy tale.

Little Red Riding Hood (1922)
Director: Walt Disney
Rating: Four of Ten Stars

Little Red Riding Hood leads to Grandmother's house, but the Wolf sets his lustful sights upon her.

"Little Red Riding Hood" takes the well-known fairy tale and updates it to modern (well, 1920s modern) times. It's an animated short film of historical significance because it's an early work of Walt Disney--the first of six he made for the Laugh-O-Gram series. (We already reviewed the last one he made... because we're all organized and stuff.) Beyond that, there isn't much to recommend you spending time on it; there are some good ideas here, but they are mostly badly executed.

The opening sequence with a creative donut-making method goes on for too long, and it's a shade of things to come: There isn't a portion of this film that doesn't outstay its welcome, no matter how cute or clever it seems at the outset, be it Red Riding Hood's dog-powered car, the Wolf making his way to Grandmother's house, or the climactic rescue sequence where the Wolf ultimately gets what's coming to him. If this six-minute film had been three or four minutes long, it may have been far more entertaining. As it is, it just drags on and on and on...

And that's a real shame, because the ideas in each those bits are actually quite good and had all sorts of potential. The aforementioned donut-making sequence starts out funny and ultimately leads to an amusing, if a little macabre, gag, but it drags on and on. Gags that take place during the driving sequences featuring either Little Red Riding Hood or the Wolf are amusing, but they are also padded beyond their ability to be entertaining.

The one saving grace of the film is its villain. We don't get to see much of him, but what we do see paints him as an obnoxious womanizer with cool magical powers. He's also clearly a rapist who intends to force himself on Little Red Riding Hood, but she fend him off in an epic battle that literally threatens to blow the roof off Grandmother's house. Of course, we don't get to see any of it this fight--only the outside of the house in which it takes place, because that might actually be entertaining.

If you have a few minutes to waste, you can check out Disney's "Little Red Riding Hood" by clicking below. 

 

Musical Monday with Cher

Next month, it's 26 years since Cher released her version of Marc Cohn's immortal "Walking in Memphis". While I personally prefer Cohn's version, Cher's cover has a lot to recommend it. Depending on your tastes, the hints of Elvis Presley's vocal styles that creeps into her performance here are one of those positive things.

Elvis impersonations are also what makes the video for this song interesting to watch. From Cher's Elvis-like facial expressions and lip-curling while sitting and singing on the steps of bus, to her straight-up cross-dressing as Elvis in other sections, it's something to see!

Walking in Memphis (1995)

Starring: Cher 

Director: Marcus Nispel

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Bones Coffee Double Feature!

Today, I'm reviewing two different flavored blends from Florida-based Bones Coffee Company. Each was made from Arabica beans, and each is a medium-roast. The coffee consumed for these reviews was brewed from pre-ground, 4-oz. sample packs.

Danny Kaye and Grace Kelly. One for two, just like this post.

BONES COFFEE COMPANY: COOKIES AND DREAMS
The coffee in the open package smelled of something sweet, maybe cookies? Some sort of baked good came to mind. While the coffee brewed, the smell was not as intense as it's been with some other blends, but the aroma of something sweet it eventually make its way down to my office after having filled the kitchen.

Since this blend was inspired by the ice cream flavor Cookies and Cream, I was expecting it to be very sweet with a bit of chocolate in the mix. It did not meet my expectations.

The initial sips of blend with without any almond milk added has the taste of coffee front and center, with a leading bitterness with a little of the edge taken off by the medium-roast. There is, however, a hint of chocolate and vanilla that might be enough to satisfy those who drink their coffee black with perhaps just dash of sugar or creamer added. For me, who's known to have half a cup of coffee to half a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, it needed to be cut with a little something else.

When I drank a cup with unsweetened almond milk added, all flavors seemed to retreat. The coffee taste remained dominant while only a hint of chocolate remained and there was not even a hint of vanilla. When I had a cup mixed with vanilla-flavored unsweetened almond milk, the result was the same, except that the vanilla flavor was a little stronger than expected.

Drinking this blend cold and over ice, whether with or without the two varieties of almond milk used above, yielded similar results. The taste of coffee remains strong and the other flavors added  a bit of sweetness but it was never in doubt that you are drinking coffee and not some soft drink with this blend.

Whether you like your coffee hot or over ice, if you want the coffee flavor strong but smooth with just a touch of sweetness, I think you'll like Bones' Cookies and Dreams.

BONES COFFEE COMPANY: PEACHES AND SCREAM

Where the Cookies and Dreams blend kept the coffee flavor front and center, the Peaches and Scream blend is the opposite. In fact, it captured the flavor of the dessert it was inspired by--peaches and cream--more effectively than any other Bones Coffee blend I've tried. In fact, it may have captured the flavor it's inspired by better than ANY coffee blend I've tried.

In fact--and I never thought I'd say this-- the flavor of caramelized peaches may actually be TOO strong. The peach flavor is so sweet and overwhelming that this almost didn't taste like coffee. In fact, you can't taste the coffee at all for the first few sips while drinking it hot and fresh from the pot. Interestingly, the coffee flavor seemed to creep back in as I kept drinking and/or the coffee in my mug cooled, but the peach flavor never wavered.

The flavor of peaches was barely diminished when I added unsweetened almond milk, but the flavor of cream and coffee seemed to emerge a bit more clearly. I didn't try it with the sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer or the unsweetened vanilla almond milk, because I really don't think adding more flavors would do anything but harm the experience of drinking this.

So how does this blend fare when you drink it iced? This is where it really excels. Hot, the dominant peach flavor is almost too sweet and too overwhelming, but iced it seems just right. In fact, cold, the flavors of peach and cream flavors both seem evident and it tastes even more like the dessert the blend draws its inspiration. For the same of consistency, I did try it with unsweetened almond milk, and I thought that the addition detracted more than it added.

Bottom line: The Peaches Cream blend needs to be enjoyed over ice, and if you like your flavored coffees sweet and barely tasting of coffee, enjoy it you will.

Saturday Comics by Sala

Here's a brief Peculia story that's among those that have not been collected in anthologies.

The majority of Sala's "Peculia" short stories were collected in this book, and her novel-length encounter with vampires can be read in this one. Peculia has wandered into some of Ricard Sala's other titles, including his final anthology "Poison Flowers & Pandemonium". I hope to post a review of it in October or November over at the Terror Titans blog.

The Avengers Dossier, Page Nineteen

Many British actors and actresses familiar to lovers of classic spy- and action-movies appeared on "The Avengers". Here's a brief look at one of them.

EUNICE GAYSON

In "Quick Quick, Slow Death", Eunice Gayson is one of several eccentric individuals operating a dance school that doubles as a matchmaking service... and possibly more sinister activities.

Eunice Gayson was born in Surrey in 1928 where she also grew up. She initially trained as an opera singer, but by the late 1940s, she mostly left music and the stage behind for an acting career in movies and British television.

Throughout the 1950s, Gayson was busy with roles in dramas, thrillers, and comedies, including being a recurring cast member in anthology series "Rheingold Theatre" and "BBC Sunday Night Theatre".  On the big screen, she even made a foray into horror with a key role in the very excellent "The Revenge of Frankenstein" (1957).

As the 1960s dawned, Gayson settled into a successful groove as a character actress, but not before appearing in the role she is perhaps best remembered for: She played Sylvia Trent in the first two big screen Bond adventures, "Dr. No" (1962) and "From Russia With Love" (1963). The character had been originally conceived as a recurring "lady friend" for 007, but the idea was abandoned after those two films.

Among Gayson's credits during the 1960s include several appearances on espionage adventure series "The Saint", "Secret Agent, and, of course, "The Avengers." She also had small parts in a handful of comedy series, including a recurring part in the period comedy "Albert and Victoria" (1970). 

"Albert and Victoria" was one of Gayson's last appearances on screen. She essentially retired from acting  to focus on raising her daughter, Kate, who was born in 1971. Gayson did perform on stage every so often from from the late 1980s and into the1990s. 

Eunice Gayson passed away at the age of 90 in 2018.

Use the Melies Method to never again be lonely!

Over 120 years ago, French filmmaker and showman Georges Méliès discovered the perfect way to stave off loneliness and to make sure you could have companionship any time and anywhere. He used the emerging technology of film to record his methods and share them with the world for all time.

Study Méliès methods as he demonstrates them in this short video. If you master them, you will never be lonely again, no matter what! Méliès demonstrates not just one, not just two, but three methods by which you can create company from thin air, in the comfort of your own home/prison during the next Covid lockdown!

The Duplicate Illusionist and the Living Head (aka "The Triple Conjurer") (1900)
Starring: Georges Méliès and Jehanne d'Alcy
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

(In all seriousness, "The Duplicate Illusionist and the Living Head" is one of Georges Méliès best "performance" shorts. I always prefer those of his films that have a bit more plot to them instead of ones that are little more than showcases for his at-the-time cutting edge and dazzling special effects. This one, though, has effects that are so smoothly done and so alive with Méliès's creativity and exuberance that it's impossible not to love it. (I am sure you fell in love with it, too, if you spent the minute or so it lasts. Let me know! (Also, if you DO master the technique of conjuring companions from thin air by watching this film, let me know that, too.)

 

The Swank Quarterly

As Summer gives way to Autumn, Hilary sits in the open window and watches the change of seasons take place.

Of Wolves & Girls in Hoods: The Fleischer Bros

In 1931, as Fleischer's Betty Boop was soaring toward animated superstar status, she and her friend Bimbo co-starred in an adaptation of the "Little Red Riding Hood" story. It has some fun, surreal, and/or just plain crazy moments. The music isn't bad either.

It also makes you question Betty's taste in boyfriends. At the outset of the Betty comments to Bimbo that her mother doesn't approve of him... and as the cartoon unfolds, I think it's clear why. By the end, I think it's clear that Bimbo may be more dangerous than the wolf ever was... as well as a complete psycho. (Of course, if the assume that "Dizzy Red Riding-Hood" is a sequel to this one, we already know Bimbo isn't quite right in the head.)

"Dizzy Red Riding-Hood" is a zany take on a very familiar story that goes to very unexpected places. No matter what meaning you assign to the original story and the events and characters within it, this version subverts them all!

Dizzy Red Riding-Hood (1931)

Starring: Ann Little (Voice of Betty Boop) and Billy Murray (Voice of Bimbo, others)

Director: Dave Fleischer

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars