Coffee Beanery's Blueberry Cobbler

Welcome to another Sunday and another coffee review here at Shades of Gray! We may soon be coming to an end of this as a weekly feature, as our resident caffeine fiend is running out of interesting blends to try and write about. (But if anyone out there wants to make suggestions for him to try, let us know in the Comments Section!)

A Boy in Blue enjoying coffee! (It might even be blueberry flavored!)

 
COFFEE BEANERY: BLUEBERRY COBBLER

The foundation of this flavored blend is a perfect and mild medium roast. The blueberry flavor is strong but not overpowering, and there are hints of vanilla coming through, like the icing on a blueberry cobbler. This blend was so smooth that I could have consumed it black, so those out there who take their coffee like that with possibly a little sugar, juice, or creamer added will enjoy it, I think.

When I mixed this coffee hot with Unsweetened Almond Milk, the blueberry flavor grew stronger and became an absolute delight. The drink also took on a creamier flavor, which made it even better. I also tried it with Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk. Not unexpectedly, the hints of vanilla combined with the vanilla flavor of the milk and brought it more strongly to the fore, but blueberry still dominated. With both kinds of milk, the flavors remained pleasantly stable and very tastily mixed with that of coffee as the drink cooled to room temperature.

When I tried this blend with the sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer, it, well, super-creamy in nature. The flavors of blueberry and vanilla really popped, and the cinnamon that the sell-copy promised would be present also crept in. It was nice hot and it remained so as it cooled to room temperature. 

This blend also worked well when iced. Going in, I wondered if the mild flavor profiles would end up being too washed out when the drink was consumed chilled, but this was not the case. Although it was a little too bland when I tried it black, the flavors of this blend re-emerged perfectly fine once I, in turn, added the milks and the creamer. 

Hot or at room temperature, I liked this blend best when mixed with the sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer. Iced, the flavors came through best when it was mixed with the Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk. In all modes in which I tried this blend, the coffee flavor was present to a greater or lesser degree, waxing and waning with the other flavors but never being drowned out. I personally liked this blend best iced with Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk , but I enjoyed it no matter how I tried it.

If you want a mild and sweet flavored coffee that will go great with breakfast or an afternoon snack, I think this might be what you're looking for. If you really like blueberries, there's an offering from Bones Coffee that has a stronger Blueberry taste than this coffee.

In the U.S., it's National Ice Cream Day...

 ... and we're celebrating at Shades of Gray!

Spacegirl Adventures, Part Twenty-four

What Has Gone Before: Spacegirl is on the verge of escaping her pursuers, but then everything gets quiet. Too quiet...

To Be Continued...

It's International Nude Day!

It's the holiday where folks here at Shades of Gray let it all hang out -- International Nude Day!

If Shakespeare had been a surfer...

 

A Moon Girl at Work!

Today, we introduce a new special feature. We shall be presenting verified and fact-checker-approved photos taken by through the telescope at the Shades of Gray Observatory. 

Over the next few months, you will see that the Man in the Moon is just a lazy old coot and that it's the hardworking Moon Girls that are keeping the night sky looking just right.

'Ripped' is strong

Ripped (2007)
Starring: Paul Gray and Freda Evans
Director: Christian Linke
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A artist (Gray) finds a mysterious sketchbook that gives him the power to eradicate what he draws from existence.

"Ripped" is another excellent film that I found while wandering through the deep recesses of Facebook. I thought I recognized the filmmaker's name, but I can't find anything else that's done that I might have reviewed, nor can I find him anywhere on my contact lists. I hope he's done other things since leaving film school, because this is a really neat film.

Writer/director Christian Linke says he was inspired to make this film by episodes of the original "Twilight Zone" series. He's done a great job capturing the look and mood of some of the most iconic episodes of that show while also bringing an appropriate silent movie aesthetic to the actors' performances that echo the best of what that era had to offer. The storytelling is fast-paced, the camera- and lighting-work is creative, and the special effects are simple and effective. Linke did a fine job in general.

There are only two things that dragged the film down from the Seven Rating I was thinking about to the Six Rating that I ultimately gave it. 

First, I found some of the stock music that Linke used distracting. One bit featured a motif that I knew from somewhere, so I found myself thinking more about where from than what was happening on screen. Once I placed the music, I began to wonder why he chose that particular piece; was he trying to evoke the very famous films and even more famous character that it's associated with, or was it just coincidental? (This could just be a "me" issue--I have the same problem when Chinese films lift famous film scores and use them for scenes and genres that have nothing to do with where it was taken from. It could be I notice these things more because I'm a nexus point for film-buffery and music criticism, so this might be a non-complaint complaint as far as most viewers are concerned.)

Second, I kept wanting the stakes to be a little higher, especially in light of the ending. When the Arist realized he could make things vanish via the magic sketch pad, he should have moved onto things far more impactful than just nick-nacks, escalating past annoying pets and to people in quick succession. The film is so well-made that this isn't a huge problem, but it still something I had to "ding" it for.

All that said, I think if you enjoy things like "The Twilight Zone" and "Tales From the Crypt" or classic short-form horror comics, I think you'll get a kick out of "Ripped". Take a few minutes to check it out... and perhaps even let me know in the comments if you could tell what music I found distracting.

Musical Monday with Sleaping Dreaming

Sleaping Dreaming is a Brooklyn-based, three-member band that plays shoegazing rock that swings from borderline heavy to gauzily ethereal. Here's a beautiful, thought-provoking video in support of their song "Ring of Fireflies". I hope you find the film and music as fascinating as I did.
 

Ring of Fireflies (2020)
Starring: Claire Davison and Beau Dobson

Director: Xing Xu

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

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Claire Davison, the featured actress and dancer in the "Ring of Fireflies" music video, has been with the American Ballet Theatre company as a dancer and choreographer since 2012. She has performed in several other music videos, worked as a choreographer for several ballet companies, and she's one of the many dancers who've been part of Dane Shitagi's Ballerina Project. Here are some of the photos she posted for.

Coffee Beanery's Hazelnut

This week's coffee review talks about a flavor that is known far and wide and found everywhere coffee can be had.

COFFEE BEANERY: HAZELNUT

If Colombian coffee is the "basic" unflavored coffee, is hazelnut the "basic" of flavored coffee? Or is it just omni-present?

Anywhere they have free coffee creamer (and/or free coffee), you'll find hazelnut-flavored creamer. The only creamer that is more omnipresent is French Vanilla. In college and early in my working life, I was a regular at the 7-Eleven coffee bar, with their "House Blend" with Amaretto creamer, or a mix of Chocolate Caramel and French Vanilla creamers being my go-to drink. Although there were always lots of Hazelnut creamers, it was never a flavor I felt inclined to try.

But, among the flavors in the Coffee Beanery Sample Pack was Hazelnut (subtitled 'MVP of Coffee') so after 30+ years of drinking coffee on a regular basis, I would finally getting around to trying this flavor standard!

As with most of the Coffee Beanery offerings in my review queue, the Hazelnut-flavored blend has as its foundation medium-roast Arabica beans. When I opened the pack, a sweet, nutty aroma filled the air. That aroma hovered around the coffee maker during brewing. 

The smell was so delightful that I wondered if I'd been missing out on Flavor Greatness for all these years? Maybe Hazelnut really IS an MVP of Coffee?

I first tried this blend hot and black. The hazelnut flavor blended nicely with a fairly mild coffee flavor. This was a blend that even someone like me who cuts virtually any coffee with some sort of milk or creamer or booze could tolerate if I had to. And all I needed to make it suitable for my delicate palate was to add a dash of Stevia.

When I added Unsweetened Almond Milk or the sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer, the sweet, nutty flavor grew stronger, and the flavors remained stable as the coffee cooled to room temperature. Even better, the delightful smell of hazelnuts rose from the cup as I drank and even after it was empty. Despite this strong aroma, the nutty flavor was never overwhelming. 

Unfortunately, I was so enchanted by Coffee Beanery's Hazelnut blend that I drank so much of it hot or at room temperature that I didn't have enough try the blend iced. Basically, I forgot that Coffee Beanery sample packs are much smaller than the ones I get from the Bones Coffee Company. What I did drink, though, makes me recommend it very highly... and I think that maybe the Beanery people weren't bragging with their tagline: The Hazelnut blend is most certainly an MVP among their offerings.

Is Christy thinking it's nuts to not like Coffee Beanery's Hazelnut?

COFFEE NOSTALGIA POST-SCRIPT

After remembering how often I used to get coffee at 7-Eleven and subsequently realizing that's been at least five years since I last got coffee at one of their stores, I went a little out of my way to get some. At first, nothing seemed to have changed at the long counter with the coffee makers, dispensers, selections of creamers, and cupholders. But then I noticed that they didn't have any of the little Amaretto creamers that I used to get. They didn't even have Amaretto flavoring in the pump bottles. Is there a Amaretto supply chain shortage I hadn't heard about? 

Instead of what I had intended to be a trip down Amaretto memory lane, I instead took the opportunity to try the 7-Eleven version of Hazelnut coffee by way of a Large  House Blend with three little cups of Hazelnut Creamer added. It was delicious. I should have done this years ago! (Once again, I was put in the mindset that coffee snobs may have to get over themselves... the coffee at 7-Eleven and gas stations can be perfectly fine.)

My search for Amaretto at 7-Eleven may have ended in failure, but it's inspired me to go looking for offerings from coffee roasters with that flavor. Hopefully, what I find will match the fond memories of cheap late-night coffee of my younger days rather than the disappointment I experienced when I returned to Starbuck's Pike Place blend after not having it for several years.

Space Girl Adventures, Part Twenty-three

THE SPACE GIRLS ARE BACK!

Since 2011, we've been bringing you installments of Travis Charis' gorgeous "Space Girl" comic strip on an irregular basis. We've just received a transmission from Space Station Delta, so for the next few weeks, Space Girls Adventures will continue for the next several Saturdays! Look for two Charest strips and at least one portrait of other females who roam among the stars.

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What Has Gone Before: Spacegirl is trying to get off Delta Moon Station before the sinister Cadet Alpha and the security forces capture her!

SPACEGIRL

By Travis Charest

To Be Continued...

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We mark the return of space girls to Shades of Gray with a portrait of long-time favorite space-faring female. It's Ron Randall's Mercy St. Clair, the lead character in his signature series "Trekker".