Trying out Tava Ghee: Butter Coffee and Cooking with Ghee

I really first heard about ghee when the trend of butter tea and butter coffee came about. Ghee is a type of clarified butter that originated from India. It's widely used not only in cooking but also ayurvedic medicine and hence, ripe for the health trends of the western world. The preparation of ghee is slightly different than clarified butter (to make ghee, the butter is simmered along with milk solids until they caramelize) and gives it a nutty aroma and taste.

Anyway, I got curious about butter coffee because a fellow blogger Eating LA had been taking it and told me she felt more energetic throughout the day and that butter coffee actually tasted pretty good. So when Tava Life Provisions offered to send me some ghee to try, I took them up on the offer so I can try butter coffee!

Making butter coffee is pretty simple, here's the directions I got from Eating LA: Brew a strong cup of coffee. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee, and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Blend. Add vanilla or cinnamon if you like.
So, Tava actually has different flavors of ghee! I used their Vanilla Bean Ghee for my butter coffee so I didn't even need to add any vanilla! The butter coffee didn't taste as weird as I had expected. In fact, it was smooth and just a bit rich - drink it quick, though, it starts to get weird as the coffee gets cold and the ghee separates. But before that, the butter coffee is easy to drink for your caffeine and energy fix in the morning!
Plus, ghee is supposed to increase your metabolism - so hey, if you can reason your coffee fix as a diet drink, why not?

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Pinkberry Does Breakfast

I knew Pinkberry serves greek yogurt, and I've also tasted their oatmeal bowl before, but I haven't really thought about going there for breakfast until now. Did you know Pinkberry serves coffee? They brew Barrington coffee in a French press to-order. It's pretty strong and smooth.

I've tried many versions of their greek yogurt and also their oatmeal before, and they also are doing a quinoa bowl which I have not tried, but I decided to go with the acai bowl, since I'm nearing the end of the season to eat cold stuff! Oh, Boston winter is coming ...

Anyway, I got my acai bowl topped with a bunch of fruits, granola, and a dollop of honey.

Pinkberry makes their acai bowl using Sambazon acai which they blend with other things, so it takes a bit longer to prepare than the soft serve froyo, and not as firm, but I quite liked the way it tastes. Acai is supposed to be healthy for you and I got a my daily dose of fruits.

Overall it was a nice breakfast with pretty good coffee, making Pinkberry a nice option for breakfast if you have a location convenient to you! Next time, I'm going to check if they still do their PB&J oatmeal, where they mix in the peanut butter in the oatmeal, because that was delicious!

Ogawa Coffee Brings Japanese Perfection in A Cup

I'm not REALLY a coffee connoisseur, but I got spoiled living in LA, when there was a renaissance of great coffee shops. I may not be able to blind test different single origin coffees, but I know bad coffee from good coffee, at least. So when I came to Boston last year, I asked around where to find good coffee. "I just go to Dunkin' Donuts" was invariably the most common response.

Hm. Like I said, I was spoiled. Luckily, Ogawa Coffee came from Boston. Ogawa Coffee has been running a chain of stores and their own coffee bean roasting in Kyoto for more than 60 years. Their foray into Boston is their first international venture, and they chose Boston because it is one of Kyoto's sister cities and they see Boston's abundance of universities and focus on education as a common ground between the two cities.

When you walk in, you'll notice the stadium seating to the right, which faces a serving counter. They'll eventually hold demos and classes using this area.

Ogawa's signature drink ($10 but you get two drinks, really) is a glass of chilled espresso - smooth and just slightly sweetened - served with a cup of hot cappuccino.

If you're lucky and you're in the store when Haruna Maruyama is in, then you should ask for some special latte art. She's the champion of the 2010 World Barista Latte Art and was both the first Japanese and the first woman to win the distinction! Don't fret if she's not in because she's been training the other baristas who all have their signature art, but do know you're in for a treat when she is.

The thing about Japanese is their attention to detail. They heat up their glassware with hot water before serving the coffee so as not to change the temperature of the coffee too much!

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