Abby Call was a barista at Cool Beans during Summer 2010. Cool Beans is located in Brevard, NC at The Wilds Christian camp. Cool Beans is open to the around 1,000 campers and sponsors that come to The Wilds every week.

The greatest part about Cool Beans is that it is not only a coffee shop, but it is also a ministry too. Abby says that her favorite part about working at Cool Beans is, "Just getting to know the people a little bit as they would come through each day. I liked being able to brighten their day a little bit by giving them amazing coffee!" Abby loves working individually with every customer. "I loved it when customers would ask me for a suggestion, and I would be able to create their dream drink off the top of my head. Usually they would love it, but if they didn't, we would just try again!"

Abby says that Cool Beans brews Counter Culture Coffee. It is a local coffee provider based in Durham, NC. When I asked Abby what her favorite drink at cool beans is, she said, "My favorite drink to make and have is an iced soy caramel macchiato. The espresso goes on top, filtering down into the milk, and creating a marbled effect. Thus the name "macchiato" meaning "stained" in Italian."

Abby's drink suggestion to us and a few of the favorites at Cool Beans are, "Vanilla frappuccinos with almond or hazlenut flavor added. Another amazing drink is a breve americano with an extra shot of espresso. Pretty much anything
with espresso!"

Although Abby loved her Summer working at Cool Beans, she will probably not be returning to work there in Summer 2011. She plans to be back at The Wilds Christian Camp but in a more challenging position- a teen counselor.

Click Here to see a video about Cool Beans.

Latte art is a great way to add something special your simple latte and to make it look unique and decorative.

1. Pour one cup of milk into the pitcher. Steam the milk so that creates a smooth, velvety milk. You do not simply want foam.
2. When the milk reaches 80 degrees F, place the steam wand on the side of the pitcher so that the milk spins counterclockwise.
3. After, letting the milk settle, swirl the milk vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds.
4. Start to put the milk into the espresso. To create a flower pattern, pour the milk an inch away from the bottom of the cup. When the cup is half full, start shaking the pitcher back and forth with your hand- not your wrist.
5. Once the foam reaches the top of the cup, pour the remaining milk up the center of the pattern you created. Use as little milk as possible to avoid ruining the flower's shape.
6. Optional: Put a special touch on your design using stencils, powder, and milk foam.

Watch this YouTube video for more ideas and directions for great latte art:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVAp-8QDGz0&feature=related

Watertown, WI is home to several different coffee shops. Some have great atmospheres, great food, or a great location. However, Latte Donate easily has the best coffee in town (According to my opinion, of course.) Latte carries a wide variety of products such as teas, coffee brews, coffee drinks, smoothies, and pastries. They order their coffee from New Orleans instead of using whatever local, available coffee. Because of the high quality coffee, all of the drinks have a rich coffee flavor that does not have a weak or cheap taste. The cafe is always coming out with new, exciting drinks top keep their customers happy, such as this summer's Neapolitan Chiller and a Strawberry Tea Smoothie. All of their drinks are topped with homemade, delicious whip cream. Latte also makes all of it's own homemade pastries such as scones, doughnuts, brownies, muffins, etc. The location of Latte Donate is also a great feature because it is located in the heart of town on Main Street. Also, Latte is a great place to sit and read or do homework since they have free wifi.

Latte Donate is a very small, intimate place which can be very homey but also comes with it's drawbacks. Taking a large group to Latte Donate is not a good possibility as their are usually no more then a few seats open. Also, Latte Donate has a very small working space and so it often seems understaffed. Sometimes I have had to wait 10- 20 minutes for my drink. However, this is the only two drawbacks I can find to this cafe.

If you have time, Latte Donate is worth the wait! Their rich coffee or tasty homemade pastries keep their faithful customers happy and coming back.

Latte Donate
501 E. Main Street
Watertown, WI, 53094
920-206-7080
Mon.- Fri. 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sat.- 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sun.- 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Click here to watch a short power point about the history of Starbucks.

A few simple easy steps to help you make a mocha. (For best viewing quality, watch in Full Screen Mode.)

Currently, I am reading The Coffee Book by Jacki Baxter. I found it at the library the other day and thought it would be neat to read. It not only has a chapter about the history of coffee, but also tons of coffee recipes. One particularly interesting chapter is about how coffee varies around the globe. Each country brews and drinks coffee differently. These are a few of the countries coffee traditions that I found
interesting.

Holland- Because of how much the Dutch trade, they began growing and trading coffee in the 17th century. They have appreciated the taste of coffee ever since. The Dutch usually brew a medium roast through the drip method.


Italy- Italians like a very strong roast and especially espresso. They like mixing their strong coffee with milk, commonly known as cappuccino. Another drink they are fond of is espresso with ice water. Basically, the Italians just like their coffee drinks strong!

Turkey- Turkish coffee is very strong and sweet. It is more like a syrup than a liquid. It is also served with the grounds still in the bottom of the cup. According to tradition, the coffee must be boiled three times. I have actually had Turkish coffee and I loved it! It is very smooth and tasty.

Russia- Russians are still fairly new to coffee. But when they do drink coffee they drink it with a slice of lemon. (I'm not sure how I would like lemon in my coffee!)

Japan- Japanese will drink coffee in any form! It is considered expensive, but there are still many cafes in the country. Apparently, some Japanese bathe in coffee and pineapple for invigoration.

USA- Of course American's are huge coffee drinkers! Coffee in America began as a patriotic symbol when the English put heavy taxes on tea. However, now most Americans prefer coffee over tea. American's drink coffee in all forms and have every possible kind to choose from.

I love a lot of things about coffee whether it be the taste, the place, or the accessories. Here are a few of the coffee items that I enjoy.