Wings coffee shop and book store

I love to explore new coffee shops. Today I'm at wings on 4th in St. Petersburg, Fl.


This is a very quiet and relaxing place. A great coffee bar offering all that you might want. They have free wifi, which in my case is a must. The book store is small, but focused on inspirational books. The store is stocked with gift items in the spiritual realm. Just a nice place to hang out and write. And, of course drink some great coffee.

I started off with a dark chocolate blend of coffee the girl at the counter talked me into. Now, my next big love after coffee is chocolate--dark chocolate. This coffee is one I can drink a lot of . However, I think their espresso machine is starting to sing my song.

The weather outside is beautiful, but I'm happy sitting here drinking coffee and writing.

Johnny Ray

www.sirjohn.org/bloglist a complete list of my blogs

www.sirjohn.org/blog2 my other coffee blog

Coffee moments remembered

When was the best time you remember smelling and tasting great coffee?

I was drinking my coffee this morning and enjoying a few minutes to let my mind drift to previous times that I've enjoyed some great coffee. I think everyone has those moments. You know, when you wake up to the smell of someone else brewing coffee and the smell so enticing that you have no choice but to get out of bed. Or, the time you are walking a street and the smell hits you hard, so hard you have to stop at a new place. Perhaps it's that first cup at the office that gives you the strength to hit it one more day.

I remember walking the main street in Breckenridge, Colorado after a full day of skiing. Yes, it was cold, and anything warm was appreciated. However, the smell of coffee coming from one coffee shop after another drove me totally crazy. And when I thought the smell from out on the street was overpowering, the full blast of coffee aromas on the inside was like an addicts dream. While the hot cup made my hands warm, the sensation of the hot strong coffee making its way down to my stomach breathed a new life to a frozen body.

Perhaps this is why there are so many coffee shops there. But then again, maybe they are all joining forces to fulfill the needs of other coffee addicts like me. Whatever, they have made many memories for those skiers like me that enjoy the after skiing time as much as the time on the mountain. That is, as long as they keep brewing.

I know others have memories of great coffee moments. What is your story?

Johnny Ray
www.sirjohn.org/bloglist

PS, I'm adding a new blog on how to gill a steak , check it out www.sirJohn.org/blog4

Coffee at Panera Bread

Another day with lots of writing needing to be completed means another cup of espresso. Okay, maybe two or three. Okay,okay maybe a few more than that, but counting is considered rude,even if you do it to yourself, right?

One of the great joys in life is going to Panera Bread for the coffee. I actually like the hazelnut coffee blend there. It is full of flavor and the smell is incredible. It's also hard to beat the price. If you bring your own cup you can get a cup of coffee for $1 and all of the refills of coffee you want. They have a free wifi service. They have free bread samples. They have great people that are always friendly and smiling. They . . . do it right!

Now, lets talk about the food. The bread is fresh and they absolutely know how to make a sandwich. With an addition of a great soup, there is no reason to go any where else. Yes this is my office for the day. Look for me, I'll be wearing me hat, drinking another great coffee and typing on my laptop.

Johnny Ray

Dunkin Donuts visit

I waited with anticipation on the free donuts morning. I enjoyed the walk and the beautiful weather. However, on entering the store everything changed. I had my 10 year old with me and he was looking forward to this time together. The counter girl had an attitude. It's not my fault they are busy, is it? They only wanted to give one free donut. I said, "wait a minute we are both buying a drink," trying to be friendly. Her attitude became worse. I had to cancel the order and re enter two separate orders with her attitude still very unfriendly. They were out of jelly donuts , as if it was my fault again. When we finally received chocolate covered donuts, they were in a bag with no wrapping paper, the chocolate topping smeared on the side of the bag. I ordered an espresso. I'm not sure about everyone, but espresso is served hot, not slightly warm. That is when I noticed they do not have any milk or creme to add to your espresso on the counter. It made the girl upset again that I had to come ask her for some. I finally obtained the help of a manager to ask her to get me some. I received a phone call and the music was so loud I could not even hear above it. I asked for a manager and she never forwarded by message to him. Finally I saw the manager walking through the store and waved him over to me where I explained my experience. After hearing the story, he left to have some words with the counter help. That is the last I heard from them and perhaps the last time they will hear from me. I think he also knew I'm a syndicated travel writer. Knowing that over 10,000,000 readers might be reading about this experience, you would think he would come back to talk to me. And to think, I actually came to this store to give them a very good recommendation.

Coffee and The Importance of Fair Trade

The importance of Fair-trade Coffee is not often considered when you buy a cup of coffee, but it should be. I think the article by Cameroon Taylor below is right and something we all need to think about.

Johnny Ray
www.sirjohn.org/bloglist

Fair-Trade Coffee

Author: Cameroon Taylor

Have you ever wondered about all the hard work and effort that goes into producing the coffee that you enjoy on a regular basis?



Oftentimes, we tend to forget about the manual labourers and workers that toil hard every day so that we can enjoy our daily dose of coffee. Many of the most popular coffees in the world come from developing nations where the standard of life is not as good as the one that all of us have the privilege of enjoying here in Australia. These labourers are often subjected to long working hours and are given wages of less than a dollar a day. Added to this is the fact that due to the nature of the global economy, developed nations like Australia can create government subsidies and tariffs in order to drive down the prices of global coffee producers. All of this means that the person that is working out in the field to harvest the coffee that you enjoy, may be seeing little to no benefits of their hard work and labour.



So what can we do to prevent this from happening?



There is now a new international certification for products that is known as fair-trade certification.Products that are certified as fair-trade may cost slightly more than non fair-trade certified products as they are meant to put more money back into the hands of the people that need it the most, namely the individuals of developing nations.



Witham’s Coffee is proud to stock a wide selection of fair-trade coffees. Purchasing one of these coffees represents your commitment to creating a more equitable distribution of wealth around the world. You can make a difference with every single one of your choices, including the type of coffee you choose to drink. To find out more about how to order fair-trade coffees, and know more about fine coffee, visit withams.com.au

About the Author:

Most of us spend a fair portion of our time in office drinking coffee. Cameroon Taylor is one of those few lucky ones who gets to drink coffee for work. He has been a coffee enthusiast for as long as he can remember and after having a sip of most of the major types of coffee from around the world, he started to write about the first love of his life; coffee. The love affair continues…

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Fair-Trade Coffee

It's time for Dunkin Donuts

Dunkin Donuts has a special offer
This morning my hunt for great coffee is at a Dunkin Donuts not far from my home in St. Petersburg, Florida. It is new and modern, and the traffic is heavy. The coffee is smooth but still retains a good bold taste. Here is the good news from their web site https://www.dunkindonuts.com/aboutus/press/ “Dunkin' Donuts, America's all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, is marking National Donut Day with a sweet nationwide offer to help Americans celebrate the joy and fun of donuts. On June 5, 2009, participating Dunkin' Donuts restaurants throughout the country will give every customer a free donut of their choice, with the purchase of any beverage, limit one per customer.”
This has to be a no brainer; I think they will be totally swamped this Friday. Perhaps, I should pretest all of the different varieties they have. On second thought, if I did I might not get through the door on Friday to get my freebie.
Now, a little information about the history of Dunkin Donuts. They are famous for their certified fair trade beans they purchase, a noble goal to help those in third world countries to make a decent living and hold on their land to ensure that the coffee crops will always be there and in a high quality level. They are the largest seller of cups of coffee in the world with close to one billion cups of coffee sold per year. And, I thought I was a big coffee drinker.
Dunkin controls the entire process of making a great coffee much like a wine master. The quality of their beans and the care they take in bring out their great taste and aroma leave nothing to chance. Dunkin' Donuts uses 100-percent Arabica coffee beans and maintains its own strict coffee specifications.
They offer many choices which includes Indulgent Iced Lattes Hot Coffee Iced Coffee Latte Lite Cookies Flavored Coffee just to mention a few. Of course, I like variety and can find whatever I’m in the mood for here.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll have another cup and write more as we discover the best coffee shops together. . .
Johnny Ray
www.sirjohn.org/bloglist

Monday morning coffee

There is no way I can make it on Monday morning with out an espresso or two, well maybe three. I'm making my own this morning and generally go with a rich espresso bean and fill the contain as full as I can. I can usually get three cups out of one run. and while I'm at home, it needs a little extra boast, this morning it is baileys. Not much mind you but enough to add some flavor. How about you? How are you taking your java this morning?