Coffee Lover's Will Be the Winners in the Coffee War this April

So much coffee news has come my way in the past few days! Let me know if there is anything that I miss in this post and I will do a quick blog on it!

Sheetz is wrapping up their campaign for their Specialty Drinks. If you are still getting the $1 off sleeve, more than likely they will honor the coupon still. They have never turned me away yet, knowing that return business is good business. I bought an extra bottle of water while I was there. Businesses count on that save-a-dollar-the-customer-usually-spends-more.

Dunkin Donuts is beginning a campaign on April 7th. Free coffee Mondays! Look in your mailbox for this punch card with a $0.99 hot coffee coupon you can use until then!

McDonald's due to lagging sales for the past few months, the king of processed palaces will be offering two weeks of free small, 12 oz. coffees to it's breakfast diners. They will also be giving out free coffee once a day to a randomly chosen Twitter follower! This is in response to Taco Bell expanding and offering a breakfast menu! Yeah, I know! *GASP*

You know... the only place we haven't heard from yet is Starbucks! But I don't think we have long to wait!

K-cup Recommendation

  A couple of weeks ago, one of the Physics majors at school brought her Keurig into the student lounge since she lives more in the lounge than her room. I have never bothered with Keurig because I am that much of a coffee snob. However, they aren't all that bad. What I did find is that some of the K-cups are downright disgusting. Yep, still a coffee snob. I am not a fan of the plastic cup.
  I have found that the Kroger Private Selection brand uses a soft filter and tastes so much better! Of course, I have stocked it with the Breakfast Blend. Happy pro-caffeinating!

Chocolate Espresso Bars

 Mmmm. Can't get enough of the bean? I am fortunate enough to have picked up an espresso bar made by Gearharts Fine Chocolates of Charlottesville, VA. They are part of a line of Venezuelan dark chocolate bars. This particular chocolate tastes a lot like the chocolate chunks in the Espresso Brownie found in Barnes and Nobles confections. The taste is bittersweet without crunching into any beans. My new nighttime chocolate bar with my tea? I think so.

Easy Pumpkin Spice Latte

  Looking for a post food coma drink on Thanksgiving? After all, it is probably one of the last few days that you can order pumpkin spice anything. However, this recipe I found on allrecipes.com that will let you enjoy the flavor year round. Do you know what's even better about the recipe? All you need is a blender!

Blonde Christmas Blend

  If you can't tell, I have been hanging out at Starbucks a lot lately. Something about gift cards burning a hole in my pocket maybe. At any rate, I had to try the new Blonde Christmas Blend when I spotted it. Starbucks describes the flavor as having "warm spices and notes." You know what it has? A somewhat nutty flavor. I can taste the addition of Sumatra which adds to the slightly bolder flavor than the regular Blonde normally has. Enjoy the flavor while it lasts for the next month!

More Starbucks Secret Drinks

  I just came across a site that has the most complete list with pictures! I could not have written a better blog post myself. Instead, I am going to suggest you head over to Tay's account on myfatpocket.com. Read through some of the drinks carefully, as some are only available during certain times of the year due to availability of ingredients! Enjoy!

Recent flavor discoveries

  My readers know that I jump back and forth between local coffeehouses in the search for new flavors. Here are two more that I am introducing to you this week.
CUPS : Nutella flavor has been on the menu for awhile and everytime I come back. I can't fall out of love with it! Nutella is a hazelnut chocolate spread that is addictive and used as a substitute for peanut butter. Give it a shot!
Mill Mountain : Apple Pie  flavor is just as addictive as pumpkin anything. If you need a flavor switch from pumpkin EVERYTHING, this is your cup! The apple is not as overwhelming as one would expect and is blended with vanilla and cinnamon.
  While these are local businesses to me, don't be afraid to try your own local coffeehouse flavors. It's ok to ask for a thimble of it just so you can taste it. Why not be adventurous?