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Stealing money from tip jars

7/31/2014

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There is an article that has been cruising around the past couple days. A man went into a coffee shop in Manhattan and stole money from the tip jar when the Barista wasn't looking. As a former Barista, this is a very upsetting matter. Tips that we make in that tip jar is basically half of our pay so we always rely on that. The Barista was there by himself at 8 o'clock at night, finishing his shift, and this stranger that ordered a cappuccino (which he could not pay for) went and stole all his hard working tips. 

The coffee shop decided to not call the police and hold a food drive for the thief, according to the Huffington Post. They think that if this man has to resort to stealing from them, that this guy must be pretty down and out. I'm guessing they are doing this so that the man will come forward and they can actually catch this thief, but maybe they just actually want to help this guy out. If he does not come forward then they are going to donate all of the food to a local food drive. 

Every person has their own reasons for stealing and unfortunately it happens all the time. Sometimes it could be so that somebody can support their family, but I personally still do not think that is an excuse to break the law and put your family in potential danger. 

I want to know other peoples opinions on this subject. 
Do you think this man deserves all of this food that people are willing to give him or do you think he needs to be caught and arrested?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/05/coffee-shop-helps-thief_n_4392449.html

http://nypost.com/2014/07/29/latte-cash-thief-rips-off-coffee-house-tip-jar/

Who would want to steal from us though? We always come up with the best tip jars :-)

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How to steep your tea

7/29/2014

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When steeping tea, there is always a difference in the way and how long you should steep based on what kind of tea you are using.
 
Before I get into that, there are some basics about steeping that you should know:

1) Always use cold, fresh water to boil, do not ever re-boil old water.
2) Always pour the boiling water over the tea leaves or tea bag, do not add water first.
3) Once steeping is done, remove the leaves or tea bag immediately 
4) If you are making iced tea, follow the same steeping instructions and then pour over ice


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Black Tea
.5 teaspoons per cup
Steep for 3 minutes at 205°F


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Green Tea
1 teaspoon per cup
Steep for 3-4 minutes at 150-175°F


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Oolong Tea
.5 teaspoons per cup
Steep for 3-6 minutes at 195°F


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White Tea
1 teaspoon per cup
Steep for 7-9 minutes at 175-185°F


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Red Tea
.5 teaspoons per cup
Steep for 3-7 minutes at 205°F


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Yellow Tea
1 teaspoon per cup
Steep for 3 minutes at 195°F


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Rooibos Tea
1 teaspoon per cup
Steep for 3-5 minutes at 205°F


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Honeybush Tea
1 teaspoon per cup
Steep for 5-8 minutes at 205°F


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Japanese Latte Art

7/22/2014

1 Comment

 
We all love latte art but have you ever seen Japanese latte art?
There is an artist named Kazuki Yamamoto who works at Cafe 10g in Osaka, Japan.
He is an incredible latte artist with over 100,000 Twitter fans, so I wanted to share some of his great pieces of latte art with you.

1 Comment

Summer Coffee Recipes

7/17/2014

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I thought I would put together some yummy iced coffee recipes that looked so delicious that it made me want to go home and make some of them right now!
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Citrus Iced Coffee

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of coffee
10 whole cloves
2 slices orange peel
2 slices lemon peel
1/2 cup whipped cream

Directions:
Place spices and peel into a saucepan.
Pour coffee over spices and simmer over
low heat for roughly 5 minutes. Strain
into cups and top with whipped cream.
Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon

Via: Guest of a guest

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Coconut Cowboy Coffee

Ingredients:
1 cup canned unsweetended coconut milk
1 cup of brewed iced coffee
3 tablespoons chocolate syrup

Directions:
Heat coconut milk in small saucepan
until steamy. Mix the coffee, chocolate
syrup and coconut milk.

Via: Guest of a guest



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Creamy Maple Coffee Punch

Ingredients:
8 cups hot water
1/2 cup instant coffee
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 cups maple syrup
2 cups heavy cream



Directions:
In a large pot, bring water to a boil; remove from heat 
and stir in coffee, vanilla and maple syrup

Let cool slightly then refridgerate overnight
Stir in heavy cream then serve with a lot of ice

Via: Mrfood

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Frozen Banana Latte

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup strong black coffee
3/4 cup half and half or milk
2 frozen bananas cut in half
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup ice cubes

Directions:
In a blender combine all ingredients and blend until frothy 

Via: Mrfood

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Cappuccino-Chip Frappe

Ingredients:
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup iced coffee concentrate
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chocolate chips 
Whipped cream, for serving

Directions:
Add ice cream, iced coffee, vanilla, and chocolate chips in a blender and process until mixture is smooth and chocolate chips are finely ground. (Freeze frappe mixture for a few minutes to thicken up, if desired.) Pour into chilled glasses and served with whipped cream.

Via: Yummly

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Coffee,Banana,Hazelnut 
Morning Shake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chilled brewed coffee
1/4 cup hazelnuts (soaked in water at room temperature and chilled overnight)
1/4 cup nut milk or soy milk
1 banana (frozen and peeled)
1 tbsp agave nectar
5 ice cubes
coconut flakes

Directions:
Add chilled coffee, hazelnuts, milk, banana, and agave nectar to blender and blend on high until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Add ice and blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds longer. Transfer to one or two glasses, sprinkle with coconut and serve immediately.

Via: Yummly

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Frosty & Tasty Nutella Iced Coffee

Ingredients:
8 ounces chilled coffee
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons nutella
Whipped cream
Ice cubes







Directions:
Wisk together nutella, coffee and milk until mostly dissolved. Pour the mixture over ice and serve with whipped cream

Via: Babble

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Q&A with our employees!

7/15/2014

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I decided to make a list of questions for some of our employees to answer so all of our customers can get to know them a little better.

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The first person I interviewed was

Krista aka Boss Lady:
Q: What did you do before you worked here and why did you want to work here?
A: I went to High School and needed money

Q: What is something we do not know about you?
A: I love my Freshwater Aquarium. I spend my spare time decorating and maintaining that.

Q: Why do you love Saratoga?
A: There are good people in the town and a lot of stuff to do

Q: What is your favorite drink here?
A: Double shot of espresso with half and half and toasted marshmallow flavor

Q: What is something you love about our customers?
A: I love their company

Q: What is your favorite thing about the coffee shop?
A: Making hot lattes and practicing latte art

Q: What is a pet peeve of yours?
A: When people don't push in their chairs

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Carrie:
Q: What did you do before you worked here and why did you want to work here?
A: I worked at CVS for 5 years and was miserable and wanted a change in environment, plus everybody was really nice.

Q: What is something we do not know about you?
A: I want to work in an industry that involves women and policy


Q: What is your favorite drink here?
A: Valhalla Java

Q: What is your favorite thing about our customers?
A: Talking to them about the pros and cons of the tip jars

Q: What is a pet peeve of yours?
A: Rude people

Q: Why do you love Saratoga?
A: It has a feel of a city without being gross and over crowded


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Brenna:
Q: What did you do before you worked here and why did you wanna work here?
A: I worked at Mc'Donalds and wanted to work in a positive environment in Saratoga


Q: What is something we do not know about you?
A: I have a twin brother

Q: Why do you love Saratoga?
A: Full of people, the history and a lot of things to do

Q: What is your favorite drink here?
A: Smores iced latte

Q: What do you love about our customers?
A: They are willing to try new things, like new lattes if I suggest them

Q: What is a pet peeve of yours?
A: Ignorant people

Q: What is your favorite thing about the coffee shop?
A: Krista

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Felicia:
Q: What did you do before you worked here and why did you wanna work here?
A: Worked at Mc'Donalds as a manager and Xtramart. Scott asked if I wanted a job and this place is a whole lot better than the other places

Q: What is something we do not know about you?
A: I am obsessed with Corgi's

Q: Why do you love Saratoga?
A: There is usually always something to do and people watching is fun

Q: What is your favorite drink?
A: Hazelnut iced coffee with cinnamon

Q: What do you love about our customers?
A: I can have conversations with them and will cheer us up

Q: What is a pet peeve of yours?
A: People that chew with their mouths open

Q: What do you love about the coffee shop?
A: The people that work here

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Briana:
Q: What did you do before you worked here and why did you wanna work here?
A: Worked for an insurance company and wanted a change in environment

Q: What is something we do not know about you?
A: I have a 4 year old daughter and another daughter on the way

Q: Why do you love Saratoga?
A: Everybody is very friendly and it is a beautiful town to walk around in

Q: What is your favorite drink?
A: The Juliet: Coconut chai, 1/2 steamed milk, 1/2 water with honey

Q: What do you love abut our customers?
A: They have always been very loyal and kind 

Q: What is a pet peeve of yours?
A: When people do not use their blinkers

Q: What do you love about the coffee shop?
A: Everybody that works here and the ability of being able to create new things all the time

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Uilliam:
Q: What did you do before you worked here and why did you wanna work here?
A: I was going to college, dropped out and have been coming here since I was 13 and loved the store

Q: What is something we do not know about you?
A: I was born in Georgia

Q: Why do you love Saratoga?
A: As far as small towns goes, it is a very small comfy small town with a lot of business and fun stuff going on

Q: What is your favorite drink?
A: Iced coffee

Q: What is a pet peeve of yours?
A: When you are reading a book and people come up and sit and talk to me

Q: What do you love about the coffee shop?
A: The co-workers and the atmosphere

Q: What do you love about our customers?
A: I have had some of the best conversations in the past year with our customers here

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Track Season

7/10/2014

1 Comment

 
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If you live in Saratoga, you are already familiar with the 1 animal that makes it the busiest time of year for us all.... Horses. 

July 18th, exactly a week from tomorrow, track season begins!

People from all over the place come together for the next couple of months to bet over what Horse will cross the finish line. It's an exciting time of year filled with big hats, loud voices and a lot of people. Saratoga is jam packed from July until September. I decided to give you a heads up and a schedule on what Saratoga will be like for 2 months.

July 18th and 19th is Hats Off to Saratoga weekend. This means that there are supposed to be over 4,000 people in the streets of Saratoga. There will be a lot of live music and of course... big hats.

Every Tuesday is "Dark Day" which is the only day of the week, each week, where track is closed and there are no races taking place.

July 25th is College Day, a chance for college students to win prizes and maybe even win a free scholarship.

Every Monday is "Family Monday", a day where families can join together in specific activities.

Another famous day is Travers Day, which takes place on August 23rd. This is a famous race designed for only extraordinary 3 year old Horses.

Of course, there is final stretch weekend followed by Closing Day which takes place on September 1st.

I hope everybody enjoys Track Season and I will keep everybody updated on any other events taking place during the next couple of months!



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1 Comment

What is Fair Trade?

7/8/2014

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When we tell customers that our coffee is "Fair Trade, Organic" most of them do not know what Fair Trade is. 

Fair Trade is a non-profit organization that helps out the farmers. They provide farmers tools to help them become international business people.
They use a market-based approach that gives farmers fair prices, workers safe conditions, and entire communities resources for fair and healthy lives. 

Many people associate Organic with Fair Trade. Even though half of their products are organic, fair trade are products that have been made in workers who are guaranteed labor protection. 
A portion of the price of fair trade products goes toward community development where workers come from. 

For the people that do know about fair trade, they usually associate it with just coffee, but there are over 12,000 fair trade products including chocolate, fresh fruit, vegetables and some clothing. If you go on their website you can take a look at everything they have to offer. 

By choosing Fair Trade coffee for our coffee shop,we are not only accessing high quality products, we are making a difference in the lives of the people who grow the food you eat and the goods. That is what is important to us.

Overall, Fair Trade is an amazing organization that helps farmers and workers have fair wages and a better life. I will post a couple resources at the bottom for you to check out what they do, why it makes a difference and the importance that it has in the world. 


http://www.bournville.ac.uk/2011/03/the-importance-of-fairtrade-and-how-its-making-a-difference/

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235435

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade

BUY FAIR TRADE!

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0 Comments

Coffee Dates?

7/3/2014

1 Comment

 
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I'm sure everybody has been at that point in their life where you are going on your first date and the first question that comes into your head is... Where do we go?
The most popular answer to that question is usually the movies, dinner, or even better... a coffee date. Why is this?

It's Cheap!
If you think about it, if you go to dinner you will be spending at least $40. Whereas a coffee date you will be spending $10-20 bucks at most. 


You feel more comfortable.
If you are going on a late coffee date or even a early morning date there is always something romantic and comfortable about it. The lighting, the sounds, the people watching and the intimate conversation. You can start off small with your coffee and order a macchiato. If the date ends up going well and you don't have to rush out the door after 1 cup, you can always offer another cup, and maybe some dessert to share. You can sit there for hours, talk about anything and you don't have anybody rushing you out the door. 

It is a great way to test the waters.
When you go on a date it is all about getting to know the other person. Coffee dates can make that pretty simple, without all the expectations of a dinner date. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they order their coffee. You can see the way they talk to a server, if they tip and of course their manners. 


Not everybody agrees that this is the way to go but I have been on coffee dates before and have always felt much more comfortable talking to the other person in this type of setting.

What do you think about a coffee shop as a first or second date?
I would love some opinions!

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1 Comment

Food Recipes to make with Coffee 

7/1/2014

0 Comments

 
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Coffee and Chocolate Granola

Ingredients:
3 cups (270 g) rolled oats
1/3 cup (~50 g) almonds, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp ground coffee
1/3 cup (80ml) strong espresso
1/3 cup (70 g) dark Muscovado sugar (you can use granulated white sugar as well, but ir will not give that nice caramel-molasses flavor as Muscovado does)
2 Tbsp grape-seed oil
1 oz (30 g) dark chocolate, finely chopped


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) temperature. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, and ground coffee.
In a small saucepan, slightly heat the espresso, Muscovado sugar, and oil, just until the sugar is melted.
Mix the liquid with oats, and transfer this whole mixture on the baking sheet.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring once in while and making sure oats are not burning.
When granola is nicely crispy, take it out from the oven and, as long as it is still warm, mix in the chocolate. It will melt and beautifully cover the oats.
Let it granola cool fully, and then transfer into an air-tight container.



Via: My Kitchen Affair

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  • Maple Espresso Baked Oatmeal

  • Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2cups rolled oats (I use Bob's Red Mill)
  • 2teaspoons baking powder
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1tablespoon powdered instant espresso
  • 2 ounces unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
  • 2/3cups grade B maple syrup
  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • 2/3cups whole milk
  • 1cup chopped pecans
  • 3/4cups dried cherries, roughly chopped if they're very large

  • Directions:

    1. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook it until it is brown and smells nutty. Set aside to cool.
    2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, baking powder, salt, and powdered espresso.
    3. In a medium bowl, mix together syrup, milk and eggs. Whisk well until well-blended. Stir in melted butter and whisk until blended. Pour into oat mixture and stir well. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, while the oven is heating and you're preparing the pan you're using.
    4. Heat oven to 350. Butter a loaf pan, or line a 12-cup muffin tin with foil liners and butter the liners.
    5. Stir nuts and cherries into oat mixture until well mixed. Scoop mixture in half-cup measurements into your muffin tin, or spoon into your prepared loaf pan. Press down on tops to compact somewhat.
    6. Bake at 350 for 35 to 50 minutes (a loaf pan will take longer), until a tester comes out clean.
    7. Serve in a bowl with milk, yogurt, or crème fraîche. You can refrigerate leftovers and reheat them in the microwave.
                   

    Via: Food 52


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    Smoky Black Bean Soup


    Ingredients: 

    • 1 pound dried black beans (2 cups)
    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 2 medium onions, finely chopped, 1/3 cup reserved for garnish
    • 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
    • 2 large stalks celery, chopped
    • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
    • 3 large cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
    • 4 cups water
    • 2 cups brewed coffee
    • 1 ham hock (optional)
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more if needed
    • 6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt for garnish
    • Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish


    Directions:

    1. Pick over beans; rinse well. Place in a large bowl with cold water to cover by 2 inches. Let soak for at least 6 hours or overnight. (Or use the quick-soak method: Cover the beans with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil; simmer 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 1 hour.) Drain.
    2. Heat oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add all but 1/3 cup of the onions, bell pepper, celery, jalapeño and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are beginning to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add cumin and cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Add the beans, water, coffee, ham hock (if using) and bay leaf; cover and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Skim off any foam that rises to the top, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the beans are very tender, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. If using, remove the ham hock and set it aside to cool; remove the bay leaf. Stir in salt.
    3. Puree about half of the soup in a blender or food processor until fairly smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Return the pureed soup to the pot and heat through. If desired, cut meat off the ham hock, trim away any fat and chop the meat into small pieces; stir back into the soup.
    4. Serve the soup garnished with the reserved chopped onion, a dollop of sour cream (or yogurt) and cilantro, if desired.


    Via: Eating Well

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    Dark-Roast Coffee Gelée


    Ingredients: 


    For gelée
    • 6 tablespoons finely ground (for filter) dark-roast coffee
    • 2 1/4 cups boiling-hot water plus 1 tablespoon cold water
    • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (from one 1/4-oz envelope)
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla
    For topping
    • 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
    • 1 cup chilled heavy cream
    • Scant 1/4 teaspoon curry powder



    Directions:


    Make gelée:
    Brew ground coffee in a filter-style coffeemaker (not electric) or a sieve lined with a paper filter using 2 cups boiling-hot water.

    Meanwhile, bring granulated sugar and remaining 1/4 cup hot water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then remove from heat.

    Sprinkle gelatin over 1 tablespoon cold water and let soften 1 minute. Stir together hot coffee, sugar syrup, and vanilla in a metal bowl, then add gelatin mixture, stirring until dissolved. Chill, covered, until softly set, at least 8 hours.

    Make topping:
    Force brown sugar through a sieve into a bowl, then add cream and curry powder and beat with an electric mixer or a whisk until it just holds soft peaks.

    Divide gelée among 10 (2- to 4-ounce) cups (such as espresso cups) and top with dollops of whipped cream.




    Via: epicurious

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    Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze 

    Ingredients:

    1. Vegetable oil spray
    2. 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
    3. 3/4 cup canola oil
    4. 1 cup sugar
    5. 1 large egg
    6. 2 cups all-purpose flour
    7. 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
    8. 1 tablespoon baking soda
    9. 3/4 teaspoon salt
    10. 1 cup strong-brewed coffee
    11. 1 cup buttermilk
    12. 1/3 cup heavy cream
    13. 1/2 tablespoon corn syrup
    14. 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

    Directions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray. In a small saucepan, melt 2 ounces of the chopped chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Scrape the chocolate into a medium bowl and let cool slightly. Whisk in the oil and sugar until smooth, then whisk in the egg.
    2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture along with 1/2 cup of the coffee and 1/2 cup of the buttermilk; whisk until smooth. Add the remaining dry ingredients, coffee and buttermilk and whisk until smooth.
    3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the lower third of the oven for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cake cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out and let cool completely.
    4. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. In a heatproof bowl, combine the remaining 3 ounces of chopped chocolate with the corn syrup and butter. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Let the ganache glaze cool until thick but still pourable, about 5 minutes.
    5. Pour the ganache over the cooled cake.Let the cake stand until the glaze is set, at least 30 minutes, before serving.


    Via: Food and Wine

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    Bananas in Coffee Bean Syrup


    Ingredients:


    1. 2 cups water
    2. 1/2 cup whole espresso beans
    3. 1/2 cup sugar
    4. Two 3-inch strips of lemon zest
    5. One 3-inch cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
    6. 8 firm, medium bananas
    7. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    8. Plain whole-milk yogurt, for serving

    Directions:

    1. In a medium saucepan, combine the water with the whole espresso beans and bring to a boil. Simmer the beans over low heat for 20 minutes. Add the sugar, strips of lemon zest and pieces of cinnamon stick and simmer over moderate heat for 5 minutes or until syrupy.
    2. Meanwhile, peel the bananas and slice them 1/2 inch thick on the diagonal. In a large, shallow dish, toss the bananas with the lemon juice.
    3. Pour the coffee bean syrup over the bananas and let stand until cooled to room temperature, then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours. Spoon the bananas and coffee bean syrup over the yogurt and serve.
    MAKE AHEAD The coffee bean syrup can be prepared one day ahead; let cool then refrigerate overnight. Gently reheat the syrup before pouring it over the bananas.

    Via: Food and Wine

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    447 Broadway Saratoga Springs New York 12866
    Contact Us: saratogacoffee@gmail.com
    (518) 584-5600
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