Boulevard Coffee

Stratford Inn and the “B” team up to clean up Siskiyou

biddlesan — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:35:24 +0000

If you have visited Ashland you have traveled on Siskiyou Blvd; this street runs all the way through our town to connect us to the rest of Southern Oregon. Stratford Inn and Boulevard Coffee teamed up to improve our part of Siskiyou Blvd with our latest landscaping project!

Both businesses love Ashland and want to do their part to beautify it. During the month of February we are going to be completely re designing the outside of 555 Siskiyou Blvd, but into what? The tropics, the desert, a rainforest? The details are a secret but make sure to check back here for more pictures and updates during renovation. Or stop by the “B” for a drink and see it for yourself!

Is reheating coffee good?

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:06:47 +0000

Have you had this happen? You buy a coffee, take a few luscious sips, and then forget about it until its cold? It’s not any fun wasting, but what’s the best way to heat up coffee without losing its original taste?

With 95% of American households having a microwave, nuking your cold coffee is the easiest option, but a bad one. It mostly has to do with the volatility of aromas and flavors in coffee. Reheating the coffee will further break down the few aromatics left, making your coffee taste bad.

If only reheating coffee was this easy

If your heart is set on not wasting coffee your best bet would be; heating it up on the stove top on low. This will bring the temperature back up, and make it drinkable again. Be patient, because, the only thing worse than cold coffee is burnt coffee.

Your best bet is to keep your coffee in a thermos.Even this way after 4 hours the coffee begins to lose its flavors. If you truly want the best coffee sacrifice your left overs and brew a new pot. If you want to truly enjoy your coffee, fresh is the way to go; With bags of Nobel Coffee at the “B” for only $12 we think this is the best way to go for you, and your taste buds.

Coffee Tasting, February 1st

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:45:31 +0000

Most of us drink coffee every day, but do you stop and think about what you are drinking? If you are like me you just drink coffee to drink it, until I attended a coffee tasting, and learned what to look for in a quality cup of Joe. Luckily, if you live in Ashland the “B” will be holding its first coffee tasting on February 1 from eight am until one pm, and it’s open to the public!

If you have never attended a coffee tasting, we will be teaching about how to judge coffee, and doing a blind taste test of four different brands from Oregon; show up and try them for yourself!

You judge the quality of a coffee on four qualities: Body, Acidity, Aroma and Flavor. Here is a break down from coffee-illuminated.com on what you are looking for in these qualities and the different “types” of coffee out there.

Body-The best way to describe the Body that a coffee has is how its weight feels on your tongue. Imagine the difference you can feel in your mouth between skim and whole milk- there is a considerable difference in thickness and weight.

When coffee is brewed, it releases oils and solids. These are what determines the body that you perceive. If you are just starting out with tasting coffees it may be difficult to tell the difference in body from one coffee to the next. Try adding the same amount of milk to two different but equal cups of coffee. The coffee with a heavier body will hold more of its flavor after it has been diluted.

Acidity-Similar to wine, acidity has a large part of how coffee is tasted. It can quickly determine if someone will love a coffee or hate it all depending upon its acidity. The acidity of a coffee does NOT describe whether a coffee is bitter or sour. A good coffee should never have these characteristics. Acidity is a crisp, bright, lively taste in your mouth, one that should please you, not make you squint as if you just tasted a lemon!

The only thing to watch out for with acidity in a coffee is that it may upset your stomach. Some coffees naturally have a higher or lower acidity. Without any acidity however, coffee would taste very bland.

Aroma-If you don’t already know, your sense of smell is directly related to your sense of taste. If a coffee smells very rich and robust, you can expect the taste to have these characteristics as well. If a coffee smells mild and weak, chances are it will taste that way too.

Flavor-Finally we get to flavor. This is the part that is very similar to wine in that coffee flavors can fall into many categories and learning to recognize them will take time and tasting a wide variety of coffees. Here are just a few typical flavor characteristics:

Richness – deals with the body, its fullness
Bright, Dry, Sharp, or Snappy – these are characteristics of the acidity in coffee
Chocolaty – Many coffees will offer a lingering taste of chocolate
Caramelly – Some coffees feel almost syrupy sweet in the mouth
Delicate – a slight flavor felt just on the tip of your tongue
Earthy – a soily characteristic
Fragrant – an aroma that can range from floral to spicy
Fruity – some coffees leave a taste of berries or citrus in you mouth
Mellow – like mentioned above, a lack of acidity with a smooth taste
Nutty – a lingering taste of roasted nuts
Spicy – sometimes you can taste a hint of a spice such as cardamom or pepper
Winey – an aftertaste of an aged wine

Now that you have the liner notes on coffee tasting study up, (or just drink more coffee), and we hope to see you at the “B” on Febuary 1, from 8-1 for our first coffee tasting event!
For updates on the event follow us at facebook.com/BoulevardCoffee or meet me at the “B”.

The “B” Perks Up for Ashland Schools

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:55:46 +0000

Everyone at the “B” likes to help, so we were rather excited to team up with Ashland Schools Foundation, to raise grant money for local schools!

On Friday January 6, the “B” hosted the Perk-Up event, and thanks to all you in Ashland it was a huge success! We had a great turn out that day and donated 10% of all profits to local schools. With such a successful fundraiser the Boulevard crew is already thinking of the next way it plans to give back to the community.

Stay tuned for more updates about how you can help give back to the Ashland community. Hope to see you at the “B”.

To stay up to date with what is happening at the “B” follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

How to keep your coffee fresh in storage

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:38:11 +0000

If you like to brew your own coffee you want to keep your beans fresh, but what type of environment do coffee beans like? The enemies of roasted coffee are moisture, air, light and heat.

Some people believe that if you store the coffee in the freezer it is accomplishing all of these things and will keep it fresh. Here are a few reasons why this is not quite true:

• Coffee is porous and absorbs the flavors around it, which is great for those who love flavored coffee. But if given the chance coffee will absorb other flavors, like those in your freezer. Who wants shrimp flavored coffee? When coffee is roasted the beans release oils which give the coffee its flavor. When frozen it loses this flavor.
• Coffee is only fresh for a certain amount of time. This is generally about two weeks. If you are buying coffee in bulk this would be the one time it’s ok to freeze it. When you take it out of the package though it can’t go back to the freezer.
• Vacuum sealed bags aren’t the best option either as coffee release co2 (carbon dioxide) after it’s roasted which could potentially cause the bag to burst. If you package fresh roasted coffee in valve-sealed bags it will allow the co2 to escape and keep your coffee fresh with no bag explosion.

To review, the best ways to always have fresh coffee are:
1. Buy whole beans if possible, like those sold at the “B”.
2. Look for valve-sealed bags, not vacuum-sealed.
3. Store your coffee beans in a sealed container in a dark place.
4. Grind your beans right before brewing. Grinding the night before allows the oils to dissipate over night, making bitter coffee.
5. Enjoy your fresh coffee.

Scrabble arrives at the “B”

admin — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:30:25 +0000

Southern Oregon Scrabble fans, do we have some great news for you!

Members of the Ashland Scrabble Club at the "B"

The “B” now hosts a nationally recognized Scrabble club, NASPA club #616, ran by international Scrabble player Travis Chaney. The club is one of the most progressive in the country for its use of the Collins Scrabble Words 2012,a more comprehensive list of world English, giving players more words to spell in a game.

If you aren’t a champion Scrabble player thats all right. The club is open to the public and is fun for players of all levels of experience. Located in the Siskiyou Room of the Stratford Inn, the club meets every Sunday from noon to three and is free.

For more information visit the Ashland Scrabble Clubs Facebook at http://goo.gl/FEHOv.
Meet me at the “B” this Sunday and lets play scrabble!

This year in Coffee

admin — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 23:11:44 +0000

It is hard to believe it is almost the end of 2011 already. The “B” has seen a lot of changes this year, the biggest of which was to our menu.

At the “B” we strive to serve, not only the best tasting food and drink but, also the best for you. This is why we choose to carry all natural, organic and fare trade items. In 2011, we began carrying a slew of new items from local companies; which share this vision including Gia’s Gluten Free Bakery, Ecos Organic Fare Trade, Bransons Chocolates, and Noble Coffee.

As well as our new products, we started a Monday through Friday $5.00 lunch special. We try and change the special everyday, always trying to serve different styles of food. From a meatball sub to our 7 layer “B Bowl”, we try to carry it all.

There is no improvements without your input, and we want to hear what you think! Let us know what your thoughts are on our menu, the taste of our coffee and your feelings about the “B” in 2011, and help us make 2012 taste even better.

Brian’s Boulevard Rap

admin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:55:33 +0000

Our Barista Brian wrote a rap all about Boulevard Coffee, filled with BC shout-outs.

You can find the video here.

Give it a listen and say “Hi” to Brian and the rest of our great staff the next time you come to the “B”!

Ice Cream Cookie Bowls

admin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:30:23 +0000

At the “B” we enjoy getting creative with our tasty treats. Recently, one of our employees showed us a new way to enjoy cookies and ice cream. It is just as easy to make as cookies, and the only extra item which is needed is a muffin pan.

Ice Cream Cookie Bowls

Recipe and Photos by Kyle Biddle

One bag of your favorite cookie mix, I like to use The Craving Places delicious all natural mix.
A muffin pan, the size of the indents is the size your cookies will be.
Your favorite ice cream

Prepare your cookie mix, I prefer to substitute margin for canola oil, this made removing the cookies from the pan easier.

Take your cookie mix and flatten them into small circles; placing them over the upside down muffin pan. You want to apply a smooth layer of cookie dough while avoiding making holes. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees while you prepare your cookies.

Put your cookies in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Let them sit for ten minutes and when you twist your cookies they should come right off the pan. Fill with your favorite ice cream and enjoy this tasty treat from the “B”.

I Heart Ashland contest, sponsored by “B” and Stratford Inn.

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:49:08 +0000

At the Stratford Inn we love Ashland and everything that makes up this great town. Now we want to hear what you think of Ashland! We are giving you a chance to win 2 passes to Mount Ashland this winter, a one night stay at the Stratford Inn and a meal for two at Boulevard Coffee!

Excited yet?

To enter all you need to do is take a picture of what Ashland means to you and upload it to facebook.com/StratfordInn, under the ‘Photo Contest’ tab by December 16th.

When you enter your photo tell all your friends and family about it and get them to vote on it, in our ‘Photo Contest’ tab. The photo with the most votes on December 19th at 5:00 PM will win our grand prize to Mount Ashland!

2nd place will receive all day passes for two to Mt. Ashland. 3rd place will receive a gift certificate to Boulevard Coffee, located in the Stratford Inn.

So grab your camera and get out there taking pictures of what Ashland means to you!

For more information or to enter, check out our photo contest on Facebook, http://tinyurl.com/7qbbuwb