Some old time slang for coffee

I’m reading a book about food consumption in the 1940s (an old project by the WPA that was never published) entitled The Food of a Younger Land by Mark Kurlansky. It’s really an interesting read and for whatever reason, I didn’t think that I would find much about coffee in the book. Not sure why, just didn’t think there would be…Well, I was wrong.

It turns out there is an entire article on the New York Soda-Luncheonette Slang and Jargon which includes some slang used for coffee and tea. The slang is pretty basic and self-explanatory except for one that isn’t so clear!

Check out the coffee/tea related ones:
Blond(e) – coffee with cream
Boiled Leaves – tea
Brunette – black coffee
Cup of Mud – cup of coffee
Draw one in the dark – black coffee
Draw one on the side – coffee with cream served separately
Scandal Soup – tea

I mean, how did they come up with scandal soup for tea? Was tea so scandalous? I’m really curious now! I can just imagine the soda jerks working behind the counter and calling out orders using this slang.

We’ve got new windows!

So our fantastic employee Deb decided to head over to the Berkeley store, take a snap or two and let you share in our excitement…we are getting closer to opening. This has been a long time coming and I know all our East Bay friends will love us as soon as we open!

We’ll also have some delicious Nabolom pastries in the house as well as some great seating areas for our free wi-fi.

The new doors/windows are in and looking snazzy not to mention that over the weekend, painting was the name of the game.

If you happen by there, take a peek inside and see the progress.

Le Whif of coffee!

Could you imagine not drinking your cup of coffee but “whiffing” it? That’s what the makers of Le Whif propose you do…It sounds illegal but it’s totally not.

Le Whif offers a breathable coffee powder that gives you a kick of caffeine (equivalent to a light espresso) but without having to drink the cup of coffee.

Personally, I like the taste of my daily coffee so I don’t think I would dig this caffeine delivery system very much. Also, at Philz, our great customer service goes hand in hand with our great coffee. If you just whiffed your coffee/caffeine, where is the customer service in that? You wouldn’t be able to see your favorite baristas and suddenly your coffee break has been shortened!

Dave Grohl drinks too much coffee…

So it turns out that Dave Grohl was drinking way too much coffee about a year ago (Yes, I know it’s old news…but still interesting and it just came to light recently!). He ended up at the hospital for chest pains associated with overdosing on caffeine…It looks like he didn’t consult the death by caffeine meter and find out how much caffeine was too much.

He posted this video on YouTube and some of his fans thought he had made it up but it’s a true story. Grohl has been working and recording albums with multiple bands (Them Crooked Vultures and Foo Fighters) plus adding a new baby to the mix. With lack of sleep being a BIG issue, he turned to caffeine…like most would.

Wired much in that video? Thankfully, he’s decreased his consumption by making half pots of coffee instead of full pots. Whatever works, right?

Low-Heartburn Coffee?

The scientists have done it again…well almost…but it looks very promising for human coffee consumers. After looking at the chemical makeup of different types of roasts, they determined that there was a chemical that inhibited acid production in the stomach.

From Health.com:

“The major import of our work is that it provides scientific evidence that you can produce a more stomach-friendly coffee by varying the processing technology,” said study author Veronika Somoza, professor and chair of the Research Platform of Molecular Food Science at the University of Vienna, Austria.

This was just in cell studies so it seems they will begin testing their findings with humans this year.

In the meantime, try these coffee blends when you stop in at Philz Coffee to keep the acidity low: Jacob’s Wonderbar Brew or our house blend, Tesora!

Happy St. Patty’s Day and some Irish Coffee

(image from ivillage)

It all began in an airport in Foyne (a busy travel point between Europe and the U.S. in the 1930-1940s)…one night in the winter of 1934, a flight left to New York and had to turn back because of the weather. Joe Sheridan, the chef that was working at the restaurant in the terminal building, offered the passengers a coffee drink mixed with some Irish whiskey. One American passenger asked if it was Brazilian coffee, and the chef answered, “that’s Irish coffee.”

In 1952 Jack Koeppler, owner of Buena Vista in San Fransisco brought the Irish Coffee recipe back to the United States and made it famous.

Irish Coffee

1 measure Irish whiskey
1 measure strong black coffee
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons fresh whipping cream

Directions
Heat the glass with boiling water so that it is good and hot. Add the whiskey, sugar and the hot coffee. Float the cream on top of the coffee. Do this by pouring the cream into a spoon rested just on the surface of the coffee. Let the cream flow into the bowl of the spoon and overflow onto the coffee. Lift the spoon as the cream builds up, so that a layer of cream builds up on top of the coffee. Since it is the sugar that allows the cream to float successfully do not try this in coffee without sugar. Do not stir. Irish coffee is best enjoyed by sipping the coffee through the cream.

Enjoy and Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Philz!!

Super Drink Feature: 7 Stars

Have you spied the 7 Stars name on the menu board but wondered where it was on our descriptive blend list? It’s listed under our Specialty Coffees because it truly is a special coffee. Using more premium beans than the regular blends, it’s definitely worth a try and your money.

This particular medium roast is delicious. The flavor: earthy, clean, and chocolaty and it smells of pure sweetness!

Shoot yourself to the stars!! Come check it out today and try a cup.

56 espressos per mile?

Do you need another use for used coffee grounds? Check out the Bang Goes The Theory smartypants in the UK that have developed a car that runs on coffee grounds!

(from the Daily Mail)

I think I’ll hedge my bets and assume that the 1988 VW Scirocco nicknamed the “Car-puccino” won’t be mass produced. Mostly because it’s not efficiently run on coffee grounds. It costs between 25-50 times more than a regular car that runs on gasoline.

Not exactly the answer to other hybrid cars but it’s still lots of fun to experiment!

Super Supplier: Mission Minis

Have you spied these bite-size cupcake morsels in their little cupcake stand when paying for your coffee in the Philz in San Francisco?

They are from Brandon @ Mission Minis and they are seriously a great treat!

Made locally in the Mission District and super super good, they come in all different flavors — Aztec Chocolate, Ruby Red Velvet, Cinnamon Horchata, Swiss Almond Coconut, Classic Vanilla and Pumpkin Spice — and only $1!

I’ve already sampled devoured two different flavors, Cinnamon Horchata and Ruby Red Velvet, and I can’t wait to try the rest! The best part is they are the perfect size to get a few different flavors to try out and you don’t feel over-stuffed and sick from all the sugar like you do on mega-sized cupcakes!

They are currently available in our San Francisco locations…maybe one day, he’ll deliver down the Peninsula…a girl can dream, can’t she?