Superbowl….yeah whatever. Who’s playing?  Who cares?  We went shopping yesterday at the local market and you would have thought Oprah was there giving away warm brownies and selling another book about how hard it is to grow up poor, as her private helicopter hides behind the trees next to the store with a bottle of Krug Clos du Mesni chilling in the back.  Hey, more power to you “O”!

Let’s talk about something much more interesting and fun. Farina, yeah Cream of Wheat. When was the last time you had it? You should give it a shot if you never had it.  It’s kinda like the little sister to oatmeal.

I had today’s coffee, Starbucks Caffe Verona with some farina.  And let me tell you the coffee and the farina together…..fuggetaboutit! 

Let’s briefly talk about the farina.  The Romanian Princess pulls another one out of her Marama. Where do these magical concoctions come from?  There must be something similar to the Dead Sea Scrolls, but with secret recipes instead, hidden somewhere in remote Transylvania.

The farina had almond extract, a tiny bit a sugar and little graded orange rind in it. Trust me, the first bite was like what it must have been to hear Mozart conducting live in Vienna, a true symphony of flavors.  Of course because she’s my wife, she makes enough of everything to last for multiple meals, so we’ll be eating this treat until Groundhog day.

Okay let’s talk about the coffee. It was first introduced back in 1975 as a blend to be served in restaurants, and it was so popular that Starbucks added it to the list of everyday coffee they sell.  It’s a great breakfast coffee. I’ve had this coffee thousands of times over the years and it’s always consistently excellent.  I only wish Starbucks would serve it in a French Press in their stores, instead of just the drip coffee version.

COFFEE CHARACTERISTICS

The Caffe Verona beans are gorgeous in color and there’s a nice oily shine to them which leads me to believe they are nice and fresh.

COFFEE ROAST

The coffee roast is a dark roast coffee.  It’s a true dark roast coffee and similar to what I would consider a cross between a French Roast and Italian Roast.

COFFEE AROMA

The coffee aroma is deep, smoky and robust. You could stand and smell the aroma of the freshly ground beans for minutes and the freshly brewed coffee aroma is even better.

COFFEE BODY

The body is medium heavy.  You aren’t going to slam this coffee back but it’s not so heavy that you are going to have trouble finishing a single cup.  The coffee body does pair very well with food, but standalone it can hold it’s own.

COFFEE SWEETNESS

Cocoa, bittersweet chocolate and maybe a little hint of dark chocolate are all in this coffee.

COFFEE ACIDITY

The acidity in this coffee I would call medium.  It’s got some but it’s balanced and again if you are eating something with this coffee the acidity is perfectly acceptable.

COFFEE MOUTHFEEL

The mouthfeel is rich and slightly heavy.  It feels like it should be heavier on the finish but the balance is there.

COFFEE FINISH

The finish is smooth and balanced.  It’s got some staying power on the tongue but nothing too crazy. It’s kinda like that Oprah brownie autograph session; 3 hours of promotion, and 5 minutes of appearance and ink, then a graceful exit wrapped in silk.

THE COFFEE GOOD STUFF

• Dark roast coffee with great cocoa flavors
• Balanced roast and nice acid levels
• Smooth finish

THE COFFEE BAD STUFF

I can’t really say anything bad about this coffee  Again I wish it was served pressed at Starbucks stores, but you can always try a Red Eye or Black eye with the dripped version to give it a little more kick.

SUMMARY

Starbucks Caffe Verona and farina with almond extract and orange rind. The endorphins are dancing in my head like Travolta at that disco in Saturday Night Fever. 

Look it’s Starbucks coffee, so you are usually guaranteed it’s going to be fresh and a quality product.  It feels like a nice treat compared to your average drip coffee, but that’s what Starbucks is all about.

Enjoy your Sunday!