POP TARTS ALERT

I don’t usually do an update on a post the day after putting it out, but in this case dramatic new developments warrant it.

Following up on yesterday’s post on baked goods to have with coffee, I had lunch today at Northside Social and was relieved to see what looked to be the cherry blossom pop tart in the display case. But the sign told a different tale.

CHERRY APPLE POP TART.

Basically taking the cherry blossom version and replacing the innards with an apple pie filling. Have to admit from the name I was looking forward to a mixed apple and cherry filling, but nonetheless this was delicious. It’s basically a fantastic apple pie shrunk down to fit in your hand. Same issue of being a bit too much for dessert or accompanying a coffee, but why quibble when it tastes so good.

In a Pop Tart world where the Cherry Blossom Pop Tart never existed this would be our new king, but alas the throne eludes our Cherry Apple because as good as the filling is, it’s no match for the innards of the cherry blossom.

My sources in the café (thanks, Kelly!) tell me that the Cherry Apple is replacing the Cherry Blossom, unfortunately, and that mystery herb in the Cherry Blossom was…… basil! Huh, didn’t see that coming.

power rankings: sweets on the side

Coffee and a donut. Coffee and a danish. Coffee and a biscotti. Nothing elevates a terrific coffee, particularly after a meal, than serving it with a baked goodie. Particularly true for specialty coffees, and luckily many cafes offer a wide selection of tempting sugary goodness. If they broadcast having a pastry chef, you are really in luck. Shoutout to the affogato, but we’re talking coffee sidekicks that you can hold in one hand.

Here is one person’s ranking of the best choices to enjoy with your cappuccino/macchiato/latte/espresso/americano/etc. My faves are, naturally, weighted toward my geographic area. As always these things are purely subjective and your mileage may vary.

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mini review: Dua Coffee DC

Dua Coffee DC had been getting a lot of attention, including a spot in the most recent update of the Eater guide to best DC coffee shops and mention in the recently expanded Sprudge guide to Washington, DC. Loyal customers sing its praises regularly on DC social media sites. And I thought it would be interesting to try a shop centered around the coffee of Indonesia, which other than kopi luwak often gets overlooked in favor of beans grown in Africa and Central and South America.

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Salt & Pepper Diner Essential Songs of the Day for 4/3

We all know about one-hit wonders, but what about acts that successfully chart two songs and are never heard from again?

You can have your Tone Loc and your Paula Cole, but for me the best was the Greg Kihn Band. Both hits are undeniably ear candy that are fun to sing along with (especially in your car with the windows down on a nice day), you get a little bit of jangling guitar in one and some white boy funk in the other, and the clincher? One was the source material for a Weird Al song. Game, set and match. If you weren’t into early 80’s rock, just play ‘em 21x in a row and you’ll see.



they really shouldn’t have done it

A short time ago I mentioned that for some reason the people at Coca-Cola thought combining their iconic cola with “rich, luxurious” coffee was a good idea. I tried to forget about it, but recently I saw that Jenn Chen at Sprudge did a taste test and my curiosity got the better of me. I purposely didn’t read the article first, since I was already coming into this with negative preconceptions. Stopped by a local market, plunked down my money for a can of the stuff, opened it up and gave it a whirl.

Oof. No bueno. What seemed like a bad idea may be even worse in reality.

I won’t bore you with a long, detailed review. Basically, here’s the deal: if you like Coke, you will be disappointed. If you like coffee, you’ll really be disappointed.

Each sip starts with the underwhelming flavor of a poor quality off-brand cola that is nowhere near as good as Coke, and finishes with a flavorless sensation of weak, bland coffee. There is nothing rich or luxurious about it. They’ve combined two things many like and worsened them. They may be going for 1 + 1 = 3, but they flunked and ended up at 1 + 1 = -7.

mysteries of the geisha

no, not that kind of geisha
photo: Electravk/Getty Images

Until recently I had never heard of Geisha coffee, the hyper-expensive specialty beans grown in Latin America, often at very high altitude. The name is not related to the traditional Japanese entertainers, but the Gesha region of Ethiopia, where the bean originated before being taken to Latin America. You can fall down the historical rabbit hole of the name derivation and the “is it geisha or gesha” coffee nerd battle here.

I was talking with a colleague who is from Bolivia and the conversation turned to coffee. She told me her family back home has a coffee plantation that produces this super premium coffee in very small lots, which they sell to a very limited clientele of roasters around the world. The company, Takesi, has the highest elevation plantation in the world. Takesi sells in the US to Intelligentsia, and the beans sell out in fast order when they are available. I’m hoping to get a chance at some point to try it.

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