Here's a look at just some offerings that you can make use of while waiting for those Nook boys to finish building your latest public work or calm you down after rage quitting Doom Eternal (again) because you got stuck (or is that just us???)
And don't forget, nothing goes better with a good entertainment binge than a cup of Nerdfuel coffee or tea. We're still working hard refreshing our nerdy brethren with the finest in handcrafted beverages and shipping is still fast and never more than $5 in the US and Canada (free is you spend over $50)
(All cool, just don't forget to cancel them in time to avoid being charged)
If you have been annoyed by the fact that the latest (very well) reviewed Star Trek offering 'Picard' is hidden behind a CBS All Access paywall, the man, the legend himself, Sir Patrick Stewart has a gift for you.
By using the code 'GIFT' on sign up you can watch the entire season of his show free, great timing, as the season finale aired on Thursday March 25th and you probably now have the time to binge-watch the whole thing.
All episodes of Samurai Jack, the animated series, have been made available for free through the Adult Swim app and website. That's five seasons of Jack on Apu action, more than enough to fill at least a couple of days streaming for even the most avid viewer.
Horror junkies, rejoice! This gore-and-suspense-centric streaming service is offering an extended 30-day free trial with the code SHUTIN. If you haven't ever checked it out Shudder offers all kinds of niche horror flicks and thrillers and is also the channel that recently launched a remake of Creepshow, which is, we have to say, as over the top as ever and just as much scary fun.
Viz has always been free, but they have just added a bunch of new content to help those looking for extra anime to stream. Most hardcore anime fans are more than familiar with the channel, but for those of you who only dabble, now is the time to get hooked. (Hint: JOJO, watch JOJO)
Like Brit TV? Acorn have extended their usual seven-day free trial to thirty days if you use the code FREE30. Acorn has a treasure trove of stuff spanning all kinds of genres, but we seriously recommend Terry Pratchett's Going Postal, and the very funny Agatha Mars. These shows are all best enjoyed with a nice cup of (Nerdfuel) tea by the way.
In these strange times, whatever we can all do to keep each other going is cool, so if you have any other great resources to share, we would love to hear about them on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram page.
]]>Spoiled as we now are by the Xbox 1 and the PS4 (with their successors on the near horizon) it can be hard to remember just how amazing the PS2 seemed when you first got your hands on it (or to imagine if you happen to be younger than us)
One of the reasons (we think) that the PS2 has managed to hold on (thus far) to its bestselling title (it bests its closest rival, the Nintendo DS by 5 million units and the others can't come close) is that it hosted - and still hosts for those of us who still have our unit up and running - some of the best games of all time.
Still going, two decades in
Which is why we thought that, to celebrate Sony's big milestone we'd take a look at some of them here.
So make yourself a nice cup of (Nerdfuel) coffee - or tea - and come with us as we look back at some of those games, the ones that look old now but blew our nerdy minds at the time, and are still worth the occasional play now.
Of all the games that stirred controversy in the PlayStation 2 era none of them upset people the way that Grand Theft Auto Vice City did.
The game was blamed for acts of real world violence, racism and Rockstar was even sued in 2017 by the Psychic Friends Network over the similarities between Auntie Poulet and their then big star, Miss Cleo (which there were, as the actress who 'played' Miss Cleo, Youree Harris, did indeed voice Vice City's character, but the suit was dismissed)
Controversy aside, the mechanics of the PlayStation 2 allowed Rockstar to take their already wildly popular series to new heights. Grand Theft Auto III had already successfully turned the franchise into a 3D open-world game, but Vice City refined the formula, and its 'just outside Miami' open world offered one of the best gaming experiences to be had on the PS2, and still does.
The premise sounded nuts. Take Final Fantasy like Square Enix created characters. Mix them up with iconic Disney characters. Have them wander off together exploring and battling, all while meeting with other Disney and Square Enix peeps.
It sounded nuts, but then once you started controlling the decisions of a team that consisted of Sora, Donald Duck and Goofy, who were on a mission to stop the 'Heartless', it was far too easy to get sucked in for hours at a time. And happily so. The subsequent sequels - including 2019's Kingdom Hearts III - are all good too, but the novelty of battling baddies as Goofy for the first time back in 2002 is hard to top.
Yes, 2018's PS4 based 'God of War' was amazing, but let's not forget that when it came out in 2005 so was the very different PS2 version. Featuring colossal boss fights and the ridiculously cool Blades of Chaos, God of War was action game bliss like we'd never really experienced before. It hasn't quite aged as well as some other PS2 games but it's still worthy of the term 'iconic' when discussing them.
Fight us if you like, but in our opinion, Devil May Cry 3 remains the best of the now long-running series by far. Some call it a hack and slash game, but DMC3 had more nuance than a standard button masher — especially because it proved to be very challenging, requiring you to master stringing together pretty combos to stay alive. Packed full of brooding and great music to help you get in your combat groove, we still get a lot out of this one today.
So it’s 2002. Standing in GameStop, everyone's very excited about something. “Have you played TimeSplitters 2? It’s from the people who made Goldeneye and it’s full of film references and it’s brilliant. You have to play it." So we did, and it was. And although the world had just been introduced to Halo and the Xbox around the same time, TS2 still deserves to be in any conversation about what the real best shooter of the era was.
TimeSplitters 2 let you mow down the Gingerbread Man, Undead Priests, Monkeys, and a clown named Stumpy (among many others.) It was zany and silly and we got hours and hours out of it and it still stands up well even in an era of mega graphiced FPS games.
This is, of course, a personal list. We're pretty sure yours would be very different. So why not share it with us on our Nerdfuel Facebook page? We'd love to see it.
]]>Here at Nerdfuel we could not agree with the above statement any more than we do. We love coffee, but we also love tea. And just as we do with our Nerdfuel coffee, we are always trying to discover new ways to make drinking out teas even better.
When we were beginning the tea creation process we did so with our busy nerd community in mind. Tea snobs will argue that tea bags are inferior to loose tea, but we don't agree.
We just don't have the time or the patience to mess with measuring, and steepers and strainers and the other 'wonders' of loose tea. And we know most of you are the same. And the taste of our Nerdfuel teas is wonderful, tea bag or no bag, we've made sure of that. Even the packaging is cool. Take a look at this:
There is, however, we have discovered an optimum way to make it, and here we are going to share the results of experimentation with you.
First, always begin with cold water. Cold water retains more oxygen and gives the tea a fuller, rounder flavor. Unless yours is really great tap water - and we know some people are lucky enough to have that - use filtered or bottled water. And start with fresh water, not stuff that has been sitting in your kettle for days.
Whether you make use of a teapot, or brew your tea directly in a mug is up to you (and often how much time you have) What we do suggest however is warm your mug or teapot by filling it with hot tap water. As the water is heating in the kettle let it stand, and when the 'other water' is ready drain it out and replace it with that.
How hot should that water be? For a black tea, like our The Chocolate Factory - Chocolate Black Tea or Fire Flower - Bombay Chai Tea, bring the water to a full rolling boil but remove the teakettle off the heat as soon as the water begins to boil.
Continuing to boil the water boils all the oxygen out and the tea actually has a flatter flavor. For green or herbal teas - like our delicate Mint CIB - Morrocan Mint Green Tea - remove the teakettle from the heat right before the water comes to a boil, about 170 degrees F.
Overbrewed tea can taste bitter. We have found that four to five minutes is great for our black teas, but our green teas - and other teas you might try that are white or very herbal - need no more than three minutes steeping time.
One big faux pas to avoid; don't squeeze out the tea bag. If you want a stronger tea, let the bag steep a little longer. Squeezing out the teabag can also make the tea a little bitter. And by the way, if you are adding milk and/or sugar, yes you should do that last.
To answer one more question. Does tea taste better from a tea cup rather than a mug? Probably not. But there is something very cool about a nerdy tea cup and saucer (this one was a thrift store find)
Ready to try brewing up your own perfect cup(s) of Nerdfuel tea? Start shopping here
]]>Writers, philosophers and politicians tend to be a finicky lot though, and over the decades, and the centuries, many great writers have declared a definite passion for either coffee or tea. But who loved what? To celebrate the launch of our tea line we thought we'd offer a look at which famous writers loved tea and which preferred their cup be filled with coffee.
Samuel Johnson, a man with so much patience and dedication to his art that he managed to create the first definitive English dictionary, was a big fan of tea. Writing of his favorite beverage he said ‘[I am] a hardened and shameless tea drinker, who for twenty years diluted his meals with only the infusion of the fascinating plant; who with tea amused the evening, with tea solaced the midnight, and with tea welcomed the morning.’
Henry James may have been a New Yorker, but his lifelong travels through Europe, and eventual decision to settle in England, gave him a great love of tea, and the very British ritual associated with it there; ‘There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea,’ he wrote.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky loved his tea. He said: ‘I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea.’
Another true tea fanatic, C.S. Lewis said: ‘You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.’ And who can forget the magical tea party Lewis created in the very special world of Narnia? Who wouldn't want to try some of Mr Tumnuss’ tea?
Honore de Balzac was a hardcore coffee fan. It's said he used to drink 50 cups of coffee a day. He woke at 1 a.m. each day, wrote furiously for seven hours, took a 90-minute nap at 8 a.m, got up, wrote again from 9:30 a.m to 4 p.m and then headed off to bed.
His day was fueled by copious amounts of coffee, and he believed it was something he needed to write; He said: ‘As soon as coffee is in your stomach, there is a general commotion. Ideas begin to move…similes arise, the paper is covered. Coffee is your ally and writing ceases to be a struggle.’
Voltaire was also said to have drunk 30 – 40 cups of coffee , mixed with chocolate, every day. But his coffee habit was perhaps very tame compared to another great thinker; Søren Kierkegaard
As a man considered to have been the first existentialist philosopher Kierkegaard did many things differently. Including the way he drank his coffee.
According to his contemporaries he would pour a large amount of sugar into his coffee cup, filling it almost all the way up to the top. He then added very hot, very strong black coffee to slowly dissolve the sugar pile. Once it had done that he gulped the whole thing down like a shot.
Then there were Kierkegaard's coffee cups. He amassed a collection of more than 50 of them and would direct his secretary to bring him a different one every time he drank a cup giving a valid philosophical reason for his choice as he did.
Bad news for those Americans who think that hanging out at Starbucks to work or study is a cool new trend. During the time he spent living in England Benjamin Franklin lived the sweet life of the coffee shop freelancer too.
Franklin would write, play chess, hold political meetings and also receive his mail at his favorite coffee spot. During one of those sessions he wrote of his favorite beverage ““Among the numerous luxuries of the table…coffee may be considered as one of the most valuable. It excites cheerfulness without intoxication; and the pleasing flow of spirits which it occasions…is never followed by sadness, languor or debility.”
He did not leave things there though. Franklin got into the coffee business himself, selling his own coffee beans often hawking his wares to those sailing to America, explaining they should take their own coffee provisions in case the captain was not astute enough to ensure that the ship's supply did not run out.
]]>There are those who like tea, those who love tea, and those who begin to feel as if their world might fall apart if they don't get a cuppa soon. The people we created Nerdfuel teas for actually.
Tea is, let's face it, one of the oldest and most revered beverages in the world, with an estimated 3,000 varieties. To love tea, a drink that has long served as an example of cross-cultural exchange and regional identity, is to love flavor and warmth.
From writers and actors to Prime Ministers, presidents and emperors, there are plenty who have declared a passionate love for the hot liquid. But it’s those that have been conjured up in fiction, in books, comics, movies and TV shows that are often best remembered for that passionate relationship with tea. Here's a look at some of our favorites.
Ramona's cupboards are brimming with tea - even if Scott believes she made some of them up - and given that she has such 'Catholic' tea tastes we are sure that any one of our Nerdfuel teas would be able to find a spot in her kitchen with ease.
https://youtu.be/70qsB_gW4G4
For those who have not discovered this bonkers tale of exiled priests we suggest you catch up soon. Those who have know just how enthusiastic their housekeeper, Mrs Doyle, is about tea, and just how hard it is to turn a cup she offers down. Unless you're Father Jack that is.
https://youtu.be/N20wHvMPTGs
Oh, he may be stuck on an alien ship, with a mate who's turned out to be an alien, and have just seen his own planet blown up in front of his eyes but Arthur Dent is a man who gets his priorities straight. If he is going to die he'll go out the right way, after a nice cup of tea. Even if he has to destroy said spaceship to get one.
https://youtu.be/eAswvg60FnY
Across many regenerations The Doctor has always had a fondness for tea, even if the Fifth Doctor did describe it as "a noxious infusion of oriental leaves containing a high percentage of toxic acid" (that he rather liked) The Eighth Doctor warned that one should "never turn down tea if it's offered. It's impolite, and that's how wars start." and without his tea the Third Doctor might have gone quite mad stuck on Earth with U.N.I.T for all that time. And there was that time when even the Daleks got a bit too excited about tea...
https://youtu.be/BJDHfksDgHE
It's probably the epitome of tea love - and Britishness - when you invite your psychopathic arch enemy over for a tea party, but when does Sherlock ever do what's expected?
https://youtu.be/YN7DYPJLXkc
]]>Many of the gizmos out there designed to elevate your favorite brews are very useful, some are cool, some are WAY out there. Which in many cases is good. Here's a look at some of them.
Is this coffee - or tea - maker $450? Yes. Is it one of the coolest alarm clocks we've seen in a long time? Also yes. Would we like one? Yes, it's already on our next list for Santa.
The Barisieur Coffee Alarm Clock Coffee Maker looks like something you'd find in a mad scientist's laboratory rather than next to your bed, but that's a huge part of the appeal.
Part personal barista and part personal assistant, the Barisieur is straight out of a coffee lover's dream. It does not make a dreadful, brain busting noise to wake you up, but instead eases you into the morning with the calming sound of bubbling water and the aroma of freshly brewing coffee. And seeing it do its thing is fascinating. Just watch.
https://youtu.be/wcdDYtJr618
Most of have seen those big drinking horns at Renaissance Festivals and comic cons. As coffee and or tea lovers you probably, like us, drink a lot of the stuff, so wouldn't a coffee or tea horn make a lot of sense too?
Somebody thought so because they created this rather nifty one. It's not only special because it looks so darn cool but also because, unlike many of the other drinking horns you can buy it can withstand being filled with the hottest beverages again and again without suffering any damage. It even comes with a set of two faux leather carrying straps and a special cup holder that turns into a stand, great for channelling your inner Norse God on the go.
BB -8 more than prove he was useful to Rey and Co. and now he can be useful to you. This teapot and teacup combo is perfectly sized for brewing - and then drinking - a cup of one of Nerdfuel's delicious teas and when not in service BB-8 can be relied upon to guard your kitchen counter effectively too.
If you are going to spend hours putting a Mega Construx set together (which we do more often than we'd care to admit) why not make it a caffeine themed one? This set was released as a tie in with Ryan Reynolds Detective Pikachu movie and features lots of cool details, right down to a breakaway shelf that will send all those dishes crashing down!
]]>Yes, coffee. Coffee is great for Superbowl parties and not just to drink either.
When you think of classic game day eats, the first thing that comes to mind is chicken wings. Beautifully spicy but not too hot, this coffee rubbed chicken wing is savory and sweet with a nicely caffeinated kick (or not if you prefer our decaf )
Here's how they are created
Beer nuts are another gameday classic, but we happen to think that coffee nuts are even better. You can use any of our great Nerdfuel coffee flavors to create these nuts, but we happen to be very fond of the sweet but robust results you get by making use of our Snowfall - Cinnamon Vanilla Hazelnut Coffee.
Cold brew is all the rage right now, but if you opt for store bought - or the stuff served up by the local coffee shop - it isn't cheap. Fortunately great cold brew is easy to make at home and it's perfect for Superbowl.
Why? Taste aside, the fact is that most of us still have to go to work on Monday morning, and so lots of beer on a Sunday night is often a terrible idea. And a beautifully brewed cup of Nerdfuel cold brew is a wonderful reward for the designated drivers too.
You don't need any special equipment to make cold brew coffee - and lots of it - at home, just time, great coffee, good water and patience.
Technically, as you have created 'coffee concentrate' many people say you should mix 1 part water with one part cold brew coffee before drinking. Personally we prefer to add 1 cup of concentrate to a glass with lots of ice, but we'll leave it to you to experiment.
As is the case for any cold coffee you can add milk, creamer or sugar to taste. This recipe makes about 9 servings, so increase your quantities accordingly to make enough for the whole gang.
Of course, while these coffee infused goodies are great for a Superbowl party they are also great for any gathering and sure do make a nice change from the same old chips and dip.
]]>Coffee went fast in the labs of the computer technology research fellows of Cambridge University in the 1990s. Which was not a great thing, as one of the researchers once explained to the BBC. According to Dr Quentin Stafford-Fraser "One of the things that's very, very important in computer science research is a regular and dependable flow of caffeine,".
But because the team worked in different labs and on different floors many would, Dr Stafford- Fraser remembered, get to the lab's only coffee pot only to find it sadly depleted. So, another of the fellows, Dr Paul Jardetzky, set about creating a solution. And he did, the world's first webcam.
That's right. Technology that has now become so central to all kinds of aspects of life globally was created to monitor a coffee pot to ensure that a bunch of scientists could ensure there was always a good supply of coffee on hand. Within a year more than 2 million people would log on to the fledgling Internet to watch the coffee pot too. Just another example of how important coffee is.
Well, the roasting company itself has always been called Starbucks, but the company's first Seattle cafe was called Il Giornale, after an Italian language daily newspaper published in Milan.
Founding partner Howard Schultz was convinced that coffee shops were the way the company was going to grow. His business partners actually disagreed, preferring to stick to roasting. Still Schultz ploughed ahead and opened up Il Giornale's doors in 1985. In 1987 he bought his doubting partners out and the rest is coffee history...
In 1923, a debate was raging in many US Jewish communities; was coffee a bean or a fruit? (it's actually the seed of a fruit) The problem was that if it was a bean, it was not kosher, so would need to be given up for Passover.
Enter a smart guy in the Maxwell House marketing department, Joseph Jacobs. He pled his case - complete with evidence - for coffee's fruity status to a prominent rabbi, Orthodox Rabbi Hersch Kohn, who in turn agreed to classify it as a fruit, making it kosher and perfectly allowable all year long. But Jacobs didn’t stop there. In 1932, What if Maxwell House printed its own version of the Haggadah - Passover seders follow a text called the Haggadah that tells of the Jews' exodus from Ancient Egypt- and gave it away with coffee? Over eight decades later, there are over 50 million copies of the Maxwell House Haggadah in print.
Think energy bars are a new thing? Not even. In the 15th century the Oromo tribe of Ethiopia found a great way to power up their warriors for battle by creating one. To do so they ground coffee cherries, seed included, and mixed it with animal fat to create a paste they shaped into bars and balls. The combination of protein from the pure animal fat and the cherries, coupled with the caffeine must have been a potent one for sure!
Texan Jake Perry was a true cat dad. He loved cats and two of his fur kids made it to the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest known living cats. The first was a part Sphynx, part Devon Rex named Granpa Rexs Allen who lived to be 34; the second, from 2005, is for a mixed tabby named Creme Puff who lived to age 38. And, according to Perry, who took in more than 100 cats, more than a third of them lived to be 30.
So what was the secret, apart from Perry's devotion? One of them was a daily dose of coffee with cream. Both Granpa and Creme Puff were coffee devotees and so were many of their siblings. Perry also gave them all an eyedropper full of red wine every two days. We just wish Instagram had been around then, as that would have made for some great memes.
]]>However, it's easier to save money, keep things eco-friendly and save yourself some serious cash by investing in a great travel coffee mug. Pick up one of these babies and you can do all of that and enjoy your Nerdfuel your way every day. And with all that extra cash you save you could buy yourself a fancy new coffeemaker too...
This leak proof mug boasts a stainless steel vacuum seal that allows it to keep your coffee hot for up to seven hours. It's easy to drink with one hand (in the car or on the train) thanks to a snap seal that flip open with ease and it comes in a bunch of cool colors to boot. We also like the fact that it's perfectly sized for use in car coffee cup holders - not too fat and not too thin. And at less than ten bucks it will pay for itself in about a week.
Ello offers a range of travel mugs to suit every coffee choice and all kinds of personal styles. Choose from the ceramic Ogden, the stainless steel Campy mug with an insulated cork lined handle, the leak-proof rose gold Hammertime or the Cole, which boasts a slider lid and a built-in cork coaster to protect your desk!
Prefer a glass coffee mug? We don't blame you. They look great, and they don't interfere with the purity of the taste of your brew. But you can't take a glass coffee mug on the road with you, can you?
Actually you can. The Joco is a shatter resistant, borosilicate glass travel cup that retains heat for hours, and boasts a silicone lid and thermal silicone sleeve. It is microwave and dishwasher safe and is available with silicone accents in a variety of different colors. And once you are done with coffee for the day it can be washed easily and makes a great glass for soda, juice or whatever else you usually drink to get you through the rest of your day.
If you like to take a LOT of coffee with you but you want to make sure that it stays super hot for as long as possible, then the Hydroflask might be the perfect travel mug choice for you.
The largest size available holds a whopping 24oz and its 'maximum heat' technology can keep coffee at its 'original temperature' for up to six hours. Crafted from stainless steel and silicone it's another very sleek looking offering that is available in enough colors that you are sure to find one that matches your personal style.
]]>Although many people are only just discovering Umbrella Academy, thanks to the Netflix series, this story of seven incredible - and impossible - pseudo siblings actually debuted over ten years ago. And The Boy - AKA Number Five - has long been our favorite out of the bunch.
All seven of the Hargreeves siblings not only have some amazing superpowers, but they all have their problems too. In addition to the fact that he is a nearly sixty year old man trapped in his ten-year old (or thirteen in the Netflix show) body, and has seen the end of the world and is now desperately trying to prevent it, Number Five has a problem with coffee. In that he can usually never get enough.
Five's love of coffee surprises lots of people - because technically he's a kid - but he does not let that bother him, or much come between him and his java when he does find it, even a shoot out in his favorite coffee shop.
For those not familiar with it, Ace Attorney is both a great anime and a beloved video game series. While it features a number of cool attorney characters, our personal favorite is Godot. Which should not come as too much of a surprise as much of Godot's existence revolves around coffee.
By his own admission Godot drinks 'about 17' cups of coffee per trial, and in the game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Trials and Tribulations he even uses his trusty cup of joe as a formidable weapon. Godot's story - and backstory - is long and fascinating, and a bit too complicated to explain here (we encourage you to explore it if haven't though) but this particular quote, one of the best known attached to him, might just remind you of a certain Nerdfuel brew that we are extremely confident that he would love.
Since it was first introduced much of the story of Pokemon has revolved around an electric mouse called Pikachu. And why not? He's cute, Ash's Pikachu is also brave and stubborn and as the Pokemon universe has expanded from the original 150 to more than 800 creatures (as of Pokemon Sword and Shield) it's comforting to fans to still have a central character to focus on.
The Pikachu in the Detective Pokemon game, and later the movie of the same name, is very different to the one that follows Ash Ketchum around. He speaks great English, solve crimes, and he is obsessed with coffee. In the game he does all his best work in the coffee shop he frequents with his pal Tim and seems to be rather knowledgeable about it too. That was carried over into the movie, and while he often claims he can quit it any time he wants to, he does not seem inclined to do so, and we can't say we blame him, who would?
In the era of MCU movie domination Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, has been seriously maligned by many. (although Jeremy Renner does a great job in our opinion) But the Clint Barton of the comics is one of our favorite Avengers.
For a start he's overcome a lot. He was orphaned, abused, ran away to become a carnie and left deaf after an incident with a sonic arrow. He's been a good guy, a bad guy and is seriously conflicted. And he lives for coffee. Definitely our kind of superhero.
]]>The fact is that you will find coffee almost anywhere you choose to travel, but that does not mean that the coffee drinking experience will be the same. Here's a three great at some popular coffee experiences from around the world that in the US we might consider less than usual. Why not give one of them a shot when your next Nerdfuel shipment arrives?
Eggs and coffee is hardly unusual. But, when ordered in a diner, or whipped up at home, the eggs usually go on a plate with toast and the coffee in a cup as an accompaniment. That is not always the case in Scandinavian countries though. Or in certain areas of the Midwestern United States come to that matter.
Scandinavian Egg Coffee - or Church Basement Coffee as it's known in the Midwest - is a combination of eggs and coffee in the same cup. The thought may make some a little queasy if they've never tried it, but using the right recipe you can brew a coffee drink that's smooth and mild. Here's a look at the basic recipe. For the best results choose a milder coffee, like Nerdfuel's Clockwork Brew.
What You'll Need
How It's Done
Add the egg to a bowl filled with a 1/2 cup of cold water and the ground coffee.
Mix until you have a smooth paste
Add the boiling water to the mixture and simmer for 3-5 minutes
Once the coffee is boiled add the remainder of the cold water and stir, letting it settle for two minutes.
Strain into your coffee cup using a fine mesh sieve.
Ice coffee is great. Even in the winter (fight us, it is). Espresso Tonic offers a different way to enjoy a cold coffee on a hot day that some may consider a little more sophisticated. Or weird, depending on your outlook.
To make it, simply add a shot of homemade espresso to a tall glass filled with ice and 2/3 tonic water. Plain tonic water is fine, but some people do like to experiment with other flavors. This is a drink that has been popping up in trendy coffee shops for a while now, so if you make it at home you can fool your friends into thinking you're ultra sophisticated (just get the pronunciation right)
Any of our Nerdfuel coffees work well as an espresso shot - either made with a machine or a Moka pot - and for this coffee concoction, they all work well too. However, if you want a nice shot of light flavor Applezilla or Snowfall would be wonderful choices.
This coffee - which is also known as Café Touba, is a big favorite in a number of African counties - especially Senegal. Legend has it that it was originally developed by a religious leader for the Mouride Brotherhood to help devotees stay awake through long prayer ceremonies. It's also said to have stomach calming qualities.
If you want to try making your own at home you'll need Selim (guinea) pepper, coffee, and water. You can buy Selim pepper in specialty spice stores or even on Amazon. The amount to add is a matter of taste, but we'd recommend starting small. And, as café Touba is traditionally made as an infusion, brewing it using a pour over coffee maker, and using a darker roast like Nerdfuel’s Moonless Night, will yield the best results
Still using the same cracked and chipped coffee cups you did back in college? Or the same coffee maker you picked up for 9.99 in Big Lots years ago? Then make 2020 the year you up your coffee supply game. To get the scoop on the best new coffee brewing hardware the HomeGrounds site is a great reference and as far as coffee mugs go as soon as you hit Amazon the choices are almost never ending.
There are coffee shops everywhere, and while we prefer to make ours at home most of the time there are some coffee shops that it could be said are definitely on our bucket list. Take, for example, the coffee shop at the Studio Ghibli Museum just outside Tokyo. It's a dream come true for fans, and, to be honest, there's coffee art and then there's Studio Ghibli coffee art.
Until you can make it to Tokyo however why not try sipping your coffee at home while listening to this wonderful Studio Ghibli coffee shop playlist?
Other bucket list coffee shops on our list are a little closer to home, and include the offerings at the new Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney World, a trip to a cool Harry Potter themed coffee shop like Steamy Hallows in Pennsylvania or Nimbus Coffee in LA, and to one - or a dozen or so - of the growing number of comic book stores who are starting to capitalize on what nerds have always known; coffee and comics go perfectly together.
Let's face it, good latte art is amazing. But why pay big bucks for some fancy barista to create it for you when you can learn to do it yourself. You can opt to take a course online - and earn a real certification to impress your fellow coffee addicts, or, if you like Airbnb experiences, check out their latte adventure offerings that can take you all over the world to learn how to create amazing caffeinated art.
It's tempting to simply stick to a tried and tested coffee blend you love - and we hope you've already found that at Nerd Fuel - but why not resolve to keep broadening your coffee horizons in 2020 with us? Over the last few months, we've launched our maple bacon delight Drake’s Reserve, the delicately delightful Snowfall, a dreamy combination of great coffee cinnamon, hazelnut and vanilla, the white coffee wonder that’s Turbo Button and more. We are not going to stop in 2020, and have lots more new flavors to introduce, so stick with us and we’ll give you lots of chances to keep this New Year’s resolution with ease.
Note - You might have wondered why we didn't mention that 2020 the start of a new decade too. That's because it actually (probably) isn't - as the Philadelphia Inquirer explained beautifully recently - and we (best Sheldon Cooper voice) like to keep things scientifically accurate around here.)
Whatever you call them, alcoholic coffee drinks, spiked coffee drinks, adult caffeinated beverages, the one thing that it is very hard to deny is that if you are a coffee fan adding a little of the hard stuff to your favorite brew can create a drink that is far more satisfying than a cold can of beer or a glass of supermarket plonk.
Each of our Nerdfuel blends has the potential to become a great spiked coffee and so that you can try the idea out yourself once your latest shipment arrives, we've put together a few great spiked coffee recipes to get you started.
Sweet and simple the chocolaty flavor of this surprisingly light coffee whips up in a minute, literally.
Ingredients
1 fluid oz rum
1 fluid oz crème de cacao liqueur
8 fluid ozs hot brewed coffee
The How To
Add the rum to the bottom of a glass coffee mug followed by the creme de cacao. Don't stir though, let the flavors mingle as you pour in the hot coffee and the delicious aroma begins to fill the air.
The citrus flavor of the Grand Marnier® makes this a lighter Irish coffee treat that still packs quite a punch and is oh so warming on those cold winter nights!
Ingredients
1 cup hot brewed coffee
1 fluid oz brandy-based orange liqueur (like as Grand Marnier®)
1 fluid oz Irish cream liqueur
1 tablespoon whipped cream
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
The How To
For this one the hot coffee goes in first (it's a must.) The Grand Marnier® comes next followed by the Irish Cream. Top off with whipped cream and sprinkle the orange zest on top.
This liquor filled coffee is - as you might imagine - pretty strong so drink responsibly and prepare to be wowed.
Ingredients
8 oz hot coffee
1/4 oz Triple Sec
1/4 oz Amaretto
1/4 oz Irish Cream
1/4 oz hazelnut liqueur
Dash of cinnamon Schnapps
The How To
Mix all the liquors together in a large glass coffee mug, add the hot coffee and drink up (with caution!)
This kicky coffee is a real eye-opener and the double dose of coffee smooths out the tequila beautifully.
Ingredients
1 oz coffee-flavored liqueur (like Kahlua®)
1/2 oz tequila
8 oz hot coffee
2 tablespoons whipped cream
The How To
Mix together the tequila and the Kahlua®. Add the hot coffee, top with whipped cream.
The taste of the tropics is contained right in the heart of this delicious coffee and the warmth can transport you there - if only for a few minutes - even when it's freezing cold outside.
Ingredients
8 ozs hot coffee
1/4 fluid oz coffee-flavored liqueur
1/2 fluid oz dark rum
1/2 fluid oz coconut liqueur
1/4 fluid oz 151 proof rum
The How To
Combine all the liquors, add the hot coffee, garnish with whipped cream and a cherry.
You'll be amazed just how indulgently satisfying the simple addition of molasses makes a simple cup of coffee - with just the right amount of rum for a great kick
Ingredients
8oz hot coffee
1 oz dark rum
1 teaspoon dark molasses
Whipped cream
The How To
Add the molasses to very hot coffee, stir to blend. Add the rum and then top off with whipped cream.
This heavenly coffee drink is all the rage in upscale bars right now and with just one taste you will quickly understand why!
Ingredients
8 ozs hot coffee
1 1/2 tsp Kahlua®
1 1/2 tsp Frangelico®
1 1/2 tsp Grand Marnier®
1 1/2 tsp Bailey's Irish Cream®
The How To
Add the clear liquors first, followed by the creams and then top them all off with hot coffee and a dab of whipped cream.
This heavenly combination of favorite liquors creates the kind of sophisticated adult brew you would expect to find served at a terribly trendy European café.
Ingredients
1/4 oz Tia Maria®
1/4 oz Frangelico®
1/4 oz Baileys®
1/4 oz Grand Marnier®
8 oz hot coffee
The How To
Combine all the liquors, add hot coffee, stir and serve.
Nutty and full-bodied this elegant coffee is actually best served in a large, warmed wine glass.
Ingredients
10 oz brewed coffee, hot
1 oz chocolate liqueur
1 oz hazelnut liqueur
The How To
Mix hot coffee and liquors in the warmed wine glass, sprinkle with a little cocoa powder.
The idea may sound a little strange, unless you are familiar with the Keto Diet, in which case you already know of it, as Bulletproof coffee. This recipe takes the butter in coffee concept a step further by adding rum. Should you drink it before heading to the gym? Probably not. But as an after dinner treat it goes down very smoothly.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon brown sugar
8 ozs strong boiling hot coffee
1 whole clove
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
The How To
Add butter to the bottom of a glass coffee mug. Pour over BOILING HOT coffee. Add brown sugar. Stir until all ingredients are dissolved. And rum and clove, sprinkle with nutmeg, enjoy.
This is an easy-to-make brew but one you will never forget after just one sip.
Ingredients
8 ozs very hot coffee
1 oz Kahlua
1/2 oz brandy
Whipped cream
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla
The How To
Combine liquors and spices in a glass coffee mug. Add hot coffee, top with whipped cream, serve immediately.
Try this one, you'll be surprised just how well the orange flavors blend with the coffee.
Ingredients
8 ozs hot coffee
1 1/2 oz Kahlua®
1/2 oz Grand Marnier®
1 oz of orange vodka (Absolut Mandarin® is perfect )
The How To
Combine everything in a glass coffee mug. Enjoy.
]]>When venturing out coffee shops - although often expensive - are cool places to chill sometimes. And when we got to thinking about it, there are actually some rather iconic coffee shops featured in some great video games that we kind of wish were real. Here's a look at some of them.
Living in the world of Animal Crossing offers plenty to do. You can decorate your home, the homes of others, you can spend time planting flowers, catching (pretty odd) fish and haggling with a pair of slightly overbearing raccoons. But if we lived in that world we'd spend most of our time down at The Roost, the coffee shop run by an entrepreneurial bird called Brewster.
After all, what better way to celebrate paying off your loan to the Nooks than hanging out in a rather hip coffee shop sipping on one of Brewster's special brews and chatting with your neighbors? If you are lucky the ever talented K.K. Slider will be there to entertain you and Brewster will even let you work behind the coffee bar on occasion, paying you in coffee beans.
Dr E. Gadd is best known for being the mind behind such exciting devices as the Poltergust, a gadget that helps everyone's second favorite plumber make it through a haunted house relatively unscathed in Luigi's Mansion. However, he's also a clever coffee connoisseur.
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga if you head to Beanbean Castle Town you can stop at an establishment called the Starbeans Cafe where you can indulge in a cup or two of bean juice - aka coffee.
This is something of a self-service coffee shop as you have to bring your own beans and grind them yourself in Dr E. Gad's bean machine. Once the coffee's brewed through when Mario or Luigi drink it they get a nice stat boost. We're not sure how Dr Gad has avoided being sued by Starbucks yet over the name of his establishment, but if he ever is we're sure he can persuade the finest lawyer in the Mushroom Kingdom to help him out.
In the super stylish world of Persona 5 Cafe Leblanc has a very important role to play, as the coffee shop is where you'll spend much of your time when you're not claiming hearts and battling demons.
The cafe is owned by one Sojiro Sakura. He does a mean curry as well as a great cup of joe. He lets Joker sleep in the attic when he needs a place to say and eventually the cafe becomes the meeting place for the Phantom Thieves. Ask him nicely and he'll even make you one of his legendary brews personally.
Cafe Leblanc is another video game coffee shop where you can show off your own barista skills as well. You can pick those up from Sojiro himself, who will be happy to walk you through his coffee making process and if you do a good enough job Joker will gain some skill points as a reward for your endeavors.
Before it was a movie Detective Pikachu was a Nintendo 3DS game. It didn't gain as much praise as most Pokemon games but it is a fun way to pass a few gaming hours.
In it we get to know the little yellow legend known as Pikachu better than ever before, including the fact that he's very fond of coffee, but only when it's black. No cream and sugar for this manic mouse, he's a tough guy.
The Hi-Hat Cafe is Pikachu's favorite place to get his coffee fix, and he spends plenty of time there with his pal Harry resting between cases. The love of coffee carried over into the 2019 Ryan Reynolds movie based on the game, producing some of the funniest scenes in the film of all.
The slightly seedy Cafe Alps has a part to play in all the Yakuza games. It's a great place to grab a cup of coffee, discuss a business deal or even bring a date. The baristas are nice, quiet folks who mind their own business, a good trait to have when you are surrounded by mob bosses and their various underlings.
Good coffee isn't all they serve up at Cafe Alps. You can score yourself a spicy beef curry or a rather delicate strawberry parfait. And despite the rather shabby Seventies inspired decor it's a great place to hang out between kills.
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