Hot drinks in The Big Easy: Merchant Cafe

So this is supposed to be a blog about hot beverages and technology right? To that end I made it a point to seek out some yummy beverages of a piping hot nature while I was down in New Orleans last week! This post will be the first in a series on my experiences. Sadly it seems New Orleans is primarily a coffee town. I had a pretty hard time finding any places that identified as "tea exclusive". Even the so called "tea rooms" seemed to be little more than touristy restaurants. Still (even through I prefer tea) there were some utterly fantastic concoctions of what I call "the lesser beverage" to be had down there. So my caffeine addiction was not left wanting. I was particularly jubilant to discover some of the best coffee drinks of the entire trip at a small cafe simply named "Merchant" (on Facebook) just across the street from my hotel.

The first drink I had there was a latte, and (honestly) I wasn't expecting much. Imagine my shock and awe when this *fantastic* looking drink was placed in front of me:

Talk about presentation, and yes it tasted just as wonderful as it looked. The glass is sort of a fusion of a coffe mug and a martini glass. Very slick and contemporary. I was so taken with it I actually returned the following morning for another one! ;)

The day my plane flew out I decided to go back to Merchant one more time for breakfast. Wondering if all their coffee drinks measured up to the Latte this time I ordered the Cappuccino (pictured above) and (while the presentation was more traditional it was equally fantastic in flavor. Quite frankly I can't give this place high enough praise. If you ever find yourself anywhere near The Merchant Cafe in New orleans you should definitely give it a try for the coffee alone. It is directly across the street from the Renaissance New Orleans Pere Marquette Hotel. The food is fantastic as well. Highly highly recommended!

Vinacafe: Not Tea, but still darn good...

I was big into coffee before switching to tea, not su much anymore.  However I do like the occasional cup of what i now refer to as the "lesser brew" from time to time. Being a tea snob you'd think I'd demand some sort of custom roast in my coffee, but actually I typically prefer just a standard medium roast with a little cream and sugar (darker roasts just taste burned to me). I did always demand that it be freshly brewed at least. Perish the thought of every trying "instant coffee". Needless to say I was amazed when a coworker of mine introduced me to what has to be the best instant coffe on the planet, Vinacafe:

http://www.vinacafeusa.com/

Each pack of Vinacafe consists of a bunch of smaller satchels of dehydrated espresso, cream and a bit of sugar. Just empty one satchel into a standard-size coffee mug, add water and you have a nice hot coffee beverage that tastes like it was *literally* brewed seconds ago. I was utterly amazed at how something so quick and easy to prepare could be so utterly delicious! I recently stocked up on these (they are gloriously cheap) and plan to keep them on-hand in the future if I ever get an urge for coffee. Given them a try! They are wonderful!