Cafe Rouge

Just to give all of you coffee lovers a preview, Sam and I went to a wonderful cafe today but I forgot my camera! So because I am so dedicated to this blog, I will return to the same cafe, order another delicious cup of joe, get a picture of the cafe and then of course I will report back to you all about the experience! :) I am also a little behind on these entries because of all the coffee adventures I had in Spain! There were just too many, I couldn't keep up! But don't worry friends because I am going to do my best to have you update before I go to Belgium this weekend. Yes, I said Belgium! I warned you folks, this blog is going international! Genny, one of my oldest friends in the entire world, is visiting this week so she will be making a guest appearance in this blog next week!

Cafe Rouge is one of the many coffee shops on High Street in Canterbury. However, this cafe really stands out because of all the outside seating available in front of the restaurant and the beautiful, big, red building it is in! Cafe Rouge traditional Parisian chain that has over 100 locations across Britain. It is also one of the bigger cafes in the town of Canterbury, so if you have a big group and you all want some yummy coffee - consider going to Cafe Rouge. Sam and I went into town to one day and really, really wanted coffee (what else is new with us?) so we decided to try Cafe Rouge. We walked in and sat at a small table for two. In a matter of minutes, the waitress came over (as sweet as could be - she was definitely the nicest waitress we have met so far on these adventures) to take our order and ask if we had any questions. She even recommended a delicious breakfast snack when we mentioned that we were kind of in the mood for a little something to hold us over till lunch. I ordered a cafe latte which was 2.45 pounds and was also pretty gosh darn fantastic! It was also my favorite kind of mug (I think Boho had the same kind)! 

While we were enjoying our hot beverage on a cold day, the fire alarm went off. Sam and I looked at each other assuming that we should race to the door and evacuate the building but no one else was moving! We then watched our waitress and two other Cafe Rouge Employees frantically run up the stairs and the alarm went off. No one really address what had set the alarm off but it was funny because no one else in the restaurant seemed to care! They just kept on with their conversation and enjoying their meal. Clearly, Cafe Rouge's coffee is so wonderful, that it will make you ignore all distractions, even a fire alarm! :)

Inside Cafe Rouge (before the
fire alarm went off) :)

The outside of Cafe Rouge

Look how cute Sam is with her cappuccino! :)

I am one proud customer with my Cafe Latte!

Heidi's Swiss Patisserie & Rich's Rich Instant Coffee (Portsmouth, England)

Helllooo my fellow coffee drinkers! I am sorry for the little "blogging break" I went on for the last 3 weeks. In that time, I finished some papers, took care of some other important issues and went to Portsmouth, England and Barcelona, Spain - so you know I have some awesome coffee adventures to share with you! Today's post will focus on the coffee that was consumed in Portsmouth, England. Did you know that this town played a very instrumental role in D-Day? This town houses the Port that sent almost all of the Allies' ships to the beaches of Normandy! If you are ever in the area, I suggest checking out Portsmouth's D-Day Museum.

Back to the issue at hand - Coffee. You all are in for a treat today because I have TWO places to blog about! First, Sam and I spotted Heidi's Swiss Patisserie and decided to stop in and try their hazelnut latte (yes, I said hazelnut!). As I have mentioned before, finding coffee that has added flavoring has been a challenge but has certainly taught me to enjoy the taste of expresso and milk. Our drink was 2 pounds and 20 pence because we got it as "take away". However, if we were to drink it there, it would have been 2 pounds and 30 pence. When ordering coffee abroad, or even in some places at home, be sure to check to if there is a price difference between "take away" (to-go) and dining in. The hazelnut latte, similar to the caramel latte I had at Costa, was so sweet that I wasn't tempted to put brown sugar in it! Sam and I (scientifically) concluded that flavored syrup must roughly have 4 packets of sugar in it because whenever I get flavored coffee, it is sweet enough so I don't have to add sugar. So, in mathematical terms...4SP(sugar packets) = 1 or 2FS(flavor shot) therefore, 1FS x hazelnut + Cafe Latte = 1 yummy Hazelnut Latte at Heidi's Swiss Patisserie :)

The second coffee experience was certainly that...an experience! Our lovely new friend, Rich, heard that Sam and I have never really tried (had more than one sip) instant coffee so he decided to change that. We were then shown a jar of Rich's rich instant coffee and compared it to dirt because that is exactly what it looked like! However, he insisted that we try it so we did and guess what folks!? It wasn't half...bad but it certainly wasn't half good either. *WARNING* The first three sips taste like ham. Rich disagreed, but it really does taste like ham! This experience taught me three things...(1) If it is between instant coffee and no coffee - choose the instant coffee. (2) If it is between instant coffee and french press or coffee pot coffee - well, you know what to choose! (3) If you are craving ham, make some instant coffee :)

Ps. To all those who love instant coffee, I know it is really not that bad. I'm just trying to Rich a tough time! :) Thank you again for letting us stay with you guys and sharing your instant coffee with us! We really had a great time! :)

Portsmouth, England - Look at the sun! :)

Heidi's Swiss Patisserie

The Guinea Pigs of Rich's Experiment 

dun, Dun, DUN!

"O no! Its tastes like ham!"

Rich's Rich Instant Coffee - he proudly defends his
coffee of choice and denies that it tastes like ham
(even though it does)   :)