A little side note:

I apologize to all of my regular readers who have been waiting for me to publish a new hub. I have not gotten to it recently and I apologize that. I hope you have found past hubs to be interesting to you as you wait. I'm sorry for not writing recently. In the meantime, though, I have put together two great articles over at hubpages. The first one is about the top coffee shops in New York City. Here is the link for that: http://mariealana1.hubpages.com/hub/The-Top-10-Coffee-Shops-in-New-York-City 

The second one is about the top coffee shops in Chicago, Illinois. Here is the link for that: http://mariealana1.hubpages.com/hub/The-Top-10-Coffee-Shops-in-Chicago-Illinois

I have read hundreds upon hundreds of customer reviews in order to name the top best coffee shops in both of those areas. Enjoy reading them! Leave a comment to tell me what you think. 

Enjoy your coffee for all it's worth!

AMSTERDAM COFFEE SHOPS

Here is a little bit of information about Amsterdam Coffee Shops

There are several coffee shops that have been hand-picked for their wonderful customer service, and great feel. They have also been picked for the taste of the coffee, choices on the menu, and the wonderful aroma coming from them. These opinions have been paired with the customer reviews. All of these coffee shops come with a big warning though. 

Well, let's just start by saying that an Amsterdam coffee shop is not like a coffee shop in the United States. I say this because weed is typically illegal in the United States, but in Amsterdam people are allowed to smoke weed in the coffee shops. They not only are allowed to smoke it, they can buy it there. Tobacco, though, is now illegal to smoke in a coffee shop. Unlike the coffee shops that you may see in the United States with their brown leather couches, nice seating areas, pretty pictures of bread or coffee on the wall, and extravagant menu of coffees. They have black or really bright colored couches and chairs, comfy seating areas, bright pictures of weed, and an extravagant menu of weed. It is nothing for somebody to buy 5 different kinds of weed, roll it up in a joint, and for them to sit there and smoke all of them throughout the process of the day. No matter where you go, there are friendly stoners everywhere.

Let’s talk a little about the examples of décor that you might find. There is a “coffee shop” called Dampkring. Dampkring is the coffee shop that you may have seen in “Ocean’s 12.” It has an interior that is open and orange painted walls. The orange is painted with all shade of the color orange. They are painted into different shapes of the color orange as well. Just looking at the wall can cause somebody to go psychedelic. The tables in this place have patterns that are carved into them.

There’s a place called De Rokerij. De Rokerij has dark lights and even darker walls. The walls have tribal designs on them. Some people spend the majority of their day just by staring at the different tribal designs on the wall.

Dolphins is a different themed coffee shop because the décor represent the name well. It has painted blue walls that lots of different sea life images on it. Yes, it even has dolphins painted right on the wall. Upstairs you will find a funky looking bar with a few of their tables. Downstairs is where you will find people smoking though in the big comfy chairs.

Most of the “coffee shops” have a wide variety of selections of weed. According to Amsterdam travel, “Selections are typically divided into weed, hash, pre-rolled joints and sometimes "spacecakes" (sweet cakes baked with marijuana in them). Prices vary by quantity (grams, bags, individual joints) and quality. 

But don't just point to a funny-sounding name like "White Widow" or "Bubblegum" and hope for the best. Ask the staff what they recommend and what effects each type has. They often ask something like "Well do you want to be high, or do you want to be stoned? (http://goamsterdam.about.com/od/barsmusicnightlife/tp/coffeeshopdosanddonts.htm)

With all of this information, it is easy to see that Amsterdam Coffee Shops are unlike the coffee shops that are found in the United States. So, the information above is what is called “coffee shops,” but if one were to go koffiehuis (coffee house) they would find something that is much similar to a coffee shop in the United States because the koffiehuis sells only coffee and light meals. If one were to go to a café, they would find that a café is a casual restaurant or bar that you usually just buy food at. If you are confused it is okay. Just look for the green and white sticker. The green and white sticker symbolizes a coffee shop that one would normally buy weed or cannabis products at. If you are wondering, these are the shops that I would not go to, but that’s me.

Keep on: Enjoy your coffee for all it's worth!

COFFEE SHOP INTERIOR DESIGN

Coffee Shop Interior Design

     If you are looking for some great ideas for coffee shop interior design or to help you redesign your coffee shop you have come to the right place. Today, I am going to give you 5 ideas to help you with your interior designing. 

Number 1-Aspiring Artists and Authors

Lots of new aspiring artists and authors may come to your coffee shop. How about giving them a little treat by having a contest where you will frame 5(or however many you want) pieces of work on your wall. You could have them compete for who you see as the best one. This would give them a reason to keep on coming and submitting their work. It might fulfill them with some sense of pride. On tops of that you may get new customers who hear about those pieces of work and come to read it or to look at it while it is framed on your walls. 

Number 2-Redecorate your coffee shop with new canvases

A canvas such as a backdrop is not expensive. You can have them hanging from your wall. Then, with the coming of each season you can switch it up to look more seasonal. 

Number 3-Painting on Windows

Painting the inside of the windows has been around for years. People have painted the outside of a businesses windows. Artists have also painted the inside of the windows. When a company owner, makes the decision to paint the inside of the windows they may want to just have the artists paint the corners. Again, this could be seasonal. Such as, the artists could paint butterflies in the window corners during spring or holly wreaths in the corners before the winter holidays.  

Number 4-Communal Quarters

Here's where the furniture comes into play. Some people go to coffee shops to be with their friends and have great conversations. Make communal quarters by putting brown (the color of coffee) leather couches and chairs in a corner of the room. Then, put a nice size table where the group can put their coffee. This will create a sense of communal quarters. It is a great idea for a coffee shop interior design. You might want to create more than one corner looking like this and then have some spots for the people who are going there to independently work. 

Number 5-Picture Collage

Here is a slight new idea. How about giving your customers thumb tacks and letting them put their favorite picture up on the wall. They could put it in their own chosen place. If you are worried about the content, you could have one person who is working there look out for the pictures that are "perverted" or "bad quality" and take those pictures down by the end of the night. This is an idea that might be great for a traveling coffee shop. For if the quality is good you can keep the picture up and that person can revisit the coffee shop in order to see their picture hanging on the wall. 

There you have it!

Experiment around with it. I gave you 5 great ideas for coffee shop interior design. 

Enjoy your coffee for all it's worth!

Coffee Improves an Athlete's Endurance

Coffee has many benefits, but there is one benefit that may surprse a lot of people. This benefit is that coffee can improve an athlete's endurance and improve performance. In some sports it has even become a "controlled" substance. This means that some judges are controlling the amount of coffee that one can have before performance. The reason for this is that large amounts of this drink give such a great advantage to those athletes who are taking it in. Some of these benefits are better speed, faster agility, greater endurance, and decreasing pain. It also increases blood flow as well. It can also prevent post-exercise headaches.

Guy Leech Fitness has noted that. "For years now science has known that drinking a strong cup of coffee prior to engaging in endurance exercise performance helps improve performance. The mechanism by which this is achieved is the liberation of free fatty acids - a fuel - into the blood-stream as a consequence of elevated caffeine levels hence lowering the body's dependence on limited muscle glycogen stores. Watch any Tour rider and the last thing they seem to be guzzling before mounting their bikes is a strong cup of coffee. Coffee and cycling are pretty much synonymous - Sunday long rides traditionally seem to finish at the local coffee shop where stories are traded about daring breakaways, heroic climbs and harrowing descents completed during the recent 30km jaunt over a welcome brew(http://www.guyleechfitness.com/Food-and-Nutrition-Articles/the-humble-coffee-bean-the-endurance-athletes-saviour.html."

There is also research showing that coffee increases the general coordination of an athlete as well.
Coffee is simply amazing!

Enjoy your coffee for all it's worth!
www.citmorning.com

Coffee

Coffee

Coffee in the morning is divine,

this coffee this morning is mine.

Hey, read this sign

isn't this a nice line.

If only it wouldn't take an hour

to get my friend this brain power.

 I guess we shouldn't make a fuss

this line might help us.

It'll give us a time to talk

and maybe even do some sweet-talk.

Some coffee quotes for today:

• If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee. ~Abraham Lincoln.
• Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks? ~Steven Wright
• You get the health benefits of coffee up through about the first twenty-four ounces. It's the biggest source of antioxidants for Americans, and we think it helps prevent Alzheimer's and Parkinson's as well. ~Mehmet Oz (Dr. Oz).
• Coffee is a language in itself. ~Jackie Chan

Here are some coffee jokes for this morning:

1. Price of Coffee
   A good-looking guy walks into a coffee shop and asks the waitress: "How much is the coffee?
   "Coffee is four dollars the waitress says in a sweet voice".
   "How much is a refill?" the good-looking man asks.
   "Free, "says the waitress.
   "Then I'll take a refill!" the man responds
2. Psychologists Help

A man went to his psychiatrist and said, "Every time I drink my coffee, I get a stabbing pain in my right eye,"
The psychiatrist said, "well, have you tried taking the spoon out?"

3. The Beatles

Q: What is the best Beatles song?
A: Latte Be 

4. The Titanic

Q: What kind of coffee was served on the Titanic
A: Sanka

Enjoy your coffee for all it's worth!

MOCHA CAKE

If you have been searching for a cake recipe that combines vanilla, chocolate glaze, cocoa powder, and espresso coffee all in one bite. this mocha cake recipe might be the recipe for you. It is the perfect recipe for a special day. So, try the Mocha Cake for your next date or special event.

Here's what you need for the cake:

• 2 tablespoons instant espresso coffee powder
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup cooking oil
• 3/4 cup milk
• pink salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 teapoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup sugar

Here's what you need for the Chocolate Glaze:

• 4oz. semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teapoon instant espresso coffee powder
• 1/4 teapoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons hot water

Here's what you do for the cake:

1. Grease and lightly flour a 9 *1 1/2-inch round bakng pan
2. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together well.
3. Beat milk and instant espresso coffee powder together.
4. Add milk mixture, oil, and vanilla. Beat wth an electric mixer on low speed just until everything is combined. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
5. Add egg and beat 2 more minutes.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in a 350degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
7. Cool cake on a wire rack while making chocolate glaze.

Here's what you do for the Chocolate Glaze:

1. Melt the semisweet chocolate chips and butter over low heat  in a sauce pan while stirring frequently.
2. Stir the instant coffee espresso powder and hot water together.
3. Remove the glaze from the heat.
4. Beat in powder sugar and hot water mixture until smooth.
5. Add hot water, if needed, in order to reach a drizzling consistency.

This mocha cake will certainly be great for your tastebuds.

Enjoy your "coffee"  for all it's worth!

WHAT IS MOCHA?

It is cold outside. It is the season for hot mocha, but what exactly is mocha? According to dictionary.com mocha is, "a choice variety of coffee, orginally grown in Arabia" or "a flavoring obtained from a coffee infusion or a combined infusion of chocolate and coffee." It is a very wonderful drink.

Here is a recipe for a warming hot mocha: http://www.citmorning.com/coffee-recipes

Enjoy your coffee for all it's worth!