How do you like your coffee?

An older gentleman, about my grandfather's age requested a cup of coffee from me recently. I asked him, as I do all my customers, if he would like cream and sugar in it. After he declined, he began to tell me a story about how his love for black coffee started. He was in the Army, obviously many years ago, and they served coffee in a large trough. He described it looking like mud. Soldiers approached single file and dipped their cup for their share of the brew. I guess the Army didn't offer cream and sugar so the soldiers who wanted a hot cup of coffee accepted it. He said you either took it or left it. All these years later, he still takes his coffee black.

I wonder how many of the things we like and dislike is acquired tastes. Do we have preferences because of the way our taste buds biologically form? Or do we have preferences based on life experiences that force us to adapt, like the man in the Army? Maybe if he was never in the Army and grew up drinking Triple Mocha Lattes with whipped cream and chocolate sauce, he would despise his coffee black.

It's interesting how much flavor preferences are a part of our culture. At All Stirred Up!, we serve two flavors that are primarily found in Asian cuisine. They are Red Bean and Taro. I've tried both and I can honestly say I'm not a big fan of either one. Is it because my taste buds were made to respond negatively? Or is it because it isn't part of the culture I grew up in?

My tastes have changed as I've grown older. Things I disliked as a child, I actually really enjoy now. Why does that happen? I'm sure there is some sort of scientific answer that at least partially explains it. I think I will ponder it over a hot cup of coffee...with cream and sugar.

Refreshments anyone?

How many times have you gone to a gathering and been offered refreshments? Did you ever stop to think about that word and what it implies? For most of us, our lives entail running a million directions at a ridiculous pace. We are always on the go, moving faster than we should. Most of us never stop to think about the toll it takes on us, because we're thinking about the next place to go and the next thing we need to cross off our never ending to do list. So today I challenge you (and myself) to stop and enjoy the refreshments.

The word refresh means to become fresh or vigorous again. To revive, restore or repair. When is the last time you restored yourself back to a state of strength and vigor? How long has it been since you revived your soul by allowing yourself 15 minutes to day dream or pray? When did you last repair your mind, reading a few chapters of your favorite book, flipping through a magazine, or reminiscing with your treasured photo albums? We often see these activities as time wasters, valuable minutes that we cannot afford to lose. I would say, we can't afford not to slow down each day, for just a few minutes.

I travel a lot and every time I get on the airplane and here the flight attendant tell me about the oxygen masks I'm reminded to "secure my own mask before assisting others." That is a simple life lesson that those of us running around need to remember. Because eventually, our running around will only run us down. We deserve to revive ourselves and we must if we want to be any good to the world around us. Find time to do something that refreshes you today. Stop and enjoy the refreshments.

Bubble tea $4, breakfast in bed $10, best birthday ever? PRICELESS

I don't know about you but it seems to me every year buying gifts gets harder and harder. What do you get someone who has everything? In my family, special occassions like birthdays and Mother's Day are a big deal. We take time to honor each other, which usually means gifts. We all love getting gifts, it just seems to me it's getting harder and harder to find something meaningful and special.

To solve the Christmas gift challenge, we decided a few years ago as a family to not exchange gifts and go on a family vacation. So once a year, we all go away for a week and spend time together at a resort or waterpark or sporting event. It's a great adventure that we have all come to value more than any gift we could ever give or get. The older I get, the more I realize that experiences and memories are so much more valuable than things.

One of our customers at All Stirred Up! gets it too. He stopped by the mall and wanted to buy his wife a Bubble Tea for her birthday. His gift to her was waking up with her favorite special drink and breakfast in bed on her special day. Wow! So simple, yet so special. He obviously understands the idea that creating a moment is the most valuable gift.

If you asked me what I got for my birthday 5 years ago, I couldn't tell you. But if you want me to tell you the story about my 90 year old Great Grandma playing poker and shooting paintball on our vacation 5 years ago, I will get out the pictures and we would laugh for hours. So instead of looking for the newest gadget or the latest fad for that special gift, why not give moments that live forever. Share a cup of coffee and a conversation, or a Bubble Tea in bed.

Sip down memory lane

I love to travel and when I go to a new place I always bring back a little souvenir for my shadow box. I collect little trinkets that sit on a shelf and remind me of each unique place I've visited. I have a shoe from the Mall of America in Minnesota, a ceramic duck from the Wisconsin Dells and countless miniature snow globes from cities all over the United States. It's a fun way for me to bring a little piece of my adventure back home.

I never thought a drink from All Stirred Up! would be that memory for someone. But one of our customers came up to the kiosk yesterday and asked me about our bubble teas and some of our unique flavors. She said she had just been to Taiwan and enjoyed the red bean and the taro flavors there. She wanted to have a drink that reminded her of that trip. We stirred her up a Bubble Milk Black Tea with Taro and Bubbles. What a souvenir! And the best part is, she can sip that drink as many times as she wants and experience a piece of her trip to Taiwan right here at home.

So if you need a break from the cold or just want to reminisce with your friends or family about a memorable vacation you took, grab those photos albums and do it over a drink that reminds you of your time together. Maybe it's a hot coffee you enjoyed on a balcony overlooking a breath-taking morning view. Maybe its a refreshing pina colada you sipped on a beach while taking in the sun. Or maybe it's a Bubble Milk Tea with Taro and Bubbles you had in Taiwan. Either way, take a sip down memory lane.

"She actually liked it"

My sister and I are each other's biggest fans. She is always coming up with great ideas to help me grow All Stirred Up! She has never been shy about letting me know how much she loves our Strawberry Banana smoothies and how much she dislikes tea. Not just our tea but all tea in general. I offer to make her a Chai Tea Latte or a Bubble Milk Green Tea and she always refuses, scrunches her face, and orders her usual favorite.

Last week my sister bragged to me she had a new favorite drink at All Stirred Up! Passionfruit Green Tea with Fruit Jellies. WHAT??? Tea??? What made her so adventurous to try something new? How could this be? I had to know. So I asked. She said she tried one our mom had ordered and she actually liked it. And now, it's her new favorite. She's "hooked".

So this got me thinking. Sometimes we claim we don't like things that we really have never tried. We need a little push from someone we trust to step out of our comfort zones and try something new. If my sister hadn't done that, she would not be enjoying her new favorite tea drink that she loves so much. So bring a friend to All Stirred Up! who has never tried our Bubble Tea with Bubbles or our Bubble Lovers Tea which is a delicious combination of coffee and tea. Share a sip of yours or ask us for a sample. Be the friend that introduces them to their new favorite. They will thank you for it.

www.weareallstirredup.com

True Story

One of our regular customers approached the kiosk Saturday morning to order his usual cup of coffee. When I asked him if he wanted cream and sugar in his cup his answer made me smile. He said one day one of our baristas "accidentally" put cream and sugar in his black coffee and he didn't realize it until he got back to work. He loved it so much, he began ordering it that way on his subsequent visits to our bistro. The problem is, according to him, that his ordinary cup of coffee he makes at home on his days off just don't cut it anymore. He's no longer satisfied with his coffee as usual.

Here's why. Our fresh roasted, gourmet coffee is served with our house recipe cream and sweetener. It is a special blend of secret ingredients measured out just right. You can't buy it in the grocery store. It doesn't come in a little packet. It's created by us, made special for our customers to enjoy in our specialty stirred drinks. It's added to our coffees, teas, and Italian sodas.

I was reminded on Saturday by one of my favorite familiar faces, sometimes good things happen just by accident. And our customers seem to specialize in creating delicious flavor combinations accidentally and on purpose. It makes my job fun to watch it happen every day.
________________________________________