Now, for an excellent tip: Ghirardelli Coffee

Okay, so enough ranting about crap products; here's a recommendation for a product I have loved for a number of years: Ghirardelli Coffee (or I should say, Caffé). Yes, Ghirardelli, the chocolate company, makes a line of chocolate-flavored coffees that are quite good. I discovered them about eight years ago at, of all places, Marshall's. But in the last two or three years, Marshall's has stopped carrying the Ghirardelli coffees. I was heartbroken over the loss of the coffee, but not over the fact that I would no longer have to wait in long lines and put up with slow, snotty, and generally unintelligent checkout people. I was delighted to find the full line of coffees online at J.L. Hufford Coffee and Tea, where I don't have to wait in long lines and shipping is quick and inexpensive. They carry all the flavors in regular and decaf, but you do have to buy in bulk - 5 lbs. This is not a problem for us, because we go through coffee pretty quickly, esp. when we make cold-brewed iced coffee. I've been pitching you on the cold-brew method ever since pinknest told me about it, and I will say it again, if you haven't tried it, you don't know what you are missing. I like the Chocolate Caramel - it has always been my favorite flavor, and in second place, Chocolate Raspberry. I have to say that I am not crazy about the Double Chocolate, mainly because it has a very un-subtle cinnamon flavor, and since I don't like cinnamon in most things, I don't like it. And I have three pounds of it in my freezer - if you would like it, let me know.

At any rate...I can always count on the Ghirardelli Chocolate Caramel to elicit comments from guests like, "this is the best coffee I think I've ever had. What kind is it?" They are always surprised when I tell them what it is.

There are online merchants other than JL Hufford that carry it, but most places are more expensive and don't offer the full line of flavors. I have also ordered it from The Stuffed Chocolate. You can buy it in 12-oz. bags there instead of bulk. Their service is also very good.

Enjoy!