Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Co.

"Coffee Lovers Appreciate The Difference..."

A little less than a month ago I purchased a Groupon for $8 that gave me $20 worth of locally roasted Fair-Trade coffee (and more!) from Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company. I really wish that Monterey had Groupons, but I'm glad that Santa Cruz started featuring daily deals!

Today I got a chance to drive to San Jose and I figured why not take Highway 1, the coastal route, through Santa Cruz to pick up my coffee? The drive is a lot prettier than Highway 101 and it takes only about 10 minutes longer (because the cars go no faster than 65 mph)



The Groupon could be applied to any of their three locations:

1330 Pacific Ave. (Coffee Learning Center location)
Santa Cruz, California 95060

19 Rancho Del Mar, # A
Aptos, California 95003

920 Pacific Ave. (Brew Bar location)
Santa Cruz, California 95060


The Groupon writers are brilliant at summing up what SCCRC does best so here you go, straight from the source:

Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company provides caffeine devotees with bulk portions and single-serving sips of delicious, locally roasted beans. Its signature BrewBar allows the baristas to brew a single cup of made-to-order coffee according to drinkers’ discerning taste buds for $1.85. (You can also get a fast cup for $1.65 if the brew bar is too slow.)

SCCRC sells bluk beans, about $9.95/lb. They have an array of other products too:


Triple chocolate truffles ($2 each) or cinnamon rolls ($2 each) help jittery stomachs absorb caffeine kicks like a delicious bulletproof vest. Customers who are handcuffed to their computers in a wacky romantic-comedy scenario can go online to order beans to their door, including the two-roast-toned BluesBreaker ($9.95 per pound) and the insomnia-enkindling Zooom Brew ($9.95 per pound).

Groupon continues: The staff at Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company has focused on bringing its customers fair-trade, singularly tasty java since the Reagan administration assumed control of Jimmy Carter’s White House and demolished his prized Oval Office ball pit. Offering everything from inventive organic and classic blends, single origins, and flavored coffees to the accessories needed to grind and brew them into a steaming, screaming cup, Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company is the perfect pit stop for persons in need of boldly roasted human fuel.

I ordered 1 pound of Brazilian Hazelnut (I LOVE HAZELNUT EVERYTHING) and a half pound of Sumatra Dark, which I might just roast and incorporate into an adventure-inspired cupcake.... hmm....

I also got a cup of their drip coffee. I chose the Santa Cruz Full City, which is described by SCCRC as a cup with fragrance notes of sweet vanilla-nut and warm spices [that] unfold in this blend of South American and high-grown Central American coffees from rich volcanic soils. Flavors reminiscent of chocolate and oranges emerge in the cup. Roasted to the point where the first delicate oils burst to the surface, this coffee has bright acidity, rich mouthfeel, and a fruity finish.

To round out my $20 Groupon I also grabbed a Peanut Butter Fudge Collision cookie which actually looked better than it tasted. I mean, of course it was good, but I was hoping to bite into a cookie that tasted more like a peanut butter cup.

Do you want to know how to brew the perfect cup of coffee? Here are some of Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company's tips:

- Use fresh, cold natural water (coffee is 98 - 99% water ya know)
- Do NOT use distilled water
- Use 1 tablespoon of coffee to 5 ouces of water
- Do not brew coffee with water that reaches a temperature greater than 205 degrees F! It will damage the flavor.
- Do not brew coffee with water that has a temperature less than 195 degrees F... it won't extract the coffee flavors properly

Sister Sister

Tonight I drove up to San Jose to hang out with Nicole. I saw her Monday night after camping (also in SJ) but I guess I just can't get enough time with her before... dun dun dun...she goes all the way to San Diego :'( for college TEARZ.



When I got home we began baking. (Boo Radley has an order for cupcakes this weekend!!) On the menu is a fruity, decadent Sangria cupcake. Also being served is a moist chocolate Guinness cupcake - probably the most requested cake flavor!


For dinner we drove to Pasta Pomodoro. I love their bread and olive oil-green dipping liquid thing (pesto-y?) ... While Nicole and I discussed her college future, incl. classes, social ish, and how much she will miss me, we waited eagerly for our angel hair/pesto/shrimp/sun-dried tomato dish and butternut squash ravs. Yum. Yum. I am excited to eat our leftovers tomorrow at lunch!! (aka a nice break from frrrrozen meals thank gawd)




Next up: our dessert of choice - froyo! We went to Whimsical off Curtner and endulged x2! Finally we drove back home and continued baking...




Nicole is such an amazing kitchen helper I'm so lucky to have her with me, especially when there's a lot on my plate (har har). I don't say it enough but thank you so so so much Nicole!

The cuppies turned out great! I'll get some pictures up soon hopefully! Night!

ps vanilla beans are so cool! Must find a cheaper place to buy them!

Location:Desert Flame Dr,San Jose,United States

Oreo Cupcake with Cookies and Cream Frosting

A few weeks ago I went camping and rafting with friends to celebrate a birthday.

It was the perfect opportunity to bring along cupcakes. The birthday boy was a fan of chocolate. Originally he asked for an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins - World Class Chocolate flavor. Well ice cream wouldn't have lasted too long at our campsite, waiting for us to raft down to it. And plus, I've got cupcake fever. Furthermore, there was a Boo Radley's Cupcakes idea floating in my head that centered around Oreos. Perfect timing.

Thus, the Scout Gets Into an Oreo Tire and Rolls Into Boo's Front Steps cupcake was born!

I'll share the frosting recipe with you:

2 sticks butter, room temp

2 #s powdered sugar (you won't need all of it, just to be safe)

1 t vanilla

1 1/2 T milk

10 crushed up oreo cookies, minus the cream insides (or more, if those are your faves)

Cream the butter for a little bit, about 2 minutes. Then start to add the powdered sugar a bit at a time. The slower the better! It will help avoid granularity (is that a word?). Then add the vanilla and milk. Add more powdered sugar to get it to the desired consistency. Now the fun part! Throw the crushed oreos into the mix and gently fold into the frosting.

This frosting is sweet. But perfectly cookies-and-cream-like ... you will love it. I'm keeping the oreo chocolate cake a secret, sorry!