It's that time of year. The sun is shining. The flowers are blooming. And, some of us are making the change from a comforting warm brew to a cold and refreshing iced coffee. But, before you dump hot coffee over ice and call it a day, consider cold brewing a gourmet iced coffee.

Don't worry, it's not hard. But, a good cold brew will require some patience on your part. The payoff, however - a great-tasting, full-flavored coffee that's low in acidity - is well worth the time and effort. Go ahead, give it a whirl. You won't regret it.

Tip: Start the cold-brewing process before going to bed, you'll have ready-to-drink coffee in the morning.

What You'll Need:
A French Press
Whole Bean Coffee
A Grinder

Instructions:
Grind your beans. You'll want a coarse, but consistent, grind for French press coffee.
Add the ground coffee and room-temperature water to your French press. Stir.
Let sit for 8-12 hours.
Press down on the plunger to strain your coffee.
Pour over ice and enjoy.

Tip: For an extra flavorful drink, brew some coffee, let cool. Use the coffee to fill an ice tray and freeze it. Use the coffee cubes in your drink instead of regular ice.

It's always exciting when we get new products, but it’s even more exciting when I can use them for recipes! So, I was obviously delighted when I discovered that we had not one, but three new varieties of Monin syrups that we would be adding to our repertoire of flavors: Cinnamon Bun, Banana Nut Bread, and Cupcake. And of course, there’s really no better way to showcase one of these new flavors than by putting it in a drink! I give you the Cinnamon Bun Latte.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Monin Cinnamon Bun Syrup
• Double Shot Espresso
• 6 oz. Steamed Milk
• Whipped Cream
• Cinnamon

Begin by brewing a 1 oz. shot of espresso in an 8 oz. glass, then, steam 6 oz of milk. Measure out 1 oz. of Monin Cinnamon Bun syrup and add it to your espresso. Pour in your milk and stir gently to mix your ingredients. If you like, you can garnish your latte with a bit of whipped cream and powdered cinnamon. Last of all, enjoy!

Click Here to watch Morgan whip up a Cinnamon Bun Latte of her own using the Gaggia Classic.

For new product updates and other great recipes, like this one, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Like heirlooms, treasured recipes get passed down from generation to generation, building memories at every turn. In celebration of Mother’s Day, we’re asking you to share your family’s favorite coffee or espresso-related recipe for a chance to win a Keurig B31 Mini Plus in Platinum, a box of Green Mountain Nantucket Blend K-Cups, two Whole Latte Love Latte Cups.

You can submit a drink or food recipe, so long as one of the ingredients is coffee or espresso. Enter here by noon (EST) on May 6, 2013 and we’ll put your submission up for an open vote. Our fans will determine who wins this contest! Voting ends on May 9 noon (EST) just two days after recipe submissions are due.

From now until June 17, 2013, Nespresso is running a promotion offering $50 of credit for their Nespresso Club program when you purchase a machine of $199 or more. You can find a link to Nespresso’s promotion page on any of the eligible machines we carry; alternatively you can follow this link here to register your machine with Nespresso. If you’re not already a member of Nespresso’s club program, you’ll have to register with them. After you click “CONTINUE” the next page will be where you enter the serial number of your new machine, upload your receipt, and select where you purchased the machine. To find Whole Latte Love, first, select the “Internet - Others” option from the “Store Name” drop down menu. Next, select “Whole Latt, Rochester, 14623 (2200 Brighton Henrietta Townline R)” from the “Store Location” drop down menu. See the image below for more details. Click it to reveal a bigger version of the screen.

After that, simply complete the registration process to enjoy your $50 of Nespresso club credit!

Mother's Day is quickly approaching and of course you need to find the perfect gift for Mom. Well, I've already found it... Teaposy!!! My mother loves her tea and enjoys sharing these beautiful teas while entertaining. Not only are the teas beautiful, they're made with premium silver needle white tea, sewn together by hand with cotton thread.

I was extremely thrilled to find such great gifts to give my Mom and her friends! For those who like to entertain, the Celebrate gift set does nicely. The 24oz Celebrate teapot is dishwasher safe, and made of heat resistant borosilicate glass. This gift set also includes 8 blooming teas and 2 loose leaf tea sachets. The look on my Mom's face the first time she watched her tea bloom was priceless! She was so fascinated by the lovely blooming process and the scent of jasmine in the air.

As for all the other busy moms, the Teaposy Charme gift set is perfect! This set is meant for 1, perfect for the peaceful time when the kids are out of the house and you can snuggle up with a cozy blanket and read a book. The Charme set comes with a the 16oz Charme teapot, which, like the Celebrate is heat resistant and dishwasher safe. Also paired with the Charme is an 8oz cup that serves as the base of the teapot when not in use, 3 blooming teas, and 2 loose leaf tea sachets.

I know I truly like some quiet, tea time while I can schedule it in, so make your Mother's Day shopping easier with a beautiful Teaposy gift from Whole Latte Love!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ROK IN ACTION!

My job allows me to play around with some pretty cool stuff, but today I had the opportunity to test out something awesome. If you haven’t already heard of the ROK espresso maker, let me tell you a little bit about it. It's a manual espresso machine from Presso, Ltd. and it’s making waves at the London Coffee Festival. Needless to say, I was stoked. So, I grabbed some coffee, our hot water kettle, and a few volunteers, and we went to town.

There’s really a lot to like about this machine, but one of the first things that struck me was how light the machine was when I lifted it out of its container. Given that the machine and all of its accessories fit inside, it dawned on me just how portable this machine is. Once we got it onto the counter, the ROK’s appearance started turning some heads. It combines the stark elegance of stainless steel construction with nuanced details like the etched in coffee beans underneath the group head for a unique feeling of both durability and creativity.

Brewing shots on the ROK is a really hands-on experience, and easy too. Just fill the reservoir with hot water, lock in the portafilter and lift the handles. Water is siphoned into the group head and when you lower the arms, you create pressure to extract your espresso. Despite how light the machine is, the rubber feet on the base keep it from sliding as you press down on the handles.

The milk frother that comes with the ROK works wonders as well. Like the espresso machine, it’s a very hands on experience. Simply place it in a container of milk and work the pump to create froth. It’s really that simple. Bear in mind that for hot milk, you’ll need to heat it prior to frothing. When we finished, we used it to make a pretty stellar latte macchiato.

So, would I say that the ROK marks the beginning of another British invasion, à la The Beatles, circa 1963? Maybe. What I know for sure is that the ROK is a pretty amazing espresso machine, and that coming to Whole Latte Love soon!

Get started on the annual spring cleaning you've been putting off, so you can make room for this fantastic prize. We're giving away a Gaggia Espresso Color, a 58 mm aluminum Rattleware tamper, an 8 oz can of Lavazza in Blu, three espresso cups and saucers, as well as one latte cup and saucer. This prize package is worth over $230 and will get you up and brewing for the warmer days to come.

All you have to do is submit your email address to this link by 12 pm EST on May 31. We'll announce the winner the very next day. Even if you aren't the lucky winner, you'll still get an exclusive coupon code good for 5% off your next purchase. It's a win-win.

Taking a step back from any kind medical or health-related motivation for doing so, I recently found myself contemplating my coffee consumption on a more personal level. Without thinking too hard about it, I'd probably say that I drink about four cups of coffee a day. Of course, this doesn't include the occasional pots of tea I toss back as well. In reality, four cups is probably a too conservative of an estimate. But, it was enough to make me stop and consider my daily coffee quota. So, I decided to compile the following list of reasons that, on any given day, I might use to justify all of the coffee I drink.

	1. Because I'm tired: I imagine that this is at the top of a number of lists, mine included, but the caffeine in coffee and its energizing effect is one of the primary reasons I drink it. In college, my tea habit gradually transformed into a coffee habit and I guzzled copious amounts, as I battled the biological imperative to sleep and the rigours of higher education.
	2. Because I'm cold: This might not be 100% relatable, but here in Rochester, NY, the weather has a way of staying cold and wet for much longer than it should. Some days, when I'm bundled up in my chair, nothing thaws me out quite like a cup of coffee.
	3. To stretch my legs: Given the incredible advantages of working for a company that sells all things coffee, there's a drip coffee maker and an espresso machine not more than five feet from my desk. However, there's also a Gaggia Accademia in our kitchen, the perfect distance for a little walk to shake things up during the day.
	4. To be social: Coming as a surprise to nobody, the delicious and magical properties of coffee are possibly the world's worst kept secret. When I get up to grab a cup, there's a pretty big chance that I'll bump into somebody else doing the same and get the opportunity to make some conversation. Okay, maybe it's not that exciting, but, getting to know your coworkers is never a bad thing.

Alright, those were the reasons why I might grab a cup of coffee, or four, during the day. I'll leave you with a few of the responses I got from a survey I circulated around the office asking my co-workers why they drink coffee.

I'm always excited when I get to write about new items, which is why I was really jazzed, this week, when we got some new stuff from Bodum.

Once you've brewed your coffee, you'll need something to put it in. That's where the new Pavina and Bistro glasses take the stage. Both crafted from mouth-blown double walled glass, these glasses are an elegant way to keep your hot drinks hot and your cool drinks cool. The 15 oz Pavina is ideal for showcasing drinks with layering effects, like the latte macchiato. The 5 oz Bistro cups are ideal for serving espresso.

Last on our list is the Bodum Latteo manual milk frother. Just add some fresh milk and work the plunger for delicious frothed milk, perfect for cappuccinos.

If you didn't already know, people who love their espresso and coffee drinks really love their espresso and coffee drinks. Their allegiance to machine manufactures is equally as strong as well. Best sellers become that way because they fit a need and a want for a broad range of people. However, once in awhile, a machine comes along that many people wouldn't consider, but those that do take the step to purchase it fall in love and continue to buy them as each new model comes into our hands. No machine proves this more than the Saeco Royal line of machines.

13.2x15x17.7 (L x D x H) seems like a large machine, and it is. There is no getting around the fact that this machine is one of the bigger residential Super One Touches we carry. At 33lbs, it's not a lightweight, either. The size alone is one of the primary reasons that this machine is attractive to a very faithful group of consumers. While you can find many smaller machines with a fair bit of options, the Royal HD8930 is so chock full that it would be an engineering miracle to make it any smaller (here's to hoping for a smaller size in the next redesign). Like those that came before it, the Royal maintains capacities that put most machines to shame. The bean hopper can hold 12.4 oz (nearly a pound) of beans, while the water reservoir holds just over half a gallon.

The Royal HD8930 is the first of the Royals to feature a true one touch system, allowing it to dispense the milk and coffee portions of a drink during the same brew cycle. The last model had a separate Cappuccinatore and steam wand to produce the froth and steamed milk. Just insert the frothing cartridge into the front of the machine and hook up the included stainless steel vacuum sealed milk carafe, and let the machine do the work so you can easily enjoy a latte or cappuccino. The carafe holds a substantial .5l of milk, and keeps it cold for a few hours. It also has a built in hot water wand for tea, hot cocoa, or to make your favorite soup quickly and easily.

With adjustments available to the grinder, dosage, volume, temperature and milk options, there are literally hundreds of different ways to make a drink. Everyone will be able to find a configuration that makes their perfect cup of coffee. The dosage options range from 7g of coffee to 11g of coffee, so that your drink will be as light or rich as you would like. The buttons for each drink are easily programmed. Like many machines, simply hold down the drink button to put it in programming mode, let it brew, and when the desired amount has been dispensed, press the same button again to have the machine remember the setting. From then on out, every time that function is used, it will produce the same volume unless stopped manually, or reprogrammed.

The conical burr grinder makes quick and quiet work of fresh coffee beans, while being able to be adjusted to 7 different grind levels – sure to be able to accommodate whichever quality beans you choose to use. One of my favorite features of the new Royal is that it can be set to grind a serving of coffee as soon as the current drink is finished. That way, there is no waiting for when you press the button for the next drink.

Its ability to produce over 100 cups a day means that it can find a home in an office or light commercial application as well. The large reservoir, bean hopper and giant drip tray allow numerous people in an office to enjoy café quality drinks with only an occasional need to refill or drain. It is not NSF approved, so if the Royal HD8930 interests you for a small café or restaurant, make sure to check with your local authorities before purchasing.

There is no way to argue that the Saeco Royal machines have always been incredibly capable and reliable machines. People absolutely adore them. The Royal Super One Touch machine is no different. With features found in higher priced machines, legendary performance, and near limitless customization of drinks, the Royal HD8930 is hard to beat.