Author - Q and A

Hello, and welcome to The Melting Mug!

I'm Nikki, a coffee-chocolate-peanut butter-loving foodie currently located in Toronto.

What's the purpose of this blog? 
I'm going to be posting details reviews, thoughts, experiences, and pictures of each cafe I visit over the next several months (or longer) in Toronto. I have a love of coffee, and I want to share that love with as many people as I can. I might even open up my OWN cafe someday... ;)

Why not just post your reviews on websites like Yelp? Or just post your pictures on Instagram?
This is really just a place for me to document my random jumping from one cafe to the next in order to taste all that Toronto has to offer in terms of brewing the bean. I want to be able to go into detail, include images in each post, and stories/information as it relates to my experiences. I may also add other things from time to time, like give-aways - but we'll just have to wait and see what happens with that! I've used Yelp in the past (I've since deleted my account, and created a new account), but have found that I don't enjoy posting my reviews there as much. You don't really get creative freedom over what your posts look like, and well - to be honest, I want that freedom. I like having my own space to write things, and put pictures wherever I want. Yelp is great, but I prefer blogging. :)

Do you have any professional experience with coffee? 
Not in the slightest bit. Nope! I just really enjoy drinking it. I enjoy learning more about it. I enjoy the fact that something as simple as a cozy little cafe on an autumn day can become a favourite escape from the hectic chaos of a person's 9-5. I love that first sip of coffee, and how different it tastes from the second sip. I love how tasting coffee is much like tasting wine in the way that you can take a few moments to savour the multiple levels of flavour, and truly appreciate the process that goes into making it.

You're interested in health & nutrition. Don't you think that caffeine is bad for you? 
Well, sure, everything is bad for you if you have too much of it. An important factor of drinking coffee is not drinking too much of it though. First of all, coffee should be sipped, not gulped. Coffee should not be used as something that you require to function each day to the point of not even tasting it as you force it into your body. (Though, I'm not judging those who can't function without it... Just take some time to enjoy what you're drinking!)  
Second of all, a single shot of espresso has approximately 75mg of caffeine. Keeping that in mind, up to 400mg is "considered safe" for most healthy adults.
Also, in terms of how the human body digests coffee - some of us have bodies that process coffee quickly, allowing us to utilize the antioxidants in coffee while flushing the rest of it out of our system efficiently. Others have bodies that process coffee slowly, which means they hold onto it longer and can experience negative effects from caffeine intake without the antioxidant benefits. It's always best to test how you personally react to caffeine, and then go from there. I find if I have more than 2 coffees in a day, or 2 espresso shots, I can't have any more. I also don't usually drink anything containing caffeine after 6pm - 7pm because I won't have a restful sleep. Another great thing to do is have 1 full glass of water for every cup of coffee you drink if you're a heavy coffee drinker, because coffee acts as a diuretic so you need to replenish the water your body will lose.

Wow, that was a long explanation! You talk a lot. 
Yep, I sure do! That's why I'm writing a blog...
This is also just one of a few blogs I write... I have a vegan fitness food blog, and a random thoughts from a "non author" blog (pretty much just a place to brain-dump every now and then).

So what is your favourite coffee-based drink?
I wish I had just one... I love a good espresso with a little bit of sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon or cocoa. I know a lot of people say you can't enjoy coffee if you don't drink it black, but I disagree. 
I also love lattes; something about the warm and soothing milk (almond for me, I'm vegan!) paired with a couple of espresso shots, and a light flavour of vanilla or something nutty... It's a beautiful thing! On the regular, I'm at Starbucks - I know, I know... Shhh... But when it comes to fancier coffees, I have had to limit my time there because I'm not a big soy milk drinker. So in some ways, this blog experience is going to help me seek out cafes that have also decided to include vegan-friendly options that aren't always soy-based.
One of my favourites to have in the winter is a peppermint mocha though. One of the things I love as much as, or possibly more than, coffee is: chocolate. There will most likely be a lot of chocolate-coffee related elements in this blog. ;)

Are you going to post any of your own recipes on here? 
I probably will, yes! I have a little espresso machine at home (Breville, average quality...), a French Press, and a stove-top espresso maker - all three items that I love to use. I love making lattes at home, and one of my favourites to make is a Peanut Butter Maca-Mocha latte. Super delicious...


Well, that's all for now! Check back weekly to see posts on each cafe I visit! I'm trying to stick to smaller cafes, so I'll avoid places like Starbucks and Second Cup in this blog (though I do love them both more often than not). For a list of cafes I will be visiting, or have visited, check here for the Cafe List.


Have a great day!
-Nikki