The secret menu...

There are some drinks that are common among coffee shops, but don't always get posted on the menu. We're going to spotlight some of those, and give you some ideas of what you can do to make a drink your own.

Shot in the dark or Red-eye: Both of these are names for the same drink, a cup of coffee with a shot (or more) of espresso. This will really give you a caffeine boost. This is also sometimes called a Hammerhead.

Macchiato: Despites what the competition has done to this word, hardcore coffee fans know that the drink is really a shot of espresso with a dollop of frothy milk or cream.

Cafe Au Lait: For this drink we take half a cupful of brewed coffee and top it off with steamed milk. It is also known as a Misto.

Why Bother: A clever name for a non-fat decaf latte. It can also be adapted to flavored drinks - for example, a Vanilla Why Bother would have sugar-free vanilla syrup.

Affogatto: Technically, this is a hot espresso shot poured over ice cream, but in our case we'll pour that hot shot onto a freeze and call it good. Real good.

Breve: Instead of milk, we use steamed half and half to make a latte.

Tea Latte: Instead of hot water to brew your tea, try using steamed milk instead.

London Fog: A variation of the tea latte, this drink is made with steamed Chai and Earl Grey tea.

Of course this is only a short list of some options. Espresso is an ingredient that begs for creativity, and we enjoy helping you express yours.

Featured Flavors, August 2010

This month we're celebrating Back-to-School at YellowLeaf. Show your school spirit with the August Featured Flavors.

The Badger - Creamy Caramel, Hazelnut and Cinnamon

The Bear - Dark Chocolate, Hazelnut and Cinnamon

English Class - Chai with English Toffee Syrup

Enjoy all these flavors iced, hot or blended!

Congratulations!

Back in April we ran a contest to suggest a special for the month of May. We got some entries, but they came after we had chosen the Featured Flavors for May, so we held onto the ideas until we needed one.

Well, that time has come. We needed something for July, and Shalmarie's suggestion was chosen. She suggested a Mocha with Irish Cream and Hazelnut, and we loved it (so will you)! We decided to call it the Monsoon Mocha, 'cause it's getting to be that time of year.

Shalmarie, stop in at the shop and pick up a $5 gift card for your winning suggestion!

Featured Flavors, July 2010

It's a new month, which means new Featured Flavors!

Day at the Beach Latte: Vanilla and Coconut

Monsoon Mocha: Chocolate, Irish Cream and Hazelnut

Enjoy these drinks hot, iced or blended!

Also, new for the summer:

Flavored Lemonade: Enjoy a nice, cold lemonade with your favorite syrup flavor added. Some top suggestions include Strawberry, Raspberry, Blackberry or Cherry. Try it today!

Biscotti Crunch Freeze

It's a special treat, just in time for summer! For a limited time only, you can get a tasty YellowLeaf Freeze with Biscotti blended in for just $.50 extra. Try Grasshopper Mint, Hazelnut Zebra or Lemon Almond (while supplies last).

Biscotti

Of all our food items, we probably get asked about the biscotti more than anything. Mostly the question is, "What is it?"

Usually, I answer that it's like a hard cookie that you could dip in your coffee. Which, as it turns out, is pretty much an accurate description. Here's what Wikipedia says - "Biscotti are twice-baked cookies, often containing nuts or spices. Almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, and pine nuts are popular choices. Popular spices include anise and cinnamon."

While they're great to eat alone, they are designed for dipping. Imagine a rich, hot latte and a chocolate-raspberry flavored biscotti. The chocolate dipping melts into the drink, flavoring it, while the coffee infuses the biscotti with its own flavor.

Try out a biscotti today. We offer several flavors of biscotti, produced by Be-Bop Biscotti in Bend, OR.

Meet the Baristas: Part 8, Cynthia

Cynthia ("original Cyn") has been with YellowLeaf for four years. When she started, she was in high school, but now she's gone away to NAU and only graces us with her presence during summer break.

At NAU, Cynthia is a business major with an emphasis in marketing & a certificate in international business. In her free time, she likes to make short films, like this one that she made for us...

Check out more of Cynthia's videos on YouTube on channel Teampadackles1

Cynthia's "insider information" for the week is: "YellowLeaf employees can never truly leave." True. "Even when a 'Leafer's' shift is over, they stay in the kiosk to hang out." Also true. "Actually, there are 10 little beds squeezed in the back for all of us to sleep. It's quite lovely, really." Not true at all. Really.

Cynthia had a hard time deciding on a favorite drink, but ended up settling on our Chai - served with whipped cream and cinnamon of course.

If you haven't tried our Chai, or if you already think it's great, order Cynthia's special this week and get a Chai (hot, iced or even blended) at 15% off, and enjoy!

P.S. - We have not included a picture of Cynthia because no still camera can capture her image. We don't know if it's mystical, scientific or something else entirely. Personally, I'm thinking some weird vampire-like thing is going on.

Featured Flavors, June 2010

This month we are featuring a flavor we don't normally stock - Banana. Enjoy it in the following drinks, or come up with your own creation!

Banana Split Mocha*** - Milk Chocolate, Strawberry and Banana

Summer Fling*** - Creamy Caramel and Banana

Sunny Days*** - Dark Chocolate and Banana

All three are great hot, iced or blended!

*** flavor not available year round, enjoy while supplies last.

Meet the Baristas: Part 7, Justin

Through this feature, we've profiled 6 of the amazing baristas that work at YellowLeaf Coffee, but aren't there at least a couple of guys who work there, too? Yeah, and this week we're profiling one of them - Justin.

Justin is coming up on five years at YellowLeaf, and still loves it! He has been married for close to 4 years, and has a 2 1/2 year old son. Justin loves comic books, Star Trek, Star Wars - in short, he's a certified geek.

When he's not at YellowLeaf, Justin is also the director of youth ministries at Willow Hills Church.

Justin likes to experiment with the various flavors that YellowLeaf offers, and has come up with some great flavor combinations. He's not the only one, either. All the baristas really like it when customers ask us to surprise them. We love being able to offer drink options beyond what is on the menu.

When it comes right down to it, Justin's favorite drink is a small, double shot dark chocolate mocha. So, for this week's website only special, order Justin's special and we'll throw in an extra shot of espresso for free!

Meet the Baristas: Part 6, Emily

Emily has been with YellowLeaf for about 8 months now. She's an '09 grad of Prescott High School, a lifeguard, attends the Heights Church, and is a member of the Yavapai College swim team! Emily loves reading, travel and music, too. She obviously keeps herself pretty busy.

Emily's favorite drink is a black iced tea with blackberry flavoring. It's a great treat as the weather is getting warmer.

This week, ask for Emily's special and get a free syrup flavor added to either tropical or black iced tea.

We will return to your regularly scheduled program shortly...

You may have noticed by now that there is not a new profile up yet, and there's a perfectly good explanation for it! Really!

You see, the individual responsible for this blog has recently moved into a new home (Yay!), but in the process of moving, packing and unpacking, he has mislaid the Barista Profile forms. Additionally, internet service was not turned on until late today, so he's running a bit late.

Keep watching this space, as our next Barista Profile will be posted soon. Check back soon to find out more about Emily!

Meet the Baristas: Part 5, Erica

Erica has been with YellowLeaf for 3 1/2 years while completing her degree in meteorology from Embry Riddle. She's originally from Seattle, Washington and, unsurprisingly, loves the weather in Arizona, particularly the summer monsoon season. In her free time, she plays soccer and studies weather.

Erica wants to reiterate that we really do enjoy spending as much time as we can with each customer, finding out how their day went, and hearing any ideas they'd like to share.

Her favorite drink is an au lait (sometimes called a misto), which is half brewed coffee and half steamed milk. Erica likes it with soy, but you can enjoy it with whole or non-fat milk, too. It's a great combination of the full, bold flavor of the coffee and the rich, creaminess of the milk.

Order Erica's Special this week to try an Au Lait for 15% off.

Featured Flavors, May 2010

We got a couple suggestions in our "Suggest a Special" contest, but they were a little late to be considered. We will be doing these contests periodically, though, so keep checking back for your chance to win.

For May, we have two great Featured Flavors to try:

May-Day - Milk Chocolate, Hazelnut and English Toffee

Spring Fever - Milk Chocolate, Coconut and Almond

Enjoy either of these all month long, over ice, blended or hot (since the weather has been so unpredictable lately!).

Meet the Baristas: Part 4, Adrianne

Adrianne is our world traveler, having been to 33 countries. She's even taught English in Southern France!

Adrianne has been with YellowLeaf for just about a year, having been referred by her sisters-in-law, Kristina and Cynthia, both of whom worked here over the past few years.

She would like you to know that we here at YellowLeaf really do enjoy talking to our customers about the "ins and outs" of coffee making, so if you have a question, feel free to ask!

Adrianne's favorite drink is an iced cherry almond latte, made with hot shots (we can do that!) and 1% milk.

Ask for Adrianne's special this week and get a cherry almond latte (iced, hot or blended) for 15% off.

Meet the Baristas: Part 3, Karen

Karen is the owner of YellowLeaf Coffee, but that wasn't always the case. Karen started out as an employee of the original owners, but when they decided to sell the shop, she snapped it up.

Karen is the mother of three; you may have met her two daughters Sydnie and Savannah as they worked in the shop up until about a year ago. Karen loves nothing more than to sit down with her family and enjoy coffee together.

Karen's favorite drink is a vanilla latte. Simple and sweet. For this week's special, order "Karen's special" and get any flavored* latte for the price of a plain latte.

*Flavored lattes are made with any of our syrup flavors, but do not include any drink made with Chocolate, Creamy Caramel or White Chocolate.

Featured Flavors, April 2010

We hope you enjoyed this month's Featured Flavors. If you ever want to revisit these flavor combinations, feel free. All the ingredients used are flavors we keep on hand all year long!

Egg-streme Latte - Dark Chocolate and Almond

Cottontail Latte - White Chocolate, Blackberry and Almond

Super Spring Latte - Creamy Caramel and Coconut

Meet the Baristas: Part 2, Vicki

Vicki (or Victoria, if you're being formal) has been with YellowLeaf on and off for three years. She is a wife, a mom of three and a grandmother of one (so far). She loves music and enjoys singing. She has also been known to play the occasional game of bingo.

The "trade secret" that Vicki wants to share is that we "Specialize in quality rather than quantity." We work hard to make sure that each individual drink is of high and consistent quality. We want you to know that if there is ever anything wrong with your drink, please let us know so we can make it right.

Vicki's favorite drink is a coconut and vanilla latte. She prefers hers iced and with soy, but you can enjoy it either hot or cold, and with any choice of milk.

Ask for Vicki's special this week and get a coconut and vanilla latte at 15% off.

Keep an eye out for this one to be a Featured Flavor some time this summer, too!

Meet the Baristas: Part 1, Michelle

Michelle has worked for YellowLeaf Coffee on and off since opening day (coming up on six years). She's been married to her husband John for nearly three years. In addition to being a barista at YellowLeaf, Michelle is a licensed cosmetologist.

We're asking all our baristas if there is a "trade secret" - something that we know that we want to share with you. Michelle said that most people don't realize just how much you can customize your drinks, particularly the YellowLeaf Freezes. Our menu lists the three main flavors - Mocha, Caramel and Vanilla - but we can do any flavor, or combination of flavors that we offer! Additionally, the drink normally comes with espresso, but we can make the Freeze without, or with extra, whatever you like!

Michelle's favorite drink is a caramel almond latte, which we called the "New Leaf Latte" when it was featured in January.

Ask for "Michelle's special" this week and get a caramel almond latte for 15% off.

Check back each week for a new profile and a new drink special!

Our way of saying "Thank You"

Thank you for checking out the YellowLeaf website. We appreciate your business and we are always looking for ways to serve you better.

Through this website, you'll be introduced to our employees, have the opportunity to suggest specials, and learn more about the coffee business.

As a thank you for stopping by the website, from Monday, April 5, through Sunday, April 11, just tell your barista that you visited our website, and you'll receive 15% off a single drink* every time you come in throughout the week.

And after the 11th, check back regularly for additional website only specials!

* any size drink, does not include extras such as additional espresso shots, soy milk or half and half, or extra flavor.

Suggest a Special!

We've got our April Featured Flavors picked out, but we're looking ahead to May and trying to decide what to serve. So, we're opening it up to you! Leave a comment below with a flavor combination and drink name, and if we choose your suggestion, you'll get one on the house!

A few guidelines:

1. When making suggestions, please use existing ingredients (see our menu for a list of syrup flavors). We are much less likely to use a suggestion that requires an ingredient we have to go shopping for.

2. Make sure you comment using an e-mail address that we can get back to you at. We don't sell or rent your info, but we do need to send you a coupon for the free drink.

3. Feel free to submit as many different ideas as you want, but don't submit the same idea over and over. However, if we don't use your idea this time, we will run contests like this in the future, feel free to resubmit then.

4. Of course, if two people have suggested the same flavor combination, the winner will be the person who commented first.

5. Remember, people like their coffee. Suggestions using tea, chai or other non-coffee beverages will be considered, but it's been our experience that drinks that are specifically non-coffee don't sell as well.

6. We like the names of our Featured Flavors to invoke the month, or time of year. Please keep this in mind when coming up with a name (and May-Day Mocha is already taken...).

We will announce the winner in late April and send out the winner's free drink coupon by May 1.

A brief ordering guide

Ordering coffee can be intimidating. There are a lot of options, and sometimes it feels like a completely different language - which it almost is, there's certainly a lot of Italian in the world of espresso drinks! Rest assured that the baristas at YellowLeaf are willing and able to help you work out the drink that's right for your tastes.

There are five simple steps to ordering a drink, and most of the time, you really only need to know the first three!

1. Size of cup - We try to keep things simple and have Small (12 oz.), Regular (16 oz.) and Large (hot 20 oz., iced 24 oz.). If you order a "Tall" or "Grande" we will probably ask again what size you want. While some coffee shops use those terms, not everyone uses them the same. A tall at one shop might be a small or it might be a large.

2. Hot or cold - Knowing the size and type of cup to use, your barista can write out the rest of your order on the cup itself, ensuring an accurate and quality beverage.

3. Name of drink - Do you want a latte, mocha, americano or something else? If you want a flavored latte or mocha, now's the time to tell your barista what flavor you want.

4. Add-ins - Now it's time to ask for extra shots of espresso, additional flavors, sweetener, soy milk, or any other personalization options.

5. Additional instructions - Do you want the drink extra hot, or cooler than normal? Do you want whipped cream? Cinnamon sprinkled on top? Do you want your freeze extra thick? These finishing touches are what make the drink YOUR drink!

For example, an order might sound like this: "I'd like a small, hot mocha with two shots, non-fat milk at 180 degrees. No whipped cream."

Feel free to ask us questions if you're not sure of something. We want you to enjoy your YellowLeaf experience. We want to help you get the order right, so that no matter which of our baristas serve you, we can provide a consistent, quality experience.

For further information on drinks and personalization options, take a look at our online menu.

Featured Flavors Archive

Most of our past Featured Flavors can be made any time of year! Explore past specials and remember your favorites! (Any seasonal only Featured Flavor will be marked with *** to indicate it is not currently available)

January 2010

Nutty New Year - English Toffee and Hazelnut syrup

New Leaf Latte - Caramel and Almond syrup

Resolution Latte - Sugar Free, Non-Fat Mocha (or any of our Sugar Free flavors)

February 2010

French Kiss Latte - Creamy Caramel, Hazelnut and Vanilla

Heartbreaker - White Chocolate and Raspberry with a dash of cinnamon sprinkled on top

Cherry Kiss - White Chocolate and Cherry

March 2010

Click here for March's Featured Flavors

April 2010

Click here for April's Featured Flavors

May 2010

Click here for May's Featured Flavors

June 2010

Click here for June's Featured Flavors

July 2010

Click here for July's Featured Flavors

August 2010

Click here for August's Featured Flavors

Featured Flavors, March 2010

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, we have three Irish themed Featured Flavors!

The Lucky Charm Latte - White Chocolate and Irish Cream

The Pot o' Gold - Creamy Caramel and Irish Cream

The Leaping Leprechaun - Irish Cream, Hazelnut and a splash of Almond

Check back in early April for our new monthly Featured Flavors

Menu

The following drinks are available either hot or over ice. Our small size is 12 oz., regular is 16 oz. and large is 20 oz. hot, or 24 oz. on ice. A small drink has 1 shot of espresso, a regular has 2 and a large has 3. We prepare our drinks with whole milk or non-fat. Half and Half or Soy are available at an extra cost (see below). Prices shown here do not include tax.

Cafe Latte: Small - $2.65, Regular - $3.20, Large - $3.50

(espresso and milk)

Flavored Latte: Small - $2.90, Regular - $3.45, Large - $3.75

(a Cafe Latte with any syrup flavor)

Cafe Mocha: Small - $2.95, Regular - $3.50, Large - $3.80

(a Cafe Latte with chocolate - Also available in Sugar Free)

Flavored Mocha: Small - $3.35, Regular - $3.90, Large - $4.35

(a Cafe Mocha with added syrup flavor - a Raspberry Mocha, for example)

Mocha Bianca: Small - $3.35, Regular - $3.90, Large - $4.35

(a Cafe Latte with white chocolate)

Cappuccino: Small - $2.65, Regular - $3.20, Large - $3.50

(Espresso shots with frothy steamed milk)

Creamy Caramel Latte: Small - $2.95, Regular - $3.50, Large - $3.80

(a Cafe Latte with caramel - Also available in Sugar Free)

Cafe Americano: Small - $1.65, Regular - $1.95, Large - $2.30

(espresso and water)

Brewed Coffee: Small - $1.55, Regular - $1.75, Large - $1.85

Chai Tea: Small - $3.35, Regular - $3.90, Large - $4.35

(Black spiced tea with milk)

Hot or Iced Tea: Small - $1.35, Regular - $1.65, Large - $1.75

(assorted flavors)

Hot Chocolate or Chocolate Milk: Small - $2.25, Regular - $2.50, Large - $2.95

(or any of our flavors)

Cremosa: Small - $3.15, Regular - $3.30, Large - $3.55

(iced drink with syrup, cream and soda water)

Espresso shots: Single: $1.50, Double: $1.80

Kid's Drinks: $1.05

(8 oz. flavored milk, Cremosa or juice box)

The following drinks are blended iced drinks. Blended drinks are only available in our Regular (16 oz.) and Large (24 oz.) sizes.

Yellow Leaf Freeze: Regular - $3.85, Large - $4.30

(Freezes come with 2 shots of espresso in a regular and 3 in a large. Our traditional flavors are Vanilla, Caramel and Mocha, but we are able to make a freeze with any of our syrup flavors)

Fruit Smoothies: Regular - $3.60, Large - $4.05

(Available in Extreme Peach, Strawberry Banana, and Wildberry Blast)

Personalize Your Beverage

Extra Espresso Shot: Add $.50

Extra Flavor: Add $.30

Half and Half or Soy (Instead of milk in any Latte style drink): Add $.50

Syrup Flavors ((SF), indicated on the first four flavors means these are available in Sugar Free)

Vanilla (SF), Caramel (SF), Raspberry (SF), Hazelnut (SF), Irish Cream, English Toffee, Almond, Coconut, Cherry, Strawberry, Orange, Blackberry, Peppermint, Cinnamon.

Keep an eye out for additional seasonal flavor choices as well!

Welcome!

Thank you for taking the time to check out YellowLeaf Coffee's blog. We want to give you, the customer, a view into the world of YellowLeaf, get to know your baristas, get access to website-only specials, and learn more about coffee in general.

For our first blog entry, we thought we might start with some frequently asked questions. As time goes by, more questions might be added to this F.A.Q., and if you'd like to know something that isn't covered here, feel free to leave a question in the comments!

What does YellowLeaf mean? The business name comes from a formerly nomadic tribe in Thailand called the Yellow Leaf people. In recent years, they have settled down and become a more agrarian people, cultivating many crops, including coffee.

So, do you sell the Yellow Leaf tribe's coffee? No. While the tribe's coffee is quite good, it is not produced in sufficient volume at this time.

What is espresso? Espresso is produced by forcing hot water through finely ground coffee. The method used concentrates the flavors and produces a thicker liquid than other methods (such as drip coffee brewing). Because of the strongly concentrated flavor, espresso makes an excellent base for drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos, mochas and such.

OK, what's the difference between a latte, a mocha and all the rest? A cafe latte is our basic drink, the core of much of what we serve. It is simply espresso and steamed milk. To this, we add syrup flavors to make our flavored lattes, such as vanilla, caramel or Irish cream. When we add chocolate syrup, we use the Italian word "mocha" and "mocha bianca" means white chocolate in Italian. Of course, all of these drinks can be made over ice as well.

What's a cappuccino, then? A cappuccino is very similar to a latte, but with a simple distinction. Cappuccinos are traditionally one third espresso, one third steamed milk and one third froth. The terms "wet" and "dry" refer to how foamy you want your milk. Wet cappuccinos have less froth while dry cappuccinos have more. A very dry cappuccino is so light, you might think there is nothing in the cup! Properly frothed milk gives the drink a sweet flavor. We do not serve an iced cappuccino, as the key ingredient is steamed, foamy milk.

And an Americano? Imagine you're travelling through the Italian countryside. You see a little cafe and decide to stop in for a plain cup of coffee. Simple, right? Well, this little cafe doesn't brew coffee, in fact they only have an espresso machine. How then are they to make your cup of plain coffee? Easy, actually. A Cafe Americano is "American" style coffee made with shots of espresso and hot water. Since espresso is such a strong flavor by itself, watering it down just makes it taste more like brewed coffee. One of the benefits over brewed coffee is that an Americano is made to order. We make the espresso when you order it, so it is as fresh as it can be.

What is a barista? A barista is a coffee shop employee who prepares espresso-based beverages, which is to say, all the employees at YellowLeaf.

Tell me about Chai Tea, please. Chai is a sweet, spiced black tea. There are many varieties available, and we serve Oregon Chai, a concentrate that is mixed 50/50 with a milk base. If you want to know what Chai tastes like, think of all the spices that go into a pumpkin pie, just without the pumpkin. It has nutmeg, cinnamon, honey and many other flavors making it a sweet and complex flavor. We are happy to make it with whole, non-fat or soy milk.

What do you have that's cold? We do most of our espresso drinks and Chai over ice. We also serve iced tea, but for a real treat, try one of our YellowLeaf Freezes. The Freeze is a blended drink that is sweet and gives a kick of coffee, too. Our advertised flavors are mocha, vanilla and caramel, but we'd be happy to use any of our syrup flavors to create a personalized drink just for you.

What do you have that's sugar-free? We serve vanilla, chocolate, caramel, hazelnut and raspberry in sugar-free varieties. For the most part, we agree that the sugar-free chocolate is pretty great. We also offer sugar alternatives in the form of Sweet-n-Low, Equal and Splenda. Sorry, we do not have a sugar-free Chai.

I don't know what I want, what do you recommend? The answer to this question will differ from barista to barista, but most of us will suggest our basic drinks - mocha, mocha bianca or creamy caramel. If you want something different, you are welcome to tell us to surprise you. It's a fun way to try flavor combinations that you might not have thought of before.

Why is your coffee so good? The beans used for all of our drinks are roasted for us weekly, so they are never left to sit around and go bad. They are roasted to medium dark, a roast that allows for great flavor, without burning out the caffeine, so your drink is not only great tasting, but it does it's job of picking you up! We take great care to brew each shot of espresso for the best flavor and consistency.

Do you take credit or debit cards? We take Visa, Master Card and Discover. We do not take American Express, sorry.