Coffee cocktails hold an almost magical allure for many coffee fans. From classics like Irish Coffee to more contemporary spiked coffee drinks, there's a huge range of approaches to crafting a coffee cocktail. I've cataloged a few of my favorites in two new articles, Basic Coffee Cocktails and Intermediate Coffee Cocktails, but there are many, many more out there. Have a personal favorite? Share your recipe with other About readers here!

Photo (c) Marko Goodwin

Looking for new ways to combine your loves of chocolate and hot drinks? There are plenty of ways to do it besides taking the time to make hot chocolate from scratch. Check out these fun and ridiculously easy ways to enjoy chocolate and coffee or tea together:

This instant cinnamon coffee cocoa is easy enough to be made in the office or on a camping trip.

Dagoba Chai Chocolate combines the spicy flavor of masala chai and milk chocolate, plus it pairs beautifully with Yemeni coffee, masala chai, black tea or dark roast oolong.

The stylish and eco-conscious Theo Coffee Dark Chocolate appeals to coffee fiends and chocoholics alike, plus it's delicious with creamy espresso drinks.

What are your favorite ways to combine chocolate and hot drinks?

Photo (c) Lindsey Goodwin

Caffeine -- It may be the love of your life, but is it also the bane of your sleepless nights? Even those of us who love, love, love caffeine may have a tinge of love-hate in our relationships with caffeine. For some, caffeine is the perfect drug, but others are not so lucky. Perhaps it picks you up so high only to drop you so very low, or maybe it has some undesirable side effects, but for each person the impact is different and (I think) worthy of a little examination.

For me, caffeine is a muse, a necessity, a joy, a comfort, a motivator, a mood enhancer and more. It leaves me feeling inspired and excited, ready to take on any task and (when it's ingested in the form of tea) focused enough to pick one and stick with it until completion. Obviously, I adore caffeine, but find I tend to feel better when I limit my use of it. I can drink a huge pot of tea and be fine (albeit maybe a little "tea drunk"). However, coffee has a much stronger impact on my mood/energy levels and is something I consume in moderation. Here's a little ASCII illustration of how I feel about caffeine from coffee and tea. A snapshot of how I feel after drinking coffee:

/\/W\/\/W\/\/W

A snapshot of how I feel after drinking tea:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I find that, in large doses, coffee leaves me feeling amped up and even jittery, while tea is more of an intense (but calm) focus. While this is not an uncommon sentiment, there are lots of other opinions on the matter! From the ancient scholar/poet Lu Yu to the Starbucks Via video homage that's popular now, people have held strong opinions about caffeine (and its role in their lives) for centuries. What do you love about caffeine? What do you hate about it? How does it make you feel? Do you prefer the rush of espresso drinks, the mellow high of matcha or the jitter-free no-caf options, like tisanes ("herbal teas") or apple cider?

Photo (c) Lindsey Goodwin

How do you like to pair food and hot drinks? Do you enjoy classic coffee pairings, like chocolate cake with medium-roast Guatemalan coffee? Or do you prefer less conventional pairings, like hot chocolate with salty, sour or sweet foods? Or perhaps you're one of the many who are getting into tea pairings? I'd love to hear about your favorite ways to enjoy food with your hot drinks of choice. In the next few months, I'll be publishing guides to pairing tea with foods and a guide to unconventional coffee-food pairings. Share your pairings and maybe they'll end up in an article here!

PS - Looking for drinks to serve this Thanksgiving? I got together with the cocktails, wine and beer guides to create a comprehensive guide to Thanksgiving beverages. No matter if you're looking for kid-friendly drinks for the parade or post-dinner cocktails -- we've got it covered.

Photo (c) Lindsey Goodwin

With the new Starbucks Via out, there has been a lot of talk about instant coffee. As much as coffee connoisseurs may hate it, instant coffee still has a sizable market share in the U.S. (as well as a much larger market share in Europe), and Via may increase the mainstream "respectability" of instant coffee in the U.S.

Personally, I view instant coffee the same way I view most tea bags -- it'll suffice in a caffeine-craving pinch, but it's not exactly something I drink for the taste. However, I think that instant coffee can be a decent base ingredient for other foods and drinks, such as Instant Cinnamon Mocha Cocoa. Sure, better ingredients make a better end result, but sometimes, just sometimes, I think it's fun to go with the lowbrow approach and enjoy the uncomplicated flavors of things like instant coffee-flavored hot cocoa or old-fashioned, Southern-style iced tea.

What do you think about instant coffee? Love the convenience? Hate the taste? Only use it as an ingredient? Can't believe Via is so completely good/bad/mediocre? (I haven't tried it yet, so I'd really love to hear your thoughts.) Let's talk quick coffee!

Photo (c) Lindsey Goodwin

There are an endless number of ways to enjoy coffee. From various preparation methods to exotic ingredients, you could enjoy coffee a different way every day and never run out of options. That's why I'm dedicating this blog post to three of my new favorite ways to enjoy coffee, each involving an unexpected variation:

Yin-Yang Coffee-Tea mixes coffee, milk and black tea for an unexpected flavor profile that's an old standard in Hong Kong.
Chai-Spiked Coffee is an alcohol-and-tea-spiked variation on coffee that is both elegant and easy to make.
Theo Coffee Dark Chocolate is a coffee-loving-chocoholic's dream come true.

What are your favorite ways to "remix" coffee? Do you like to change your coffee routine often, or do you prefer to stick with tried-and-true favorites?

Photo (c) Lindsey Goodwin

Mulled apple cider is thought to have originated in Germanic countries with a drink called "Wassail." Wassail started as a mulled form of mead, wine or beer, but later grew to include apple cider mulled with spices such as ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. Today, mulled apple cider remains a flavorful and festive beverage for cool weather. Variations include:

Whether or not the cider is filtered
Which types of spices are added (Some potential spices include cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, lemon zest, nutmeg and orange zest.)
How the spices are balanced in the flavor profile
Whether or not sugar is added
Whether other fruit juices (such as pineapple, orange and lemon) are added
Whether or not alcohol is added (Some people add vodka, brandy, rum, port or other forms of alcohol at the end of the mulling or pour it directly into serving mugs.)
How the cider is garnished (Common garnishes include cinnamon sticks and orange wheels.)

I recently posted a new recipe for an especially spiced apple cider recipe. Spices include cardamom, allspice, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, and the addition of alcohol is optional. What are some of your favorite ways to prepare mulled apple cider this time of year?

Photo (c) Lindsey Goodwin

It's no wonder that spices were once worth their weight in gold! From classics like Spiced Turkish Coffee and Masala Chai to more contemporary drinks like Orange Ginger Hot Cocoa, spices can have a major impact on the drinks we love.

Some spices work better than others when it comes to particular beverages -- why lose the flavor of saffron in coffee or overpower white tea with cloves -- but many beverage lovers find themselves drawn to the same spices again and again. Whether it's for coffee or tea (or even cocoa or cider) some of my personal favorite spices are vanilla, ginger and cardamom. Which spices do you prefer? Are they across-the-board favorites, or do you love particular spices with one hot beverage and not the others? Comment below to share your thoughts on spices in coffee, tea and beyond!

Although people commonly refer to chamomile, mint and ginger as "herbal teas," they are technically not tea at all. Whereas "herbal teas" come from many plants, "true teas" (such as white, green, oolong and black) come from the camellia Sinensis (or "Chinese camellia") plant. For that reason, many people are switching to the French word "tisane" (pronounced "tea-ZAHN") or the more evasive term "herbal infusion" when referring to tea-like, non-tea brews.

Do you have a preference for the term "tisane," "herbal tea" or "infusion?" Why do you prefer one term over the others? Comment on the blog or in the forums to share.

Want to learn more? Here's an article on tisane basics and here's a recipe for a Spiced Cardamom Tisane that's one of my personal favorites for winter.

Photo (c) Lindsey Goodwin

How well do you know your tealeaves? Can you identify them by only the appearance and aroma? Test your skills and, if you're right, win bragging rights on Coffee / Tea and with your friends and family! Let's begin...

This leaf doesn't look very leafy. Hmm... It smells roasty and a little bit nutty, like something a coffee drinker would love. What is it?

If you know the answer, "leave" it here (wah-wah-wahhh) or in the Forum. Let the naming begin!

P.S. - I know this is probably overly easy for serious tea drinkers. Let's keep this fun for everyone! If it's an extremely easy answer for you, then leave it for the newer tea drinkers to respond to. It's their chance to learn something new. Besides, you'll have your chance to identify rarer teas later!

Photo (c) Lindsey Goodwin