Mai Tai Thursdays, Coming Soon!

But first, a decent coffee …

Hello, darling – I hope you’re well.

The Backyard Roosters of Hawai’i

As I write to you, it’s 6:10 AM on the Big Island of Hawai’i, it’s still dark out, and the roosters are in full crow.
MULTIPLE roosters. All asserting their very strong, dominant “rooster-ness.”
It’s been going on for over an hour, at maximal volume and frequency, and will continue for a while.
Gotta love ’em roosters.

Mr. Rooster, with one of his favorite hens. A very fine bird, indeed. (I could use another term, but it would be indelicate.) Photo courtesy A.J. Maren

Mai Tai Thursdays – Coming Soon!

We have, obviously, been absent for a bit.

ALL IS WELL.

At least, all is well here at Themesis.

We’ve just had a lot going on … lots of new things to share (which we’ll be doing, over the next several days) … and the first good news is:

Mai Tai Thursdays will be starting soon!

This will be the official inauguration of the Themesis-hosted AI Salon, where the spirit is aloha, the rum flows freely, and we discuss all manner of interesting AI topics.

Look for the AI Salon to show up – both as a blogpost (and a word in your email inbox) and also as a YouTube vid. Details forthcoming.

Before we kick off our Mai Tai Thursdays (and to give you a chance to find your aloha shirt or – for you ladies- your hot little tiki dress), we’ll have a few warm-up sessions … starting with making a citrus-based simple syrup.

A Good Cup of Joe – with Some Extras

Right now, it’s actually very COOL outside – and hence, cool inside, this being Hawai’i. It’s sweater-and-socks cool, and I’ve just made my homemade latte.

And I’m getting ready for a massive round of final grading, as we wind up our Winter Quarter at Northwestern University. This grading will require massive coffee-fueled stamina.

For those of you on the mainland, or in other parts further north … early March is still cold, blustery, often sleety – and adding warming spices to your morning latte will help boost both mood and stamina.

To get this extra-special, totally-energizing coffee going, I started off by making a spice infusion for my latte milk.

I’ve heated up the milk (not shown here), and have rummaged through my various spice drawers and bowls to find the following:

Turmeric (those little yellow-ish nibs on the left-hand side). Locally grown. Super anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, general powerhouse.
Ginger (bottom). Again, locally grown. Another super system-boost.
Cinnamon stick (lower right), and just above it …
Lemongrass slivers – they look like cut up pieces of grass. Again, good as an anti-bacterial agent.
Cardamom pods (upper right) – again, reputed to have multiple medicinal benefits, including lowering blood pressure. (Might be useful when grading papers). And finally, …
Nutmeg (upper left) – the little nubs left over after I ground some whole nutmegs a while ago. The usual litany: antioxidants, minerals, etc.

Spices for the hot milk infusion. From the top, clockwise: cardamom pods, dried lemon grass, cinnamon stick, ginger, several pieces of turmeric, and nutmeg nibs (left over after grinding the nutmeg). Photo courtesy A.J. Maren.

The cinnamon stick, nutmeg nibs, and lemongrass sticks go directly into a little glass jar. I’m slicing the ginger and the turmeric, and crushing the cardamom seed pods, then splitting them open, as shown.

The ginger (right) and several small turmeric bulbs (left) have been sliced, and the cardamom pods (upper right) have been crushed and sliced open. The nutmeg nibs are standing by; the cinnamon stick and the lemongrass are already in the little glass jelly jar. Photo courtesy A.J. Maren.

The final step is to put all of these warming spices into the jelly jar, and add warm milk. I’m going to let the jar sit out for an hour, so that the spices infuse a bit, and then will refrigerate for use tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I’ll pour the infused milk into the pot where I heat up the rest of the latte milk (actually, a combo of dairy, hemp, and mac-nut milk – SO GOOD!), and then – when that milk has been heated, I’ll pour some back into my spice jar. I typically clean out and totally refresh the jar every week or ten days. I scrub the cinnamon stick (and use my fingernails to get off some of the old milk residue), and replace the other ingredients with fresh.

In the comments below, let me know if you’ve tried something like this and how it works for you!

Have a lovely day, and I’ll be back with you soon on the upcoming Mai Tai Thursdays, where we’ll be having our AI Salon!

All my best – A.J. Maren

Sources

Looking to get some real Kona coffee delivered to your door?

Here’s a link that offers some suggestions:

Best Kona Coffee Beans of 2022 (Read BEFORE Buying) (homegrounds.co)

YouTube Resources

See the related YouTube HERE:

Famous Salonnieres

Referring to Aspasia, who inspired Socrates and other Athenian philosophers, Socrates said:

… she who is my instructor is by no means weak in the art of rhetoric; on the contrary, she has turned out many fine orators …
Reported by Plato, describing the dialogue between Socrates and Menexenus.
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Plat.%20Menex.%20235&lang=original