I always have a hard time convincing myself to enjoy sweet things at breakfast. I usually will go for the protein as my blood sugar will spike and I will feel really sick. With that in mind, it is a rare instance for me to order any sort of sweet first thing in the morning. But after pinning over the selection, I spied a small cinnamon roll sitting the front of the case all by its lonesome.

He seemed to be an omen of good fortune, and so I asked our baristess to prepare him for consumption. After about 2 minutes on the panini grill he had been transformed into some kind of warm morsel of comfort. Richly filled with chopped pecans, ground wheat, cinnamon and a light glaze, the swirled pastry tore apart in my hands soft but firmly bite after bite.

There really is nothing quite as spectacular as something so comforting and warm in the morning. The best part was that there was very little overbearing sweetness. If this had been acquired at a grocery store, the entire experience would have left me in a diabetic coma. But to my surprise and enjoyment, this tender offering was a well balanced combination of richness and texture. The pronounced aroma and taste of cinnamon was excellent and combined with the crunch of the now warmed pecan chunks, left a feeling of utter satisfaction lingering on until past the noon hour.

Thanks to the great staff at the Unseen Bean for making this morning’s non-traditional breakfast a pleasant one.

3 cheers!

Zach

The Unseen Bean in Boulder Colorado, is one of the few establishments that has really perfected the craft of beverage service. They are prompt, polite, friendly and know how to satisfy the need for caffeine in unique ways. But more on them later.

The laté has long been a cherished companion to my morning routine and I think that the over-all sugary tones that are usually associated with it have kept me at bay for quite sometime. Like in the terrible institution Starbucks, there is usually more sugar than flavor. I requested a laté that would have a low sweetener content, and Rose prepared this little treat.

The honey does all the sweetening but its not over board and it seems to enhance the creaminess of the milk and there is a slight but welcomed hint of vanilla at the end. With every sip, the foam, milk, coffee and flavors seem to meld together so fluidly.

I give the fine young, cannibalistic, staff at the Unseen Bean 2 thumbs up for a great delivery and interesting variation on an old favorite.

Zach
ravenous

The offerings at the roaster are vast and interesting as it is the only place here in Boulder (I have been so far) to offer hummus as a possible spread upon the warm toasted goodness. Truly nothing so satisfies like the warm crunch of a toasted bagel that has a generous application of fresh cream cheese and locks (a persoanl favorite off mine).

Maybe at some point I will right a bagel decathlon of sorts, and review all the facets and history behind this delicious hand-held breakfast tour-de-force. The bagel represents the white canvas of morning culinary creativity in a lot of ways. Although the bread type is important, the spread and various additions to the small morsel, do the job of creating something as simple as a snack, to something as grand as a sandwich. There is little that this fine food cannot transform into with some creativity and an open palette.

I find that this minor ritual of giving your body the right combination of salts, proteins and starches early in the morning can truly be enough fuel to push you through to lunch.