Espresso On The Go

If you're lucky, you work at one of those offices with a fancy coffee machine that brews individual little coffee pods for you -- or tea pods! -- and the toughest decision you make every morning is whether or not you'll chose the chai tea latte or the mocha macchiato from the attractively displayed selection.

If you're like the rest of us, the toughest decision you make every morning is whether you'll make a coffee to-go at home, cave and spend too much at Starbuck's on the way in to the office, or cave even further and drink the sludge that's been haphazardly brewed in the break room. The extra special part about drinking office coffee isn't just the knowledge that the pots and machines are likely never cleaned, but being surrounded by passive-aggressive notes targeted at the one asshole in the office who never makes a fresh pot after taking the last cup. (You all know who he is; no one ever wants to confront him.)

That's where Jazzybird comes in.

Jazzybird is a company from Louisiana (support our neighbors to the east!) that freezes and packages individual espresso shots in a clever little system that ensures you can always have an excellent cup of coffee, even if all you have is a microwave and a mug. A package of eight espresso shots is $5.99, certainly cheaper than buying eight individual servings of espresso at a coffee shop.

I learned to make a snazzy vanilla double latte from my best friend, who buys the Jazzybird pods like they're having a fire sale on them at Whole Foods. (They never are, by the way. But wouldn't that be great?) Here's his recipe for a latte that's better for you than anything you'll get at Starbucks, especially if you use almond or rice milk:

• 2 Jazzybird espresso pods
• 6 oz. vanilla milk (reduced fat, almond or rice milk all work brilliantly; you don't need full-fat milk here at all)

Pop the two frozen espresso chunks out of the pods and into a microwave-safe mug. Add the vanilla milk. Microwave on high for two minutes. Stir. Enjoy.

Granted, you'll only get four lattes a pop out of one pack with this recipe, but for $5.99 (and the cost of your milk), it's a far sight less expensive than buying four vanilla double lattes at Starbucks.

At the present, Jazzybird is only available at Whole Foods. In fact, the espresso pods are only sold in Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana (and a small pocket of Utah; huh?) as the Jazzybird empire continues its slow expansion process. I'm hoping they consider expanding into stores like H-E-B and Randall's while they're at it.