The Journal

Classic Coffee Cake

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp instant espresso powder

Wet Ingredients

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Streusel Topping

• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ cup cold butter, cubed

Pairs beautifully with: Dark Chocolate Shoreline Roast or Blueberry Coast Blend

Coffee Cookies

Ingredients (makes approx. 24 cookies)

• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp instant espresso powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Pairs beautifully with: Dark Chocolate Shoreline Roast or Morning Tide Blend

Coffee Brownies

Ingredients

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp instant espresso powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp baking powder

Pairs beautifully with: Dark Chocolate Shoreline Roast or Blueberry Coast Blend

Coffee Bonbons

Coffee Cream Filling

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp instant espresso powder
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Shell

• 12 oz dark chocolate (70% cacao), melted
• 1 tsp coconut oil (for smoothness)

Pairs beautifully with: Dark Chocolate Shoreline Roast or Mango Horizon Single Origin

Coffee Bars

Shortbread Crust

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup (1 stick) cold butter, cubed
• Pinch of salt

Coffee Filling

• 3 large eggs
• 1½ cups brown sugar, packed
• 3 tbsp instant espresso powder
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp salt

Pairs beautifully with: Morning Tide Blend or Sunrise Light Roast

Coffee Muffins

Ingredients (makes 12)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp instant espresso powder
• 1 large egg
• ¾ cup whole milk
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Optional: ½ cup chocolate chips or chopped walnuts

Pairs beautifully with: Blueberry Coast Blend or Morning Tide Blend

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake

Cake Batter

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp instant espresso powder
• 2 eggs
• 1½ cups whole milk
• ⅓ cup melted butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Swirl

• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp melted butter

Pairs beautifully with: Morning Tide Blend or Sunrise Light Roast

Strawberry Coffee Cake

Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp instant espresso powder
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1½ cups fresh strawberries, sliced

Pairs beautifully with: Blueberry Coast Blend or Mango Horizon Single Origin

Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole roasted coffee beans (Seaside Sip recommended)
• 8 oz dark chocolate (70% cacao), finely chopped
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• Optional: flaky sea salt or cocoa powder for dusting

Instructions

Melt chocolate and coconut oil together in a double boiler until smooth. Drop in coffee beans, stir to coat, then lift out with a fork onto a parchment-lined tray. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired. Refrigerate 20–30 minutes until set. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

Pairs beautifully with: Dark Chocolate Shoreline Roast or Morning Tide Blend

My mother passed on when I was nine years old. There is a lot of things that I didn't get a chance to do or say to my mother. I do just about anything have a moment with her again and share a cup of coffee. I would make it a surprise I would have her come over and sit her down, present her with the unassuming copy cup probably with her favorite color in mind in my logo would be on the outside of the cup, but she isn't familiar with it. I sit down across from her Try not to give myself away. I select the blue cup being my favorite color. I pour her first ask, she would like anything to add and then I pour mine. I choose creamer to help cool it. We both take a drink same time like synchronized swimmers. A delight comes over her face in my mind. She says that's good. Where'd you get that from? That's when I tell her that I am the proud owner of the coffee that you're drinking. Those are my cups that's my logo and this is my coffee I say I hope you're pleased with me. It's been a long road for me. Thank you for taking the time to have a cup. I know that you're busy i know that I don't say this enough, but I love and miss you very much and I am already looking forward to the next time that we can do this again

— Jason Dodge

Coffee beans are actually a fruit. The word Java comes from Indonesia somewhere I imagine some goat herder likely discovered it, but Brazil produces the most of it in the world a typical cup packs 80 to 140 or 50 mg of caffeine decaf process before the roasting Which is interesting according to some folks Finland, I believe drinks the most coffee per person and get this the biggest cup ever recorded and witnessed held over 6000 gallons. It said the coffee was brewed with cinnamon and cardamom like clover record. Say that it showed up in Ethiopia around 850 A.D. I was surprised to know that coffee is the world second most traded commodity in the entire world.

— Jason Dodge

A shared cup of coffee is a moment. Conversation sparks with ease — you’re both equally experiencing that first sip together, hot. Both smile.

Anywhere in the world, coffee makes it better. Inside the house, outside the house. Cold winter weather, snowfall into the ground, steam coming off your coffee cup — nothing like it. Early summer morning, before anyone has words, tipping the cup.

It’s a universal language. It brings people together. Stimulates the mind first thing — amazing synapses happening, creating a bond, turning strangers into friends. It turns friends into lovers.

Two people enjoying coffee makes it easier to exchange questions — as well as two people enjoying coffee with no words at all.

What a wonderful creation.

— Jason Dodge

I was 26 years old.

At the time I was working construction and I was working on my 13th hour. Honestly, I was falling behind in the carpentry portion of the project. It was getting late. I was exhausted.

I made a promise to the homeowners that the entire job would be done by seven in the morning when they arrived back home — and everyone who knows me knows I don’t like to disappoint people. So in my mind, I’m not walking away from this contract. Keep everyone happy.

I didn’t have many dependable people around at the time. It just wasn’t possible to call for help at that hour. I was experiencing mental fatigue, physical fatigue, emotional fatigue. But I knew that I had to fulfill this contract.

The first thing I needed to do was take a break. So I left the house to get some air. Then my feet kept moving toward the car. I got in and drove to the nearest gas station.

The moment I walked inside, I could smell fresh, rich coffee. Up until that point I had never had any. Never explored hot beverages before. They had a great selection — somewhere close to 10 different flavors, with a tasting palette for your first experience.

I chose hazelnut. Forever mild roast. Medium size cup. Four tablespoons of hazelnut creamer. Scorching hot.

I burned my tongue. I was sipping it too fast.

This is so hot. But it tastes so good. Where have you been all my life?

I finished half a cup before I got back to the house. The clarity that came over me. That leg up. That second wind. I could not believe it. A smile on my face.

I knew at that moment that I had found a way to fulfill this contract.

I literally finished the job to perfection — and was cleaning up my tools as the homeowner walked in the door at 6:15 in the morning.

— Jason Dodge

Watch the short film, “Pip and the Sleepy Kingdom,” and settle in for the full short film.

Long ago in a kingdom where the sun seemed perpetually dim, and the people moved as if walking through honey, there lived a court jester named Pip, who couldn't understand why everyone was always so drowsy. The king yawned through Royal proclamations, the knights dozed during tournaments, and even the castle cat napped 20 hours a day.

Pip had heard whispers of a legendary plant that grew in a distant cloud forest — a mysterious shrub that bore crimson cherries containing seeds of pure energy. Determined to help his sleepy kingdom, Pip set off on a quest to find these mythical beans.

After weeks of travel through enchanted woods and over misty mountains, Pip discovered a grove where the coffee plants grew wild and free. But the grove was guarded by a wise old owl who posed a riddle: “What awakens the mind but soothes the soul, brings people together yet stands alone, bitter when rushed, but sweet when patient?”

Pip pondered deeply before answering. “The perfect cup of coffee. It awakens us, but comforts us. It connects strangers in cafés, but can be enjoyed in solitude. And it tastes bitter when we're impatient, but reveals its sweetness when we take our time.”

Impressed by his wisdom, the owl granted Pip a pouch of the precious beans and taught him the ancient art of roasting and brewing. “Remember,” the owl warned, “the magic isn't just in the beans — it's in the ritual, the patience, and the joy of sharing.”

When Pip returned to his kingdom, he set up a small cart in the town square and began brewing the aromatic elixir. The rich, intoxicating smell drew curious villagers who had never experienced anything like it. With the first sip, their eyes brightened, their minds sharpened, and their spirits lifted.

Soon the entire kingdom was transformed. The king made brilliant decisions over his morning cup. The knights became legendary for their alertness in battle. And the people gathered each dawn in the square to share coffee and conversation — creating the kingdom's first café.

Pip became the Royal Coffee Master, and his morning brew became the most cherished tradition in the land. The kingdom prospered like never before, proving that sometimes the greatest magic comes not from spells and potions, but from a simple cup of perfectly brewed coffee shared with friends.

And they all lived wakefully ever after.