Cafe Offerings
"When
I get a little money, I will buy books , and if any is left,
then
I buy food." -- Erasmus
ESPRESSO
AND CAPPUCCINO
Our
staff can create magic on the Astoria
espresso machine, using the finest espresso beans,
potent in naturally regular high octane or full-bodied in
Swiss water-process decaffeinated. Have a straight Espresso
Italian-style or enjoy the wonderful espresso taste blended
with boiling hot water Café Americano style.
We can whip up a Cappuccino (espresso with frothed
milk) or a Latte (espresso with steamed and frothed
milk) in seconds, straight, with a whiff of cinnamon, nutmeg
or cocoa on top or flavoured with a shot of over two dozen
Torani syrup selections.
RICHEST
HOT CHOCOLATE IN THE MIDWEST
Master
Barista Larry Dunphy makes the best hot chocolate east of
the Mississippi (and
long-time Assistant Brenda Spratt and apprentices Heather
Faivre and Julia Nusbaum are not so bad themselves), with
Torani Chocolate or White Chocolate syrups and hot steamed
milk. We can also make signature drinks like hot chocolate
with Torani Creme de Menthe, Torani Raspberry Torani Caramel,
or any of the other Torani selections we have.
Don't
care for chocolate? Try a Flavoured Frothy,
requesting any of our Torani flavoured syrups. So, you
can have a Hot Zabbione (Italian Eggnog), a Hot
Irish Creme or a Hot French Vanilla!
A
SHOT OF TORANI
You
can enjoy all these drinks with a
shot of Torani. We have at least
two dozen Torani specialty syrups from San Francisco available
at any given time, from time-honored favorites like Irish
Creme, Raspberry and English Toffee to more newfangled Almond
Roca or Ginger Spice and seasonal Italian Eggnog or Pumpkin
Spice. Sweet, packed with taste, and containing
no
alcohol.
Sugar-free
Torani syrups made with Splenda also available.
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ICED
COFFEE
Isn't
Iced Coffee just coffee with ice? Not at Books on
First. Here, we start with one pound of our House Viennese
Roast coffee and steep it in 9 cups of cold water for 14 hours
(yes, that's longer than overnight!) to yield one quart of
concentrate. Our iced coffee is strong enough to stand up
to any ice cube and any thirst!
FRESH-BREWED
COFFEE ALL THE DAY LONG
Books
on First serves Viennese Roast as our House brew. The
mildest of the dark roasts, rich in flavor without the burnt
aftertaste that some roasts may have. You can enjoy a cup,
larger or smaller, early in the a.m, through the lunch hour,
as an afternoon pick-me-up, or a treat before facing the homefront
after a long day’s work.
Our
House Decaffe is also a Viennese Roast, still flavourful after
being naturally decaffeinated through a Swiss water process.
Everyday, we offer a different flavoured coffee and a different
special roast. Favorites like Streudel, Hazelnut, Chocolate
Mint, and Coconut (we also offer Chocolate Cherry, Amaretto,
Vanilla, Cinnamon, and many more). Fair Trade Certified Organic
(medium roast) specialties from around the world like Mexico,
Peru, Guatemala, and as well as a New Orleans blend with chicory
to complement our House coffees roasted fresh by the Chicago Coffee and Tea
Exchange, and are available in larger (16 oz)
and smaller (12 oz) sized helpings.
Our
House, Speical, Flavor, and Decaf coffees areavaliable
at retail by the pound. By it in beans, or have us grind it
for you.
We
also offer our fresh-brewed coffee with steamed milk.
Ask for our popular Café au Lait in the larger or smaller
size.
TEA
We
have many choices for steaming hot tea, both regular and decaffeinated,
as well as herbal brews like Chamomile and Mint. "Chai"
is a traditional Himalayan drink of brewed tea, chock-full
of exotic spices and brimming with mystique. We serve "Oregon
Chai" out of Portland and full of good things like honey,
ginger and vanilla. Don't be fooled by chai's transcendental
taste. It is packed to the rim with caffeine. For a pick-me-up
or a calm-me-down, enjoy a Chai Latte with us today.
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ITALIAN
SODA
Torani
is the basis for the refreshing Italian soda: three
shots of Torani over ice and soda water. Like an old-fashioned
"phosphate", choose Strawberry or Cherry or Lime,
or concoct your own signature soda like Cherry Vanilla, Cinnamon
Orange or Crème de Menthe. Ask for it "creamed"
(topped with half & half) for something "better than
liquid sherbet."
TORANI
FLAVORS
We
offer a variety of Torani flavors: Almond Orgeat, Almond Roca,
Amaretto, Apple, Blood Orange, Butter Rum, Butterscotch, Carmel,
Chai Tea Spice, Cherry, Chocolate, Chocolate Biscotti, Cinnamon,
Coconut, Cranberry, Crème de Bannana, Crème de Menthe, English
Toffee, Ginger Spice, Grape, Hazelnu, Italian Eggnog, Irish
Creme, Kiwi, Lemon, Lime, Mandarin Orange, Mango, Melon, Maple,
Passion Fruit, Peach, Peppermint, Pineapple, Pink Grapefruit,
Raspberry, Root Beer, Strawberry, Toasted Walnut, French Vanilla,
Vanilla, Watermelon, & White Chocolate
Sugar
Free Flavors: Black Cherry, Caramel, Hazelnut, Raspberry,
Strawberry, and Vanilla
DESSERTS
Enjoy
a cookie, a brownie, or a slice of pie with that cup of coffee.
We feature coffee cakes from Swedish Bakery and goodies from
Middle Eastern Bakery, both establishments not far away in
Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood. We also have fine
Italian pastries as well as biscotti from D’Amato’s
on Chicago’s Grand Avenue.
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