Happy Holidays Intrigue fans!
We have exciting news this update, specifically the development of the coffeehouse and creative specialty drinks in Chef Aaron's styling. Most importantly, though, we want to encourage you to support small business this year. The final weeks of December are the most important for our business, as it is for many other pop&pop retail establishments. Please make the effort in 2018 to purchase gifts from the little guys. It makes a difference!
What do you buy the person that has everything? Something unlisted on Amazon.
Gift Ideas
Assortment Boxes – These 12pc and 24pc truffle gift boxes are our classic offering, except this year we have 24 different flavors to share (unlike previous years where we offered only 12)! Going to a party? These are perfect for host / hostess gifts. Office or gift exchange? Truffles can be meaningful and significant while staying classy and sincere, and you don’t need to know much about the person for them to enjoy it.
Truffle Bars – Throwing a dinner party? These ganache bars are the perfect table appetizer or desert. We recommend 2 bars for every 5 people at the table, or 3 if you want a little chocolate left over. Serve them like a soft cheese on a plate with a knife and a bottle of wine. Want to sit for an hour and catch up? Serve some wine or adult beverages, and then wow the table with chocolate flavors like Red Velvet Cake, Plum, Pear Brandy and Honey, and Grappa.
Cocoa Blends – Our flavored blends are the favorite for mochas and hot cocoas at the new Coffeehouse on Capitol Hill. They are dairy free, so you make them with whatever dairy or alternative you’d like, and for baking. Hosting family with young children? Add some marshmallows and you have a holiday classic. Impress adults too with flavors like Cardamom or Lavender! Making brownies or cookies? Try adding some spicy Jamaican cocoa, or a cardamom blend for that something extra. Just be sure to adjust the sugar quantity to match, pro tip.
Chocolate Bars – Six flavors inspired by the Pacific Northwest. Need an icebreaker? this is the perfect item to include with a gift card, a assortment or bundle of small items in a care package, or to pass around the table at a dinner. Chocolate bars can help meeting a new family and want to make an impression. Building a gift basket? Chocolate bars with bright flashy packaging are the best!
Coffeehouse Updates
Check out these new lanterns! Inside are grow light bulbs, for plants and humans. We had a theory that putting them in the windows would draw people in from the grey. It's a vibrancy and color that stands out from the windows. Picture was taken during our last open mic night, every 1st Thursday. Everyone was so pleased with the hall-of-mirrors effect it has, and it sets the stage.
We’ve updated our menus to better “frame” the seasonal drinks and signature offerings. The frames are on loan to us from a friend, who would rather them be on display than in storage. These pre-date the civil war! (If anyone has frames in this style that wants to store them on our wall instead of storage, let us know!)
We've also updated the back area with new shelves to help store the plant-care materials that are in rotation constantly in the shop. Some plants fared better than others, illustrated by the shelf of plant-ready pots. We’ll choose from that category going forward - hibiscus, citrus, citronella, strawberry, wintergreen, coffee tree, pepper plant, and lemon grass.
This also gives a little more space to the art wall at the Coffeehouse, which until now has been a bit buried in the back. Looking forward to our next iterations of the art wall that will include a focus on Capitol Hill!
Specialty Drinks
We have 3 specialty drinks we are offering at the coffeehouse:
Coffee-Milk Slushy – Come try this east-coast inspired beverage of milk, house-made coffee syrup (caffeinated), turned over in the slush machine until snowy and icey.
Gingerbread Latte – House made gingerbread syrup in your latte. A perfectly fitting flavor for the season.
Spiced Apple Cider – Fresh squeezed apple cider mixed with our house-made, spiced dolce de crema. (my personal favorite this season, even though I keep going back to the coffee milk slushy!)
Vegan Eggnog – OUT. We made such a lovely recipe of nutmeg, oat milk, and pumpkin seed oil for texture. But Oatly has another nationwide shortage, and we will not be able to serve the drink this year.
Come Hither
So come by the Tasting Bar in Pioneer Square, or the Coffeehouse on Capitol Hill for gifting and comfort needs this season. You can also order online, and we recommend you order no later than 3 shipping-days prior to the holiday to ensure arrival.
Cheers from the Intrigue Chocolate Team, and Happy Holidays!