Conrad's shame

MUG: Chinese made porcelain bistro mug. See how stylish it is? Branded as a Lavazza™ ("Italy's Favorite Coffee"... the Pirelli of coffee?) mug, it was part of the in-room coffee maker at the Southern Hills Hilton in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It's actually part of a Cuisinart individual-serving coffee maker. This style of mug is almost pleasant due to the thinness of the rim. Great tactile experience, although the funnel shape always makes me nervous.

COFFEE: Lavazza coffee pods, from Italy in theory. Thin, flavorless broth. Awful stuff, not even hot enough coming out of the maker to do a good job of killing cockroaches (not an issue at the Hilton).

NOTES: The Hilton's room had this fancy coffee maker, but no microwave to boil my water for my French-press Travel Mug, the water coming out of the maker was insufficiently hot to use in my French press, there was no fridge to keep a six-pack in, and they wanted $10 a day for internet access. Nice room, poor experience with penny-pinching. No free breakfast, either. See the following descriptive photos on the coffee maker.

 The Lavazza coffee system with the Lavazza Coffee-condom.

 

The Lavazza coffee-condom unsheathed.

See the water running into the cup? See how clear it is? This is at about the 75% full stage.

Looks like a strong mug of English Breakfast Tea. I promise you, it looks darker in the photo, too, than it was in real life. Conrad's ghost must be rattling his chains.