Looks Can Be Deceiving

MUG: Standard specialty-advertising mug, modeled after the Waechstersbach-style mug. Chinese origin. Thin walls, thin handle, not bad feel to the lip or handle, an acceptable if not remarkable mug. Of course, the decoration is not only remarkable... it's DeLuxe! It really is.

COFFEE: Ran out of my preferred coffee. But hallelujah! Coffee salvation! I was recently gifted with a half pound of Peru Especial coffee beans from Anderson's Coffee in Austin (as discussed previously). The Peruvian is a light roast, with a flavor that reminds me of a good Guatemalan coffee.

NOTES: Not having a locally available source for good coffee can be a problem. The local coffee shop I used as a fall back (only six miles away) went to that great barista in the sky recently. That leaves me with a Starbucks and the H.E.B. Plus... both with a full selection of over-roasted coffees.

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.