MUG: Japanese novelty mug, ceramic with glazed color. Three piece cast construction (bowl, handle, and mustache guard are separate pieces).
COFFEE: More Community Coffee Colombian from Red Stick (Baton Rouge).
NOTES: This "stein" is the size of a coffee mug, and I presume that's its intended use. Made in Japan during the 1950s to 1960s, with a design motif of two Bavarians hoisting liters of beer while a stag leaps through the woods on the reverse. Probably imported by Italians, to complete the Axis Powers connection. A birthday gift from my buddy Mike, a.k.a. "Kitty".
As for the coffee, Albertson's sells this both prepackaged (med/dark) and bulk (dark). The bulk dispenser is the first of its kind I've seen. It has an air lock and a vacuum pump. When you dispense the beans, you first open an airlock and you can hear the air rush in. After the air pressure equalizes, the beans begin to fall into the bag from the spout. When you release the handle, you can hear the air being pumped out of the container. Very cool, and perhaps beneficial to increased freshness and/or longer shelf-life.
