This just about sums it up, don't you think?

MUG: Giant barrel-style mug (sixteen ounces), made in China for Home Essentials.

COFFEE: Not coffee, but Popular™ Mexican hot cocoa. In my opinion, it's the best of the type.

NOTE: I don't believe there's any point in discussing this post. The issue is settled.

Stealing Hope.

MUG: Cafeteria-style mug from the late 1960s, early 1970s. No manufacturer info, but a faint impression of "U.S.A." in large letters on the bottom. The imprinted logo decoration has faded badly. A really pleasant, if not stylish, drinker. Good weight, sturdy handle, and nice 'lip' feel.

COFFEE: The Las Mingas Caturra coffee from Colombia's Huila region. Roasted by Cuvee Coffee. Thankfully, they mail it out so I don't have to drive into hell to buy some.

NOTE: Paul Klipsch used to hand these to visitors in his office in Hope, Arkansas. He wouldn't tell them whether it was a gift or not, leaving his guests with a sense of discomfort. If you don't know who Paul W. Klipsch was, you should.

 

Game. Set. Match.

MUG: Spanish Waechtersbach, imprinted for the Art Institute of Chicago. As an artist/art historian friend of mine said (paraphrased), "The thing I like most about Modernism is the artists' signatures."

All the usual stellar attributes of the Waechtersbach cylinder mug... now in stylish black, with red accents.

COFFEE: Las Mingas from Cuvee Coffee. "Milk chocolate aroma, lavender and brown sugar. Creamy body with a whiskey and pear finish. Located in Nariño, a state in western Colombia, the Las Mingas farms sit at about 6500 feet above sea level. These 'fincas' (farms) are only about 3 acres on average, often bounded by steep cliffs and natural waterfalls. The coffee itself is often shade-grown under a natural canopy of plantain, orange, and guamos trees."

Another Caturra coffee from Colombia's Huila region. I like these coffees.

Farm: Las Mingas

Region: Las Platas Huila

Country: Colombia

Varietal: Caturra, Colombia

Altitude: 1900m

Process: Washed

NOTE: I think I now have the complete edition. Red, White, Blue, Grey, and now Black. Am I missing one?

Turkish Delight? No... and that's a good thing.

MUG: Food-service stoneware, as served at The Leaning Pear in nearby Wimberley. Generic, heavy. Nicely styled and durable. Perfectly suitable.

COFFEE: Redbud Roasters Organic Fair Trade Coffee. No clue as to what the coffee beans are, as the menu simply identifies the roaster. I asked, but the waitress was new and she didn't know It was really quite busy so I didn't want to push her. She said that customers liked it, and commented that it smelled and tasted like Turkish coffee. Of course, that wasn't even close to the reality. It had a slight burned odor, indicating a dark roast, but the brew strength and flavor were standard American drip. It was good enough that I ordered a refill. I wouldn't buy any for home use, though. But for dining al fresco on a cool morning, it was perfectly suitable.

NOTES: This excursion was a Hill-Country drive with the Austin Mini Cooper Car Club. 

Onward through the fog!

MUG: Diner mug of probably Chinese manufacture. The usable capacity is the standard 11 ounces. Great shape, thick handle, massive weight, and well-formed lip all make this a wonderful drinker. Tastefully adorned with the logo of a great culinary-arts supply shop, Der Kuchen Laden. It could come in handy should you need to crack open some nuts (or skulls) as well.

COFFEE: Upon further review, the ruling on the field has been reversed. The Colombian Santander from Central Market-Westgate, that I described below as "suddenly disappointing," tastes great today, with none of the 'burned' flavor I moaned about. Tasted great yesterday, too. Probably an allergy thing that made it taste burned for a while.

NOTES: A golf course rises though the fog where yesterday stood a lake.