The Joy of Furrin' Coffee.

MUG: Another Society6 mug. Proven design of high function.

COFFEE: Continuing to deplete my supply of Colombian San Roque.

NOTE: In the morning dark, my coffee is to my left, my bible is before me, and my cat is to my right on the Meow Division.

The happy home.

MUG: German-made happy mug. You will be happy.

COFFEE: As I said before... "Colombian San Roque from La Colombe Torrefaction in Philadelphia. A truly superior Colombian coffee. A lighter roast than most commercial roasteries (I hear rumors and see evidence that Hipster-kulture™ has picked up on the benefits of lighter roasts), the strong chocolate and citrus overtones stand out (to my simple palate)."

NOTE: We're back home, and happy to be so. I survived road coffee (German-American motel, Mennonite coffee house, highway restaurant). The only really good coffee we had was a 5₵ cup of the "regular" that Linden consumed at Der Kuchen Laden.

Highly 'Si' likely.

MUG: Spanish-made unadorned white eleven ounce Waechtersbach cylinder mug.

COFFEE: Ethiopian Yirgacheffe via Werka Bauka processors in Ethiopia, via La Colombe roasters in Philadelphia, via Der Kuchen Laden merchants in Fredericksburg, Texas.

NOTES: Say the smart people: "The beans have the fragrance of white nectarine, marshmallow, tangerine, coffee blossom, guava, tomato, cane sugar, mango, long pepper, and macadamia nut. The grounds have the fragrance of spinach, yellow peach, mango, vanilla bean, papaya blossom, iodine, tart cherry, rosemary, and orange peel. The aroma of this coffee is of yellow peach, soil, tart mango, rose hips, tart cherry, orange peel, oolong tea, dried apricot, thyme, bakers chocolate. This is a full body coffee that is rounded with a deep stone fruit complexity that is more to the pineapple structure. This is a high acidity coffee that is juicy and lingering with a delicate desert floral sweetness. The flavors of this coffee are of yellow nectarine, manilla mango, yucca flower, tangerine, black tea, black cardamom, coca nibs, brown sugar, fleur de sel, pineapple."

Personally, I thought it tasted pretty good, especially after a day of generic cafe coffee and canned dark roast. I like Yiracheffe. A lot.

Mooned.

MUG: A Chinese-made diner mug. Hefty. Substantial. Chipped.

COFFEE: Despite having been voted "Best Coffee in Boerne," the Bear Moon Bakery & Cafe serves a canned Italian dark roast coffee from Segafredo, brewed "drip process" says the menu board. Not bad coffee, but if it's the best coffee in Boerne, there's a problem.

NOTE: The Bear Moon Bakery & Cafe is a delightful restaurant in Boerne, Texas on Hauptstrasse at East Theissen streets. Good light meals and hearty breakfasts, plus wonderful pastries. Highly recommended.

Desperate measures.

MUG: Plastic melamine-like mug imitating a stoneware mug. Good for dropping on hard surfaces.

COFFEE: "Don't ask. Don't tell" genereic cafe coffee... probably whatever SYSCO or Ben E. Keith Food Services delivered. It was hot and fresh, and those are major pluses on the road.

NOTE: Staying at the "historic" Leakey Inn, I eschewed using the in-room coffee maker, and instead walked to the closely adjacent Tina's Kitchen for a cup of coffee with the local movers and shakers. I sat on the porch at a barn-wood bar with a row of old tractor seats, all facing Highway 83.

Psalm 88:11-12

MUG: Ubiquitous Chinese novelty mug, patterned after the Waechstersbach barrel mug. Designed by Madeline Audrey, and made and sold by Society6 (who also makes a really cool Joy Division Cat mug). I saw a pillow with this design on the Facebook feed Karl Barth for Dummies, followed the link and got the mug. Today, Holy Saturday, is my first use.

COFFEE: The truly excellent Colombian San Roque. More is on the way.

NOTES: Growing up, Holy Saturday was the day we dyed Easter eggs in preparation for the Easter Sunday egg and candy hunts. Religiously and theologically, it was a bit ill-defined (to me). Some years later, while reading works from the Christian Orthodox tradition (and practicing some Eastern Orthodox prayer methods), I discovered an understanding that was held by the Early Church that opened doors of Faith for me. The Nicene Creed states that Jesus "descended to Hell" but it doesn't say what he did there. Peter mentions Christ "preaching to the dead in Hell."  Jesus' descent into Hell/Hades/Sheol wasn't to condemn the dead, but to save those who would listen to him. For all time. The answer to death (and therefore to everything) is Jesus.

Nobody has to die. Get on the bus. Free rides. Great coffee.

Wine and chocolate: more than a date drug.

MUG: One of my surviving original Waechtersbach mugs (purchased at the original Container Store on Mockingbird Lane in Dallas in 1979). I've said all that needs to be said about this particular mug's perfection. PMS MUD (essentially Pantone Matching System color 406) is also my favorite color.  

COFFEE: Colombian San Roque from La Colombe Torrefaction in Philadelphia. A truly superior Colombian coffee. A lighter roast than most commercial roasteries (I hear rumors and see evidence that Hipster-kulture™ has picked up on the benefits of lighter roasts), the strong chocolate and citrus overtones stand out (to my simple palate).

From the Roaster (via the Merchant): "Producers in the San Roque Association process and dry their own coffees and deliver them to quality analyst, Duver Rojas, who tastes the coffees delivered every day and pays incentives for the best coffees. Of 100 families in the association, this lot represents only ten producers who embraced these best practices. Their hard work on the steep hillsides unfolding below the San Roque Monastery and above the Magdalena River created this coffee of refined sweetness."

NOTES: A sample package from Der Kuchen Laden in Fredericksburg, Texas, no doubt meant to lure me back to Deutsche Disneyland Texas. Just might work.

It's been too long.

The death of science, and the birth of something not good.

 

MUG: Yeti Rambler. Made in China. Marketed out of Austin. Strongly made.

COFFEE: Colombian Santander. The usual, except when it's not. Strongly made.

NOTES: There's a problem here. It's more than a misunderstanding, and it's not simply ignorance. There is good dose of arrogance, however. Do you see it?

Yeti is a manufacturer of rigorously designed ice chests and accessories, including thermal drinking cups like this one (this is their 'small' size model). They really do apply some of the best available technology to create containers that will retain temperatures for long periods of time, hot or cold. Stainless steel, double-walled travel cups are no big deal, and this one far out performs the other name-brand ones I have. Far outperforms. I filled two vessels this morning (6:15 a.m.) with 200° F degree water. Within an hour, the contents of one cup had cooled to 152° F. The Yeti had cooled to 180°. Eight hours later, vessel #1 had cooled to room temperature (65°), while the contents of the Yeti were 112°. That's impressive performance. But...

"KEEPS YOUR DRINK AS COLD AS SCIENCE ALLOWS" is the marketing motto on the cup. Since when did Science have consciousness? 'Science' is a methodology at its basic level, a reservoir of knowledge at its highest level. At its basic level, it is a rigorous method of investigation, designed to leave nothing to 'chance' or prejudice. At it's highest level, it's an ever-changing amorphous, non-sentient, entity. It doesn't "allow" anything. It enables, at best, through discovery and application.

But in our culture, 'Science' has been deified by many, led by anti-theists (atheists), but mimicked by the gullible. In the popular culture, it's easy to see the word "science" used as a name, as "Science." This entity Science replaces (or co-exists in competition with) the notion of a god/s, with a Creator God, and with Yaweh (reducing Yaweh to a mere god, or replacing 'Him' with a new god). As a believer in the Creator God Yaweh, and as a believer in the investigative truth of science, this alarms me, because it's a dangerous disservice to both.

The outcome promises to be a great steaming pile of 'not good' for all involved. The heat will be retained at all costs.

Collect the whole set!

MUG: I recently acquired yet another 1980s Waechstersbach novelty mug from the Art Institute of Chicago. All the usual physical accolades about this mug apply.

COFFEE: Guatemalan Antigua. Organic, Free-Trade, freshly medium-light roasted.

NOTES: I previously have purchased white, blue, and grey versions of this 'Famous Artists' mug, all made in Spain. This one is different. The glaze is the fantastic molten-lava red that you just have to see in person. Similar to the radioactive (literally) red glaze that Fiestaware used years ago, but with a two-tone element that looks like hot flowing lava and the slightly cooler, darker surface.  In addition, this mug is unique in that was not not made in Spain, but in Germany, "W GERMANY" to be exact (which also dates the mug to no later than the mid 1980s).

Of personal interest, Raoul Dufy was one of my mother's favorite artists, while Marcel Duchamp is one of mine. Both signatures are visible above (and examples of their work can be seen at the Art Institute of Chicago).

Freeze Relief

MUG: Waechstersbach (Germany) winter motif mug. I love the glaze-resist decoration method, and the deep royal blue color.

COFFEE: Guatemalan Antigua from Central Market.

NOTES: Late February freezing cold spell. Off work conveniently. Fire in the fireplace. Appropriate occasion for the mug.

Name It and Claim It.

MUG: A novelty 11 ounce ceramic mug designed/marketed by Mulberry Home Collection. Made in China, using the glaze-resist method. This is inspired by the old enameled steel cups known for their small liquid capacity and their high capacity to burn lips.

COFFEE: An organic, free-trade, vegan (and possibly terrorist) approved high altitude coffee from Chiapas Mexico, via Central Market Westgate (roasted by Frank last Friday).

NOTE: In the pre-dawn darkness when coffee is brewed, labeling can be an important aid in drinking the correct beverage.

Hands up! Bottoms up! Merry Christmas!

 

MUG: A Christmas novelty mug I found at HEB+. Chinese-made, there were also reindeer and Santa boots models available (I passed on those). Surprisingly easy to grip with the giant candy cane handle, and stable on its three-point support (two hands and a cap tip).

HOT COCOA: Hot Cow Cow double dark chocolate cocoa from McSteven's Cocoa of Vancouver, Washington. I found this at Central Market. Very rich, and priced for the same. The packaging oddly has a cow with the state of Texas on it. No explanation.

NOTES: Speaking of "stable...(and) three-point support." In a stable, the Creator of the Universe (as the second person of the Trinity) became like us so that we can become like him... if we just surrender to his good news.

Hands up! Merry Christmas!

O what fun.

MUG: Chinese-made 'Holiday' mug from a company called TAG, via Central Market. Pretty good 'drinker', with a manly handle (three fingers) and a slight lip for a good 'mug kiss' (lip to lip).

COFFEE: Colombian Santander organic, also from Central Market. Roasted five days ago.

NOTES: Even though I'd already gotten my annual 'Christmas Mug' (not yet featured), I saw this last night and decided it fit a current event, and therefore needed to be shared here. The backside of the mug shows what appears to be a British Austin A35 automobile laboring beneath a Christmas Tree. The A35 was followed by the Austin/Morris Mini.

I drive a MINI R55, and fetched my tree in much the same way two days ago, which made spirits bright in the Summer Home.

Fast Forward

MUG: Chinese-made cafe mug with vaguely French pretensions. Decent volume, thick casting but a bit light for the thickness. Perhaps not very durable. The inverted-cone design has a nice fluted foot for stability. There is good tactile lip feel, but an undersized finger handle. Sur La Table branded. Non-microwaveable.

COFFEE: Medium-roast El Tigre Costa Rican from the "Fast Forward" line of the roaster, Counter Culture Coffee (based in and shipped from Asheville North Carolina).

NOTES: A nice cup... both the ceramics and the contents. Hat-tip to my wife Linden for bringing the cup home, and to Herr Doktor Smith for his kindness in sending coffee from his Nirvana.

Day of the Dead coffee

MUG: Previously featured, a pink Death's Head with a resist block glaze. Made in Germany by Waechtersbach.

COFFEE: A new one (sort of). Colombian from Huilda, Alto Finca Guadalupe. Roasted by Tyler at Central Market Westgate.

NOTES: An excellent cup of coffee, served in a great mug.

Come and taste it.

MUG: Chinese decorator/novelty/souvenir mug. The decoration is interesting not just for the Gonzales Battle Flag design, but for the use of black trim on the base, lip, and handle. A happy coincidence or an intentional motif design? The lip is nicely receptive, the squat shape and flared base creates a sense of stability hat the fairly thin walls of the mug seem to need. And best of all, a gift from my daughter.

COFFEE: Ethiopian Sidamo, roasted by Tyler last week at Central Market Westgate.

NOTES: October 2nd, 1835 marks the beginning of the Texas Revolutionary War.

My bad.

MUG: 16 ounce polypropylene tumbler with lid and an orange straw. That pretty much says it all.

COFFEE: Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee, something called "Dark Roast."

NOTES: On the way back from my pre-dawn cardio-rehab session, I stopped at our new Dunkin' Donuts location for a tall, cold one. I hadn't been in a DD since 1970. I mistakenly let them put 'cream' in it, but I stopped the sugar application before it was too late. Neither good nor bad, but certainly not bearing any of the flavor characteristics of a 'dark roast' coffee.

Mea Maxima Cuppa.

MUG: 14 once mug made in China, mud-colored (I once painted an entire duplex's interior walls that color), and sold by Pottery Barn (one of the rare pieces of pottery in the store). Lettering by DYMO.

COFFEE: Guatemalan Antigua, Central Market West Gate, medium roasted by Tyler.

NOTES: Yet another penitential prototype. This is may be the largest coffee cup I have. But I have another candidate gigante.

P.S. They can have my DYMO embossed label gun when they pry my cold, dead fingers off of it.

Death's Head Clown #64, or Skull and Roses

MUG: Uncertain origin, but made for and purchased at the Terlingua Trading Post in Terlingua, Texas. Laser-etched design (a process I like). Matte-black exterior glaze, with a purple gloss glaze lining the mug. White incised/engraved design in the Mexican Dios de la Muerte  tradition.

COFFEE: Guatemalan Antigua, roasted by Tyler at Central Market West Gate a few days ago.

NOTES: I purchased the mug as a souvenir on my last visit to Terlingua earlier this summer. The painted acrylic horn-toads gave it a good run for my tourist dollars.

As for Skull and Roses, advance the player to 52:33, and then play on.

Mea culpa.

MUG: Eleven ounce barrel mug, with a course black glaze like the surface of an old chalk blackboard. It was a gift from my daughter. Made in China for Gibson-Home. It came with chalk.

COFFEE: Colombian Santander. Great stuff. Roasted perfectly, and brewed well.

NOTES: My morning coffee routine (ritual?) is intrinsically tied to my daily practice/habit/rule of observing a variation of the Benedictine daily office of Morning Prayer (pre-dawn Matins). It usually begins with these words:

Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of
Almighty God our heavenly Father, to set forth his praise, to
hear his holy Word, and to ask, for ourselves and on behalf
of others, those things that are necessary for our life and our
salvation. And so that we may prepare ourselves in heart and
mind to worship him, let us kneel in silence, and with
penitent and obedient hearts confess our sins, that we may 
obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy.

There are other versions I use at times.

The text is a rough prototype for an idea I had for a 16 oz. latte-mug design. Helps to understand it if you're old Catholic.