The end of the line.

MUG: As shown before, this is a Spanish ceramic coffee mug with a beautiful yellow glaze featuring hand-painted images of olive leaves, stems, and fruit. The cast body has a hand-attached handle. Thick and fairly light. A bit undersized.

COFFEE: Fair-Trade Organic Colombian Supremo, medium-roasted in San Antonio by Melissa Guerra Latin Kitchen Market.

NOTES: The mug and coffee were both sourced from Melissa Guerra's shop in the Historic Pearl Brewery development in San Antonio. Due to rising rents and low sales volume, Melissa Guerra is closing shop today (although I believe she will maintain an internet store).

"I hope you roast in yellow!"

MUG: Spanish-made Waechtersbach. School bus yellow.

CONTENTS: Roasted tomato soup, creme-style. Brought to life with a few shots of Tabasco Sauce.

NOTES: From my time as the publisher of the unedited art magazine, Bwana-Art.

Just one more.

MUG: Waechstersbach barrel mug... the original, the best. Made in Spain (not the original). 

COFFEE: Colombia Huila, Pitalito, from Barrett's Micro Roast Coffee.

NOTES: I've long extolled the virtues of this mug (especially the slightly better crafted and heftier W. Germany production).

I've displayed my collection of these Art Institute of Chicago versions, featuring the signatures of artists in their collection (containing both my mother's favored artist, and mine, visible above).

I started my collection of these mugs (without graphics) in 1977 with a set of six mugs in a grey-brown color I later used to paint my duplex, and as an accent color for my business cards, announcements, and other uses. I and my closest associates joking referred to this color as PMS-Mud (roughly, Pantone Matching System - Warm Grey C).

By luck, I recently found this color mug in the Art Institute of Chicago series. I was unaware they had made any in this shade. I camp happily. 

Get Shorty.

MUG: Double-walled, vacuum insulated, stainless steel 'highball' travel cup from Ozark Trails (Walmart). At 11 ounces, it's great for carrying that last cup of coffee for the drive to work (or church). It's also nice for making gin & tonics in.


COFFEE: Colombia Huila, Pitalito, from Barrett's Micro Roast Coffee.

NOTES: The vacuum double-walled design works like all the others do (Yeti, RTIC, Nyeti, etc.), that is to say 'great'. It also fits the cup holder in my MINI perfectly, without blocking any of the switch-gear or my add-on Scan-Gauge II water/air/oil-temp/boost/voltage gauge.

Going back in time.

MUG: Chinese-made 10 ounce ceramic barrel mug. Thin walled, but fairly heavy. Ironstone?

COFFEE: Colombia Granja la Esperanza Bourbon from Bluebottle Coffee Company in Oakland, California. We got a sample bag of beans (one pot) to entice us into an ongoing mail-order delivery scheme. The coffee is good, but no thanks. I'll stay with my local roaster who delivers via Fedex.

NOTES: This mug was purchased years ago in the Menger Hotel gift shop in San Antonio. If you are going to San Antonio, you owe it to yourself to stay at the Menger... in the original wing. Nothing wrong with the newer sections, but all the ghosts live in the old building.

Lapping it up.

MUG: Chinese barrel mug, custom imprinted by Zazzle.

COFFEE: Colombia Huila, Pitalito, from Barrett's Micro Roast Coffee.

NOTES: I just completed an eight day tour of Texas (The One Lap of Texas). I had one really good cup of coffee during that time, and that was in a small coffee shop in Canyon, Texas. This is my second really good cup of coffee in the last nine days. I'm loving, lapping, and guzzling it.

"Here's Mud in your I."

MUG: Promotional diner-style mug from Muddy Water Coffee in Minnesota. Country of origin unknown, but probably China. Heavy ceramic with the slightly concave barrel design that defines this style of mug. The two-finger handle combines with the concave shape to create a great two-handed mug. Suitable to use with gloves.

COFFEE: Barrett's Microroaster Colombia Huila, Pitalito. Light roast. Drip brew.

NOTES: I bought this mug for two reasons. The secondary reason is a result of my preference for a strong light roast coffee. Light roast brews are 'browner' than darker roasts. The contents of the morning mug (especially when it has cooled a bit) is distinctly 'muddy water' looking.

My primary motivation however was my maternal grandmother, Peggy Louise Porter. Her family nickname (after my mother was born) was 'Little Mother', while her matriarchal mother was called 'Big Mother'. My older brother came along just prior to WWII, and as my father went off to defend America from the real threat of a Japanese invasion of Alaska, my mother and brother moved in with my grandmother. As he began to speak, my brother couldn't quite pronounce 'Little Mother', instead saying a name that sounded like 'Muddy'. It stuck.

Muddy was a remarkable woman whose full story died with her. Suffice it to say that the names Sheriff Bill Decker, Bonnie Parker, Clyde Barrow, and Stanley Marcus were all intertwined in her life.

Gamesmanship.

MUG: Chinese novelty mug from Six Flags Over Texas featuring the name Austin. Generic, functional drinker.

COFFEE: Fresh-ground 100% Colombian from Ellington Roasting Company (a.k.a. Ben E. Keith). Surprisingly good restaurant coffee, brewed properly strong. Velvety. Served at the Chess Club Cafe in Blanco, Texas... along with an excellent breakfast.

NOTES: This is what I look like when I have to drive into Austin, Texas.

Joy to the World.

MUG: A conical sipper from World Market, made in Thailand. Nice shape, with an excellent handle. Two-tone (cream-colored exterior, cafe au lait-colored interior), with an earth-tone decoration of a map showing the coffee producing (and consuming) regions of the world with the local spellings for the word 'coffee'.

COFFEE: Colombian Santander from Central Market West Gate (and roasted by Frank on December 29th).

NOTES: Happy New Year!

Glue for the soul.

MUG: Fiesta Ware tea cup and saucer. Made in the USA by Homer Laughlin since the 1930s.

COFFEE: Not coffee, but heated Nuremberg Gluehwein, with a wedge from a giant lemon grown in the Rio Grande Valley. It will make you 'glow'.

NOTE: The Gluehwein wine is from Italy. Italian Nuremberg wine... go figure. Happy New Year!

A Cure for the Uncommon Cold.

MUG: A Chinese (?) mug purchased through Zazzle™ with a photo print decoration. The ubiquitous Waechtersbach-style barrel mug.

COFFEE: Instead of coffee, I am drinking some Mexican hot chocolate with cinnamon (Xocolatl). Popular is my usual brand Chocolate de Metate, but this is a new-to-me 'gourmet' product from Hernán. It is made in Mexico by local artisans.

NOTES: The mug has an imprint of a 1933 Texas Highway Department road map. I have used this very map as a route guide for the upcoming One Lap of Texas. With a fire in the hearth, and mug of hot cocoa in my belly, the very uncommon (in Central Texas) outdoor wind chill factor of 7 degrees Fahrenheit doesn't seem to be an issue (for me).

Heart of Light, heart of darkness.

MUG: Promo mug for LakePointe Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Looks like it may have come from Discount Mugs, but who knows. Probably made in China, but no markings. Nice drinker. No dribbles.

COFFEE: Earlywine Breakfast Blend from Independence Coffee Company in Brenham, Texas. They like to use their roaster. They also use names for their coffees like Jet Fuel and Jackhammer. That should tell you something about their roast/flavor profile.

NOTES: The house church I belong to served this. Vacuum-brewed by our pastor (it's his house). The mug is from the church where he was on the staff before moving to Hays County to be a church planter (even if he didn't know it at the time).

You can't say you weren't warned.

MUG: Chinese-made mug (imitation Waechtersbach barrel-mug). Decorated by Shutterfly. A good drinker.

COFFEE: As yesterday, I am drinking Afterglow Nicaraguan coffee. It's a light roast, from Summer Moon Coffee. No electricity is used in making this coffee. It's wood-fire roasted in a brick oven, and the roaster barrel is bicycle-powered. Very hip. Good stuff. The Democratic Party in Austin called for a boycott against them because they wouldn't give money to support Planned Parenthood's infanticide business. The Left is good at running protection rackets.

NOTES: This is the Tom R. Moody III Commemorative version. The original sticker that this design is based upon read, "WARNING! You May Have Art In Your Home You Are Unaware Of!" Tom, being slightly pedantic (trained as a lawyer, painter, and art critic), complained of the dangling participle.

Tom, this mug's for you.

Election Day of the Dead coffee

MUG: Chinese-made Día de Muertos mug made by Holiday Market for H.E.B. Oversized at 14 ounces, this is a novelty-only design. The lip shape turns this mug into a dribble cup. Bad drinker, but displays well with others.

COFFEE: Afterglow Nicaraguan coffee, light roast, from Summer Moon Coffee. No electricity is used in making this coffee. It's wood-fire roasted in a brick oven, and the roaster barrel is bicycle-powered. Very hip. Good stuff.

NOTES: The end is nigh, regardless.

Red flag.

MUG: Chinese-made photo mug, imprinted in the USofA by Shutterfly. A copy of the venerable Waechtersbach barrel design. Good drinker.

COFFEE: Barrett's Colombia Huila, Pitalito. I haven't been buying from Barrett's for a couple of years due to their roasts drifting to the dark side (or at least, more than I like). This roast (per my request) is going towards the light. That's my plan: Drink good coffee and go towards the Light.

NOTES: This is a one-off pre-commemorative mug for The One Lap of Texas next April. Fools go where angels fear to tread.

Okay to be over caffeinated.

MUG: Chinese promo-mug, an imitation of the original barrel-design by Germany's Waechtersbach. Imitation truly is the sincerest form of flattery. I'm OK with that.

COFFEE: Colombian Santander, light-roasted by Mark at Central Market Westgate. Mark's roasts aren't quite as perfect as Frank's roasts are, but they are still quite good. I'm OK with that.

NOTE: This promo-mug was a visitor's gift from City Chapel at Slaughter Creek, a "Life Giving Church in South Austin." Thank you, Pastors Harry and Rowena, and my friend Ryan Shaver who actually secured it for me.

City Chapel is not my personal 'cup of tea', but it is a delightfully vibrant and truly diverse gathering, speaking the Truth in Love... with a GREAT drummer in the worship band! Recommended.

I hope they're OK with that.

Nyeti

MUG: 30 ounce stainless-steel double-walled vacuum insulated travel tumbler from Walmart (Ozark Trails).

COFFEE: Cuvée Las Mingas. Columbian. Huila. From the Cuvée website: "The Las Mingas Project (“for the good of all”) in Huila, Colombia promotes partnerships that bring growers and roasters together for direct discussion and exchange." Iced... and it stays iced.

NOTES: Good coffee. I like the coffees coming from Huila.

The mug is an imitation of the Yeti™ Rambler travel tumbler. It's performance, design, and construction are almost identical to the Yeti, with one major difference. The Yeti Rambler costs $39. The Ozark Trails™ costs $10. All of these travel mugs are made in China. The differences between them are negligible and mostly a matter of brand (and prestige). The Walmart version has a slightly narrower base, allowing it to fit in my car's cupholders. As great as it was for Yeti to revisit the old Aladdin and Thermos vacuum designs, there's nothing new or proprietary about their products.

Pay four times as much for a brand just because it's marketing department is in the People's Republic of Austin? Nyet, Comrade.

Beethoven's 10th Sympathy

MUG: Waechtersbach, Made in W. Germany, PMS Mud-colored, Composers Signature Edition.

COFFEE: None.

NOTE: As you should know, I collect Waechtersbach coffee mugs. In the late 1970s, they produced a limited run of mugs with the signatures of Classical Music composers on them. They also produced a run of mugs in a natural color that I admired greatly (I called it PMS-Mud, and painted my entire duplex interior this color).

I never saw any of these 'mud-colored' mugs in the Composers Series, and I never found a Beethoven mug I liked. But last month I found the combo above on Ebay at a reasonable price, a NOS mug. I won the bid. I was excited.

It was shipped wrapped in bubble-wrap, but in a box that was too small and offered no protection. The mug was shattered into about five easy pieces, and a couple of dozen of difficult flakes. I glued it back together (the face side was unbroken) for show and tell and 10th-degree sympathy.

Breaking News! Very good coffee at Starbucks!

 
MUG: Vente-sized porcelain ceramic mug. Big, easy to handle. Thinned-walled, so drink fast. This is the ONLY way to get good tasting coffee at Starbucks, by the way way. Ask for a ceramic cup/mug.

COFFEE: Starbucks Reserve® Papua New Guinea Luoka.

NOTES: This was my first try of a Starbucks Reserve coffee. It was very good. Wonders never cease. His mercy endures forever.

Now We Are Three: The Accidental Deutschelavenderfest

MUGS: Genuine Waechtersbach mugs. These were made in Germany. No more?

COFFEE: Guatemala Antiqua, roasted and sold at Central Market Westgate. My 'change of pace' coffee.

NOTES: A couple of years ago, Waechtersbach USA kindly sent me a replacement mug for a defective one I had purchased (glazing fault). They were out of the color I wanted, and substituted it with one of these lilac/lavender colored mugs. They were out of the color I wanted because they were apparently no longer importing these German ceramic gems. Apparently, their 'Fun Factory' line now comes from China (marketed as 'Waechtersbach of Germany').

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a very low ($6) opening bid on Ebay for a pair of these. I wanted to watch the bidding, so I placed the low bid (figuring I'd be outbid quickly... the shipping was very reasonable, too). No one else bid. I now have three.