Totenkup

MUG: Totenkopf mug, made by Waechstersbach in West Germany. The. Best. Mugs.

COFFEE: Eight O'Clock 100% Colombian Peaks coffee, light-medium roast. Beans delivered to my door. Very Good coffee.

NOTES: Today is (variously) All Hallows' Day, Hallowmas, Feast of All Saints, Feast of All Hallows, Solemnity of All Saints. Take your pick.

MUG: Bass Pro Shops™ Chinese-made 24 ounce double-walled stainless steel, vacuum insulated mug. Cabela's Strata™ camouflage coverage. The 24 ounce capacity is perfect for iced coffee (fill with ice, top with approximately 12 ounces of strong coffee).

COFFEE: Eight O'Clock 100% Colombian Peaks coffee, light-medium roast, Kosher certified. Excellent coffee.

NOTES: The camouflage pattern makes the Bass Pro Shops logo almost invisible. I slapped my new Covenant Anglican sticker on it as a form of Coffee-time Evangelism. I'm right-handed.

Safety First

 

MUG: IGLOO, a Chinese-made 13.5 ounce double-walled stainless steel, vacuum insulated mug. Nice hi-viz powder coated yellow. The mug's lip rolls down into the interior for a very lip-friendly design. Another step in IGLOO's on-going war with cross-state rival YETI.

COFFEE: Eight O'Clock 100% Colombian Peaks coffee, light-medium roast. Excellent coffee.

NOTES: Save the planet. "The Earth-Friendly Thirst Quencher. With durable, BPA-free stainless steel, you can endlessly reuse this mug, helping to meaningfully reduce the amount of single-use plastic or EPS/polystyrene foam that end up in the landfill."

Early morning surly tableware

MUG: Sainte-Germaine, a Chinese-made 10 ounce cup from Sur la Table. Conical shape, fairly thick ceramaric cup with nice lip and finger feel.

COFFEE: Eight O'Clock 100% Colombian Peaks coffee, light-medium roast. Beans delivered to my door. Excellent coffee.

NOTES: This mug is from the Sur La Table Collection of what I presume to be reproductions of, or homages to, European cafe dining ware. Sainte-Germaine is a Paris neighborhood famous for artistes, intellectuals, ex-patriot cultural refugees, bistros, and the left bank of the Seine River.

In Memorium

MUG: M Ware coffee mug (made in China), heavy cafe/naval-style mug ('tactical self-defense' weight?).

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

NOTES: While on a trip through parts of West Texas and The Big Empty, I stopped in at Booked Up, Larry McMurtry's bookstore/collection in his hometown of Archer City, Texas. I didn't have time to prowl around the shelves and stacks and tables of the two buildings, but I did have time to swap a couple of stories with the proprietress, and purchase this mug.

Five Not-So-Easy Peaces

MUG: 16 ounce paper to-go tumbler.

COFFEE:  Four ounces of drip-grind Colombia Jardin, medium roasted by White Rock Coffee in Dallas, and "sourced from a cooperative of the best farms in the Antioquia region." An excellent coffee and roast. Rainforest Alliance certified. Just the unbrewed ground coffee.

NOTES: In preparation for a four day trip, I pre-ground and packed my preferred coffee to make during our stay (our friend who was hosting us with is not a coffee drinker). A somnambulant mishap with unfamiliar brewing gear resulted in losing a day's supply. I ventured out to find a small supply.

The Wuhan Panic has resulted in bulk bins being discontinued, so my first thought of getting a quarter pound of coffee ground was a non-starter. "All our coffees are pre-packaged."

My next idea was to get a small sample-packet of quality coffee. Rebuffed again, as no such small packets were to be found.

I found a promising 12 ounce bag of coffee beans at a shop I trust and respect from my former life in Dallas, but I only wanted about 3-4 ounces ground, and the rest I would keep un-ground to use upon my return home. I asked the shop if they could just grind 1/4 of the bag to drip, and eave the restof the beans whole. "No, we can't do that," said the nice young lady behind the scones counter "we have nothing to put the ground coffee into."

Rebuffed again, I started to leave. But when I reached the door, an idea came to me. I went to the order counter, where a supervisor (?) awaited me. I explained my dilemma, and offered a solution. "Can you grind 1/4 of the beans and put the fresh grounds into a paper to-go cup, leaving the whole beans in the bag so they'll stay fresh until I get back home in a couple of days?"

A long pause came upon the gentleman as he pondered the ramifications of meeting my request. After about fifteen seconds (during which he was making hand gestures compatible with thinking through a math problem), he replied "I don't see why not." After grinding the beans, he kindly resealed the bag for freshness with a heating tool.

I departed at peace and in puzzlement.

Nicht Bin Ein Berliner

MUG: 14 ounce "You Are Here" series souvenir mug from Starbucks B.V. of Holland. Commemorating Berlin. Porcelain ceramic made in Thailand.

COFFEE: Colombia Jardin, medium roasted by White Rock Coffee in Dallas, and "sourced from a cooperative of the best farms in the Antioquia region." An excellent coffee and roast. Rainforest Alliance certified.

NOTES: The mug belongs to our friend Barbara, at whose house we were staying while visiting Dallas.

What goes around.

MUG: Yeti Rambler 12 ounce travel mug with a twist-open HotShot lid.

COFFEE: Eight O'Clock 100% Colombian Peaks coffee, light-medium roast. Beans delivered to my door. Good coffee.

NOTES: This mug is my reward from Yeti for achieving the 'Sherpa' level of their Field Guide retail training program. The HotShot lid is a variation of the lid design on some Stanley travel mugs I got about 10 years ago. But then, Yeti drink ware itself is a variation of designs originated by Stanley over 100 years ago.

To drive the cold winter away.

 

MUG: Slightly under-sized eight ounce promotional mug. Ceramic of unknown origin. Lightweight, easy grip, nice lip-to-lip feel. Thin ceramic, imitating the classic enameled tin cup of lore and tradition.

COFFEE: Nope. Bulleit high-rye KSBW. Not approved by the HRC.

NOTES: Santa left a bottle of Bulleit under the tree, packaged with two of these cute mugs.

Joyeux Nöel!

 

MUG: Neiman-Marcus Christmas 1985 mug, made by Waechstersbach in West Germany. The. Best. Mugs.

COFFEE: Eight O'Clock 100% Colombian Peaks coffee, light-medium roast. Beans delivered to my door. Good coffee.

NOTES: This mug is from The Epicurean Shop at the old Neiman's (an in-store purveyor of gourmet goodies). That's not an elf wearing Santa's cap.

 

MUG: Not a mug, but an odd-shaped parfait (?) glass.

COFFEE: Nope. I made a "Hot and Cold Pickle-tini" using "Best Maid Xtreme Hot Pickle Bitez" pickle juice and slices, plus vodka. You get the idea

NOTES: It sounded like a good idea at the time.

"Please accept my resignation. I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member". – Groucho Marx

MUG: Chinese promotional mug. Stainless steel 14 ounce vacuum-sealed double-walled. Chunky, and without a handle. Big hands required.

COFFEE: Eight O'Clock 100% Colombian Peaks coffee, light-medium roast. My coffee of choice in retirement (if I'm buying). Really, surprisingly, good stuff. 

NOTES: I bought a 2-1/2 lb. bag of the whole bean coffee (once-upon-a-time A&P Grocery's house brand) for use as "church coffee" when I started brewing at home and taking three vacuum air-pots to church on Sundays... pre-Wuhan Covid. I liked it so much, I quit buying from my local micro roaster.

As for the Groucho quote, see the photo below. My MINI Big Bend Bash sticker covers up a Bass Pro Club logo on the other side.

I'll sleep when I'm dead.

MUG: Porcelain Espresso shot cup, made for Crate & Barrel in Vietnam. Two ounce capacity, two and a half inches tall. Nice conical shape, with a delightfully useful thumb-and-two-finger handle.

COFFEE: Colombian Peaks, from Eight O'Clock coffee (the old A&P trademark, but now owned by Tetley Tea). Medium roast (closer to a light), here's their ad-copy, "Our award-winning roast of 100% Colombian beans now has the Rainforest Alliance seal of approval. Cultivated exclusively at a high-altitude in Colombia’s rich volcanic soils, these beans are harvested at their optimum ripeness. Medium roasted with winey notes and a rich, elegant aroma with a full-bodied finish. This is a perfect example of the smooth, sought-after Colombian flavor beloved the world over." 

It's really a very nice coffee, especially for times of quarantine and furlough. I originally tried it as a coffee to serve at church on Sunday mornings (brewed in my Bunn commercial airpot brewer) to replace the dark roast coffee brewed in a 30 cup percolator they had been serving.

NOTE: Made as a double ristretto. 

"I'll sleep when I'm dead." 
- Warren Zevon

Tower of Power.

MUG: RTIC travel mug, made in China but designed in Houston, stainless steel double-walled vacuum-insulated. Fourteen ounces (perfect size for hot coffee). Decorated with a commemorative sticker made by Sticker Mule.

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

NOTE: Keeps coffee warm. Doesn't burn lips. Doesn't impart a metallic taste. Nice large and broad handle. Glove friendly. Comes with a screw-down, leak-proof lid, but it's a tight fit in my MINI's cupholders. Fits. Barely.

The sticker was made for the MINI group trip to the Davis Mountains and the Big Bend.

Without a trust fund.

MUG: Made by Semper Texas (Chinese mug, I'm pretty sure), a standard 11 ounce imitation Waechtersbach barrel mug.

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

NOTE: A running joke of mine, used during introductions at public and private gatherings, is that I am something of a rarity. I am a fifth-generation Anglo Texan...without a trust fund. Some people chuckle. 

This was a thoughtful gift, from a thoughtful friend...both much appreciated.

Reflects well on my tastes.

MUG: Ozark Trails, made in China, stainless steel double-walled vacuum 'camp cup'. Eleven ounces. Decorated with a commemorative sticker made by Sticker Mule.

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

NOTE: Keeps coffee warm. Doesn't burn lips. Doesn't impart a metallic taste. Nice large and broad handle. Glove friendly. Comes with a lid, but it won't fit in the MINI's cupholders. $6.00 at a Walmart near you.

The sticker was made for the MINI group trip to the Davis Mountains and the Big Bend.

Cats meow, dogs bark. Wake up.

MUG: Chinese-made diner-style mug (the new lighter weight design I've been seeing... cheaper to ship), with a slogan promoting Dos Gatos Kolache Bakery, but no logo interestingly enough. Bonus points.

COFFEE: Katz Coffee medium roast. Over-roasted. Penalty points.

NOTES: Come to Dos Gatos for the excellent Kolaches and Klobasniks. Seriously.

The coffee? Meh. It's not bad.

Dos Gatos is owned (or was started by at least) two sons of the Katz Deli family out of Houston, who were attending school at Texas State. The same Katz family who makes Katz Coffee, and possibly owns Karbach Brewery as well.

'Dos Gatos' is two Katz.

Here's mud in your eye, Ludwig!

MUG: Waechtersbach, made in Spain, PMS Mud-colored, Composers Signature Edition.

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

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' (roughly, Pantone Matching System - Warm Grey 3 C) mugs in the Composers Series, and I never found a Beethoven mug I liked. But last week, I found the combo above on Ebay at a reasonable BIN price, and in good condition. I grabbed it. I was excited.

Unlike my last attempt to get this mug (a NOS older and heavier W German version), this one was shipped properly and arrived safe and sound. Still looking for a Bach-up plan.

Mug: The last in the series of four Texas History Movies Sesquicentennial mugs. Chinese promo-mug of a non-offensive design. Two-finger handle design.

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

Note: The Battle of San Jacinto was one of history's (and especially American history's) most decisive battles. The entire political shape of the North American continent was changed in less than an hour by this conflict between roughly 2,000 armed men. The battle started one hundred and seventy two years ago this hour, as a small ensemble better suited for a tavern than a battlefield began to play the Irish melody, "Will Ye Come To The Bower". The opening volley of the Texian army's "Twin Sisters" cannons were fired soon after, and the fight was on. It was a battle with mythic elements that are true nonetheless:

Extreme bravery and courage (Texian general Sam Houston was shot off his horse while leading the attack, one of only 30 Texians hit by enemy fire),

Brutality (as Mexican soldier's begged for their lives by pleading "Me no Alamo! Me no Goliad", they were ruthlessly slaughtered by men who were drunk with vengeance... over 600 Mexican soldiers died in the battle, many of who were executed as they tried to surrender while standing in the waters of Buffalo Bayou),

Cowardice (General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna put on a private's tunic and hid in the weeds until captured), and...

Chivalry (Houston received the captured the General and spared his life from those who would have shown Santa Anna the same mercy he showed to Col. Fannin and his men at La Bahia... execution).

These are the things of myth, but being mythical does not always mean it is untrue.

Getting a grip on my addiction.

MUG: Stainless steel, double-walled vacuum insulated, 12 ounce, via Walmart's Ozark Trails. Made in China. Sans decoration. Nice handle, wide and large enough for gloved fingers. Won't fit in the MINI's cup-holders, however.

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

NOTES: I wanted to get a handle on my stainless steel vacuum insulated caffeine habit. $5.97 was simply irresistible.

NOTES 2: With decoration, a commemorative of a recent grand adventure.