Coffee lids in public

Do you need a new neurosis?  Perhaps you already have this one.  But if not, here's something to think about.

This is the Seattle's Best Coffee shop in the South Satellite Concourse at the SeaTac airport.  This scene repeats itself at coffee shops and fast food restaurants around the country.

After you fill the serve-yourself soda, or you add the cream and sugar to your coffee, you take a lid from the stack and add put it on your cup.

I can never grab just one lid.  They stick together so I get two or three at a shot.  I peel off the lid I need, and then -- what?  What do you do with the extra lids?  Do you just throw these perfectly good lids in the trash?  Or, since they're unused, do you put them back on the stack?

I'm reasonably confident that the the staff at these facilities at least occasionally washes its hands. I'm not nearly as confident that the other customers do the same.

When I get the extra lids, despite my reasonably good hygiene, I toss them in the trash.Other customers do put them on the stack.

So the next customer to come along grabs the lid that will be in contact with their mouth and beverage from the stack, and they have no way of knowing who handled that lid before them.

That just seems kind of nasty.  And it's why I appreciate it when a store hands me the lid rather than just relegating them to the mass public pile.

Tokyo Travels Part 07: Safety in Starbucks

The Starbucks in Shibuya is one of the busiest in the world.  The window seats have fantastic views of the seas of people flowing though the street.  In many cities that awesome crowd would also be a reason to heighten your awareness of potential pickpockets and other charlatans.  In Tokyo, that's not an issue.

The Shoebox Chef and I were sitting on the second floor where I enjoyed a Matcha Latte.  Two woman came up stairs and hunted for a table.  One opened up and they pounced.  They hooked their umbrellas on it, sat their not-cheap-looking purses down and left to go downstairs and get coffee.

Not only were they comfortable leaving their purses completely unattended, they were apparently right to feel comfortable, because the purses were perfectly safe during the 5-8 minutes they sat there alone.  Does that happen in any other major city in the world?


For more pictures from this trip, click here.

For more posts about our Tokyo trip, click here.

My Keurig coffee maker

Yesterday wasn’t the only Christmas I had. Before the GF headed to California for the Holidays, we had our own Christmas around a very cute Christmas tree.

Among the things I got was a Keurig coffee maker. The Keurig uses prepackaged pods of coffee, and a reservoir you fill with water. When you want a cup of coffee, you drop in a pod, put your cup under the spout, and press the “brew” button. In less than a minute you have a cup of coffee.

The great thing is that it requires virtually no maintenance. Unlike a regular coffee maker, you don’t have to clean it each day. The pods don’t make a mess. Each pod is good for one cup, then you throw it away and put in a new pod. I don’t have to deal with a separate grinder, the kitchen sink, the stove, the 15 parts of my other coffee maker, or any of those things.

It’s perfect for those times and days when I just want to drink my coffee and don’t want to think about it or strategically plan my consumption.

This is important, because as we all know, the most difficult part of making that first cup of coffee can be making that first cup of coffee before drinking the first cup of coffee. The Keurig makes the process as simple as pressing a button, which even the most caffeine deprived can manage.

It’s clean. It’s fast. It’s easy. It’s simple. But how does the Keurig coffee taste?

Not bad. It’s a little weak or watery compared to my French Press or my Cuisinart coffee maker. Overall, I’d rate the coffee quality as “adequate.”

The pods come in a variety of flavors, and I’ve tried a bunch. These are pretty good:

• Tully’s French Roast
• Timothy’s Colombian Blend
• Caribou Blend

These are not so good:

• Green Mountain Nantucket Blend
• Coffee People Organic

And this is just awful:

• Van Houtte Café French Vanilla

For my day-to-day coffee needs, the Keurig is just right. For lazy Sunday afternoons with the newspaper, when I want really good coffee, I’ll still break out the French Press. It’s still the best way to make coffee when you are willing to take a little time and care, and you are willing to do a few dishes.

The Cuisinart still has the most pieces and is the biggest hassle to clean. But it does have an automatic grinder and timer. And a 10-cup thermal carafe. When I want to make a larger quantity of coffee at once, the Cuisinart is that way to go.

But for when I realize I have a conference call in 5 minutes, the Keurig can’t be beat.

Coffee and lessons

I learned stuff this week:

1. Eventually coffee beans turn into paste.
2. White lawns are simultaneously pretty and creepy.
3. A poorly maintained coffee pot surprisingly doesn't smell.
   

Two or three months ago, I switched my coffee routine.  I switched from this:

 

To this:

My Cuisinart coffee maker is nice, but a lot of work.  It will grind the beans for me, make 10 cups at a time, and even starts on its own due to the build in timer.  It's great to prep coffee at night and have it ready as soon as a I wake up the following day. And the thermal carafe keeps coffee warm for hours without burning.

But it's a pain to prep and clean.  I have to clean out the bean grinder, the bean grinder lid, the filter basket, the filter basket lid, the filter, and the pot.  And none of it is really easy.

So I switched to the press, which makes better coffee anyway.

In advance of Thanksgiving guests, it was time to prep the Cuisinart.  It makes more than the press and I wanted to be ready. 

Out came the white vinegar, and important coffee machine cleaning product.  I got ready to run some hot water and vinegar through the equipment so it would be all fresh and sparkly.  I grabbed the carafe and made and unfortunate discovery.

Dregs.

The dregs of the last pot of coffee I made were in there. At least 3 tablespoons worth.  I dumped it out and stealed myself for what I now knew to expect from the rest of the machine.  Multi-month old, damp coffee grounds.

I popped open the filter draw, and pulled out the assembly.  I pried the lid off the filter basket and found a lawn.  A nice, thick, lush, damp,white lawn growing on top of the coffee grounds. 

I thought about mowing it, but don't have Deere that will fit in there.  Instead I turned it upside down to dump the nearly sentient coffee grounds in the sink.  And that's when I made my next discovery.  Cofffee grounds, as they age, begin to think they are above Isaac Newton, and don't need to obey his silly laws.  They just hung in the filter.

Tap.  Tap. Tap.

Tapping on the filter did not help.

BANG BANG BANG SMACK

Banging it on the bottom of the sink and smacking it into the side still did not dislodge this stubborn culture.

So now it was up to the water.  5 minutes of hot water pouring through the filter was enough to finally break up this coffee paste.  It took a couple days of soaking and scrubbing to get the rest of it off.  Eventually, it was mostly clean and now I could unleash cries of, "DEPLOY THE VINEGAR!" 

I filled the carafe, which at one point actually had a silver interior, with hot water and a bunch of vinegar and ran it through the equipment. And did it again.  And again. And again.

Now, it's mostly clean.  I'm running daily flushings of just hot water through there to get rid of the vinegar, and now it's as good as new.  Or at least as good as six months old.

So.

Who wants coffee?

Java Junction in Boise, ID

This time of year reminds me of my 2.5 years in Boise, ID. The chilly air would put me in the mood for coffee and a hearty snack. Off I would go to Java Junction for a mocha and a bowl of chili. The 1 mile walk from my North End home to the corner of Harrison BLVD and Hill Road made that warm meal even better.

I always liked walking up Harrison BLVD in the fall. The trees were busy shedding leaves, and the fantastical, classy Halloween decorations adorned the million dollar homes. The chill in the air kept me walking quickly, while my mind wandered to the point in my life where I could live here, instead of the one room house I was renting.

At Java Junction I'd step up to the counter, find my frequent coffee card in their Rolodex (I wonder how many years it stayed there after I moved away), order a large, 2-shot Mocha, get a bowl of Chile, and sit down in a corner with my computer and sales magazines.

I don't know if they had a special recipe, or if it was all just out of a can, but that Chile was fantastic. It was warm, flavorful, and meaty. I warmed me right up from the inside out, forcing out the chill way a fireplace forces the winter air out of a lonely mountain cabin.

A few hours later, warmed, calmed, and freshly educated, I'd head back home, perhaps strolling a little more slowly this time.

What's inside a cup of coffee?

In this month's issue of Wired (17-10), they give Cromely's World a treat and explain exactly what chemicals you will find in coffee.  It turns out to be filled with stuff that's good for you.  At least that's I how choose to read it.

Trigonelline
Chemically, it's a molecule of niacin with a methyl group attached. It breaks down into pyridines, which give coffee its sweet, earthy taste and also prevent the tooth-eating bacterium Streptococcus mutans from attaching to your teeth. Coffee fights the Cavity Creeps.

... More

Victoria Part 01: Is Tim Horton's really that great?

I've heard from Canadians for several years now about how awesome Tim Horton's is. I'm in Victoria, BC, for a couple days (and having an awesome time), and was really looking forward to my first Tim Horton's visit. I gotta say, though, it didn't quite live up to my (probably too high) expectations.

I will say the donuts were good. They make a solid, tasty doughnut. And two of the three doughnuts we got were the ones we ordered. The other one was apparently from the neighboring bin. Still tasty, but emblematic of challenges The GF and I faced while ordering.

While they got the doughnut order 66% right, coffee proved to be more of a challenge.

I know there is good coffee outside Seattle. I'm not enough of a snob to say that it doesn't exist (especially since we're only about 80 miles away). It's not like real pizza (which doesn't exist outside NYC).

And I know some people have trouble ordering at Starbucks. With all the options it can get confusing, and most people don't order something that is listed exactly on the menu. When you specify a menu item by it's exact name, though, you typically get it. And you don't confuse the cashier.

When I asked for an XL Cappuccino which is listed on the Tim Horton's menu, the cashier had no idea what I meant. She asked, "What kind?" There are no different kinds listed on the board above her head -- no "choose your option/kind." The other cashier helped her out. The craziest I got for customizing it was to ask for 5-shots. Most places that sell espresso-based beverages know that means 5-shots of espresso. Apparently here, she though that meant 5-pumps of sugar.

And that raises a few other questions. First, are more people asked for an espresso beverage with extra sugar than ask for it with extra espresso? Second, is sugar normally measured in pumps?

The GF had even more trouble. Hanging above the aisles were banners advertising a small, iced beverage of some sort. She ordered that. The cashier responded that Horton's doesn't have "small" and just offers a "medium."

Some may argue that Starbucks does the same thing by offering a "Tall" as the smallest option and how that is the same problem Horton's has.

There are two reasons why that's not true. First, the "Tall" isn't the small option at Starbucks. The "Short" is. Nearly all beverages are available as "Shorts." Second, the "Shorts" do not appear on the menu.

That's the key to the issue -- the "small" was a featured, advertised item. It appeared on the in store signage and on the menu board behind the cashier.

So she took the order for the medium iced beverage and promptly prepared the hot version.

I'm guessing (and hoping) this was the cashier's fist day at work.

I'm sure at some point I'll give Tim Horton's another try, at least for doughnuts, but I'm in no rush. It looks like there are plenty of independent coffee shops in the area where I might have better luck.

Is this typical of Tim Horton's or did I just run into one with some unusual staffing challenges?

Time of day matters

Time of day is an important element in the context for our actions.

When the coffee shop barrista you've never met before tells you how much your order is and you hand her your hotel key:

AM: You are a harmless, uncaffeinated dorky guy who grabbed the wrong thing from his wallet.

PM: You are a creepy stalker guy extending an unwholesome invitation

(BTW, I was the AM guy. I don't want to meet the PM guy. Again.)

Late coffee

Sometimes I get caught up in my morning activities and forget to make coffee until about 1:00. Today was one of those days.

1:00 -- Clean coffee pot, maker, grinding unit, filter, filter basket.

1:02 -- Remember than message I wanted to send this afternoon. Run upstairs to send it. Check emails. Open spreadsheet.

1:34 -- Remember the half prepped coffee maker. Run downstairs. Make coffee.

1:35 -- Microwave lunch.

1:38 -- *Ding* Microwave lunch is ready. Coffee still brewing. Take lunch upstairs back to work. Plan to get coffee in 5 minutes.

3:45 -- Head downstairs to look for tape. See coffee maker with slowly cooling coffee. Make mental note to pour a cup when I go back upstairs.

3:48 -- Head upstairs with tape.

4:15 -- Note mild headache. Think, "Coffee might be a good idea." Then realize I had that idea three hours ago.

4:45 -- Head out to pick up the GF from work. Hmm. Maybe a Thermos would work...

6:30 -- Get back from errands, head back to my APT to get a computer to work on a few projects, and a cup of coffee.

6:35 -- Head downstairs to the GF's APT with my computer.

10:00 -- Get back to my APT and notice the coffee pot mocking me.

10:05 -- Check email and randomly surf.

11:00 -- Pour the first cup of coffee of the day from the now 9.5 hour old pot. Mmm. Luke warm stale coffee.

Piroshky!

After a few errands, The GF and I head down to the Seattle Cheese Festival at the market. From the website:

Join us for the 5th Annual Seattle Cheese Festival, May 16-17th 2009. As artisanal cheese production grows, so does the festival! Come taste more than 200 cheeses from local and international producers along the cobblestone street of Pike Place Market. The Seattle Cheese Festival is the first of its kind on the West Coast with artisanal cheese at center stage.

When we got down there, with our coffee cups in hand, we saw the info desk right away on our left. We turned right to delve into the depths of the street fair, taste some cheese, and get lost in the wine garden.

Smack.

People.

Thousands of people in two blocks. The entire population of Montana attended the event at the same time we were there. That flight over must have been awful. I'm sure they ran out of room in the for carry on bags, and started gate checking garment bags. And ranch dressing. Because if there's one thing I learned in Montana it's that people will put ranch on everything.

"Can I have some hot fudge on my Sundae?"

"No, sir, I'm sorry. We don't have any hot fudge. Would you
like some whipped cream and ranch dressing on it instead?"

It was like looking out the Enterprise view screen in "The Mark of Gideon."

(Which, BTW is the creepiest TOS ever. I think it game me nightmares. It's almost as creepy and scary as "Hush," one of best Buffy episodes.)

It was a beautiful day and everyone came out for the Cheese Festival. All the Seattleites filled the streets and lines and booths, shedding their long sleeves to celebrate the new sun and blinding each with with the sickly, pale whiteness of there skin. No, it wasn't just white people there. After a Seattle winter it seems everyone, regardless of ethnic background, shares the same sickly pale skin.

So we trudged into the crowd. It was like trying to swan dive through a memory foam matters. Sure, it's soft and squishy, but you aren't going to make much progress with that plan.

We gave up on the cheese and were sad for a brief moment. Then I remembered -- PIROSHKYS!

Pike Place Market is filled with awesome places to eat, and Piroshky! Piroshky! is one of my favorites. The entire restaurant is about the size of a Smart Car with ovens, and the line stretches out the door. But it moves fast and you can quickly get your warm, flavored beef, onion, and puff pastry snack. Or you can get the ones with potatoes. Or cheese.

These things are perfect on a blustery day. Stick them in your pockets and you'll have happy pockets. Or you could just eat them.

On a Spring day you just have to settle for them being mighty tasty.

We picked up our piroskys and wanded into the inner courtyards of the market, found a seat and enjoyed a lovely lunch of piroshky and coffee. And since everyone was outside groping desperately for a sliver of cheese, the courtyard was pleasantly uncrowded.

So it was a good day.

You can still catch day 2 of the Cheese festival on Sunday if you want to brave the masses. Obviously, many people have no problem doing just that.

But the next time your in the Market, do yourself a favor and grab some piroskys.

Life in the Garden Part 17: FlorAbundance WA Arboretum Plant Sale

Just when I thought I had my garden habit under control, the Arboretum decides to hold a plant sale. [sigh]

The event is in an old hanger type building at Warren G Magnuson Park. They bring in nurseries and plant vendors from throughout Western WA and the sales benefit the Arboretum Foundation.

I got there at about 11:00 the morning of the first day, 2 hours after it opened. The building was already packed with people browsing plants, asking questions, talking about how much of their garden died this winter, and bemoaning the late Spring.

The aisles seemed wide, but people quickly blocked them looking at plants on each side of the aisle and then stopping to talk to one another in the middle of the aisles to purposely block me from getting to wherever it was I was going. And different groups did this, targeting me every 10 feet.

Sorry. Got a little carried away. I mean they took this as a wonderful opportunity to connect with one another and bond as members of the gardening community.


By noon, it had pretty much cleared out. The check out line, which at one point was more than 150 feet long disapated and they were able to take my money quickly.

I picked up some Tangerine Sage (Salvia elegans) which has a wonderful citrus scent, some Elijah Blue decorative grass (Festuca glauca), a bronze decorative grass whose name I forget, a Hardy Jasmine plant, and some Alpine Strawberry plants (Mignonette) in case my own do not come in.

And of course some coffee.

One thing you can count on at any Puget Sound area event is that there will be a coffee stand. In New York, you can count on a hot dog stand. In Texas, you can count on a BBQ stand. I guess in Cincinnati you can count on finding a chili stand. (I may be making that up)

But noting gets between us and our coffee. Except for all the other people who need their caffeine.

I don't see any crystals

I don't know what, but something about coffee culture in general -- and Seattle coffee culture in particular -- makes me think that if I ever drink instant coffee, I should do it in private and hide the evidence.

-- Monica Guzman
The Big Blog
2009-02-17

War, Pestilence, Famine, and Starbucks Instant Coffee. Those horses all appear in the Book of Revelations, right?

Well it seems like we have all four now:


Starbucks turned Maxwell House on its head. And, while it is now fashionable to bash "Charbucks" it's important to remember that Starbucks did create the gourmet coffee industry in the US.

But instant? Can Starbucks make instant coffee that is actually good? I'm sure it will be better than Folger's, Nescafe, and Taster's Choice, but that doesn't mean it will be good. It's not exactly a high bar.

Even Starbucks expects it to be a challenge. The almost apologize for the entire Instant Coffee business:
I'm willing to give it a try. Apparently a lot of people are. On Wednesday I first heard about this on the news. On the Starbucks website, there was an offer for a free sample. A day later, however, the offer was gone.

Some see this as desperate and foolish move for Starbucks. I'm not so sure.

If Starbucks can actually make a high-quality, instant product it would be a great way to supplement their business. I can't see it cutting into the business the stores do. People won't choose to make their own vs. going to to the store (unless it really is awesome). They'll use the instant when getting to a store is inconvenient. Or after hours. Or in places where they don't have access to their own coffee machine and beans.

If Starbucks can actually make a high-quality instant product, I could see taking it with me when I travel. All I would need to make decent coffee in a hotel room then is a way to boil water. Existing hotel coffee makers can at least to that. Plus many hotel rooms have microwave ovens. And there are plenty of portable boiling tools. It could be a great alternative to the awful coffee that often comes with a room.

If Starbucks can actually make a high-quality instant product, I could see people taking it work with them. It could provide a convenient way to make decent coffee at their desk. Not all offices supply coffee, and those that do don't always supply good coffee.

If Starbucks can actually make a high-quality instant product, it could extend their brand into a new, but related field. One of the reasons Starbucks has had problems in recent years is they lost focus.

They expanded into music. They experimented with full service restaurants. The experimented with furniture. The sold books, CDs, plush toys, and all sorts of things in the stores. They added hot breakfast sandwiches. It was all related to the brand, but it did get away from their core expertise -- coffee.

And it distracted from the atmosphere. A Starbucks isn't a store. It's a coffee shop. And there is an ethos surrounding coffee shops through the ages. They have often spoken of the Third Place. It's not work, and it's not home. But it can be an important place in someone's life. The over emphasis on selling stuff distracted from that.

But Starbucks, like any publicly traded corporation, must grow. It must generate additional value for its owners, the shareholders. If Starbucks can actually make a high-quality instant product, this gives them a growth path that is still tied to their core product -- coffee.

I'm skeptical, but I'll give it at shot.

Save 20% at all Starbucks locations

At Costco the other day, my GF and I were stocking up on frozen food. They shopping cart was a microwavable bonanza. In the middle of there store, there was a big display that caught my eye. It was Costco's big gift card display. They had great deals from a variety of vendors. I grabbed the Starbucks packet.

Costco is selling a pack of Starbucks gift cards worth $100 for just $79.99. It's like getting $20 in Starbucks coffee for free.

They expect people that buy them will use them as gifts, but there is nothing to stop the purchaser from using them him self. If you expect to spend $100 at Starbucks in 2009, it's a worth it to pick up this pack.

By using this for my regular Starbucks visits next year, I will save $20.01. I think this is what Southwest did with jet fuel...

Rip, Mix, Toast? The iPod meets the Toaster Oven

My GF was shopping for a toaster oven on Amazon today. I don't quite understand the concept of the toaster oven. I have a toaster. I have an oven. Do I need a toaster oven? And why can't I just microwave stuff?

But I may be missing the point.

Regardless, Amazon offers a variety of them. Here is the Hamilton Beach Toaststation:



It has actual toast slots in it.

One of the neat things about Amazon is that they recommend -- and offer discounts on -- related products. Usually the recommendations are spot on.

So what's a good product to recommend to the toaster over customer?

An oven mitt?
Bread?
Ladle?
An extension cord?

How about an iPod?




That's right. You can accessorize your $35 toaster oven with a $250 iPod. Who could possibly resist?

But this offer only applies to the black Toaststation. The same thing is available in red.




Perhaps if there was a red iPod they might offer that. But sadly, the red Toaststation does not merit a fancy accessory. It just gets a a coffee maker.




Until Amazon changes the recommendations, you can see them here.

Seattle Nightlife

It should surprise no one at this point to know Seattle is proud of its presence at the intersection of coffee and technology.

Saturday night I spent about 4 hours at the Bauhaus, an awesome, local coffee shop on Capitol Hill. I was working on some projects for work. Sometimes I just have to get out of the apartment to do it.

So I'm sitting there working in PowerPoint on a Saturday night. Exciting times, right? It keeps me out of trouble I guess.

Eventually I need to stretch my neck. I look up from my screen at about 10:15 PM on Saturday night and take a quick scan of my fellow patrons at this ultra-hip (I don't know why they let me in the door) night spot.

There are 11 tables in this part of the coffee shop. People are using laptops at 8 of them. Of the 3 tables that don't have computers, 2 have couples at them. Of the 2 with couples at them, at only 1 table is the couple talking to one another.

I guess that's why I live here.

A question about coffee

I started drinking coffee the summer of 1991, when I spent 4-weeks in Spain. Each morning, I started my day with a lovely cafe con leche and croissants or tortilla. Thus began my love affair with that humble and heart jarring bean.

Since them I've spent way too much money at coffee shops, been through whole bean, french press, drip, Vietnamese style, and even Maxwell House filter pack style coffee. I've enjoyed most of it, but I could never find quite that same magical elixir I knew in Madrid.

After awhile I assumed the flavor I thought I knew didn't really exist. It was an illusion caused by the intoxication of the early stage of that love affair. The coffee I thought I knew was really just a figment of my imagination born of the giddiness of all that was new and wonderful.

I was content with my more mature relationship with the bean.

Then I found it again -- in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I ordered a coffee and got my special one and only cafe con leche. The flavor was the same, and it took my right back to those days on the Gran Via.

It was real. It wasn't my imagination.

And I need more.

Where can I find the traditional, Spanish Cafe con Leche in Seattle? Or elsewhere in the mainland? Is there are way to order it at a coffee shop that I don't know? Or do I just need to go back to Spain or Puerto Rico again?

It's time to brush up on my Spanish.

Coffee and Asthma

Anderson Sant has an interesting blog about coffee. In a recent post, he had some fascinating things to say about asthma and coffee.

In particular, drinking caffeinated coffee in the situation of an emergency onset of asthma can allow the patient to breathe easily. Doctors have recommended coffee as an emergency way of treating asthma patients who find themselves with a sudden onset and no medication for many, many years.

More...

Caffeine Overdose

Overdose drama of girl who had 14 cups of espresso
By PAUL SIMS

A teenage waitress overdosed on caffeine after drinking 14 shots of espresso.

Jasmine Willis, 17, could hardly breathe and was taken to hospital with a high temperature and heart palpitations.

She had drunk almost three times the recommended daily amount of caffeine in just four hours.

...More

Amateur.

When a Habbit Becomes a Relationship

Overtime the folks at the Luscious Latte in Mountlake Terrace did get to know me and what I typically ordered (a Double Tall Mocha, a Peanut butter Cookie, and a Chocolate Chip Cookie). But even in the late nineties I was travelling frequently and wasn't there the same time everyday.

But for true regulars at a place, an odd relationship can develop.

A Hot Steamy Summer Affair
Posted on 08/02/2007 at 11:37 PM

Until today I had no idea the kind of intimacy that can develop with the person who provides your morning coffee.

His cart sits on a corner I have to cross every day to get to the subway. It started about three years ago when every morning on my way to work I would stop and order a cup of coffee. It was all very innocent. Eventually he got to know my face and started having my coffee waiting for me just the way I like it; medium, milk-no sugar. Such was our habit, such were our lives.

Read more here.

Top Ten Causes of Cancer

From the USA Today -- March 27, 2012.





Source: Journal of the American Medical Association. Data first published Februay 23, 2012.