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If you limit yourself to one pot of coffee today, then you won’t like Pietro Marmo’s coffee pot. It works, but it’ll make only ten drops of coffee at a time. The Italian goldsmith also made a cup that is conveniently sized to match it.
Link -via Gizmodo | Photo: Pietro Marmo
And on the Seventh Day, God rest after a nice cup of coffee. We've featured Karen Eland's coffee art on Neatorama a while ago, but it's always neat to revisit and see her newest creations: Link | More neat coffee pics and art over at Dark Roasted Blend - Thanks Avi!
Saimir Strati composes mosaics out of unusual substances, including toothpicks and nails. His message in this 270-square foot mosaic made of coffee beans is simple: “One world, one family, one coffee.” The five human figures represent five continents (sorry, Australia and Antarctica) uniting together in a caffeinated peace.
-via The Presurfer
Well, they can't* drink espresso but 5-year-old Ellanie and Ethan sure can make a mean espresso!
Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] - via The Daily What
*Technically, they can but they definitely shouldn't - that sip at the end is gonna cost their parents a good night's sleep for sure!
Instructables user urant built a self contained espresso machine that fits in his pocket. An alcohol stove provides the heat. That part required a lot of tinkering in order to be both safe and effective. The end result is a portable machine that brews a cup of espresso in just a few minutes.
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They hardly needed to put the name on the pot -just about everyone knows what they’ll be drinking from it. Link
Who knows? It might be the same restaurant where the cold drink dispensers are labeled with pictures as well.
This excellent comic by Caldwell Tanner of Loldwell sums up my relationship with coffee perfectly! Via Geeks Are Sexy
How a coffee shortage killed the Confederacy.
Even in the midst of the Civil war, there was still one thing that the North and the South shared -a serious addiction to caffeine. In that respect, the Union clearly had an advantage. Not only did the North have more than two-thirds of the population and control most of the heavy industry, railroads, and financial reserves in the country, it hoarded supplies of the highly-addictive little bean, leaving the Confederacy to wage its own war against java deprivation.
COFFEE: IT’S WHATS FOR BREAKFAST, LUNCH, AND DINNER
Throughout the Civiil War, coffee was a as prevalent in battlefields as it is in offices today. In fact, the Union army was fueled by the stuff to the point that, if there was no time to boil water, the Boys in Blue would chew on whole beans as they marched. And at night, Union campsites were dotted with tiny fires, each boiling a pot of coffee like a million miniature Starbucks.
Beyond caffeine cravings, Union troops loved their coffee because it was, literally, the best thing on the menu. Before the advent of helpful (and tasty!) artificial preservatives, a marching soldier’s rations were neither varied nor particularly appetizing. Typically, they consisted of salted meat, unleavened bread (accurately christened “hardtack”), and a little sugar and salt. It didn’t help that Union supply chains were riddled with corrupt food contractors who charged the government top dollar for rotten, stale, and insect-ridden foodstuffs. Coffee, however, was almost always fresh because it was delivered in whole-bean form -making it difficult for even the most dishonest supplier to skimp on quality. Not that they didn’t try, of course. In fact, officials began requesting coffee as whole beans after some crooked contractors tried to up their per pound profits by slipping sand and dirt into packages of ground coffee.
In 1861, hoping to cut down on the time soldiers spent roasting and grinding beans, the army switched to a concentrated proto-instant coffee. The new concoction, called “essence of coffee,” was made by boiling prepared coffee, milk, and sugar into a thick gloop, which soldiers then reconstituted by mixing it with water. The product reportedly tasted every bit as bad as you’d imagine, and thanks to the corrupt dairymen who sold the army spoiled milk, it also tended to cause diarrhea. Needless to say, the Union army was soon back on the bean.
SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT
Noxious as essence of coffee was, Confederate soldiers would have gladly downed a cup or two. But, because of a Union naval blockade, coffee (along with weapons, machinery, medicine, and other vital materials) was in short supply in the South. Before the war, a pound of beans would have set you back 20 cents in Yankee dough. Once prewar stockpiles ran out, however, the same amount was running as high as $60 in Confederate money. (Despite the undervalued currency, that was still a lot.)
There was some coffee that made it into the Confederacy -usually carried by steam-powered blockade-runner ships. But, for the most part, Southerners had to rely on coffee substitutes, including various forms of roasted corn, rye, okra seeds, sweet potatoes, acorns, and peanuts. Unfortunately, all these imitations lacked potency, tasted awful, and upset the bowels. The only slightly better alternative was tea made from the leaves of the native yaupon shrub. The good news was that it contained caffeine; the bad news was that it was incredibly difficult to digest. Luckily, there was one surefire way for Southern folk to get their coffee -by making peace with the Union. Soldiers on the front lines often called informal truces so Rebels could swap tobacco for Yankee coffee then dash back to the camps before they were reported missing.
DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH
In the latter stages of the war, coffee beans that actually did make it to the South proved too valuable to be used by civilians or soldiers. In 1863, Samuel Moore, the surgeon general of the Confederacy, prohibited coffee use for anyone other than patients for whom its stimulant effect would prove beneficial. Lacking some of the basic necessities, however, hospital administrators often traded any java they received for medicines that would do more than just give a wounded man a caffeine buzz.
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The above article by David A. Norris is reprinted with permission from the March-April 2006 issue of mental_floss magazine. Get a subscription to mental_floss and never miss an issue!
Be sure to visit mental_floss‘ entertaining website and blog for more fun stuff!
Caffeine does strange things to people, and apparently to birds! This cockatiel is so excited about a cup of coffee that he dances to the tune of a stirring spoon. -via Arbroath
Where do Whovians go for a cup of coffee across space and time? Why, the TARDIS Cafe, of course! There's even a charming short film featuring the quirky Glasgow cafe Cappuccino Police. Via Hello, I'm the Doctor
See more neat Doctor Who items over at the NeatoShop.
Starbucks VIA are for sissy hipsters. Real men BREW their coffee, even in the great outdoors.
But if the thought of making coffee on a camp stove make you shudder like the thought of sipping decaf (the horror!), then take heart because there’s this: a propane-powered coffeemaker. Yes, that’s right, people. Propane-powered.
Coleman, we coffee-addicts salute you! Link
You can find a Tumblr picture blog for almost any subject under the sun. Starbucks Spelling is dedicated to the custom of baristas writing a customer’s name on a cup, for which they sometimes get the spelling wrong. What makes this worth a look is 1. there are so many misspellings, and 2. how can anyone keep track of all the venti and grande lattes and espressos and then spell Joe G-I-O? Shown here are four different orders Omar recorded. Link -via Gorilla Mask
Maze Cafe Cup and Saucer | $14.95
What a neat saucer to put under a coffee cup! It looks like an everyday cup and saucer, but just a drop of coffee on the saucer becomes a game as the drip finds it ways through the maze of grooves. The Maze Cafe Cup and Saucer was designed by artist Erdem Selek and is available now in the NeatoShop. Get your morning coffee and your morning puzzle at the same time! And be sure to check out the many other clever cups and mugs from the NeatoShop!
I consider myself an expert on drinking coffee, but even I didn’t know why a coffee tree produces caffeine! Excuse me, I need to go pour another cup. Link -via the Presurfer
Pig Nose Mug - $7.95
Are you looking for a funny yet discreet coffee mug? You need the Pig Nose Mug from the NeatoShop. The mug looks like a plain, white coffee mug until you take a drink. Printed on the bottom is a hilarious picture of a pig nose. This mug is perfect for the lighthearted worker who is stuck in a stuffy office environment.
Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more hilarious Glassware & Drinkware!
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Start your a-maze-ing day right with the Maze Cafe ($14.95). This clever cup and saucer set from the NeatoShop is designed by Turkish designer Erdem Selek. It features a molded maze pattern on the saucer that you can play with a drop of coffee.
It’s the perfect Father’s Day gift for your coffee- and puzzle-lovin’ dad: Link
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Yellow Submarine Mug – $9.95
Does your boring, old, coffee, mug make you feel blue? You need the Yellow Submarine Mug from the NeatoShop (yes, officially licensed from The Beatles). Printed inside the mug: “Love Is All You Need.” This mug is so cheerful you can’t help but smile.
Link | Be sure to check out all the fun Glassware & Drinkware from the NeatoShop!
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If you can’t live without a cup of coffee, you have something in common with the bacterium Pseudomonas putida CBB5. The bug was discovered to live on caffeine – literally!
The caffeine-munching bacterium was found in a flower bed on the University of Iowa campus.
Ryan Summers, a doctoral student there, identified four digestive proteins that it uses to break down caffeine, which allows it to live and grow, he explains in a summary of his research presented at a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in New Orleans.
"This work, for the first time, demonstrates the enzymes and genes utilized by bacteria to live on caffeine," he writes.
Are you tired of people stealing your favorite coffee mug? You need the Plug Mug from the NeatoShop. Just hide the mugs rubber plug and your favorite coffee mug is now useless. This makes a great office gag gift!
Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fabulous Glassware & Drinkware!
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Half-caff latte, I choose you! Christiaan Morris made this latte surface art for the Fremont Coffee Company in Seattle. Other images at the link include Darth Vader, Batman, and Boba Fett.
Link via Walyou | Photo: Chrissy May | Previously: Latte Art Machine
Anyone who has worked in an office with a shared coffee pot will immediately relate to this clever flowchart a reader submitted over at Passive Aggressive Notes.
Love coffee? No, I mean, do you love coffee? If you’re a coffee addict, then take heart – it’s not your fault: A new research shows that how much you crave caffeine largely depends on your genes.
New research suggests that individuals who carry a so-called "high-consumption" variation of either gene appear to drink more coffee, relative to those who carry a "low-consumption" variant.
"It’s really an incredible story," said study co-author Dr. Neil Caporaso, branch chief of genetic epidemiology at the National Cancer Institute. "People don’t really suspect it, but genetics plays a big role in a lot of behaviors, such as smoking and alcohol consumption. And now it turns out that it has a part in how much caffeine we drink."
Illustration: L. Calçada, ESO
When you think of stars, do you think a hot ball of plasma in space? (I mean, our own Sun has a surface temperature of approximately 5,800 K). Well, not all stars are hot: a newly discovered star 75 light-years away from us is no warmer than a cup of coffee.
Dubbed CFBDSIR 1458 10b, the star is what’s called a brown dwarf. These oddball objects are often called failed stars, because they have starlike heat and chemical properties but don’t have enough mass for the crush of gravity to ignite nuclear fusion at their cores.
With surface temperatures hovering around 206 degrees F (97 degrees C), the newfound star is the coldest brown dwarf seen to date.
It sounds like a simple pun to accompany a funny picture, but Vader’s Dark Side Roast Coffee is a real product. It’s just one of 17 Weird Examples of Star Wars Merchandise listed at Oddee (some of which are available in the NeatoShop). Some will make you laugh, and others might make your wish list! Link
According to data compiled by environmental think tank World Resources Institute, Scandinavians drink a lot of coffee. Between 6.8 and 12.0 kilograms per year. So world travelers, does this map match up with your experiences?
Link via Ace of Spades HQ
Need coffee to do its miraculous job every morning waking you up?
This Minor Miracle Mug has a special imprinted bottom that will give you an inspiring vision after you finish your morning coffee. How do you spell pareidolia? C-A-F-F-E-I-N-E!
Link | More fun Mugs (a surprisingly large category!)
When the subject of frivolous lawsuits comes up, someone always mentions the McDonalds hot coffee lawsuit as an example, because the short version sounds so outrageous: a woman sued McDonalds because her coffee was served hot. But the short version doesn’t tell us much.
The world’s most infamous cup of coffee spilled on February 27, 1992 in Albuquerque, NM. Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old grandmother, was a passenger in her grandson’s car when they drove through at a McDonald’s, and after she received her styrofoam cup of joe her grandson pulled the car forward and parked so Liebeck could mix in her cream and sugar.
Liebeck braced the cup between her knees, but when she tried to pull off the cup’s lid, the entire cup of coffee spilled into her lap. Although subsequent developments in the courtroom turned Liebeck and her case into objects of derision, it’s worth noting that she actually suffered legitimate injuries from the accident. Liebeck’s sweatpants absorbed the hot coffee and held it next to her skin, which helped lead to third degree burns on six percent of her body. Liebeck ended up spending eight days in the hospital and undergoing skin grafts to counter the effects of the burns.
But that’s only the beginning of the story. Liebeck asked McDonalds for $20,000 to cover her medical expenses and lost wages. McDonalds offered $800. That’s when the story starts to get complicated. Read the entire account of how a jury decided to award Liebeck $2.9 million when the case went to court (and that’s not even the end) at mental_floss. Link
The Thinker Coffee Mug – $10.95
If you’re anything like me and need a cup of coffee to clear your thoughts in the morning, then this is the mug for you: The Thinker Coffee Mug from the NeatoShop has a thermochromic ink that makes the figure’s worrisome thoughts disappear, to be replaced by the soothing thought of coffee.
Ah, caffeine: is there anything it can’t do? Link | More fun and unusual coffee mugs
Q: Is that Tommy Lee Jones in a new movie?
A: Yes, that’s Tommy Lee Jones.
No , he’s not starring in a new movie.
Here’s the man behind "Two Face," Agent K, and Ed Tom Bell starring in an unusual role of pitchman for the Japanese drink Boss Coffee: Link [embedded YouTube]
Did you just get a cup of coffee (oh, I’m sorry … venti non-fat extra dry cappuccino) from Starbucks? Did you know that you’ve just ordered 1 of the 87,000 possible combinations of drinks there?
Brynn Mannino of Woman’s Day wrote an interesting article about the 9 Things You Didn’t Know About Starbucks:
1. There are over 87,000 drink combination possibilities.
We knew they had a big menu, but 87,000 options? In 2008, the company included this number as part of a full-page advertisement in two national newspapers. Starbucks spokeswoman Lisa Passe explained how they came up with it to a Wall Street Journal blogger: "If you take all of our core beverages, multiply them by the modifiers and the customization options, you get more than 87,000 combinations.”
