Travel Mugs, Thermosae, the Worst Way to Start a Day and How to Avoid It

I haul myself into work for 4am each morning. That's...early. Really early. Especially when sometimes my other job keeps me out until 10pm. Do the math, and be appalled.

And understand why I leave home every morning with a full travel mug of coffee.

I started using Sarah's travel mug a while back because the ones I own don't fit in cupholders. Not in my car, not in the forklifts at work, nowhere. I kept setting the mugs down in the car, and getting spills. I kept setting them down at work, and forgetting them (and burning about a half hour a day hunting for the mug...not good if you want to keep getting paid).

Sarah's worked great tho. Wide top, skinny bottom. Fit into cupholders, kept 20 oz's of coffee pretty warm. I approved.

But. And there's always a but.

The lid doesn't stay on very well. If you look at it the wrong way, the lid pops off. Couple it with a sort of inherent instability (like I said, skinny bottom-wide top) and you get coffee on the floor.

I work with my hands, which means the cup gets put down a lot. I'm not an idiot, I pick pretty stable, out of the way places to put my coffee down on. Usually. But sometimes you can't. Or sometimes, a forklift will crash into the table, and rattle it enough the unstable mug falls and the weak lid comes off.

No coffee left. Not even a drop. This usually happens after a single mouthful of coffee or less.

I'd like to say this happened once before I found a solution. It actually occured six or seven times over a four month period. Once it happened twice in the same week.

Not. Good. Mornings.

I still use the same mug, but now I brew extra coffee and put it in a thermos. The thermos stays in the breakroom, so that if someone wipes out my coffee I'm not deprived of my caffeine for the morning. It's also a nice bonus to be able to refill my coffee cup...some days you just need an extra fix.

Redundancy redundancy redundancy. Learn from NASA, kids.

Vending Machine Coffee

I once spent a year in a long distance relationship. And I'm not talking about, an hour's drive away. That's not distance. If you can't make an hour or two work, you're just not that interested (or they don't kiss well...either way...).

By long distance, I mean I spent 12-14 hours driving anytime I wanted to see this girl. And yes, it was worth it each time.

And of course, I would pack my snacks (or have money to stop with). I'd buy a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee before setting out. Once I even had a thermos filled up by those helpful guys. But eventually, the coffee you started with is going to run out; if you finish a 13 hour drive with the same cup of coffee you started with, there's a serious problem.

Now the problem I had, because I never finished with the same cup of coffee. Look at my typical route:



I travel through a whole lot of NOTHING in Indiana, then hit Chicago, then a whole lot of NOTHING in N. Illinois and Wisconsin. I mean, seriously. It amazes me that there can be so little, for so long at a time. Especially in Wisconsin. I mean, nothing but trees.

So where can I stop for some decent coffee? Maybe Chicago...but really, have you ever tried to drive through Chicago? No? If you ever do, you'll understand that once you're in the flow of traffic...you won't want to ever leave it. There's no excuse for ever pulling off the highway (assuming the traffic lets you get off the road in the first place). You'll have to merge back on...and...um. Damn. Suffice it to say it's not worth stopping in Chicagoland for coffee.

This leaves me with really just one option: Rest stop vending machines.

The trick with vending machines is to not take the standard coffee. It'll have caffeine, but taste absolutely AWFUL. I mean, gross. I mean, you'll never touch coffee again after drinking plain coffee from a vending machine. Especially if it's one in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin that gets a visit once every two weeks for a fresh-up.

So what's that leave you with? The flavored stuff. French vanilla. English toffee. I once had a memorable experience with a "Butterfinger" flavored coffee drink. They cost a bit more, but are totally worth it. You get the caffeine, but none of the truly gross flavor.

That's my official advice, the path I take whenever I'm faced with a vending machine-or-nothing situation. You're welcome to it.

Instant Coffee

It's time to discuss instant coffee...specifically, the acceptable and the will-get-you-beaten.

And just a tip here: if someone's choice in coffee offends you to the point of violence...just go get something you like better. Someone brings you a cup that's just...awful? So what? Have them hold down the fort while you go get something better. They have some awful instant coffee in their cupboard? Don't beat them; buy them some Clasico.

Since we're on the subject, Clasico is really the only kind of instant I'll consider. Remember that camping trip I took a few weeks back? I'm totally capable of using a percolator over a stove or fire, but it's kind of a pain. So I went looking for a package of instant. And not just ANY instant. The Nescafe Clasico.

This stuff is great. I'd had instant a few times before meeting Clasico, and it was...lacklustre, to say the least. Weak and bitter, no matter what I did to it. I swore off instant for several years.

Enter Juan. I used to work at an international fast food chain, and while there I met an incredible guy named Juan. I could write a whole blog about how great Juan is/was, but since this isn't the Juan-Blog I'll limit the discussion to his contribution to my coffee repetoire.

It was Sunday morning, just before open. The work was pretty much finished, and I was thinking about unlocking the doors early for the hell of it. Juan was smarter than I: he was making some coffee that smelled amazing. I followed my nose to see him mixing up some instant coffee.

"Juan! Instant? No bueno, amigo." I started to turn away.

"Oh no, Jone-a-tan. Es MUY bueno. Here," and he offered me the cup, already mixed up con leche style the way I like it (that is, a lil coffee with the milk and sugar). Before I could protest, he was mixing another cup for himself.

So I drank it. And swore that first thing after my shift, I was going to buy me some Nescafe Clasico, even if I had to travel to Jungle Jim's to get it. Joe came in not long after this, and also took a free sample...and immediately asked Juan for another cup.

Juan's a good guy, and gave Joe the second cup. Like I said, Juan is amazing.

Long story shorter than it could be? If you need instant (and yes, there are situations that call for it) coffee, make sure you have some Clasico on your shelf. It's freeze dried...so...it'll keep. Long as you need it too, I reckon.

Mugs

Call me crazy...but I think what holds the coffee is important. Not as important as the coffee inside...oh no no. But when I'm at home, I gravitate towards certain mugs. Whether because it's a style, or a color, or a message. I like my Billy Joel 2008 mug, for instance, because I love the hell outta that guy and got to see him in concert this year. I also have a half-size mug I picked up when my grandmother moved, and it's just so small and unusual looking I can't help but use it.

Most coffee shops give you a disposable cup by default. My one complaint about Dunkin Donuts is they use styrofoam cups...I mean, c'mon now. That stuff will be puzzling the archaelogists for eaons. I think the paper cups that White Castle use really are part of the flavor...you can't help but pick up some of it as the coffee flows through the mouthpiece. Paper is also nice because you can recycle it, and make the cups themselves out of recycled material (watch for that when I open my shop).

Something that just tickles me pink when I go to a coffee shop is when they offer a mug to their dine-in customers. Caribou does this (I believe...though now that I've typed it I'm 2nd guessing myself). Lookout Joe's does for sure. I've even seen Starbucks do it. It makes the shop that much more like home, makes my Wednesday night date or meeting that much more like Saturday morning at home.

So...I think...when I open my shop, there will be an emphasis on providing mugs. Not some standard set from Sysco. Maybe thrift store mugs. A mismatched set. Odd looking ones. Different sizes. Something to provide character, because character brings in repeat business:

Cafe Hound Joe: "Man, I really want some coffee, but...no idea where I want it from."
Cafe Hound John: "What about that place with all the crazy mugs?"
Cafe Hound Joe: *Floors accelerator*

Or something like that. Joe and I were much better at remembering the names of places, for one thing.

More about the selection process, later. But for now, think about it. Do you like a place for coffee because of their cups? Do you hate a place because of their cups? Are you more or less indifferent?

Why Should I Go Out?

So it's about 930 on a Sunday morning. I'm sitting here, relaxing, letting my water boil next to a french press with coffee grounds staged inside. I've already lesuirely gone over my e-mail, fantasy baseball team, and wrapped up work on the news blog.

Excuse me...it's time to go pour the water.

So now I'm enjoying this nice little cup of coffee. I'm all relaxed. I'm sitting in my (somewhat) comfy chair. I'm sipping (sorta) nice coffee. And getting some work done, and some play, and some socializing. All while listening to some cool tunes.

So...why give this up and go to a coffee shop? I mean, I've got a lot going for me right here. Including not having to put on real clothes or shoes or anything. It also doesn't take any out-of-pocket expenses to sit here and drink my coffee and do my stuff. It's already bought and paid for, from within the budget.

Now THAT, my friends, is what a coffee shop is up against. Why go out when it's cheaper and more comfy to sit at home?

Miscellaneous Stops Deuce

Here's the 2nd part of my wrap-up of coffee shops and chains I've been to over the years.

While in Duluth, Minnesota on a romantic liason, I was introduced to Caribou Coffee. I...fell in love, basically, with the coffee shop (and the girl...but THAT is another story for another blog). A wood-cabin theme, dark and light roasts ready to serve, and unique espresso beverages (with candies in them!) all add up to make this a pleasant place. They offer free wifi (with purchase), and have a nice mix of comfy seats and workable tables. While still a big corporation (they ARE in fifteen states) they aren't completely corporate, and each store has it's own feel to it.

Another of my Colorado stops has been Coyote's Coffee Den. There are a number of these locations scattered across the Southwest of Colorado, from Canon City to Penrose to Pueblo. I've only ever hit the Penrose location, since that's a) where my sister works and b) it's on the way to everything civilized (read: Colorado Springs and Denver). They've got really nice coffee. Like, best mocha I've ever had. The Western motif is pretty neat too. Not the most comfortable place I've ever seen, but this place is set up more for commuter traffic than idlers like myself. They also have a kitchen where they do light breakfast and lunch far.

My latest discovery was a place called Coffee 'n' Cream, a coffee shop/soft serve place in Marriemont, on the East Side of Cincy. A tiny shop, run by a guy named Joe (not hanging-out-all-night-Joe) who gets really excited about his products. I've burned a bit of time listening to him tell me the difference between how he brews his iced coffee and his hot coffee. The coffee...really is good. I mean, fabulous. Pretty good pricing too. Not the most comfy, but with free wifi and s nice radio system, you're good for a 20 minute break or so from the day. And besides...you can get icecream there. Coffee and icecream together...the man needs an international prize of some sort.

So that's it. When I think coffee shops, I think of these places listed in the last two posts. I like them all, for different reasons. Ideally, I'd walk into a coffee shop that could encompass all of these traits...and since I don't think that's gonna happen, I may just have to open my own.

Miscellaneous Stops

There were other coffee shops I've been too, with Joe and on my own. Scattered across the country even. Coffee shops for the sake of coffee shops is what the game is all about, and whenever I see a new one I'm drawn to it.

One of my more favorite spots in Cincinnati is Lookout Joe's. It's a local business, for one thing. Roasts their own coffee (if you get there at the right time, you can watch them roasting...and THAT is cool). It's a neat space, very...I don't know the word. But it's a cross between a warehouse space and a loft apartment. The main issue there is parking, because Lookout Square is...well, cramped. It's a cute, scenic, older part of town and that means paying for or not even finding parking. The service tends to be a lil slow in the afternoon and evenings...only one person on duty with too much to do. I once waited 45 minutes for the poor girl to refill the coffee carafe

Another neat space is Coffee Emporium. I'd link you, but...their website seems to be pretty broken. It's an old house on Erie Ave in Hyde Park, and the first floor is all knick-knacky like a garage sale, and also where you find the bar. The second floor is all tables and chairs, reminiscent of a 1 room school house. The coffee was pretty good, and if you like older buildings this is a neat place to be. Again, parking is a bit of an issue...but usually you can find something on street.

One of the flat out coolest coffee shops I've ever been to is Java Moon in Denver, Colorado. It's closed now, but it was a store front with garage door windows, a cool center bar, and a kitchen with a really nice breakfast and lunch menu. There were plenty of booths, tables, and living room areas...and it was pretty yummy coffee. Joe and I once spent four or five hours chatting and catching up there...they had to kick us out. It's still in my mind as a template for the store I want to open.

I've got another post about cool coffee spots coming...I wrote it out in one huge thing, and realized...I don't want to put up a post this long. So till then, add some cream.

Late Nights

A key element in Joe and I's coffee habits over the years was the hours we kept. You could call us night owls, I suppose...it wasn't unusual for us to meet up around 10pm one night and stay out till just before dawn.

There aren't many places open that late, friends and neighbors. Fewer that were good for 8 hours of hanging out.

So while we may not have been as comfortable as we would have liked, Dunkin Donuts and White Castle (both 24/7) became our primary haunts. We would shake things up by picking out different locations, and by visiting Starbucks when we did hang out during normal business hours.

Waffle House (24/7) became another favorite during this stretch, since you could get good food pretty cheap in a semi comfy environment. Their coffee is also quite good...an extremely smooth blend, a solid flavor without being overpowering. And it was a valuable extra stop in our rotation.
There was an aborted attempt to work Perkins (24/7) into the lineup...but after two or three tries (one night we waited nearly 20 minutes to simply get seated) we gave up. IHOP (24/7) eventually made it to Cincinnati, and this was a welcome change of pace...but very expensive. And their coffee sucks, to be totally honest.

We would frequently get frustrated at the lack of places to just...hang out with a cup of coffee. We didn't want to buy a meal all the time. Didn't wanna sit in our cars. Didn't wanna sit on a plastic chair while some guy waiting to mop glared at us. We just wanted a coffee shop that was open in the middle of the night.

Apparantly, that's just too much to ask.

Starbucks

Regardless of how you feel about Starbucks, it's pretty hard to avoid. And for someone just taking their first steps in the world of coffee shops in Midwestern Ohio, you can do much worse than them.

Starbucks has done a lot of good for the industry, I believe. They made the whole cafe culture cool, hip, and mainstream. They brought coffee shops to places that normally would never had heard of them...and while they've done some bad stuff by virture of being big and corporate, I think you can't discount the benefits either.

It was at a Starbucks in that I first got the feeling of community from a coffee shop. Joe and I knew a son of a friend there, and from that aquaintance came introductions to the rest of the staff. We became "regulars," with all the bantering and discounts that entails. It was a good time, since the set up and furniture was all conducive to sitting down for a spell.

[We found out later the only reason the discounts and zany antics (one of the barristas once poured a shot of espresso for Joe for almost three minutes; we expected the machine to shut down in protest) was because of a certain lack in management at this location. Once the new manager came in, things became less interesting more professional and more expensive regular priced.]

I also discovered I didn't really like Starbucks coffee. It's either far too dark, or far too burnt--depending on your take. Their espresso beverages are yummy as all get out...I still love a Starbucks white mocha, and who can resist a coffee frappacino?? But they're pricey, and loaded with calories that you really can't consume all night long.

The take away? Starbucks has done some good things for the coffee industry. I like the community you can get (at least, could get...and in some locations, it IS coming back like their plan states) and the coffee house atmosphere, including comfy furniture. However, I'm not that crazy about the near-cookie cutter feel, the prices, or even the coffee.

Enter the Coffee Shop

One of the clearest and fondest memories I have of my high school days revolves around Dunkin Donuts. I had a car of my own, money in my pocket, and now had the chance to stop at yummy food places when I went out.

One of the first stops I made was Dunkin Donuts. I had tried their coffee before, on trips to Massachusetts to visit family. I had vague memories that it was good stuff, but to be honest it'd been a while. I'd become accustomed to...lesser brews, shall we say.

I became hooked after my first stop, and I had a bad habit of showing up late to my weekly volunteer gig because I couldn't help but go out of my way to the nearest Dunkin Donuts. It was magical. I craved it. The smoothest, sweetest blend ever.

About this time Joe arrived on the scene. We met and stuck up a friendship based primarily on two things: Mutual like for Billy Joel and love for coffee. It was with Joe I discovered the pleasure of just "getting a cup of coffee," as well as White Castle coffee (Darker than DD, but just as smooth and with a touch of mocha to it).

Dunkin Donuts is a nice place to sit, eat something sweet, and drink some fine java. But it's not very comfy, the chairs are NOT for lounging, and the whole atmosphere is geared (quite correctly) towards commuter breakfast people: get in, get out, get to work. White Castle? It's a fast food burger joint. Again, fabulous coffee...but not some place you can sit and relax. And neither of these places is really conducive to creating a rapport with the staff (food service turnover being what it is).

Of course, one really can't explore the joys of coffee in American society without at least TRYING Starbucks...

Java at Home

However you first took to your first cup ("This jet fuel is the best thing ever!" or "I need a cow and a sugar cane plantation, stat!"), you prolly didn't lose interest. Life became about finding more. Always more.

I was both fortunate and unfortunate in this respect. Unfortunate in the sense my parents didn't drink coffee in the home, but fortunate in that they bought a french press for tea around the same time I discovered coffee. A grinder for spices was also a recent purchase, and both press and grinder were commandeered to create caffeinated goodness.

And so what could have died as puppy love, a forgotten fling with an occaisonal cup, was cementing into a truly dedicated relationship. I became facinated with the brewing and drinking of coffee. Wondering how to make each cup tastier than the last. I experimented with different amounts and fineness of grinds. Different flavors. Different water temperatures. I even convinced myself at one point the size of mug affected the enjoyment of my coffee (to this day, I don't really own "standard" coffee mugs).

Then, one day, one of us dropped the french press while cleaning it. Not working yet, I had no funds to replace it or find another method of brewing (my mother was already concerned about the effects of caffeine on her children and was rather coy about buying a replacement press). My coffee sources dried up to the "interesting" brew at the museum I volunteered at, and occaisonally at a restaurant.

It wasn't until my first job at a summer camp that my passion for coffee would be rekindled...and soon on the heels of that would come regular employment, a driver's license, and companionship...all three would change the face of coffee for me forever.

Starting Down the Road

I like coffee. Almost since I was a wee small and first discovered the wonderful-smelling (but god-awful tasting) stuff. It wasn't love at first taste...but it was close enough to count.

Coffee is a lil deceptive, I think we can all agree. You smell it brewing and you think, "That has got to be the nectar of gods!" But then you go to drink some...and you change your tune. "Bleck" becomes a much better word.

(I'm not speaking to those of your who have liked coffee black since your first cup in the 3rd grade...you have your own memories and feelings. I didn't take an instant liking to pure coffee, as I'll explain. So just bear with me and exercise that imagination).

It's that deception that turns a lot of people off of coffee right away. It's not unlike getting burned by a hot stove...you equate the situation with unpleasantness, and don't repeat. No matter how much your boyfriend reassures you. No matter what your wife has put in the coffee mug.

You. Just. Don't. Like. Coffee.

All based on that one experience. There is another set of us who don't like our first coffee, but approach it differently. We think, "Millions of people drink this stuff everyday. They love it. They can't function without it. What am I doing wrong?"

So we find 8 creamer and 12 sugar packets, add it to a 6 ounce styrofoam cup of joe, and sip.

...and a life long love affair is begun.