BeansandGrapes

Cauca Tierradentro "Advanced Press Pot"

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:25:00 +0000

Did you take any "advanced" classes in High School? I didn't. So does that mean I'm not smart? Debatable. So from my perspective, when I hear someone talking about an advanced class or advanced ear wax cleaning, etc. It urks the underdog a bit. Well I stumbled upon this tutorial which is an "Advanced Press Pot" tutorial. It's cool, you should check it out. It's not really advanced, just a different way to do it, but it's a good tutorial. There are a few things which I would tweak a bit, but an interesting Idea that actually made a difference. Like changing the brew time, 4 minutes is a little long for me. But it really did produce a more delicate cup of coffee. So if you like delicate things, you should use this method.

The beans I used were the Cuaca Tierradentro from blue bottle. Not as fresh as I would of liked, but only 6 days within roasting (after 7 days you've lost a lot of your flavor.) I'm gonna revisit this experiment, with some super fresh beans and a new grinder. A great flavorful Colombian coffee.

I like Blue Bottle's description from their site.

"When made well, the coffee has a terrific body, a softly layered mouthfeel, and a range of flavors that if one were to visually depict, might involve a statuette of Dorothy Hamill made of padron pepper infused caramel skating over a frozen lake of white pepper panna cotta. In a good way, of course." Not for the espresso machine, this coffee is lovely as a pour-over and French press, and has the necessary structure to withstand condiments.
Location: Colombia, Cauca, Tierradentro region Altitude: 1700-2200 meters Varietal: 60% typical/40% caturra Processing method: washed Certifications: organic

PRICE:

$19.75 lb You can order online here.

2007 Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Pinot Noir

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:00:00 +0000

When you go to a swanky place for V-day you have to have a great bottle of wine. Thats why when we went to stay at Bacara I had to get some "RESERVE" wine, it might be Trader Joe's reserve, but this isn't any two-buck chuck. In fact this TJ's Pinot would even put ole' chuck in a romantic mood. This wine is priced at $6.99, but that doesn't change the fact that it's really great. To me this wine is the bottle that I'll keep around for the weeknights, sitting by the fire and reading picture books. Or at least I'll imagine I'm by the fire, wearing a Christmas sweater that I didn't get from a thrift store and petting a golden retriever while watching my children run in the yard. That's the magic of this wine, it will take you to place, a comfortable peaceful place that's filled with happiness and yule tide.

On my recent journey searching for fine Pinot purveyors, this TJ's reserve was the first stop and a very attainable one at that. The way Trader Joe's handles their new label is that they are basically getting another winery to make and bottle the wine and then putting their label on the bottle. TJ's controls the quality and makes sure it's up to their standards while keeping it at an appropriate price point. The Hahn family makes this wine, which have traditionally made good wines. And they sell their Hahn estates Monterey Pinot for $12, so your getting a pretty good bargain by letting them put on the Trader Joe's label.

This Pinot has a very smooth, fruity quality that goes down easy. A great drinking wine by itself. Please do your self a favor and pick some up when your at Trader Joe's, it's cheaper than standing in line for the free samples.*

*If someone stole $7 out of your wallet while you were standing in line.

2008 Layer Cake Shiraz

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:43:00 +0000

Have you seen the Aaron Burr milk ad? The one where the guy can't answer the trivia question because his mouth is full of peanut butter? That ad sets up a great need for milk. Layer Cake Shiraz sets up a need for some salty chocolate. After one taste of this sultry sweet, borderline port-ish shiraz, I was feening for some dark salty chocolate. I had heard good things of this wine but I never had it described to me so I thought it would be a good time to put it to the test on our V-day weekend trip. It would have been perfect if it didn't create such a desire for chocolate, which sadly could not be found near the 1960's Silver Surf Motel. {WARNING} do not drink this wine in a hot tub, it's the equivalent of drinking warm milk on a hot day.

Overall I would get this wine again for an after dinner drink (on a cool winter night) to go with dessert. If your a port fan (which I'm not) you will dig this wine. It's very smooth and mellow but dense at the same time. You can pick this wine up at BevMo for $16.99. WILFRED WONG gave it 89 points which is usually a good indicator or quality, not necessarily whether you will prefer the taste or not. If a broccoli dish scored a blue ribbon at a state fair, It might be good but if you don't like broccoli you probably won't like the dish. Same goes with Wilfred's suggestions. Grab some kara's sea salt chocolate cupcakes and pick up a bottle and you'll be on your way to a nap real soon.

Urban Standard Coffee Shop (Primavera Beans)

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Have you ever driven a 3 cylinder car? You know the ford escort that your parents keep in the driveway for you to drive when you come home for the holidays. The car that starts go shake at about 75 and just won't peel out even though you drive it like a 911 Porsche carera. Well I've gotta say that urban standard is very similar to four barrel coffee. The beans were roasted only 4 days ago by Primavera Roasters which is only a few miles down the road. They brew the coffee via French press, which is why I think there is the four barrelish resemblance. The coffee had flavor but I feel it might have been left in the press a bit to long, hence the muddiness. Overall the shop was super cool and the strawberry cupcake with frosting was inhaled faster than snoop dogg hot boxing a blunt.

Stone Cellar Chardonnay – Year Unknown

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:57:00 +0000

You know how watching a romantic comedy on a plane somehow makes it seem way better than it really is? Well it’s not that good. But it’s all about availability right? My point is that this wine is nothing to write home about, unless you still write letters home and well, that’s a different story. It’s an off-shoot of Beringer, which like a lot of California wineries encompass a very large gamut as far as quality goes. They produce a lot of wine and have some really great middle of the road wines, and they also supply the US Airways not-so-friendly staff with their hooch. Definitely not the best white I’ve had on a plane, but since I didn’t have a choice this 60 point becomes a 90 point cruising at 35,000 feet. Now only if they’d start that movie.

Blue Bottle Koratie Natural

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Were you ever lucky enough to get the last of something? It's always sweeter. Kinda like when I got the last piece of Pecan Pie at thanksgiving or the last tickle-me-elmo in the United States (not sure why I wanted it, but I got the last one.) Even getting someone's last piece of gum is good, after the awarkward "are you sure you don't mind" banter goes on for a bit. Well I can add to that glorious list, with the Koratie Natural! I got the last bag of the last batch that Blue Bottle's ever going to roast. I didn't get the scoop on why they're discontinuing the brew, but I'm glad I got to taste it before it was gone. This brew is very manly. It's like a man with a beard and a nice flannel, that's actually a teddy-bear on the inside. It puts up a good front with it's strong deep smell, but it's really tasty and easy to drink when you open it up. I do have to say as far as flavors go, it's not my favorite but this is definately a great coffee. It's not to crazy with flavor so I see how it could be a good house brew for a hip little breakfast joint.

2007 Casillero del Diablo Chardonnay

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:52:00 +0000

With the first rain of the season in Peurto Vallarta comes tons of moths. Also what comes with the first rain ( If your staying at Villa Los Arcos ) is a Hand-Rolled Mexican Cigar paired with the Diablo Chilean Chardonnay. This wine paired very nicely with the Cigar, not to buttery and the fruit stood up to the cigar and complimented it nicely. Puffin on a fatty cigar helps the street cred of this wine... A great "drinking" Chardonnay, not the best, but I wasn't disappointed. Have it on a hot day and enjoy your life. Not sure how many pesos Alfonso dropped to pick up this bottle, but in the States it looks like you can pick up a bottle for under $10.

mute moth. a very short film.

2002 Kendall Jackson Zinfandel

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:38:00 +0000

Its a tough choice when trying to tell the cooks what kind of wine to get if you haven't been to the store to know the selection. So for this dinner I said get me some Zinfandel from another country. Alfonso brought back the 2002 Kendal Jackson Zinfandel, from California. If your in Mexico I guess the US is technically another country.... I have to say it paired perfectly with the Chicken Mole (molee, molee, molee......mole), which is a sauce made of chocolate and peppers. Chewy made the perfect meal and this Zinfandel proved to be the perfect wine and the whole group was really pleased with how well it went, I started a slow clap and then everyone applauded (Insert loud obnoxious laughing).

I've discovered it's hard to drink wine in Mexico. Well, red wine at least. It's not like the Bay Area where the temperature is moderate and pretty much caters to any type of drinking. There's a reason people drink gallons of Tecate and pitchers of Margaritas. Because it's hot!

Aero Mexicana

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:59:00 +0000

One sip wonder.
It's either amazing and it's love at first sip or it's a small espresso from that quirky cafe on your European cafe, or it sucks. And it's a wonder why they serve such horrible coffee on Aero Mexico. They serve dos equis, tequila shots and even a meal, so why does the brew taste like an el gato en los pantalones? I guess it makes some sense, airlines are cutting back and they only send the good stuff to the states. I couldn't get any info on the type of coffee but it could be appropriately named as meurtes de perro . Hopefully I'll find some dankness on our Mexican extravaganza vacation for two.

2006 Ravenswood Sonoma County Old Vine Zinfandel

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Fri, 29 May 2009 03:24:00 +0000

Have you ever heard the term Jammy? I know it's dumb and sounds like a name you'd call your Maw Maw, but I gotta say this Sonoma County is a Jammy friend of mine. It's a really solid Zin that paired well with a spicy Lentil soup. A mostly simple wine with some nice spiciness on the back end. Retailing for $14.99 at BevMo, it's a little steep for an everyday type wine (which is how I'd classify this wine) My suggestion would be to definitely pick this up if it's a 5 cent sale, If not, I'd say pick up something a little cheaper for the everyday.

Capricorn Dark Guatemala

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Mon, 04 May 2009 04:50:00 +0000

Have you ever been down to the Ghirardelli store down by the wharf? You know the one where you go to eat a huge bowl of ice cream and you leave with sticky hands and diarrhea. I know what your thinking. "Yeah!! why do I always leave with sticky hands and diarrhea?" Well this coffee will bring you back to that magical place without the diarrhea, hopefully. It reminds me of the dark chocolate free sample that you get from the Ghirardelli woman standing with a full bag of already opened chocolates. Like it's really that hard to open the chocolates yourself. They don't want you to wait another second before you devour the little dark chocolate. To put the icing on the cake a friend bought me the bag of beans making them the same price as a free chocolate but with way more benefits. I love dark brews and I absolutely loved this Capricorn roast.

Van Ruiten Ancient Vine Carignane 2005

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Mon, 04 May 2009 04:49:00 +0000

Riddle: It's got white make-up on, but dressed in all black. It's light, but somehow very dark. Answer: The girl that checked us out at whole foods and this wine. Kinda scary I know, but don't be scared. The VR Carignane will treat you right, just make sure to have a few friends around to finish the bottle because the second day this wine looses the brightness and just becomes a very dark wine without the interestingness. This '05 produced in Lodi, CA made for a great pairing with a white pizza and also was great on it's own. I don't often drink Carignane's but I would strongly consider throwing this one in the rotation. Overall a really great wine. I think it's winning some awards as well. Go check it out.

Ritual IHTIERI KETI ARA SUMATRA

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:34:00 +0000

It's late on a Monday night and you realize that all the beans have run out and a grumpy morning is in your future, well my friend there is still hope yet. Whole Foods sells this variation of Ritual coffee that will put a pep in your step. This is one of those coffee's that make me miss sitting at a truck stop late at night talking with my friends about nothing important, but everything that is good in life. IKAS is a really beefy brew which is right up my alley. I've been dripping the brew and getting some really good results, unlike with the Chapadao from earlier. I think my little wooden spoon to stir the drip is the magic wand. If you don't have a little wooden spoon you should rush to the little wooden spoon store and pick one up. But seriously I would definitely get the coffee again. Way to go Ritual for keeping the fresh beans on the shelf. I picked these up on the 20th, so 5 days after being roasted is really good for the grocery store. Keep drinking the strong stuff.

2004 VAN RUITEN VINEYARDS CAB-SHIRAZ

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:18:00 +0000

I pulled this bottle out of the new and improved "wine cabinet" in our new apartment to find a pretty horrid looking stuffy label. I'm bad about choosing things based on the packaging... Anyways, at first sip the wine was simple and flavorful. I would consider it to be on the lighter side of full bodied wines, a good "drinking" wine. I say this because when paired with meats, it didn't really hold up at all. The label said that it would pair well with most meats, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Does not pair well with Steak. The bottle did not specify but I could guarantee this was like a 60% Shiraz 40% Cab because of it's splashiness factor. Even though it didn't go with the steak (not the wines fault) I really enjoyed the wine and am looking forward to finishing the bottle. I'd like to try this again with a soup or some light pasta, probably a better combo. Retails for around $15.99.

Blue Bottle Misty Valley

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:08:00 +0000

Have you ever had a blueberry cobbler? Not just any cobbler, but one that your Maw-Maw made especially for you and then your Paw-Paw put some Breyers' Vanilla on top and then you sat around and talked about the good ole' days and those fish that they never really caught? Me neither. But when I tried the Misty Valley it came real close to what that would feel like. When I asked the young lady at the Mint Plaza Blue Bottle what would be a good coffee to drip she stumbled through several options asking about my likes and dislikes, and then she got a twinkle in her eye. "Misty Valley, Misty Valley, you have to try the Misty Valley it's one of our new blends" I took that excitement as a really good sign, I know that look when I'm telling someone about a coffee I really like, and she definitely had it. Blueberries is the first thing that comes to mind when you take a whiff of these beans. It's really amazing how the fragrance of the beans draw you in to "just one more cup." I found myself sniffing the mug like I would a deep purple Cabernet, Not quite the same..... As the week went on I took note of how the beans were changing with the "older" they got. And I have to say you can really tell a difference. I first had these Beans two days after they were roasted and they were amazing, I mean really amazing. Then I had a few beans left and I made a drip at work about a week later and the flavor had dimished extremely. I still can't believe most coffee shops are serving beans that were roasted weeks, and some even months ago. Those shops are missing the point. Misty Valley gets it and you should get some if it. Buy this blend

2006 Shiloh Road Cabernet Sauvignon

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:00:00 +0000

House Party. House Boat. House of Pain. House Arrest. House of Mouse. House the TV show. Notice a theme here? How about House. How about House Wine. How about my new House Wine is the Shiloh Road Cab. This stuff is money. Literally, BevMo raised the price from 8.99 to 15.99 during the 5 cent sale. This wine is really balanced and pairs well with just about anything as well as being a great wine completely by itself. I would recommend this to anyone looking to get a wine for someone who normally doesn't drink wine, or as "we're going to someone's house and should bring some wine" type of deal. I'm getting thirsty.... How about you come over and bring some Shiloh Road. We'll have fun and you can help move furniture.

Ritual CHAPADAO DE FERRO Brasil

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:10:00 +0000

I tried everything to make this coffee taste as good as possible. I watched the Ritual sponsored "How To French Press" tutorial on YouTube. I re-referenced my Blue Bottle method of French Pressing. Nothing Worked. I seriously tried everything, not wanting to believe this was just an average coffee. This blend was definitely not horrible but it wasn't anything special either. I kept finding myself making it stronger and stronger looking to pull some flavor out, but it just wasn't happening. This blend was recommended to me by the barista specifically for french pressing, but maybe I should have tried dripping this blend.... Ritual I haven't given up on you. I'll be back, everyone deserves a second chance.

BYOBB (Bring Your Own Bargain Bottle) Wine Tasting

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:12:00 +0000

So BeansandGrapes hosted the first Official Wine tasting last Saturday. We had a blast. ( wait, I can't remember if we did or not.) Joke, we had a good time and thanks to everyone for coming! Since Amanda and I got a new place last week (woop woop) we'll for sure up the scale of these parties in the future, with thousands of thirsty tasters adding to the results.So here's how it was set up:

Each person brings a white or red wine. Since we had all couples this was pretty easy to delegate, making sure we had the same amount of each. One of the wines had to be no more than $15.99, and the other wine had to be $8.99 or under. Since these are pretty common price ranges there were several options. Making sure we didn't have any duplicates I had the party goers text or call and let me know what they got, to ensure no duplications. We refrigerated the whites to get them to the right tempature and placed the wines in brown bags with numbers on them. We tasted each and scored on a scale from 1-100. This proved to not be a good idea on my part, since everyone had a different interpretation of the scale. Next time it will be 50-100 like the scoring judges use. Here's a good reference. wine scale.We also had people try to guess the grape. And since we didn't go from lightest to darkest it made it interesting to say the least. I think next time we'll reign in the variations and hone in on one type of wine. We did have one party animal think a Cab was a white. HAHA!! This still makes me laugh.

So here's how the wines scored within our group.1. Wildhurst Chardonnay 2006 - $15.992. Round Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 California - $8.99
3. Cellar No. 8 Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 California - $8.99
4. Chateau d'Aigueville Cot-s-du-Rhone 2006 France - $6.99
5. Contrada Sauvignon Blanc 2008 California - $11.99
6. Castle Rock Chardonnay 2007 California - $17.99

One of my favorites was the Chateau d'Aigueville Cot-s-du-Rhone - this wine was my favorite. It scored pretty low since it was at least one persons least favorite. I normally like beefier wines, but this wine was really drinkable and jammy. (I know that Angela disagrees, but that's the fun of it) I gave this wine a 95 on my scale, this wine being my favorite. Comparing my scale to the wine scale above I would have given this wine a 90.

Overall, we had a great time and I learned a few things to help make the next tasting more accurate. I recommend doing a tasting, it's a great way to slow down and enjoy talking with friends.

We also got crazy and tried the dump bucket. It wasn't horrible. I'd score it a 60.

Amercia's Best Coffee - House Chicory blend (Kate's Kitchen)

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 22:23:00 +0000

Sorry I know this picture is horrible, just think of it as documentary style.

You never know what your going to get when you go to a place like this, coffee wise. The food is great and always has a dear place in my heart since it's Southern Style Comfort Food. Unfortunately good southern food usually doesn't mean good coffee, unless your at Maw Maw's house. After hopping on the early morning 22 down to Kate's I needed some brew to wake me up. Apartment hunting is not fun to do without a pick-me-up. The America's Best Coffee was just what I needed. I'd have to say it was a great cup. They were brewing the Special House Chicory blend. It was refreshing to taste the chicory, It made me feel old, it made me feel weathered, and most of all it made for a great conversation cup of coffee. After several cups the Oatmeal Pancakes with Bananas and Pecans arrived to seal the deal. It's always easy to have another cup with Pancakes. I was really surprised at how good this coffee was. Go to Kate's and have some coffee. Weekday mornings they have a breakfast special with coffee for $5.50

2007 Gruet Chardonnay

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:53:00 +0000

When I think of New Mexico, I think of many things; Hot Air Balloons, New Mexicans, and A&W/Long John silvers Combo Restaurants, the very last thing I think of is Wine. Suited with a pixelated label and a lowly table wine description, GRUET Chardonnay cut through the stereotype with a pretty solid wine that had a good blend of Butteryness and Crispness. This wine didn't have much of a bouquet, but tasted like it had one. It paired well with some Orecchiette and Butternut Squash pasta. It was on the 5 cent sale at BevMo. Unfortunately BevMo has been jacking up there prices for the 5 cent sale. Not Cool. Not Cool. I wouldn't buy this wine again, keep trying new wines!

Peet's on Fillmore

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 05:22:00 +0000

Peet,
I'm sorry, I know it's been awkward... But I'm glad we can be on speaking terms again. For a while it was rough, well with you brewing burnt a$$ coffee and all. But the Columbia roast did me right this morning, and actually was yumm. Mellow but stout and no bad aftertaste. If only I could of found out when the beans were roasted.... Your cashier had other things on her mind, like the economy and what shoes to wear to that hoochie club tonight. See you soon. Maybe.

Your pal,

Blue Bottle Bella Donovan

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:26:00 +0000

So before work I headed down to the nearest coffee shop that served Blue Bottle. It happened to be Boxed Foods. It's a pretty good sandwich and salad lunch place in the financial district. Right at the counter I see mini dough nuts that look very tasty (ended up not being tasty). I order a drip and so does my friend Tim. I inquire about the beans and the guy is actually knowledgeable about the beans and seems to know what he's doing. I've had some bad experiences in the past with restaurants reproducing the Dankness of the Blue Bottle. Boxed Foods being one of them, and Farmer Brown being the other. (Farmer Brown mad me sad, on my birthday, that's just not right. ) But everyone deserves a second chance. So I carefully observe his methods. When drip opened (the Blue Bottle Kiosk at my church) I went to train with the peeps that were going to be running it, so I know a thing or two about how to prepare the good stuff. He's showing some care and he's filling me in about the roasting date, which is always a good sign. At first sip I was very surprised at how good it was. The coffee was full of nutty, bold goodness, that was not burnt at all and had a mellow after taste. A very drinkable blend that drips very well. A Success!! And I made a coffee friend, double success. Boxed Foods also has a buy 4 get your 5th free punch card, which will definitely be getting some use.

2006 Ravenswood Zinfandel Amador County

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 06:55:00 +0000

"Unique New York. Unique New York. " ~ Ron Burgundy

This is a Zinfandel like I've never tried before. Not your normal Zin for sure.
I always get cracked up at people who write descriptions for wine. It could be a fun job, you just cram as many adjectives as you can into a sentence and make it either positive or negative, and you've got a wine description. "Herbacious-Honey Sweat with a Jammy on the nose finish" You get the point. This wine was described as being like a cherry cola. I have no problem with cherry cola, in fact I'd drink some over most things, but as a wine description? It had me puzzled. The crazy thing is that when I had the first pour, that's exactly what it tasted like. Maybe it was because I heard that it tasted like cherry cola, maybe because it actually tasted like cherry cola. Nonetheless It was good, and fun to drink. Another perk about this wine is that it's not that pricey coming in at about $15. I'd say drink this wine if your looking to mix it up.

Blue Bottle Bittersweet

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:46:00 +0000

I've always been skeptical about Bittersweet. Maybe it's because most of the time I go in I get a few turned up noses and a weird crowd. This time was different, I was going to pick up some beans for the week. (The Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate at this place is pretty dank though, not gonna lie.) So I walk in and the guy behind the counter is super nice and he actually knows his coffee. The only thing they had out on the counter was Giant Steps. (if you read my earlier post, not my favorite bean) So I ask if there are any other roasts, and he pulls out a bag of the bittersweet blend. I'm skeptical from the start but I explain that I'm gonna French Press and he says this would be perfect. He was right. There are several complicated and hard ways to please my wife, but an easy way is to make this Bittersweet blend every morning before work. I'm a fan as well. This is a surprisingly beefy blend. It's a blend of Guatemalan and Chiapas. I had this just about everyday this week and I would consider switching to this blend. It's very good, indeed. The beans were Roasted on March 1st. A half pound at Bittersweet will cost you $8.95.

High Point Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (bloper) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 06:38:00 +0000

I attended a really fun wedding last weekend and was on the hunt for the good coffee and wine in town, I didn't so much find any good wine.... But I did however find some good local brew in High Point Coffee. The beans were roasted longer ago than I'd have liked, but hey what can you do. They were roasted on the 18th of February, but at least they let you know. Most chains will almost never have the roasting date in view. HMMM.... I wonder why? This brew was solid, I could taste the roast and it wasn't too fruity or watered down. I asked for a mug because I liked the logo and thought it would be a good souvenir. The workers told me they were out, but then whispered over to me "How badly do you want one?" Now I wasn't just dying for one, but I thought it was really funny the way the guy treated the situation. "I've got some in the back, if you can wait a minute" I couldn't wait a minute but did find that encounter entertaining. Overall, I would say this was a solid cup of coffee, and if I was in Oxford, MS again (not sure why I would be back there..) I would go there and buy one of there mugs that they were out of when I was there.