Coffee Tickle

Coffee Video Thursday #16: Lisa Nova's coffee addiction

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:47:00 +0000

This is the first time I've watched a video blog/series of Lisa Nova and I must say that I enjoyed this one and I'm looking forward to watching more videos in youtube page. While looking for some coffee videos, I was intrigued with the number of views (700,000) that she has for this video so I watched it. It didn't disappoint..so you better watch it too.

In this video, Lisa Nova gets addicted to coffee because her neighbour offered her some. That was her first time to try coffee and she got addicted and she started having lots of energy, of course, in an exaggerated way. There must be something in that coffee that made her really addicted in just one day and had her begging for more. Funny video everyone!

Coffee Mug Tuesday: Show Off Your Coffee Mugs (17th Mug)

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:12:00 +0000

Stuck in your office cubicle or in a boring whole day meeting? Suddenly your ever friendly co-worker offers you some coffee since he/she will be getting some too. Great huh? As if this will happen in most cases! Just for the sake of explaining this mug, let's say this really happens and you just don't want him/her to mess up your coffee/tea. What do you do? Good thing you have this "Selector Mug."

So what will it be? Coffee, Tea, Latte? Milk, Black, Ginger? Just adjust and slide the three "selector bands" of the mug and you can have your drink "made to order." The bottom band lets you choose your level of sugar – from 0 to 3 sugars.

Product Specification

Each Selector Mug is made from ceramic and features three removable stainless steel sliding "selector" bands.

The selector bands allow you to select:1. drink type (tea, coffee, hot chocolate, herb tea, latte),2. additives (milk, no milk, lemon, cream); and3. amount of sugar (0, 1, 2, 3).

Is Starbucks really green?

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 08:07:00 +0000

Starbucks was recently discovered the Sun to have been wasting millions of litres of water everyday. The giant coffee chain has a policy of keeping a tap running non-stop in all of its 10,000 outlets worldwide, which wastes approximately 23.4 MILLION litres a day.

According to The Sun: "That would provide enough daily water for the entire two million-strong population of drought-hit Namibia in Africa or fill an Olympic pool every 83 minutes."

The non-stop water goes to what they call a "dipper well" where they leave their utensils to be rinsed using the non-stop flow of water. The flow may not be strong but to leave it running all day long would have the same negative effect on our environment.

Starbucks' claim was this is being done for hygiene reasons. I, personally, don't get why they have to leave it running the whole day when they can just use a similar concept then just rinse the utensils when they have to. It's not like the baristas put the spoons in their mouth and taste every single drink before they serve it. If that's the case then the practice should be that the utensils be washed with soap everytime. But no! All the utensils used are mostly for coffee and their other drinks that are still coffee or milk based and are just used to mix (unless there is something we don't know). This means that cleaning can be done by using a simple faucet that flows like what they use now (to save water) can be used to clean the utensils. It may or may not work, but it should help. What do you think?

Here's a video coverage by the Sun:

Coffee Video Thursday #17: Star Trek for Colombian Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 02:01:00 +0000

I must admit I was never a Star Trek fan that's why I never knew that they were endorsing Colombian coffee. It's just funny how their captain, Sulu, just had to get his coffee since there were no more coffee left in the ship after the last cup broke because of the turbulence. They had to go back home which was light years away just to get coffee. Needing his coffee, Sulu couldn't wait any longer and when he was told that they should fly apart, then he said:

FLY APART THEN!!!

LOL! What a funny line! I just love these kinds of commercials. Hope I could find more like this especially related to coffee. Until our next Coffee Video Thursday...

Coffee Mug Tuesday: Show Off Your Coffee Mugs (16th Mug)

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 02:16:00 +0000

Looking for some Google tips and tricks right at your fingertips? Then consider having this Google Guide Coffee Mug. This is a cool mug by Nancy and Tasha where you can print the PDF file and have it printed on your plain coffee mug or just cut it out and paste it. The top set of queries includes examples of Google operators and the lower set illustrates shortcuts to specialized information.

The guide shows you what to type or query about and it will give you what Google will respond with or show. For example, if you type "brew, coffee~tips" then the words brew, coffee & both tips & its synonyms will come out. I really haven't mastered how you can maximize or search the exact things that you are looking for in google but this is a great start.

Hope you enjoy the mug and become better in searching things at google. For more tips and tricks please visit their site.

"Google Guide is an online interactive tutorial and reference for experienced users, novices, and everyone in between. I developed Google Guide because I wanted more information about Google's capabilties, features, and services than I found on Google's website." --Nancy Blachman

Carcinogenic Coffee Beans Sold in Korea

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:29:00 +0000

After the melamine scare in milk in China, a fungus that has cancer causing toxins was found in the coffee sold in Korea.

According donga.com, "Reviewing a report on toxic fungi in coffee products submitted by the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA), ruling Grand National Party lawmaker Lim Doo-sung of the parliamentary health and welfare committee said ochratoxin was found in seven products out of 210 coffee bean products sold here from March to August." [Read the full story]

Coffee Video Thursday#16: Laser Coffee Video

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 03:23:00 +0000

Here's a video I saw in Youtube where two guys heat their instant coffee with their big laser machine, which I think is really cool to watch. To actually try it? I might be a little hesitant on that but if we are heating our food in a microwave then heating coffee or tea using that laser is I guess okay.

I am not that knowledgeable when it comes to laser (anyone who knows more about this please share with us thanks) and technology but this looks like something that we will see more in the future and maybe in our coffee makers(the laser coffee age or something) and other household appliances.

And one more thing, for the fun of it I counted how many minutes it took to heat the coffee and it took around 19-20 seconds per cup. I was expecting it to be shorter but through more research they could make this thing smaller and faster. We will just have to wait and see..

Coffee Mug Tuesday: Shoow Off Your Coffee Mugs (15th Coffee Mug)

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:55:00 +0000

Obama Mugs

McCain Mugs

With the presidential election just around the corner, we just had to include some Political coffee mugs for both sides for this weeks' Coffee Mug Tuesday. Here are other sites that carry coffee mugs for both presidential candidates:

Obama
www.zazzle.com
www.barackobamaismyhomeboy.com
www.obamagood.com

McCain
www.zazzle.com
http://www.mccainstore.com/02-3000.htm
www.victorystore00.stores.yahoo.net

Vote wisely everyone! Have a great week ahead.

7-Eleven holds own presidential election through coffee cups

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:22:00 +0000

7-Eleven recently launched its 7-Election where coffee drinkers pick a red for McCain or a blue for Obama disposable cup based on their presidential candidate of choice. The store keeps tab at the counter and have been doing so every election. So far their results have somehow been accurate in predicting who will win the election.

In the 2000 7-election, George W. Bush outsold Al Gore's cup by just 1 percentage point.

Feeling not that supportive with the whole election?

According to NBC5, "Non-partisan coffee drinkers and undecided voters can still get their coffee in a regular cup." I am sure most people would want to show their support for their presidential candidate. So go ahead and go to your nearest 7-eleven and grab your blue or red while the coffee cup election is still "hot."

Coffee Video Thursday #15: A Coffee Prank for the Office

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 03:09:00 +0000

Coffee Prank for the Office - Watch more free videos

Watch this video where this guy teaches you how to do a coffee prank in your office. This is such a great idea for those who feel like creating some mess in your co-workers' desk. Hmm...I am not really encouraging you but have fun!:) haha

Thanks to September's Top EC Droppers

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:26:00 +0000

September has been a busy month for me and I haven't really dropped that much ECs compared with other months but I am thankful to everyone who has been visiting my blog and dropping their EC.

Here are the top droppers for this month:

Turnip of Power
Technically Easy
Tasty Thoughts
Wisdom Hypnosis
New Orleans Food
Austin Counsel
Lofty Matters
Meta Opinion
Unpredictable Life
She Lives

Coffee Mug Tuesday: Show off Your Coffee Mugs (14th Mug)

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 03:38:00 +0000

Here is a mug that I was able to claim after I completed my Coffee Hop card in Bonifacio Highstreet (one of the more popular places to go to in Manila). The objective was to buy 8 coffee drinks in at least 4 out of the 8 participating coffee places there. They had Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Seattle's Best, Krispy Kreme, Gloria Jeans and local coffee houses but great ones too - Figaro Coffee, Bo's Coffee, Kape Isla.

The mug that I got isn't just your ordinary giveaway mug because the design of the mug is actually a painting of BenCab, the Philippines' national artist. It's called "Conversations" and is an acrylic on canvas painted in 2008. This is just a great project done by the Bonifacio Highstreet and all the participating coffee shops.

Was it worth it?

Of course! Not only am I a coffee lover but your prize for buying, even if it means you spend P1000/@20, is really worth it. It is such a beautiful mug that I am thinking of not even using it for my coffee but just treating it like a painting. I know it's wishful thinking but somehow I can't stop thinking that it might also appreciate. Who knows? This is BenCab's work and is somehow a collector's item..

Coffee in Canada might contain Melamine

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 07:26:00 +0000

After news in recent weeks regarding the tainted milk crisis in China that killed dozens of infants and sicked thousands of young kids, there have been news that it might have reached Canada through different instant coffee products.

According to citynews.ca, here are the product codes that may contain melamine:

Product: Instant Coffee 3 in 1 Mandheling Blend Coffee
UPC: 4 710085 122523

Product: Instant Coffee 3 in 1 Blue Mountain Blend Coffee
UPC: 4 710085 200597

Product: Instant Coffee 3 in 1 Arabica Coffee
UPC: 4 710085 122509

Other products that are being voluntarily pulled out by King Car Food Industrial Ltd. Taiwan are as follows:

King Car Food Industrial Co. Ltd., Taiwan, is recalling additional Mr Brown products:

Mr. Brown Caramel Macchiato Instant Coffee (3-in-1)

Mr. Brown French Vanilla Instant Coffee (3-in-1)

Mr Brown Mandheling Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1)

Mr. Brown Milk Tea (3-in-1)

Coffee Video Thursday #14: Interactive LED Coffee Table

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:39:00 +0000

This is a really cool table I found while searching through youtube. Why? Because it is an interactive LED coffee table. Great work by the people of becausewecan.org, a design studio in Oakland, California.

In this video see how the coffee table's lights react to hand movements. Isn't it cool? I wonder how much this coffee table is because I want one! Or I'd rather not know because the price because this has got to be one expensive coffee table.

How about you? Would you bid on this item if it were up for auction and what is the highest price you're willing to pay?

Is Ashley Tisdale really addicted?

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:17:00 +0000

It looks like Ashley Tisdale is really addicted to coffee as she makes her daily stop at a local Coffee Bean and Tea Lead in Los Angeles before going to the studio. Here are some of her pictures:

I wonder what she orders everyday but it is no wonder that Ashley Tisdale is a coffee addict. If the coffee helps her rise in her career for whatever reason then good for her. Wish her all the best in her career and keep enjoying the coffee from Coffee Bean..great choice (one of my favorites!)

So on to my next person/celebrity who is also addicted to coffee...

Source: www.posh24.com

Coffee Mug Tuesday: Show off Your Coffee Mugs (13th Mug)

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:57:00 +0000

As some of you know I went to Thailand last week and of course I couldn't forget bringing some coffee mugs from there. Due to budget constraints and weight limit I was only able to buy 2 mugs but both of them are nice and I am excited to show them to you. Tell me what you think all right?

I had to get this when I saw this..a Starbucks Bangkok Mug! Nice! After this one, I plan to collect this kind of Starbucks mug wherever I go.

And here's my favorite..

It just look like a plain looking mug..nice color though..

But look at what you'll see inside...a Shark! It was the only one left that time and it was only 29 Bhat (less than 1 dollar) not bad for a design like that huh?

So there are the two coffee mugs that I bought in Thailand. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Starbucks stops using tainted milk in China

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:17:00 +0000

According to Bloomberg.com, Starbucks and its 300 plus cafes in China have stopped using milk by Mengniu Dairy CO. Mengniu, together with the other top milk producers in China, Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co. and Bright Dairy & Food Co., were part of the scandal where China found the toxic chemical melamine in the liquid milk and yogurt products they produce.

"Though we believe based on assurances from the supplier that the milk we received from Mengniu is not included in the contaminated lot, due to the serious nature of this warning, Starbucks has voluntarily pulled all Mengniu milk offerings until further notice," Starbucks said.

Melamine, used to make plastic and tan leather, is now being linked to the kidney failures in babies and leading to at least four deaths. Melamine, which is high in nitrogen, can be used to mask diluted milk because it makes protein levels appear higher than they really are, allowing producers to cut costs by watering down their products. [Read the full article]

Having stayed in China for a year back in 2006 and drinking milk almost everyday, I find it disturbing to know that my system must have been affected somehow by melamine. I seem okay and not affected by it but I think I'd like to have my system checked just to be sure. It's a little weird how they have the brand YiLi here in the Philippines and I was looking at it at the supermarket and I told the lady beside me that this is really good and she should get it since it's on sale. I wonder if as early as 2 weeks ago they already knew something was wrong with their milk. The expiration date is January 2009 so it couldn't be that hmm...

It's just crazy how their FDA didn't have much stricter standards when it comes to their milk, which is a $19 billion industry, and possibly even other food or drinks.

I wonder how Starbucks' sales have been the past few day and what alternatives they've been using for milk in their coffee. Soy maybe? If I were still staying in China and this happens to me, I'd be drinking my coffee black, which is something I rarely do. I haven't tried using soy as an alternative or I could be happy with using creamers that are imported just as long as I know it's safe.

This comes at a very bad time especially after China spent a lot during the Olympics where they were trying to tell the world that "We are now open, come visit us!" Only time will tell whether they can bounce back from this and still continue their image that started in the Olympics.

Photo by: SMCP

Thailand Trip: Not just a Coffee Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 03:26:00 +0000

First, I'd like to say that I enjoyed my Thailand trip because of the people, the places, the food and of the coffee. The people there were , yeah (that's what they always say), very friendly and always smiling. Just tell them something, and since a lot still can't understand english, they'd just smile.

As for their food, I can't say enough since they just have a wide variety of choices and everything was tasty. They had all sorts of curry, pandan chicken, tom yum soup, lots of seafood with curry also and more! I didn't have any problem with their food except that, because of how spicy it was, I had to eat more.

Bangkok is a really nice place and the three days I spent there isn't enough to cover the whole city. This is a place where I recommend you visiting. According to our tour guide, Bangkok is a great place to spend your New Year because you could take the river cruise and see all the 5 star hotels let out their fireworks all at the same time.

When it came to their coffee...

I was amazed at how they coffee all over! Going there, I didn't know that Thailand people were that addicted to coffee since they had lots of different coffee shops along the streets, in the weekend market, in the malls, and even inside the Elephant Park. Or maybe I'm just exaggerating it because I was overwhelmed at the whole city? Exaggerated or not hope you like the pictures I took..

Coffee along the streets where I tasted one of the creamiest lattes ever. I'm a milk type of guy whether it be ice cream or what..I just like it. So I asked the tour guide what he told the barista and all he said was "Cappuccino Latte" Okay..

Here at the weekend market (Chatuchak Market) drinking coffee on a very hot day. Honestly, I didn't enjoy my coffee since my tongue was a little burnt because of the food that I ate before drinking coffee..

So this is the highlight of my trip..drinking coffee with an elephant beside me. LOL

My last coffee before boarding the plane. Unfortunately, I bought this last minute and I forgot you couldn't bring liquid past the x-ray machines/check point so I had to finish this in a hurry. I liked the taste of this, Black Canyon Coffee Frappe since it wasn't too sweet and you could still taste the coffee. The only thing is that their ice wasn't crushed well enough that I had to use my teeth to help crush it. But I love their logo and font, what do you think?

So that sums up my trip to Thailand. I just realized that it's just sad that I wasn't able to concentrate more on coffee there because of the tight schedule. Anyway, it was still a fun trip and I should tell you that this was the reason why Coffee Tickle was inactive for a few days. Well, we're back and it's time for more coffee fun..Tickle Away to a great day everyone!

Coffee Tickle Scores!

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:00:00 +0000

Coffee Tickle got reviewed by mindrec.org I'm really happy with the review that we got and it just made my day..:) Thanks!

Here's an excerpt from the review:

Coffee cufflinks? Yes. And: Coffee videos (my favorite), coffee drinking celebs, coffee cups, coffee recipes, coffee gadgets, and coffee stories.

Still I don’t view this site as a site about coffee. Sure, the focus is coffee. But by using coffee as a canvas, the site paints a much broader picture.

To read the complete review, click this

Once again, thanks so much and tickle away to a great day!

Coffee Video Thursday #13: The Carrot, The Egg and the Coffee Bean

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 05:53:00 +0000

Coffee - Motivation

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: coffee motivation)

Felt like sharing some food for thought for everyone in this video: "The Carrot, The Egg and the Coffee Bean." I won't share what's in the video since I'd like you to watch it and learn from it, hoping that we could all apply this to our lives.

In the end, I hope everyone becomes the coffee bean...the hotter the water, the better!

Tell me what you think of this video..Have a great day!

Coffee Video Thursday #12: Diana Taurasi for Eight O'Clock Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 03:49:00 +0000

Here's and ad by Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury for Eight O'Clock Coffee. I am a big Phoenix Suns/Mercury fan so before watching this I knew that I was going to lean on saying that this will be a great ad. But after watching it a couple of times, I can say that it is really a clever and funny ad. It gets the message across. Unfortunately, I am not like that. I am sharper and more active after drinking coffee but it's hard for me to make a basket.

Coffee Mug Tuesday: Show Off Your Coffee Mugs (12th Mug)

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:30:00 +0000

This is the Marimekko Unikko Coffee Mugs which has the signature Unikko Flower Pattern. It is such a nice set to have for your whole family as each can be assigned one color and some extra mugs for your guests. The design makes this a fun coffee mug to have. Even if its design is a flower, I don't mind having one like this...not at all. I think that the design really catches one's attention in a very good way and something that you can be proud of while drinking your coffee or tea.

This is one mug that can make your day a great day. What's great about this mug is that it is only $10.00 each, great price huh?

Other things to know about the mug:

Porcelain
Measures: 3-1/2" tall (9 cm)
Holds: 10 oz (29.5 cl)
Dishwasher safe

Coffee Cufflinks...Just nice!

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:51:00 +0000

Check out these coffee cufflinks (Vintage Coffee Cufflinks and Greek Coffee Cufflinks) and have a more confident(we hope so) day. With a nice shirt, your coffee cufflinks and a cup or two of coffee then you're all set to go. People will notice you more and hopefully your boss gives you a promotion. OK...stop with the sales talk..

Anyway...

I've never been a cufflinks type of person since I only have a pair but obviously I am a coffee person. When I saw these cufflinks, I just wanted to get them and show it to everyone. The only problem is that I seldom wear a dress shirt unless, I'd literally use it as a decorative in my room. But coffee cufflinks with a nice dress shirt is just a nice combination to have.

Celebs on the run with their...Coffee!

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:52:00 +0000

Here are some of the celebrities who also need their coffee fix. Enjoy the pictures and crave for their...coffee(it's a coffee blog, what do you expect?:) ). Have a great week ahead everybody!

Hillary Duff with a cute smile last July 25. Thanks to Goffredo dei Crollalanza

Starbucks for Hayden and her dad taken last Jan. 8. Thanks to BAUER-GRIFFIN.COM

Holmes taking a break from her rehearsals for the Broadway, All My Sons. Taken August 8. Thanks to James Devaney/WireImage.com

Nicole Richie enjoying her coffee last August 13. Thanks to Fame Pictures

Ashlee Tisdale just after buying coffee from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf last August 18. Thanks to Fame Pictures

See more celebs on the coffee run at usmagazine.com.

Coffee Video Thursday #11: Riva Coffee Video Commercial (Trolleys)

noreply@blogger.com (Ed) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:16:00 +0000

Hope you also enjoy this Riva Viva Coffee Advertisement. I'd love to be in this commercial pushing carts but I wouldn't want to be the person standing inside the carts as I've got some problems with my balance. This is just a commercial that really makes you watch and wait and see what will happen. I just think how they presented the coffee logo was just really funny...not much video editing here unless there was in the part where the people stood inside the trolley. If that's the case then I don't mind standing inside..