Hi Folks, thanks for the emails regarding the last rant :-)

Automatic Lid! Underneath the creamer lid is a heavy ball bearing attached to a short pole. The purpose of this is so that when you tilt the creamer to pour, the lid automatically flips open. The fit and finish of all the components is first rate.

Okay, this time around, I promise to be a lot more civil. I guess first off is the extremely cool gift that Jeanette gave me for our "first date" anniversary, which is also Valentine's Day. She bought me what is probably the coolest coffee server set you will ever see. It's pictured above.

This set is made by Royal Copenhagen, and is part of a line called "Complet". It includes a tray with very stable rubber feet, a sugar bowl with spoon, a very ingenious creamer, and a first for me at least - a sugar substitute dispenser. I fear to know how much she spent on this - just the sugar bowl alone, without the tray or
other is selling for $50 US dollars at the one place online I found that sold any of these items.

The entire unit is very well crafted. The lids fit perfectly, all the external parts are mirror polished stainless steel or a slightly gritty plastic-like product (but it is not plastic, probably some hybrid). Attention to small details is evident, perfectly sized cutouts in the base for each component that sits on the tray, and a mirror finish steel bottom inside the cutouts. The unit is compact, a really good weight, and like I said above, is just about the coolest "sugar / creamer" set I've ever seen. It easily surpasses the previous "coolest set" in my roster - the 1930s vintage Sunbeam chrome sugar and creamer set.

The Full Set Includes the sugar bowl and very cool euro-styled spoon, the tall creamer, and the medium height sweetner tablet dispenser. Click to enlarge

I especially like the inclusion of a diet sweetner container. The one that comes with this set is a metal tube with a feeder cone in the bottom and a small hole, and a fitted internal cap that sits on top of Equal pills and moves lower as your supply gets lower. A couple of shakes of this tube and out pops one tablet, every time. Neat!

Anyway, sorry to bore you with this, its just that when I get some ultra-cool coffee related device, I like it. When Jeanette buys me one, I love it!

In Other News
I made up what is probably the rarest blend on the planet the other day: Jamaican Blue Mountain (Wallenford Estate), SmithFarms Peaberry Kona and Kopi Luwak. Yes, Kopi is the beans produced by Civet Cats eating coffee cherries and pooping out the remains - a lightly digested bean.

Anyhoo, I roasted up 83 grams of the JBM, 83 grams of the Kona, and 60 grams (in a FreshRoast) of the Kopi - I'm running VERY low on the Kopi, and can't afford to buy more (current pricing is about $130 per green pound). I let it rest for a full day, and had my first vac pot sampling of it last night. Well. It was good. Just not as good as I thought it could have been. There were woodsy overtones that didn't sit well on my palate. There was a bit of a burnt overtone, even though I only took the JBM to Light French (some surface oil) and roasted the other two to Full City Plus. The cup was okay, and our guest today raved about the cup of press coffee she had from it, but I've had better. Espresso is another matter.

This morning, I had the blend in my espresso shots, and the results were a bit better. Not the best blend in espresso, but it tasted better to my palate than the filter version did. The woodsy undertones were much muted, and a more carmelized flavour came through. The poor Kona tried its best to come through but in espresso, and in a blend, it is an uphill fight. Overall, I much preferred this blend in the espresso machine.

Speaking of Kona and JBM. I have two samples of JBM in the house right now, and two Kona types, both from SmithFarms. I'll be reviewing all the beans the next two rants, but let me just say this now. The JBM is good, but IMO, neither can justify the prices they command. The Kona on the other hand? I've only tried one home roasted Kona supply - from Smithfarms, and let me tell you, I have never, ever had a better cuppa from the vac pot or other drip methods. Same goes with press pot. Smithfarms Kona is the epitome of how good coffee can taste. And the prices are cheap because you buy direct from the farmers, Cea and Bob Smith. Even at double the price, this Kona is justified and totally worth the money.

I wrote this in the last rant, and I have to write it again, since I've received no responses: I've been trying, without any success whatsoever, to contact Tognana. They are an Italian porcelain cup maker and I want to order of 2000 cups and saucers with the CoffeeKid / CoffeeGeek logos on them. So far, they completely ignore any emails or requests for info and pricing. I'd give up, except they have what I consider the absolute perfect espresso cup, and I want it. Anyone ever have any luck contacting or dealing with this company? I know Schomer has bought from them - his anniversary cups are made by Tognana.

Till next time, thanks for stopping by!