Bentwood Coffee Cuff

The Bentwood Coffee Cuff is a unique, multi-purpose piece of design. It’s a pretty chic looking cuff-style bracelet that doubles as an insulating sleeve for a standard to-go coffee cup (i.e. a Starbucks or similar disposable cup). The cuff is made out of a single piece of wood – your choice of ebony, bird’s eye maple, black walnut or benge – and each piece is hand-shaped by curling it around a real coffee cup to ensure a good fit. It is eco-friendly in two ways. First, the wood used is reclaimed architectural veneer that otherwise might have been scrapped. Second, using a reusable sleeve for your coffee cup cuts down on the waste of using disposable sleeves in addition to disposable cups.

[thanks, margot!]

DrinKlip Cup Holder

My desk doesn’t have a cupholder and, up until seeing this DrinKlip Cup Holder, I never really thought that it needed one. The clip is a giant version of one you might use to seal a bag of chips. It clamps down on the open edge of a desk, providing you with a convenient place to set your cup of coffee. The reason that I think this might be such a good idea at a desk is that it pretty much eliminates the possibility of spilling coffee (or any other drink) onto your computer or work-related papers.

The clip’s cupholder is sturdy and fairly deep, so the cup would really need to be shoved hard to loosen it. Additionally, the clip holds your cup out and away from the desk, so if it does spill it will be on the floor. Overall, it’s a nice, practical design and will probably serve you better than a regular coaster if you’re prone to accidentally knocking into mugs and bottles from time to time.

via Cnet

Island Exotics Jamaican Blue Mountain Blend, reviewed

Jamaican Blue Mountain is some of the most expensive coffee in the world – and some of the best, according to most tasters. It’s not all that common, but when you do come across it, it’s likely to be in a blend (unless you’re willing to pay a very premium price). The blends can be great, and they can also be a great deal. I picked up this bag of Island Exotics Jamaican Blue Mountain Blend at Cost Plus World Market on sale.

This coffee states that it has a medium roast, and I found that I needed to use a little extra coffee when brewing to intensify the flavors. It has definite cocoa notes, and a hint of sweetness to it that provides a fairly balance overall flavor. There is a hint of bitterness in the aftertaste, but it comes along with a slight smokiness that tempers it and gives the coffee a relatively clean finish.

I’m sure that it’s not going to stand up to a full Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, but it’s a pretty nice everyday blend to drink in the morning.

Instant Coffee from Starbucks?

If you want your coffee cheaper and quicker than your local Starbucks barista can pour it, keep your eyes peeled for a new offering from the coffee chain. Starbucks is planning to launch an instant version of its coffee in the not-too-distant future. The instant coffee – which Starbucks reps say replicates the taste of its fresh-brewed drip – has been in development for 20 years and is being produced by a company called Via. Reportedly, the instant coffee will sell at its cafes for $2.95 for a pack of three, and $9.95 for a pack of 12.

This might not be the best time for Starbucks to release another supermarket type of coffee, since their preground coffees did not fare well in a recent Consumer Reports taste test. That said, instant coffees (like Nescafe) are very strong internationally, so it’s entirely possible that even if the product isn’t a big success in the US, it could still be a success for the company in general.

There’s no release date scheduled for the instant coffee, but CEO Howard Schultz has said that the product will get a significant marketing push when the time comes.

Trader Joe’s Peaberry Coffee from El Salvador, reviewed

Trader Joe’s latest limited edition coffee is Peaberry Coffee from El Salvador. The color of the can jumped right off the shelf to me. There’s nothing wrong with using that as a reason to choose a particular flavor of coffee – especially at Trader Joe’s, where many of the coffee cans come with bright, bold prints.

The peaberries are small and have a medium roast. The coffee is medium bodied all the way around, including a not-too-acidic finish with a hint of smokiness at the very end. It has a slightly fruity, woodsy flavor and actually tastes sweet when you drink it black.