Alessi Tea Strainer

Alessi has such a great sense of fun throughout their entire kitchenware line, and this cute little tea strainer is no exception. The Alessi Te O Tea Strainer is a hands-off tea strainer. Its design is that of a playfull little man (creature?) holding up a straining bowl; his hands do the work for you, so there is no need to burn your fingers trying to squeeze a hot tea bag. Simply drop your bag into the strainer and let it sit for a minute. I can’t really overstate the cuteness of this little guy. It would be a great gift for a tea lover, for just about any occasion.

Starbucks Ethiopia Sun-Dried Sidamo, reviewed

Starbucks’ Ethiopia Sun-Dried Sidamo Coffee is a blend that has been available for a couple of weeks now, but I hadn’t gotten around to trying until recently. It’s a limited edition blend and, like the Aged Sumatra that I tasted a few weeks back, it comes in a 12-oz bag inside a custom box bearing the Sidamo logo (some sort of tribal-looking sun/mask). I have to say that I am a bit more partial to the Sumatra’s tiger logo, though that doesn’t impact the coffee in any way.

The information that comes with this coffee basically says that the beans are produced using one of the oldest coffee-processing methods around: sun drying. Many mass-produced beans are stripped from the inside of the coffee cherry, fermented mechanically and then tried. Sun drying beans simply means that the beans are left inside the coffee cherries and the fruit-like cherry is allowed to dry out naturally, leaving a shell that can easily be removed from the bean.

The Sidamo has a medium-dark roast, much lighter than the aged Sumatra, and has a much smokier flavor, with strong cocoa notes. It is fairly light bodied and seems to have a fruity, slightly acidic finish. While it’s a nice coffee, it’s not as distinctive and rich as the Sumatra.

Coffee Linked to Lower Dementia Risk

The New York Times featured a story about a recently concluded study that linked coffee consumption to a lower dementia risk. The researchers were able to conclude that “subjects who reported drinking three to five cups of coffee daily were 65 percent less likely to have developed dementia, compared with those who drank two cups or less.” They were not able to draw significant conclusions about even higher coffee consumption because the number of participants who reported drinking 5 or more cups per day was too small.

One of the reasons that this particular study is noteworthy – aside from the results – is that it is one of the longest running studies on the subject. Swedish and Danish researchers tracked coffee consumption in a group of 1,409 middle-age men and women for an average of 21 years. The data on coffee consumption was self reported over that period of time, though the tests that accompanied that data were not.

It’s not conclusive, but the observational study is interesting and offers insight into one possibility that may help keep us alert longer.

No decaf drip after noon at Starbucks

I know a few people who prefer to drink decaf coffee in the evenings. They order decaf after dinner in restaurants and brew it at home after dinner parties. These people might be a little bit concerned to hear that Starbucks is planning to stop automatically brewing fresh decaf in the afternoons. But not to worry, decaf-drinkers. If you want decaf coffee, the baristas will brew a fresh pot for you. Your coffee will not only be decaf, it will be extra-fresh in about 4 minutes. You’ll still be able to get decaf espresso, as the shots are always pulled fresh. If the 4-minute wait for brewing is off-putting, you can always order a decaf americano.

The change – which may not be done at stores where there is an unusally high demand for decaf drip in general – is a cost- and labor-saving measure. Ordinarily, Starbucks brews fresh pots of coffee every 30 minutes. They end up throwing away lots of decaf – far more than regular drip – because it is ordered less frequently.

Valentine’s Dunk Mug

Forget flowers. What could make a better Valentine’s Day Gift than cookies and hot coffee served in a dunk mug? The mug has a little shelf built into the bottom to hold cookies (or other similarly sized treats) so that you don’t need to hang on to a separate saucer or plate while you sip. The Valentine’s Day edition is pink, while the standard dunk mug color is white.

The mug is made of smooth earthenware and the cookie compartment is large enough to hold two regular sized chocolate chip cookies. You’ll get a few more in if you choose to munch on thinner biscuits, however.