Android Barista

Earlier during the week, while pounding miles on the treadmill, I began to drool watching an ad of a robotic-styled brewer which makes 5 types of coffees. Although I tried hard to remember the name, it slipped off my mind even before the re-run of the same ad came on. So, I decided to remember the TV station airing it, and hoped that they are homogeneously enticing audiences online.
During the lull of the afternoon,  I searched high and low on the TBS website, but found nothing. Google also helped me not.
Oddly, 'Spam' in a dud account rescued me from the kerfuffle. In the span of the afternoon I'd got three email adverts pimping the Tassimo Brewbot.

Agog at the prospect of asking Santa of a swanky Home Brewing System by Bosch, I clicked on every link on the page...and ricked.
The overweening machine makes 7 different beverages; of these is also tea and cocoa, so that's just 5 beverages relevant to me. I'm still interested, and listening.
The video broke into a discussion of pods - coffee conveniently packaged for single servings - which in this case are referred as T-discs. Cappuccino, latte and espresso I can already make with my DeLonghi Coffee Maker, which makes a whole pot of coffee at once. So why should I trade up?
Unlike what some of the advertising implies, it doesn’t even turn into a robot and bring me my coffee. Else $129, and surplus for the pods would have been totally worth it.

Instant Bumming Out

Disclaimer: I am not a coffee snob, but I expect a well-made cup of mocha.

Leaving aside my recent chronicles of java ventures, I've never had such a bad coffee-day (akin to bad hair days). The happy dust blew off somewhere yesterday.
I had to start out early in the morning, even before the sun was up! Divergently, I reached for a pack of Instant Coffee Drink Mix. Estimating that water takes 2-3 minutes to boil was a misjudgment that produced a cupful of scorching syrup which  parched my throat and annihilated my taste buds. As the day peeped over the horizon, I purported that maybe I'd been in too much of a hurry, and made a hash out of it.

During the dash at a dealership (the party was out assaying cars), I graciously accepted the offer for a cup of joe. The snack pit stop had a flask of hot water with a carton of non-dairy creamer and cane sugar. Per contra, by the time I'd walked up the two-leveled stairs and taken my seat, the coffee had become tepid. This time I was sullen about the cold draft which had dashed in with the Highlander.
I realize that this drama is beginning to sound a lot like Goldilocks and the three bears. Regrettably, I wasn't lucky the third time too. After a hearty lunch at an Udipi restaurant (which queerly even serves delicious Chana Bhatura), suggestion was made that we skip the Filter Coffee there for a finer cuppa at the neighborhood temple. Always up for a coffee bonanza, we walked first thing into the temple's canteen. I was forlorn that the counter had the same triad as the dealership, instead of the filter coffee canister, which the friend had attested was exemplary on account that his father had two cups or so on his last visit. Crestfallen, I carefully measured all the essentials. And it turned out to be by far the worst coffee I recall of my life. It was bitter, burnt, watery; in plain words disgusting. Trying to remain civil, I pretended to sip on the cup as crowds of devotees passed by. Eventually, I poured the coffee into the restroom sink, and scoured for some drinking water to shower away the aftertaste. A bottle of water, and full-strength spearmint chewing gum relieved my taste buds. But the scar of this memory is going to keep me wary of Instant Coffee for a long, long time.

Air Burst

On boring days, like today, I like to try something commoving.
Back home in India, with no fear of fire alarms being set off, I'd burn a bunch of matchsticks and swoosh them to create eldritch patterns (captured on camera), smelt glass pieces, or simply throw in combustible material into the candle chamber, and shoot the reacting flames. As you can see, I have a great affinity for flares.

Picture Courtesy CafePress

So what has this eccentric inclination got to do with the goings-on at The Qahwa Room?
Usually, after making a pot of coffee, I wait until the next afternoon to empty out the filter chamber.But the lull at work time bucked me to unlatch the filter chamber while it was still letting steam off; just a minute after I'd switched the machine off.
Ended up with a bantam explosion of expended coffee all across the counter, and the kitchen floor. Only advantage was I have been spared the trouble of forking out caked coffee for the steeping tomorrow.

Battle of the Brews

Picture Courtesy FoodEducate.com

Coffee vs Tea: The rivalry between the world's two most popular drinks has always steeped strong. It's like asking an animal lover - whether they like pet feline or canine. Whatever be your answer, you and your adversary will end up arguing like cats and dogs.

As a java-enthusiast, whenever I have an upset stomach, I concoct a strong cup of tea, and the uneasiness passes away quickly. This antidote, espoused by my mother, works equally well in the reverse as well. If you savor a daily cuppa tea, coffee can do wonders for your unsettled stomach.

Per contra, there are several who duly enjoy tea and coffee. Markedly, my brother enjoys his Godiva Chocolate: Crème Brulée   just as much as his Old Pu-erh Tea.

Picture Courtesy Moillusions

Aberrant though is an HR-duo from my erstwhile workplace. After my job interview (where they made it plain that I was being hired), they invited me to the kitchenette. While I poured myself an ambrosial espresso, they placed two teabags in each of their cups, and proceeded to follow me suit (i.e. they filled their cups with espresso's). They must have noticed my jaw drop to the floor, because they exchanged discerning glances and  proceeded to splash in two tablespoons of sugar in each cup (mind you, these were cups, not mugs).
While tea-drinkers patron the shrubbery leaves for their health benefits, and I can vouch that nothing can energize you instantly better than a cup of strong mocha, this wicked concoction is beyond my comprehension. After working closely working with them over the next year, the palpable shock reduced over time, but I could never cave in to their badgering to try that amalgamation.