Tea Leaves

Small Favors

Winter in Pittsburgh can be a cold and cruel time. The weather turns gray, with a chilly wind and the occasional slushy rain. It has been this way this week in Pittsburgh, but I haven't let it beat me down because I have made two small but uplifting discoveries.

At work, we have this superautomatic espresso machine. You pour beans and water in one end, and shots of black espresso come out the other. The problem is that the shots are too small and the espresso is not that good. I'm tired of it.

I have also been searching for a solution to the problem of making coffee for groups at home. Normally, I use a single cup filter scheme or a Moka Pot, but neither of these work for 3 or more people. Then, last week in the strip I spied a dusty box sitting on top of one of the shelves. It was an 8 cup carafe and a really huge version of the single cup filter that I have used for years. Perfect!

One problem remained. The thin glass carafe does not keep the coffee hot.

To the web I went, listing insulated containers of all shapes and sizes. The carafe-shaped ones cost ludicrous amounts of money. The thermos shaped ones were not that much cheaper. I stared at amazon.com a crushed and defeated man.

Then, the other day, I was at the Target buying Gears of War, and I saw what I wanted on the shelf. A two-layer stainless steel vacuum insulated bottle. Big enough to hold coffee for 4 and keep it hot for a nearly arbitary amount of time. As a bonus, it was much cheaper than any of the failed products at Amazon. Yay for Target.

The bottle has also solved my coffee-at-work problem. I can make a whole bottle full at home in the morning and bring it to work for the whole day. Since drinking a whole liter of coffee every day would kill me, I can also share it with my co-workers and gain their esteem as a man of culture and taste. "What is this excellent coffee" they will ask me, my ego inflating the whole time.

As a bonus, against all expectations, Gears of War turns out to not suck. It only took a year, but finally the Xbox 360 has a core shooting game to call its own which is not some piece of shit from Ubisoft.

So, as winter approaches and the cold rain falls outside, all I can say to the world is: thanks for small favors.