The Coffee Rabbit Hole

Someone gifted me some coffee beans from Mostra Coffee which I just finished. I looked up the coffee company just recently and learned that Mostra is located in San Diego and their coffee is not cheap.

I also learned that Mostra roasts some of the best coffee in the world according to Coffee Review. Mostra Coffee describes Coffee Review as "an online publication that reviews coffees on a 100-point scale and comments in formally written tasting reports."

Of course, I had to check it out.

Mostra has 24 reviews on Coffee Review with scores in the low to mid-nineties meaning their coffees are exceptional or better. Their coffees that rated 95 and above are considered "flawless, ... shockingly distinctive and beautiful."

By contrast, Starbucks has four reviews with only one receiving a score above 85 which makes them "fair," at best. One, Pike Place Roast, scored 78 which is considered "poor." (Pike Place Blend, apparently different, scored 84. One, Sumatra Dark, rated a 90 or "very good to outstanding."

None of my local roasters even made the list (or have not been tested by Coffee Review).

Nevertheless, down the rabbit hole I went. 

I found this article on Coffee Review: How Do Six National Specialty Coffee Brands Stack Up? (As previously mentioned, Starbucks did not do well.) As it happened, after I read this article, I found myself in a grocery store perusing the coffee aisle and what to my wondering eyes should appear but the highest rated coffee reviewed in that article: Forty-Six from Counter Culture Coffee. I was very excited to try it.

My first impression was "bright" which I would maybe describe as sour. So, I went to the Counter Culture Coffee website to see if I could learn more about the coffee I had purchased and what I was tasting. It certainly didn't taste like the coffees that I had become accustomed to and I didn't see what was so special about it.

Down, down, ....

That's where I found brewing instructions: using 18 grams of coffee, "weigh your ground espresso and adjust the dose to ensure accuracy. We recommend dosing within 0.2 grams of the target weight." 

Oh, I was deep down in the rabbit hole then.

I got out my kitchen scale and tried again. It was still sour. Or, was it bitter? 

Next, Counter Culture's website suggested adjusting the grind. So I tried it with a finer grand. Then, I tried it with a courser grind. I was getting downright scientific about it. But I kept at it and now I've found the perfect combination of grind, bean, and water to make a cup of coffee I genuinely look forward to in the morning and enjoy.

The point is I'm trying new things. I suppose there were easier ways to get there but, hey, no one said life was easy.

Neither is a good cup of coffee.

I'm opening a new spa!

✨Introducing Mimosas and Mammograms: The Spa Experience You Didn’t Know You Needed✨

Gather your besties and treat yourselves to the ultimate day of relaxation, rejuvenation, and empowerment at Mimosas and Mammograms! Kick off your experience with a refreshing mimosa and slip into a luxuriously thick terrycloth robe made from the finest cotton—available for purchase at the end of your visit as a stylish souvenir. 🍾✨

Your journey begins with a soothing shower or bath, followed by your choice of indulgent treatments: manicure, pedicure, massage, or facial (brow shaping included). With all-you-can-drink mimosas in hand, you and your squad will be pampered while soft lighting and your favorite playlist set the perfect mood. 

When it’s time for your personalized mammogram*, enjoy the unique experience of a little radiation, one by one, as you take part in this life-saving service. This is more than just a spa day—it's an opportunity to care for yourself and your health, all while having fun with friends!

Whether you’re booking an hour or an entire day, Mimosas and Mammograms is the perfect blend of relaxation and wellness. Make it a celebration you won’t forget—because taking care of yourself has never been so fabulous! 

*Note: Spa services do not require prior approval from your doctor. Complimentary deodorant, lotion, and powder will be provided post-mammogram. Some restrictions apply. Written with the aid of ChatGBT.

Button, button, who's got the button?

Went to lunch with my gal pals and wore a new pair of linen slacks. The waistband had two buttons, one on the inside and one on the outside. Apparently, the inside button is called a French bearer - something I just learned.

Anyway, I was looking sharp.

But, when I went to the restroom later, I found the inside button was missing - the French button could bear it no longer. I glanced around the floor of the bathroom but didn't see the button and wondered where I could have lost it. I had only dressed a short while earlier and drove the restaurant. Maybe when I got in or out of the car? No matter. I still had the outer button.

When I got home after lunch, again I had need to go to the bathroom. This time, as I pulled up my pants I heard the button fall out of the leg of my pants. The question was, where was it all this time? Stuck to my navel? A mystery....

The mystery now is where did I put that button now? I still have a pair of pants missing its French bearer. If I lose the remaining button, I'll not only be out of a French bearer but I myself will be bare.

Très embarrassant!

Brought to you by Christopher Kimball and your local library.

 

Delicious!

This is Umbrian-Style Chicken alla Cacciatora from Milk Street Tuesday Nights Mediterranean by Christopher Kimball. You can find it at the link from Amazon. 

I found it at my local library. 

Stars Matter

I had a dentist appointment on Monday and before I went in, I flossed my teeth. It's sort of like cleaning the house before the housecleaner arrives. But I got chastised last time. The hygienist said she picked meat out of my teeth!

It wasn't meat. It was oatmeal which is what I ate for breakfast that morning. I had brushed my teeth before going but, apparently, I didn't get it all. I could have flossed but I figured she was going to do it less than an hour later so I didn't. I didn't see the sense in torturing my gums twice in rapid succession when it wasn't, in my opinion, necessary.

This time, I brushed, flossed, and used mouthwash before heading to the dentist.

This time, I got praised for my dental hygiene. "Gold star!" they exclaimed.

Why does it still matters to me that I get a good report from my dentist?

Must be the stars.

They don't make me faster but I can wear them with flip flops.

 

Happy feet!

I've never cheered so much at an NBA game!

This was the LA Lakers versus the Philadelphia 76ers on January 28, 2025, at Wells Fargo Center which (and I had to look this up) is in Philadelphia. I was at a restaurant where the game was on TV in the bar. When I happened to glance up and saw it, I thrust my fists in the air and made a quiet cheering noise like a whisper, "Whaaah!" 

Was it for the 76ers or the Lakers? Was it for LeBron James? An amazing play?

It was for a sponsor: "Libby: the reading app."

Yay for reading! Yay for libraries!

Libby Promotes Literacy as Proud Sponsor of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Lakers Literacy Program

" This multi-year sponsorship kicks off with the 2024-25 season and marks a long-term commitment to supporting California libraries. "

"Libby" appeared to be painted on the court floor but it was a virtual ad. This allowed for a sponsor of the LA Lakers to promote its brand on national TV while the Philadelphia audience could have been seeing the ad or logo for something entirely different. 

I'm not much of a basketball fan, as you may have determined. But I am a fan of reading and I'm glad to have seen Libby being promoted on TV. 

Read more, watch less.