America’s First Cannabis Coffee Shop
Is this America or The Netherlands? I really am talking about the United States, and yes, the first ever cannabis coffee shop has opened in this country. Believe it or not, it has happened. Located in Portland, Oregon, Cannabis Café is the first and only legal marijuana coffee shop in the country. It opened earlier this week.
You might be wondering how this could have happened. Well, the Obama administration has left it up to each state to determine how they will deal with the use of marijuana. Apparently, the state government of Oregon is okay with this.
Those who are iffy about the issue should know that going to the Cannabis Café is not as easy as going to your run-of-the-mill coffee shop. In fact, only people who are enrolled in the state’s Medical Marijuana Program may go to the shop. Furthermore, only Oregon residents are allowed to join this program. Individuals who are suffering from illnesses such as cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer’s, and glaucoma are qualified to join the program, and they have to pay a $100 fee PLUS a certificate from a doctor.
The requirements do not stop there. In addition to the above requirement, patients must also join National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) – the Oregon chapter, naturally. The fee is $240 yearly. In order to enter the Cannabis Café, you would have to have two ID cards from the two organizations mentioned above.
So where does the coffee come in? It’s always available at the shop, for those who want it!
Thanksgiving Coffee Drinks With A KICK!
Coffee is always good, no matter what time of the day it is. For Thanksgiving, I am sure that you will be chugging down a lot of coffee, but why not add a little extra kick to your regular drink? After all, it’s a time to just kick back and relax with those who matter the most to you.
I looked around the Internet and found some of the most interesting coffee-alcohol mixes that promise to spice up your Thanksgiving celebrations. Here are my top picks (courtesy of The Examiner).
I don’t know if it’s still considered All Canadian, but I might try Jack Daniels or Jim Beam instead. What do you think?
Here’s another one, and it looks a little classier:
I think the beans got me. Would you try these drinks this Thanksgiving?
Free Coffee At Coffee Bean
Hold on – before you get too excited, this piece of news is only for a small population of our readers. I ran across this bit of information – the good news is that today, November 12, participating Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf stores in three states will be offering free drinks.
Dubbed The Holiday Open House, some Coffee Bean stores will be serving 12 oz holiday drinks from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Drinks on the roster are Peppermint Latte (or Ice Blended), Pumpkin Latte (or Ice Blended), and Winter Dream Latte. Naturally, only one drink per customer is allowed.
The stores that will be participating are those located in California, Arizona, and Texas. Unfortunately, those stores located in school campuses are not part of the promotion. (I wonder why?;))
I am pretty sure that a lot of people will be grabbing this chance to get a free drink. Never mind that it’s just a 12 oz drink and that you can only have one – that’s several dollars you can save! More so, this is the perfect opportunity for those who may want to simply try the holiday drinks and are not sure if they want to spend that money on something they may not like.
I wish that Coffee Bean would do the same for other stores in other parts of the country – and the world for that matter. Now I am pretty sure that Starbucks will follow suit, one way or another. Wanna bet?
Krups XP4050 Pump Espresso Machine Review
One of my latest retail therapy purchases was this baby, a Krups XP4050 pump espress machine. At first it was a toss up between the 2010 combination coffee + espresso maker because it seemed more pragmatic in features and price (it was cheaper by about USD $30) but the espresso nut in me opted for a fully automatic and dedicated espresso maker.
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Link Mugs For The Coffeeholic Family
I will be the first to say that we are certified coffeholics – my family, that is. I still remember wanting to try my first cup of coffee as a little child, simply because that was all I saw my dad drink. He would have coffee in the morning, coffee after lunch, and coffee after dinner! I was not allowed to have coffee because of my age by I would sneak a cup or two every now and then when I was alone at the house.
Having said that, let me introduce you to this newfound discovery of mine – Link Mugs. They are perfect for the family that drinks coffee together. They’re just like any other mugs. In fact, they do not look very unique or pretty at all (you know me, I have an affinity for coffee mugs). However, they do have a distinctive feature, which you can guess from the name itself: the mugs can be linked together, allowing you to carry three mugs at the same time without endangering yourself (hot coffee!).
I found these mugs at Mocha, and they are designed by Jonathan Aspinall. How do they link together? There is a protrusion on each mug, as well as a sort of socket – put them together and they “stick” to one another. The idea is quite simple, and you can be free from burnt fingers and spilled coffee forever!
Link Mugs are for sale at Mocha for ₤32.50 per set. I think it’s the perfect gift idea for coffee lovers this Christmas, don’t you think?
Starbucks Wants Your Loyalty
I bet that you have a Starbucks loyalty card – practically everyone I know has one! If you have not heard by now, the coffee giant is making a few changes to its loyalty program. This December, we are supposed to experience some changes, the most noticeable of all will be the melding of the two programs (Starbucks Cards Rewards and Starbucks Gold Card) into one: My Starbucks Rewards.
At this point, you ought to realize that I am talking about the U.S. market here as I think they have different programs in other parts of the world. Anyhow, what will happen with the new rewards program?
One good thing is that there is no annual fee to become part of the program. This is GOOD – who appreciates annual fees anyway? The program also categorizes customers into different levels. Upon getting the card and registering, you will automatically be placed at the Welcome Level. At this level, you get a free birthday drink. When you’ve visited 5 times, you will be promoted to the Green Level. Perks include free brewed coffee refills (YES!), free syrup, and free soy. Additionally, when you buy a pound of whole beans, you get a free tall drink of your choice. You can also get up to 2 free Wi-Fi hours at this level.
You can also aim for gold – just visit Starbucks 30 times in one year (I bet you can do this in a month!). All the abovementioned benefits are included plus a free drink after each 15th purchase.
Looks good to me, although I have to say that I always get a free cup of brewed coffee at Coffee Bean when I buy half a pound of whole beans – and I am not a cardholder at that!
Handpresso: Portable Espresso in Dire Situations
There are many cheap luxuries which my dive buddies can bring aboard our little dive boat, and one of these is the Handpresso, a portable, pump action espresso maker. We had two of these on board our boat. There’s nothing like a shot of espresso (or a latte) right after a dive.
Surfacing from the ocean leaves you discombobulated and dizzy from the waves to the point that water may not be enough to help you get your bearings back. However, a shot of espresso can do the trick. Above is a video of some of my dive buddies using pods for the Handpresso. All you need is hot water, pump it up to 10 bar and extract the pod into your cup. By George, it even produces crema!
There are many versions of the Handpresso — the most popular would be the pod version for the sake of portability. But the Handpresso Wild Domepod is also a winner for ground beans.
What a perfect Christmas gift for traveling caffeine lovers! The whole set will cost you about 169,00 €. Not bad!
