Balance
July 9, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
Who? Heather John, Lifework contributor, blogger at The Foodinista and columnist for Bon Appetit
Where? Los Angeles, California
How do you take your coffee? What brand is it? Black with a splash of milk (Vitamin D milk, specifically Clover Stornetta; I grew up in the Bay Area so get very nostalgic for this dairy). Every few weeks I place an order for a couple pounds of beans from Ristretto Roasters in Portland, Oregon. All the roasts are medium, which makes for the most flavorful coffee. The Nicaragua Mancotal Free-Trade Organic I’m drinking right now tastes like chocolate with caramel and nutty aromas. Breakfast of champions!
Tell me about your coffee cup. I’m deeply attached to my coffee cup. It’s circa 2001, from Chiat Day’s controversial “Labels” campaign for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Whenever something irritates an art critic, I’m inclined to think it a success.
What happens if you skip your morning coffee? Nothing until about 4 pm, when I get a wicked headache and remember that I forgot my morning coffee.
Balance
June 16, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
Who? Jaime Derringer, editor of Design Milk
Where? Cherry Hill, NJ.
How do you take your coffee? What brand is it? I’m currently drinking Wegman’s (our local grocery store) brand dark roast, which is actually a bit too dark for me. However, their medium roast was too light. I think I’ll be changing to another brand once I’m through this bag! I always take my coffee with cream or milk of some sort — whatever it is that we have! And, I try to use regular sugar. I was one of those “pink stuff” “blue stuff” “yellow stuff” people for a while, but now I’m back to natural sugar.
Tell me about your coffee cup. I began collecting art mugs about 12 years ago or so. There was no rhyme or reason behind it. Every time I went to a store and saw one, I would snap it up. I now have 9 famous artist mugs. They’re the perfect size for my morning cup — not too big and not too small. Today’s mug is Leonardo Da Vinci.
What happens if you skip your morning coffee? If I were to skip my morning coffee, my day would get slowly and progressively more painful. I need caffeine, sad but true. Without my morning java, around 1 PM I would definitely get a headache, which would last the rest of the day. I would also be quite the cranky pants.
Balance
June 14, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
Who? I wish I knew – the clever, hilarious writers behind Unhappy Hipsters remain anonymous. Although we do know they are women and there are two of them.
Where? They are shopping at Trader Joe’s and Peet’s so I think it’s safe to guess somewhere in the United States.
How do you take your coffee? What brand is it? Left: Peet’s French Roast, black. Right: Trader Joe’s Wake Up Blend, soy creamer and a dash of sugar.
Tell me about your coffee cup. Left: Sunshine coffee cup from Hi-Lo market. Right: White ceramic mug, unknown origin.
What happens if you skip your morning coffee? Left: Coffee is never skipped. Right: Mayhem.
Balance, Products
June 10, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
We’ve had such a good response I’m going to post these a bit more often…
Who? Greg Parker, design engineer at Moview, who hearts Herman Miller.
Where? Nunica, Michigan.
How do you take your coffee? What brand is it? Magnum “Paint it Black”, ground by me.
Tell me about your coffee cup. Starbucks mug, because I’m a free radical like that.
What happens if you skip your morning coffee? If I skip my joe? Don’t make him angry. You would not like him when he’s angry.
Balance, Design, Products
June 7, 2010
By Cerentha Harris
Who? Gregory Han, managing editor, Apartment Therapy’s Unplggd.
Where? Los Angeles, CA.
How do you take your coffee? What brand is it? Black…Pantone 4C Black. I grind and brew Intelligenstia Black Cat Espresso almost exclusively, though I’ll occasionally switch over to Stumptown’s roasts to mix things up. I’ve also started to add one part roasted cacao beans for every 6 parts coffee beans before grinding, which I highly recommend for chocolate lovers.
Tell me about your coffee cup. My friends Angie and Ted of Poketo gave me this coffee cup as a gift, a mug I truly love and that reflects my affinity for that most simple of life’s pleasures, the donut.
What happens if you skip your morning coffee? I’m pretty immune to the effects of caffeine (I enjoy a cup after dinner), so the 1-2 cups I drink most days of the week are mostly for the pleasure of taste. I don’t suffer from any of the classic symptoms of coffee withdrawal, but I do get flummoxed if forced to drink tea in the morning instead of coffee when we run out (no offense to tea, but I prefer it in the afternoon). Bean > leaf!