Caffeinated Veins

The Purpose of Coffee

2010-12-29T07:39:00.000-08:00

BioFuel Caffeinated Popcorn

2010-11-18T05:32:00.000-08:00

There are two caffeine fiends at work: me and Vysia. Yesterday, halfway through the afternoon, she expressed a sudden desperate urge for popcorn. I said something along the lines of "nah, all you need is caffeine". And then, this morning when I checked my Twitter feed, Holly had tweeted this to me.

That's right folks, it's caffeinated popcorn. It's apparently incredibly addictive (unsurprisingly), it's sweet, it's salty, it's caffeinated. It's whatever you want it to be. Could anything possibly be any more amazing? I think not. You can buy it here.

Picture credit

Did coffee fuel the age of enlightenment?

2010-09-28T16:48:00.001-07:00

Pretty Picture

2010-09-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

Found here

Sometimes I Need This

2010-09-23T01:30:00.000-07:00

Found here

Yes I Do

2010-09-22T00:50:00.000-07:00

Surprising ways to re-use coffee grounds

2010-09-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

So, you've ground up your coffee, you've drunk the result, and you're left with the sludge. What can you do with it? A couple of beauty ideas:

Skin-tightening mask
1/4 cup of coffee grounds mixed with 1 egg white will have your skin looking refreshed in no time. Well, a few minutes.

Exfoliating scrub
Coffee grounds make a great exfoliating scrub, and the smell might wake you up a bit as well!

A lot more ideas can be found here
Picture credit

Infographic for Coffee Lovers

2010-07-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

Click to enlarge

Found here

How to Drink Coffee in Space

2010-07-13T04:06:00.001-07:00

Now this sounds like good coffee

2010-07-12T16:32:00.001-07:00

Found here

A Lovely Idea

2010-07-11T22:28:00.000-07:00

Found here

Sweet Cup of Coffee

2010-07-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

Looks enticing:

Found here

Soap and a Cuppa

2010-07-06T13:59:00.001-07:00

Seriously, what a great idea:

Found here

Coffee roaster tries to come up with patriotic blend

2010-07-02T05:34:00.000-07:00

From The Onion, in case you couldn't guess that...

Cafetiere coffee on the go

2010-06-29T00:10:00.000-07:00

One of the most difficult things about constantly being on the move is the difficulty of making good instant coffee. Sure, it's possible to make passable stuff, and if you're near a coffee machine then all is good, but what about those moments when you just really need some good cafetiere-style coffee?

Now Corinne Pant has solved all our problems (well, that one, anyway), using her new coffee pod things. They come in all different flavours, the packaging is pretty and they're easy to cart around.

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Tall, Grande or Venti?

2010-06-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

For some reason, one of my colleagues saw this and thought of me...

Eleven Beautiful Coffee Cup Designs

2010-06-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

Coffee Cup Lampshade

2010-05-10T23:07:00.000-07:00

You know all those coffee cups that litter your desk at work? You know how you keep meaning to take your own mug to the coffee shop in a bid to help the environment? You know how you feel guilty every time you throw a paper cup in the bin? Well now you don't have to: you can turn your empty coffee cups into a lamp instead.

So, how do you make it? First, you need to wait until you have 300 cups. That's a whole lot of coffee, though if you're anything like me, it should only take you a few weeks. Then you staple three cups together to form your base, build on and on and on until all but one of the cups are added. Because of the way the cups taper, you'll end up with a sphere-shape anyway. Take the last cup and burn a hole in the bottom. Attach the bulb fixture through this hole, add bulb and you're away!

Found at Instructables

Look! Tea with little hangers!

2010-01-19T01:51:00.000-08:00

Soon Mo Kang has developed this wonderful concept: teabags that come with their own little hangers, so you can dangle them over the edge of the cup to your heart's content. What a fantastic idea:

What's your best coffee story?

2009-11-30T05:07:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, I was at university, trying to summon up the courage to speak to the man who later became my husband. I was doing that classic denial trick, attempting to convince myself and everyone around me that I wasn't interested; but it wasn't working. My closest friend at university would tease me mercilessly day after day, while I protested my innocence of anything other than wholesome thoughts about the young Adonis who dominated the common room.

And then some coffee got in the way. I volunteered to help out with an open day at my old school, making the tea and coffee for everyone who turned up. I had an urn, a teapot and a couple of cafetieres; about six hundred people to serve and as many cups; and only one helper, who was dispatched to give out biscuits. I was therefore in a bit of a rush - never a good way to be when it comes to boiling water - and in my haste, I pressed down the plunger of the cafetiere a little too enthusiastically, spurting scalding coffee all over my right arm. Not having time to stop, I carried on, thinking I'd worry about the burn later.

That evening, having returned home and retreated into the bathroom to tend to the day's wounds, I noticed that the coffee had burned a perfect heart shape onto my skin, just above my elbow. The next day, I showed it to Uni Friend; and needless to say, I have never lived it down.

All of us have our best coffee-related stories: tales we've swapped with friends in coffee shops, coffee mishaps, coffee-themed anecdotes... but how much do you know about the story of coffee itself? Douwe Egberts have produced a fantastic new series of videos to tell us all about it. Here they are:

Smiling mugs

2009-11-08T10:30:00.000-08:00

Perfect to brighten up your coffee, and a good biscuit-holder. Fantastic idea.

A quick guide to coffee

2009-11-07T00:26:00.001-08:00

Computer and coffee all in one

2009-10-17T01:24:00.000-07:00

The Yuno PC is possibly one of the most exciting things I have seen in a long time. Computer and coffee flask in one, it lets you caffeinate while you work without even leaving your desk for a refill. Designed by Jason Farsai, it seems to work a bit like a touchscreen phone, but obviously at a far higher level of cool. Have some pictures:

My Cuppa

2009-09-21T01:54:00.001-07:00

New 'My Cuppa' cups with a colour guide on the side. Never have someone make your coffee too weak again! ;) Available from SUCK UK.

A New Solution When You Desperately Need a Coffee

2009-09-10T07:38:00.000-07:00

Compact, lightweight and easy to use, the new Brunton Flip-N-Drip allows campers to make coffee or boil water to prepare freeze-dried foods. To make coffee simply boil water in the Flip-N-Drip base, attach the brew chamber filled with your favorite blend and "flip" to percolate the perfect cup into the double walled insulated mug. For an added bonus use the brew chamber to mix your favorite "adult" beverage around the campfire!

Buy it here.

Amusing Picture: Exactly How I Feel Every Morning

2009-09-09T22:17:00.001-07:00

Pictures to Make Coffee Lovers Say 'Aaaahhhhh'

2009-09-09T08:18:00.001-07:00

Coffee-Themed Avatars

2009-09-07T03:56:00.000-07:00

Feel free to steal if you want to use them for forums, profiles, etc.

If You Like Coffee, Why Not Try...

2009-08-30T03:28:00.000-07:00

Pretty Lady Drinking Coffee

2009-08-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

Fantastic image manipulation by Christophe Gilbert

Bugatti Diva in Pretty Colours

2009-08-28T07:06:00.001-07:00

I've just discovered that the Bugatti Diva coffee maker in fact comes in some pretty snazzy shades of pink and yellow. Here you go:

Isn't that exciting?

Pull The Trigger

2009-08-25T02:12:00.000-07:00

If you've ever wanted to stick something in your mouth and pull the trigger, here's your chance. No, don't worry, they're not lethal weapons. They're coffee mugs, available for $16 each from A+R Store. Perfect for the person who has everything, including a slightly twisted sense of humour.

Spiders on Drugs: The Effect of Caffeine on the Brain

2009-08-22T03:34:00.000-07:00

Scientists at NASA discovered some time ago that spiders spin wildly different webs depending on the drugs they are given. The results are shown below.

Spider on no drugs:

Spider on mescaline:

Spider on LSD:

Spider on marijuana:

Spider on speed:

Spider on sleeping pills:

Spider on caffeine:

The Scary Black Envelope

2009-08-21T04:29:00.000-07:00

Arriving home from work yesterday evening, I found a black envelope addressed to me lying on the doormat. This struck fear into my veins: 'Brown envelopes are bad enough', I thought, 'but what could I possibly have done to merit a black one?'

I had to sit down and have a nice cup of tea before I could summon up the courage to open the envelope. And when I did, it was from the lovely people over at Carte Noire. Enclosed was a sample of their coffee - which I already buy, being the best instant stuff I know of - and a bookmark directing me to the Carte Noire Readers website.

Visiting the site, I discovered that Carte Noire is living up to its 'Café Nommé Désir' reputation by having seductive types read scenes from romance novels. You can choose from Dominic West, Greg Wise or Dan Stevens to do your reading; there's a whole host of books to choose from, both classic and modern; and then all you do is sit back with your mug of Carte Noire, listen and watch.

Personally, I prefer to read my own books, and I'm not much of a romance fan, but it's a pretty cool idea. Head on over there if you're interested.

Bugatti Diva

2009-08-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

No, it's not a car. It's a coffee machine, because the guys at Bugatti evidently rock. Not content with producing the fastest and most fantastic car in the world, they've branched out into the world of caffeination. Which, let's face it, is as beautiful and important as supercars, no?

So here you have it: the Bugatti Diva coffee machine. It'll set you back £475 - but look at the prettiness! And when you order, you'll receive a free bag of coffee beans, two free coffee cups, and a set of after dinner mints.

Coffee or Water?

2009-08-20T08:35:00.000-07:00