Parents, Gifts, and French Presses

the topic of coffee seems to have caught a wave around here.

cigar jack attests to the good qualities of the french press. it completely changed his taste in coffee. emily0 gave her dad a french press, forever altering his habitual method of brewing his coffee. these are indeed weighty testimonials.

the french press is definitely good. i like to use the one that i gave to my parents as a christmas gift the year i worked at starbucks. i was broke as one always is when one's wage is a grand $6.44/hour. that reflects the 12 cents raise i got six months in -- the max was a quarter. star bucks had a christmas sale. the 30 percent employee discount applied to the sale price.

my good sense for a bargain price was not matched with good sense in choosing a gift for the parental units. they _never_ use it. my parents are also creatures of habit. they like to drink coffee made with a standard drip coffee brewer. that's how they've done it for as long as i can remember. my mom recently mailed me a magic chef espresso maker that she bought several years ago and didn't use. i dusted off the french press while i was there, and i confirm that it is indeed, a damned fine way to brew coffee.

so, i guess i got myself a christmas gift in a way. i have an easy, quick way to make a really strong, full-bodied cup of coffee when i go home for the holidays. even so, a starbucks opened there within the last year. the topless mermaid company is taking over the country. soon, red-staters won't be able to get all self-righteous about people who drink lattes. unless they drink coffee the way i do. but that's not a red state/blue state thing. that's a strength of palate thing.