F

Flavorwire

Coffee

Partner Buzz

Reinvent the Folgers® Jingle for a Chance to Win $25K

By Doug Levy on

It’s been nearly three decades since Leslie Pearl’s original jingle for Folgers® Coffee hit the air, and after all this time, it remains a familiar and much-loved tune to coffee lovers of all ages. The song, with its hook of “the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup,” has existed in many forms… Read More

Partner Buzz

The Most Beautiful Coffee Shops in the World

By Claire Cottrell on

T.S. Eliot, quite possibly the greatest English language poet of the 20th century, oh-so eloquently reflected on the passing of time by saying, “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.” So have we Thomas, so have we. From the borough of Brooklyn to Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Tokyo, and every other hub buzzing with creative productivity, we suspect that if they’re not all jump starting their days with Nespresso at the crack of dawn, they’re fueling their weary world with the rich, velvety, caffeinated goodness of some damn good direct trade, shade-grown beans roasted on vintage gear, pulled by an expert hand.

In true Flavorpill fashion, we’ve rounded up some of the most beautiful purveyors of coffee around the world in virtual guide form, meaning not only have we included the eye candy you know and love, but we’ve also added addresses and handy links to Google Maps. Bookmark it. Share it. Re-post it. Set the ultimate nomadic coffee lovers goal and try to hit each and every one at least once in your life. From a charming shop in a 19th-century Portuguese townhouse to a converted orange-packing factory in Tel Aviv, click through to check out some of the most beautiful coffee shops in the world. Help us discover more java gems by nominating your picks in the comments below! … Read More

Photography

What Do Your Favorite Drinks Look Like Under a Microscope?

By Emily Temple on

Well, they don’t look anything like your favorite drinks. In photographer William LeGoullon‘s series Fingerprints of Drinkable Culture, which we first spotted over at PetaPixel, he treats “the world’s top five most consumed man-made beverages like scientific specimens, allowing each liquid sample to dry before photographing them using a microscope. The resulting images provide us with a chance to analyze these fingerprints of drinkable culture as an act of art consumption.” It’s sort of amazing to see something so commonplace — something that we put in our bodies on a daily basis, no less — this close up. Click through to see the world’s most popular beverages under a microscope, and let us know if this changes your perception of them in the comments. … Read More

Art

A Surprisingly Lovely Portrait Made Out of Coffee Ring Stains

By Emily Temple on

Coasters are totally overrated. Inspired by one of Jay Cou’s songs, artist Hong “Red” Yi created a portrait of the Taiwanese musician using nothing but coffee rings, left by an actual mug expertly set down over and over again on a canvas. Yi writes, ”It is inspired by the opening sentence [of the song], about lifting up a coffee cup off the saucer, and the ending of the song about autumn leaves and fragmented pieces. This is shown through the portrait as a whole — how it’s formed by many individual rings, many of them broken and imperfect like fallen autumn leaves.” We’re amazed that Yi was able to fit so many slightly unpredictable parts together to make sure a lovely portrait — but then again, she must have been pretty heavily caffeinated. Check out the finished product and a video of Yi at work after the jump. … Read More

Pop Culture

Video of the Day: A Look Inside the Coffee Shops of 1950s London

By Emily Temple on

In this cute informational video about coffee shop culture in London in the late ’50s and early ’60s, you’ll learn about the origin of the brew, how long you’ll have to sit with that single cup before the café is paying you, and what to wear so as not to incur nasty looks from boys with hair like Kenickie. Plus, you’ll get a glimpse of all the astrologists, painters, actresses, and students who would meet up in these pre-Starbucks coffee shops “to put the world right — or more often, left.” Be you hipster or grandma, kick back with a cup of coffee and click through to watch, and let us know what you think in the comments! … Read More

Partner Buzz

The Best Independent Coffee Shops in the Country

By Doug Levy on

Like most people who spend their days behind a desk, we love our coffee. Last year, we were even inspired enough to make a mixtape about it. And if there’s one thing we know about people who feel strongly about coffee, it’s that they can also be really selective about it. While the world has been overrun with ubiquitous coffee-shop chains, it hasn’t shut out the best local businesses — the special breed of independent coffee house that draws loyal crowds with its style, charm, quirky staff, and often something more.

This month, we got our first taste of new Coffee-mate Natural Bliss — the all-natural way to add a splash of flavor to your brew — and it reminded us how much we appreciate the simplicity of coffee done right, the old-fashioned way. That’s the inspiration behind our roundup of some of the best coffee shops in the nation. We’ve got you covered from coast to coast with our list, but if you’re like us, you probably have even more favorites that we missed. Tell us what they are in the comments! … Read More

Web

Stereotyping You By Your Starbucks Order

By Judy Berman on

Ever wonder what your Starbucks barista is thinking as you step up the counter to pick your caffeinated poison? Well, while we imagine they aren’t all mentally categorizing you by age, occupation, gender, and race, at least one of them certainly is. In a hand-drawn chart Consumerist has picked up, one barista breaks her customers down into 15 handy stereotypes, ranging from Asians (black iced coffee) to mechanics (mocha Frappucino, apparently) to Indians (chai). Find yourself of the chart after the jump and let us know whether you’re entertained, bewildered, or offended. … Read More

Design

Pic of the Day: Coffee Shop Shaped Like Sideways Library

By Judy Berman on

Behold, the seamless combination of three of our favorite things: books, caffeinated beverages, and odd design. No, reader, you’re not hallucinating. This really is a Manhattan coffee shop (a branch of the D’Espresso chain) decorated to look like a library turned on its side. Our friends at Fast Company Design report that “[t]he “books” are actually tiles printed with sepia-toned photos of bookshelves at a local travel bookstore that ring the room, including the floor, walls and ceiling.”  The wall on the left (or should we say the floor?) bears a “dark hardwood herringbone pattern.” Another awesome detail: The light fixtures hang sideways from a wall whose windows look like skylights. … Read More

Music

Mixtape: The 10 Best Songs About Coffee

By Patrick Duffy on

It’s before noon on a Wednesday. There’s a good chance you’re not far from your next cup of coffee. Or from your last one. We’ve all become addicted to the delicious goodness and the caffeine high it generates with each delectable sip. It’s no surprise then that musicians have found a love of the deep black drink as well. Maybe it’s not as high on the songwriting subject list as sex or love or breakups or drugs, but some musicians have such passion for the drink that it has made for some tremendous tunes. Here, what we think are the best ones. … Read More

Politics

YACHT’s Five Favorite Secret Rituals

By Yacht on

Day 3 of YACHT‘s guest-blogging. On Day 1, the band delved into the high-style of Freemason Fashion Week. After revealing Cults You Didn’t Know Were Cults yesterday, YACHT’s Jona and Claire have prepared their Five Favorite Secret Cult Rituals for today.

Time was, you could start a cult, pump it full of esoteric rituals and hush-hush regalia, and — barring any squealers — keep it totally secret. In this day and age, however, secret rituals are secret no more. The cumulative effect of conspiracy theorists, surreptitious camcorder-toters, and YouTube self-publishing has pierced almost all the veils of obfuscation, and we can now peer into the darkness. To boot, the Internet has brought us not only the top-secret rituals, but also those that are simply far-flung, from tribal hero’s trials to pagan circles. Here, we expose our own favorite human rituals. … Read More