Happy Boxing Day!!!

We've consulted some Canadians, and the proper way to observe Boxing Day is, when meeting anyone and anybody, to say, "Happy Boxing Day!!!" and then to think of something dirty. Don't tell anyone about what you thought about, or you won't get your wish.

It's been an education, learning about Boxing Day. Before today, I'd always thought that Boxing Day was merely a plot from Canada to get calendar-printers to have to print the word "Canada," and to further exoticize and alienate us from their culture. Sort of like "Memoirs of a Geisha," but for Canadians.

$18 each (limit 1 per person)

Bootleg? Perhaps. Maybe you're right.

But we didn't invent coffee... or the cappuccino either.

(now available... the first limited run of 88 shirts is in... design #3 is "girly-T" only, the other two are "normal" sized... all American Apparel)

ALSO... starting tomorrow (Thursday, December 22), by popular demand, we'll have the murky coffee gift certificates available in five dollar increments (in other words, you can purchase multiple $5 certificates).

Merry Cashmas.

the deluge of christmas cheer continues...

We're proud to introduce the first in a limited edition series of fine ceramic "tazze," which is Italian for "cup."

This series, the world-premiere for our series of servicewares, is the first in the "Collezione di Bestie," which is Italian (also known as "the language that we use in the coffee industry when we're trying to sound really romantic and interesting even when we're talking about something fairly mundane and boring in the interest of making it sound more interesting and romantic than it really is.") for "collection of beasts."

Our first release, "Il Cavallo" is a beautiful depiction of one of nature's most majestic and mythical creatures, the Noble Steed. It is not only mythical, but majestic too. And beautiful.

This fine specimen from our un-numbered limited-edition collection can be yours for just five dollars (USD). A bargain at twice the price! Find yours now at your local murky coffee location.

Did we say "limited edition?"

Wi-Fi Woes

To our laptop-warriors in Arlington...

What the heck happened to our wi-fi? Things were chugging along so nicely for so long, weren't they? We resumed the cablemodem broadband connection with Comcast, plugged in an Apple Airport Extreme base station, and cruised along at 5-megabit-per-second speeds.

Then, inexplicably, we started having issues. The router would need to be reset on a regular basis, and the previously fast connection would slow to an excruciating crawl... and then the wi-fi would just stop responding.

For the more technically inclined, here's what we've tried:
- thought maybe the problem was with the cablemodem itself... so it was swapped out. No help.
- thought maybe the problem was with the router... so it was swapped out. No help.
- thought maybe we could pinpoint the problem by plugging two routers into the cablemodem, with a wired router in between. No help.
- thought maybe the problem was with some of the wireless settings, especially the wi-fi channel. With the numerous wi-fi signals loitering on our block, namely arlingtonwireless, "sistema," and the venerable "Silver Diner," thought that maybe there was some sort of channel or signal interference that was screwing up our wireless routers. Multiple channel-changes and adjustments to mulitcast rates and the like: No help.

As a wise man once said, "Eff that... I'm switching my ass to DSL."

Comcast is sending a tech out tomorrow (Friday 12/16) to mess with the wiring. If our problem isn't fixed by him/her, then we're switching to DSL. Our Comcast contract expires in less than two weeks.

Any advice on a DSL provider? Email us at: comcastblows@murkycoffee.com.

a whole new world

as of fifteen minutes ago, murky coffee is proud to offer pacific soy blenders for all of our dairy-free friends. it is a superior soy milk in taste, texture and tantalization.




also coming by the end of the week: the bodum chambord coffee press, antigua burr grinder and murky coffee's own ceramic mugs available for purchase in our shops.

oh, we are also proud to have the baratza virtuoso grinder, hot off the production line. we are excited to be part of the initial shipment of the next step in home conical burrgrinders.

yippee!!!

The first run of the first edition murky coffee t-shirts are ordered and on the way, scheduled for delivery the week of Xmas (approx 12/21).

Three different designs, three different colors, four different sizes, two different types (standard and 'girly'), all American Apparel. VERY limited quantities. First come first serve. No pre-sales.

Limited run. Never again to be printed in these colors.

$18 each. For sale in both stores. Limit 1 per person.

You heard it here first.

for the coffee-geeks

We performed a little long-overdue heart surgery last night on our 3-group La Marzocco Linea semi-automatic espresso machine (at Capitol Hill), that already had a "skunkworx" factory modification of extended banjo tubes (the brew-water tube that extends from the brew boiler to the shower screen is extended and coiled within the saturated group for additional thermal stability).

We installed a PID controller. P.I.D. stands for proportional, integral, and derivative. It replaced the existing thermostat, which is essentially similar in design to a house HVAC thermostat, which isn't nearly as sensitive and precise as the coffee demands. A PID is a digitally controlled thermostat, which has the added benefit of being able to ease up to temperatures by cycling the heating element on and off, rather than kicking on until the target temperature is reached and then shutting off... which results in an overshoot (the heating element is off, but still really hot, which heats the water beyond the target temperature).

What does that mean for you and me? Even more consistency in our espresso shots.

The more precise the instrument, the easier it is for our baristas to perform at top performance.

Just a little FYI. This is the sort of stuff that we're thinking about all day long. Sorry for the geek-out.