As If DE Shaving Wasn't A Deep Enough Rabbit Hole.

[adamchur]

When I switched to DE shaving it opened up a whole new world for me and I was like a kid in a candy store
I wanted to try out different razors, blades, brushes, bowls, mugs, soaps, creams, aftershaves, colognes and I even learned how important alum blocks and styptic pencils are.
Now, 2 years down the line I've got 4x 3-piece, 3x Adjustable, 2x TTO & 1x 6-piece Travel Razor to use my 20+ different blades in, and I can lather up my 11x hard soaps, 3x soft soaps & 17x creams in a choice of 1x ceramic bowl, Turkish hammered brass & hammered copper mugs with my pick of Synthetic Silvertip, Dark Badger, Vie Long Boar/Horse Mix, Horsehair & Travel Badger brushes, soothe and heal my freshly shaved face with an alum block, then take my pick of 20+ assorted aftershaves and colognes - Basically my shaving den will last me through a zombie apocalypse.

Many thanks for your patience and understanding that has enabled you to read this far - but we're all wet shavers together here !!

Now for the part that is relevant to a thread about Coffee.........

In England, working in hotels, I drank coffee every day and night of the week
When I worked nights at the tender age of 20, I drank way too much coffee and swallowed "Pro-Plus" caffeine tablets (Legalised Bennies) became hooked on caffeine, but went cold turkey and kicked it before I turned 21
I drank coffee regularly, but not excessively up until my mid 30s when I went a little crazy on night shifts and drank 4x "Adam Specials" every night - 6x shots of Espresso with 4x sugar cubes....
All in the same cup !!
Since moving to Mallorca, drinking coffee was a way of life, in summer I'd drink 5 or 6 large mugs of Nescafe every night shift
In winter I used to have a shot glass of piping hot Cafe Solo with 1.5 sachets of sugar, a large Brandy and a glass of Regular bottled Coke on the side in case I got thirsty
I used to tip some of the Brandy into the Cafe Solo to make it into a Carajillo - a delicacy in Spain !!
Since I quit smoking on Easter Sunday 2011 - an achievement considering I used to smoke 50 cigarettes on a good day, I also went cold turkey and quit sugar to keep my weight down and switched from Cafe Solo to Cafe Americano overnight

Since quitting work due to injury, and having a hip replacement on my left hip, and currently waiting for a hip replacement on my right hip, I went cold turkey all over again and all but gave up drinking coffee..............
I literally only drank coffee once in a blue moon, just a very occasional Cafe Americano when I was meeting up with friends, or after an appointment with a Doctor or with a croissant as a "heart starter" at 8am while waiting for the Post Office to open at 8:30

Literally only 1 or 2 cups per week

BUT.................

When I bought a 6-cup Aluminium Moka Pot last week, I was like a kid with a new toy and allowed myself one brew per day, which although it's supposed to be equivalent to 6x Espressos, I pack it loose and pour the contents into an enamelled mug - to me it tastes like a decently strong Cafe Americano
One and done every morning - no harm done.
I'm experimenting by filling the bottom compartment of the Moka Pot with bottled water at room temperature, heated in the microwave 'til lukewarm and heated in the microwave 'til hand hot
I enjoy tasting the results, and the top compartment is slowly but surely getting seasoned and darkening in colour
No harm done

BUT

I'm like a kid in a candy store and obsessed with trying out different coffees from different supermarkets - it's worse than RAD !!

Exhibit A - Last week: Moka Pot, Enamelled Mug, Markus Coffee from Aldi Supermarket

Exhibit B - Today: Moka Pot, Airtight Container, Enamelled Mug, Coffee Acquisition from Mercadona, Eroski and Aldi Supermarkets !!
After 10 years in this apartment, I've finally put the top of the extractor hood above the cooker to good use !!
The blue airtight container is for my "go to" blend


Exibit C - Zoom view


Exibit C - Note 2x different Hacendo coffees and 1x Marcela coffee from Mercadona, 2x different Bonka (ground Nescafe) coffees and 2x different Rico (blended in Mallorca) coffees from Eroski as well as the Markus coffee from Aldi



I've got Coffee Acquisition Disorder

I reckon I've got enough different unopened and sealed 250g vacuum packs of coffee to last me through a zombie apocalypse............
Looking on the bright side - at least I'll be able to enjoy a decent brew after a decent shave while I'm in the bite-proof bunker

 

[CurtisB81]

For me it's way less money, then paying 3.00 for cup and .50 refills..Look into whole bean coffee for better flavor.

 

[oc_in_fw]

I use my 6 shot moka at least 3 times a week- I make cafe con leche for the wife and me. No, the Moka doesn't make espresso strength, but it is stronger than drip.

 

[TexLaw]

Shoot, man, have fun with it! Coffee can be a fairly cheap way to play and find joy. Nothing wrong with that!

 

[cleanshaved]

I given up may things including sugar and smokes but coffee............. you will have to prey that out of my cold dead hands.
Enjoy your coffee Adam.

 

[adamchur]

I given up may things including sugar and smokes but coffee............. you will have to prey that out of my cold dead hands.
Enjoy your coffee Adam.

Caffeine is a strange thing to try to quit

When I quit smoking I went from 50 per day on Good Friday 2011 to 10 rollies per day the day after and on Easter Sunday to zero the following day.
I thought the e-cigarette was useless so I chewed on a matchstick instead, I hated Nicorette gum so I chewed my way through a whole pack of Orbit Spearmint on my way to work every night and a whole pack of Orbit Eucalyptus on my way home from work every morning.
When I quit chewing gum, I went onto ice cream instead - I used to set off for work 15 minutes early just so I had time to pop into shops and buy 5 or 6 ice creams - Magnum, Cornetto and a Spanish ice cream called Bonbon (choc ice on one end, ice cream sandwich on the other) were my favourites.
Then I came back to my senses and decided to limit myself to one ice cream cone every day and enjoy it, so I used to buy one from the bar next door to where I worked and sit outside and enjoy it
Until they ran out of cornets - I missed my Scooby Snack for 3 days in a row - and quit ice cream
The extra inches on my waistline and €700 worth of dental work soon encouraged me to quit sugar
I switched to Americanos and Diet Coke and just went cold turkey, and stopped missing it within a week
After a lecture from the Dental Hygienist, I even quit soft drinks - now I only drink water, coffee and alcohol free beer in the daytime, and beer or red wine at night
Going on the wagon has never been a problem - after 6 months on the wagon last year, Steinburg alcohol free beer tastes just like the real thing

Going cold turkey without coffee on the other hand.........
No real ill effects, but I was permanently in the twilight zone for a couple of weeks.......
I kept falling asleep in front of the TV
I felt tired no matter how many hours sleep I had at night
I've never flown long haul, but I can imagine that jet lag feels just like coffee withdrawal symptoms

Too much coffee is crazy .....

Now my daily mug of Moka Pot coffee is my new scooby snack
One per day is ok, but 2 or more and I'm wired

Last year when I had a trace element injection, followed by a scan on my hip, followed by another scan 2 hours later to show the blood flow to my hip joint, I had a lot of time to kill and got through 5 Americanos in 2 hours - I was wired all day

My record was after an all nighter on beer 10 years ago - I drank 13 Cafe Solos, 3 brandies and 3 bottles of Coke between 6am and 9am - The 2 girls behind the bar were cursing me !!
A couple hours of walking the full length of Palmanova beach tired me out enough to sleep it off when I got home at 11am

I've never had the inclination or the money to try cocaine, but close friends of mine who did have described the effects to me in graphic detail - the description reminded me of the effects of too much caffeine
Lesson learned never to make the mistake of overdoing it a 2nd time !!

 

[BSAGuy]

One can never have enough hobbies. Enjoy.

 

[Pebcak]

Come on over to The Nib if you want a dangerous rabbit hole.