Great place to have coffee and get some work done?

That place is Pushcart Coffee on 9th Avenue and 25th Street!  It’s my new favorite spot to get some tea, meet with writing partners or clients, or get work done on my own.  Nice people, nice vibe, there is tea I like (the green jasmine), they don’t use toxic tea bags, their snacks are great (my son loves the pumpkin bread, and I love the Brooklyn-made Rawpothecary Juices they carry), and their soup is wonderful (thanks for making me try it, Ashley!).  They also have a bunch of fancy ways of making coffee that boggle my tea-drinking mind. There is a community work table, a few individual tables, a comfy corner spot in the back and counter seats and there is free wifi (you have to sign up for it, but it’s free). Go there. You know I know what I’m talking about.

Pushcart Coffee, 25th Street and 9th Ave in Chelsea.

This is where the Rawpothecary is. Notice how it’s almost sold out.

Right on the middle shelf, over to the left, there are energy bars that I like. I think they’re homemade.

This is a comfy spot, back in the corner.

It’s a nice place.

These are friendly people who work there.

They have a pushcart. See?

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Coffee maker?

My very good friend W just sent me an email that said

Any recommendations for a coffee maker? I only drink it 3x a week or so (always just 1 cup), so I don’t need any massive device. Something cheap that can be cleaned easily that I can make decent coffee in.   I feel as though you will get carried away and write a 7 page report on this.

I may get carried away on this, because it’s my nature to get carried away, but

1. I don’t drink coffee, neither does my husband.
2. I have a Tassimo, which guests seem to love (for some crazy reason the company sent me one for free), but I think is super toxic (don’t put steaming water through plastic – bad things happen).
3. I did a lot of research on coffee, because I helped a relative try to improve her health.

The best thing for you is to cold brew organic coffee (put grounds in cold water overnight and brew strongly and then add hot water to that strained liquid in the morning – google for exact instuctions, as I’ve never done it).  It will be have around 60% less acidity and you will reduce your toxin level tremendously by going organic (coffee is one of the most pesticide-heavy consumable crops there is – I say “consumable” because cotton is so much worse!).

If you don’t want to brew it yourself, the coffee brand I bought for my relative because I found it to be very high quality was Kickstand coffee, and you might be able to find a coupon online.  It’s organic, it’s cold-pressed, and it comes in a glass bottle.

Ok, you didn’t ask about any of that, you asked about a coffee maker, so I will say this:

I can’t recommend a brand, but go for anything glass (no plastic, no single-use), and if you use a filter, use a stainless steel filter with no plastic, or VERY carefully selected unbleached paper filters.  Most tea bags and coffee filters are highly toxic because of the plastics they use to reinforce the fibers to make them tear-resistant, and because of the plastics and other materials used to seal the sides (if applicable).  Just google “toxic teabag” and “toxic coffee filter” for more info.

Gift for a coffee-obsessed freak?

Coffee Joulies are a genius gift for someone on your list who is not only so freakishly obsessed with keeping their coffee at the perfect temperature that it’s worth $50 to help them do that, but is also someone for whom you have no other gift ideas whatsoever.

Enter Coffee Joulies, elegantly unnecessary luxury.

These things cool down your coffee if it’s too hot and allegedly keep it just hot enough for hours.  Plus, they’re PRETTY.  And, I have to admit, I love the story.

Two dudes from New Jersey invented them and made their dream a reality via Kickstarter, and they are produced at Sherrill Manufacturing, the only place in the entire United States that still manufactures flatware, and manufactures it out of domestically-produced steel! (That is how I found out about these Coffee Joulie things.  I was looking for American-made flatware and followed a link on the Sherrill site.  I do not know anyone associated with this project/product).  And, oh yeah, not only are they made in the USA, but they’re made out of 85% recycled steel using hydro-power from Niagara Falls.  YEEAAUHHH!