Here is a mug that I was able to claim after I completed my Coffee Hop card in Bonifacio Highstreet (one of the more popular places to go to in Manila). The objective was to buy 8 coffee drinks in at least 4 out of the 8 participating coffee places there. They had Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Seattle's Best, Krispy Kreme, Gloria Jeans and local coffee houses but great ones too - Figaro Coffee, Bo's Coffee, Kape Isla.

The mug that I got isn't just your ordinary giveaway mug because the design of the mug is actually a painting of BenCab, the Philippines' national artist. It's called "Conversations" and is an acrylic on canvas painted in 2008. This is just a great project done by the Bonifacio Highstreet and all the participating coffee shops.

Was it worth it?

Of course! Not only am I a coffee lover but your prize for buying, even if it means you spend P1000/@20, is really worth it. It is such a beautiful mug that I am thinking of not even using it for my coffee but just treating it like a painting. I know it's wishful thinking but somehow I can't stop thinking that it might also appreciate. Who knows? This is BenCab's work and is somehow a collector's item..

After news in recent weeks regarding the tainted milk crisis in China that killed dozens of infants and sicked thousands of young kids, there have been news that it might have reached Canada through different instant coffee products.

According to citynews.ca, here are the product codes that may contain melamine:

Product: Instant Coffee 3 in 1 Mandheling Blend Coffee
UPC: 4 710085 122523

Product: Instant Coffee 3 in 1 Blue Mountain Blend Coffee
UPC: 4 710085 200597

Product: Instant Coffee 3 in 1 Arabica Coffee
UPC: 4 710085 122509

Other products that are being voluntarily pulled out by King Car Food Industrial Ltd. Taiwan are as follows:

King Car Food Industrial Co. Ltd., Taiwan, is recalling additional Mr Brown products:

Mr. Brown Caramel Macchiato Instant Coffee (3-in-1)

Mr. Brown French Vanilla Instant Coffee (3-in-1)

Mr Brown Mandheling Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1)

Mr. Brown Milk Tea (3-in-1)

This is a really cool table I found while searching through youtube. Why? Because it is an interactive LED coffee table. Great work by the people of becausewecan.org, a design studio in Oakland, California.

In this video see how the coffee table's lights react to hand movements. Isn't it cool? I wonder how much this coffee table is because I want one! Or I'd rather not know because the price because this has got to be one expensive coffee table.

How about you? Would you bid on this item if it were up for auction and what is the highest price you're willing to pay?

It looks like Ashley Tisdale is really addicted to coffee as she makes her daily stop at a local Coffee Bean and Tea Lead in Los Angeles before going to the studio. Here are some of her pictures:






I wonder what she orders everyday but it is no wonder that Ashley Tisdale is a coffee addict. If the coffee helps her rise in her career for whatever reason then good for her. Wish her all the best in her career and keep enjoying the coffee from Coffee Bean..great choice (one of my favorites!)

So on to my next person/celebrity who is also addicted to coffee...

Source: www.posh24.com

As some of you know I went to Thailand last week and of course I couldn't forget bringing some coffee mugs from there. Due to budget constraints and weight limit I was only able to buy 2 mugs but both of them are nice and I am excited to show them to you. Tell me what you think all right?

I had to get this when I saw this..a Starbucks Bangkok Mug! Nice! After this one, I plan to collect this kind of Starbucks mug wherever I go.



And here's my favorite..

It just look like a plain looking mug..nice color though..




But look at what you'll see inside...a Shark! It was the only one left that time and it was only 29 Bhat (less than 1 dollar) not bad for a design like that huh?



So there are the two coffee mugs that I bought in Thailand. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

According to Bloomberg.com, Starbucks and its 300 plus cafes in China have stopped using milk by Mengniu Dairy CO. Mengniu, together with the other top milk producers in China, Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co. and Bright Dairy & Food Co., were part of the scandal where China found the toxic chemical melamine in the liquid milk and yogurt products they produce.

"Though we believe based on assurances from the supplier that the milk we received from Mengniu is not included in the contaminated lot, due to the serious nature of this warning, Starbucks has voluntarily pulled all Mengniu milk offerings until further notice," Starbucks said.

Melamine, used to make plastic and tan leather, is now being linked to the kidney failures in babies and leading to at least four deaths. Melamine, which is high in nitrogen, can be used to mask diluted milk because it makes protein levels appear higher than they really are, allowing producers to cut costs by watering down their products. [Read the full article]

Having stayed in China for a year back in 2006 and drinking milk almost everyday, I find it disturbing to know that my system must have been affected somehow by melamine. I seem okay and not affected by it but I think I'd like to have my system checked just to be sure. It's a little weird how they have the brand YiLi here in the Philippines and I was looking at it at the supermarket and I told the lady beside me that this is really good and she should get it since it's on sale. I wonder if as early as 2 weeks ago they already knew something was wrong with their milk. The expiration date is January 2009 so it couldn't be that hmm...

It's just crazy how their FDA didn't have much stricter standards when it comes to their milk, which is a $19 billion industry, and possibly even other food or drinks.

I wonder how Starbucks' sales have been the past few day and what alternatives they've been using for milk in their coffee. Soy maybe? If I were still staying in China and this happens to me, I'd be drinking my coffee black, which is something I rarely do. I haven't tried using soy as an alternative or I could be happy with using creamers that are imported just as long as I know it's safe.

This comes at a very bad time especially after China spent a lot during the Olympics where they were trying to tell the world that "We are now open, come visit us!" Only time will tell whether they can bounce back from this and still continue their image that started in the Olympics.

Photo by: SMCP

First, I'd like to say that I enjoyed my Thailand trip because of the people, the places, the food and of the coffee. The people there were , yeah (that's what they always say), very friendly and always smiling. Just tell them something, and since a lot still can't understand english, they'd just smile.

As for their food, I can't say enough since they just have a wide variety of choices and everything was tasty. They had all sorts of curry, pandan chicken, tom yum soup, lots of seafood with curry also and more! I didn't have any problem with their food except that, because of how spicy it was, I had to eat more.

Bangkok is a really nice place and the three days I spent there isn't enough to cover the whole city. This is a place where I recommend you visiting. According to our tour guide, Bangkok is a great place to spend your New Year because you could take the river cruise and see all the 5 star hotels let out their fireworks all at the same time.

When it came to their coffee...

I was amazed at how they coffee all over! Going there, I didn't know that Thailand people were that addicted to coffee since they had lots of different coffee shops along the streets, in the weekend market, in the malls, and even inside the Elephant Park. Or maybe I'm just exaggerating it because I was overwhelmed at the whole city? Exaggerated or not hope you like the pictures I took..

Coffee along the streets where I tasted one of the creamiest lattes ever. I'm a milk type of guy whether it be ice cream or what..I just like it. So I asked the tour guide what he told the barista and all he said was "Cappuccino Latte" Okay..




Here at the weekend market (Chatuchak Market) drinking coffee on a very hot day. Honestly, I didn't enjoy my coffee since my tongue was a little burnt because of the food that I ate before drinking coffee..



So this is the highlight of my trip..drinking coffee with an elephant beside me. LOL



My last coffee before boarding the plane. Unfortunately, I bought this last minute and I forgot you couldn't bring liquid past the x-ray machines/check point so I had to finish this in a hurry. I liked the taste of this, Black Canyon Coffee Frappe since it wasn't too sweet and you could still taste the coffee. The only thing is that their ice wasn't crushed well enough that I had to use my teeth to help crush it. But I love their logo and font, what do you think?




So that sums up my trip to Thailand. I just realized that it's just sad that I wasn't able to concentrate more on coffee there because of the tight schedule. Anyway, it was still a fun trip and I should tell you that this was the reason why Coffee Tickle was inactive for a few days. Well, we're back and it's time for more coffee fun..Tickle Away to a great day everyone!

Coffee Tickle got reviewed by mindrec.org I'm really happy with the review that we got and it just made my day..:) Thanks!

Here's an excerpt from the review:

Coffee cufflinks? Yes. And: Coffee videos (my favorite), coffee drinking celebs, coffee cups, coffee recipes, coffee gadgets, and coffee stories.

Still I don’t view this site as a site about coffee. Sure, the focus is coffee. But by using coffee as a canvas, the site paints a much broader picture.

To read the complete review, click this

Once again, thanks so much and tickle away to a great day!

Felt like sharing some food for thought for everyone in this video: "The Carrot, The Egg and the Coffee Bean." I won't share what's in the video since I'd like you to watch it and learn from it, hoping that we could all apply this to our lives.

In the end, I hope everyone becomes the coffee bean...the hotter the water, the better!

Tell me what you think of this video..Have a great day!

Here's and ad by Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury for Eight O'Clock Coffee. I am a big Phoenix Suns/Mercury fan so before watching this I knew that I was going to lean on saying that this will be a great ad. But after watching it a couple of times, I can say that it is really a clever and funny ad. It gets the message across. Unfortunately, I am not like that. I am sharper and more active after drinking coffee but it's hard for me to make a basket.

This is the Marimekko Unikko Coffee Mugs which has the signature Unikko Flower Pattern. It is such a nice set to have for your whole family as each can be assigned one color and some extra mugs for your guests. The design makes this a fun coffee mug to have. Even if its design is a flower, I don't mind having one like this...not at all. I think that the design really catches one's attention in a very good way and something that you can be proud of while drinking your coffee or tea.

This is one mug that can make your day a great day. What's great about this mug is that it is only $10.00 each, great price huh?


Other things to know about the mug:

Porcelain
Measures: 3-1/2" tall (9 cm)
Holds: 10 oz (29.5 cl)
Dishwasher safe

Check out these coffee cufflinks (Vintage Coffee Cufflinks and Greek Coffee Cufflinks) and have a more confident(we hope so) day. With a nice shirt, your coffee cufflinks and a cup or two of coffee then you're all set to go. People will notice you more and hopefully your boss gives you a promotion. OK...stop with the sales talk..

Anyway...

I've never been a cufflinks type of person since I only have a pair but obviously I am a coffee person. When I saw these cufflinks, I just wanted to get them and show it to everyone. The only problem is that I seldom wear a dress shirt unless, I'd literally use it as a decorative in my room. But coffee cufflinks with a nice dress shirt is just a nice combination to have.

Here are some of the celebrities who also need their coffee fix. Enjoy the pictures and crave for their...coffee(it's a coffee blog, what do you expect?:) ). Have a great week ahead everybody!

Hillary Duff with a cute smile last July 25. Thanks to Goffredo dei Crollalanza



Starbucks for Hayden and her dad taken last Jan. 8. Thanks to BAUER-GRIFFIN.COM



Holmes taking a break from her rehearsals for the Broadway, All My Sons. Taken August 8. Thanks to James Devaney/WireImage.com



Nicole Richie enjoying her coffee last August 13. Thanks to Fame Pictures



Ashlee Tisdale just after buying coffee from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf last August 18. Thanks to Fame Pictures



See more celebs on the coffee run at usmagazine.com.

Hope you also enjoy this Riva Viva Coffee Advertisement. I'd love to be in this commercial pushing carts but I wouldn't want to be the person standing inside the carts as I've got some problems with my balance. This is just a commercial that really makes you watch and wait and see what will happen. I just think how they presented the coffee logo was just really funny...not much video editing here unless there was in the part where the people stood inside the trolley. If that's the case then I don't mind standing inside..

According to a new study in Japan, women who drink a lot of coffee may have lower risks of having Uterus cancer.

The study had around 54,000 women aged 40 to 69 were monitored by Japan's health ministry. According to the medical team, it took over 15 years and in this time 117 women developed cancer in the womb. These women were divided into four groups, which determined the amount of coffee they drank.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control, uterine cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women.

More great news about coffee here and why we should drink it everyday or for those who are not really into it maybe at least 3x a week. But of course for those who are having palpitations, just take it in moderation. Anyway, as long as you can take it go ahead and drink it.

Source: AFP Japan

Look what I got for my birthday (yesterday)..a Coffee Tickle Mug (Thanks Ada!) How come I never thought of making one huh? This is just cool as I get to replace or alternate my other mug with this one. It's been awhile since I last changed mugs and it's just an exciting feeling to be waking up every morning knowing that you've got a new coffee mug. I already used it today and it's...perfect!

So what do you think? Any thoughts on my new "Coffee Tickle" mug? It's good that my reflection isn't that obvious..:)

No doubt that Entrecard has really helped my traffic the past few months and as a sign of appreciation to those who regularly visit and drop their ECs, I'm going to give away 75 ECs each to the top 10 since I was also planning to give out EC credits in my unsuccessful contest...whew! That was a long sentence...lol :)

Here are the top Entrecard Droppers for August:
Untreatable's Blog
FruityOaty
Diet Pulpit
Orange Derange
Curiously Awesome
Unpredictable Life
Technically Easy
Life's sweets and spices
Whatever Comes To My Mind
Lofty Matters

Thank you so much for the drops and of course the visits!:) Have a great day!