Five Cool Coffee Cups You Need Today

Tired of everyone at the office having the same coffee mug? Hate sharing your mug with the folks in the office? Think of all those germs... Well, whether at home or in the office, make a statement with these five awesome coffee mugs!

1. Worldfashion Battery Color Changing Mug - $6.75

Battery graphic lights up to the level of the hot liquid inside the mug. Pretty cool...

2. Double Walled Insulation Mood Mugs (Set of 5) - $72.95

Happy as Larry, Monstrously Moody, Seriously Sleepy, Cheeky Chappie, and Severely Stressed

3. Hunnt Monday Mug - $13.22

4. 3D Printed Caffeine Molecule Espresso Cup - $76.00

For the nerd in all of us

5. The Prescription Coffee Mug - $10.99

Dosage instructions on the label

And so there you have it...five of the coolest coffee mugs that are out there right now. Click on the links to check them out on Amazon. Most offer free shipping with purchases above $30 so it might be worth considering bundling your purchases.

Did you know the color of your mug can alter how you perceive the taste of your coffee? New research done in Australia suggests that we have perceptions of certain colors which affect how we process food and drinks in colored containers.   

Fancy a Coffee Plantation Holiday? (Part 1 - Indonesia Edition)

Bored of the same old vacation routine of eating and shopping? Looking for a relaxing holiday with lots to learn? This pretty much sums up our mood going into the new year. So we decided to do something different for our annual vacation this year - a trip to a coffee plantation! 

Why the sudden inspiration? It all started with a TV interview on Bloomberg featuring Dilmah's Merrill and Dilhan Fernando, talking about staying on their tea plantations. Well, we love our coffee and Asia has some of the best coffee plantations in the world. 

So here's the shortlist for now, in no particular order:

1. Mesastila

Located in the center of a coffee plantation, Losari Spa Retreat And Coffee Plantation offers villa-style accommodations, an outdoor infinity pool and a luxurious spa among its facilities.

Surrounded by lush, natural surroundings, Losari Spa Retreat And Coffee Plantation is accessible via Semarang, Jogjakarta and Solo Airports.

A view of the surroundings

The Garden

Simple, spacious guestrooms

Infinity pool!

2. Munduk Moding Plantation Nature Resort & Spa

Munduk Moding Plantation Nature Resort offers luxurious suites and villas with free Wi-Fi. An outdoor infinity pool provides scenic views of the surrounding coffee trees, rice fields and mountains. The resort also boasts its own spa, restaurant and tennis courts.

Buyan Lake and Tamblingan Lake are both a 5-minute drive from Munduk Moding Plantation Nature Resort & Spa. Munduk Waterfall is just a 15-minute trek away.

Infinity pools seem to be getting more popular

The guestroom looks big!

Tours to learn about the land would be perfect

The surrounding view looks good. Note to self, find a higher resolution image

So this is our shortlist for Indonesia so far. If you guys have any suggestions / comments, do let us know. We'd love to hear and learn from you!

In part 2, we look at some of the options available in India.

Serena Williams Credits Coffee for Win

World No1, Serena Williams, credited an on-court coffee for her recovery after she stormed back from a first set bagel to beat Italy’s Flavia Pennetta in her opening match of the year at the Hopman Cup on Monday.

The 33-year-old American looked all at sea during the opening stages of the early morning match in a sweltering Perth but the caffeine hit did just the trick as her serve clicked into gear for a 0-6, 6-3, 6-0 win.

“I’m so jet-lagged and Flavia played really, really well and yeah, everyone needs coffee every now and then. I needed coffee to get my feet moving,” Williams said. 

While there are now powerful drugs like Provigil (prescription medicine for narcolepsy) and Sildenafil (also known as Viagra... lol) that could help with sleep cycle adjustment, sometimes coffee and a nap are the best. Dr. Mark Rosekind, a sleep expert from Califronia, recommends that caffeine in conjunction with a nap is a winning strategy. Caffeine takes 15 to 30 minutes to work, and an effective nap should be less than 45 minutes, to avoid going into the kind of deep sleep that leaves people groggy. The caffeine and nap working together “can actually show a performance boost greater than either one alone,” he said.