I’ve never really been a fan of traditional coffee.  Every once in a while I’d have a cup (or three) at IHOP when I was really in the mood, but even then I’d have to load it with sugar and non-dairy creamer to cut through the bitter taste of their cheap coffee.  I knew that Starbucks offered many alternatives to the traditional cup of coffee, most of which barely resembled coffee.  I managed to avoid stepping foot into a Starbucks, or any glam coffee lounge for that matter, for years, casting it off as a place that I shouldn’t be because 1) I’m not social, 2) I don’t like to read, 3) I don’t carry a laptop around with me, and 4) I can’t see paying $5 for coffee.  I’m a caffeine addict for sure – the more, the better – so after a few drinks at Starbucks I’m dirt poor.

Well that all changed when I got turned on to café sua dá (Vietnamese coffee).   Café sua dá, which literally translates to “coffee with milk”, is traditionally made using harsh French Roast coffee and then mixed with condensed milk and served over ice.  Ah, this is great stuff that will definitely keep you up and alert at 3:00am and it’s cheap.  Most places that sell café sua dá usually will brew the coffee through an espresso machine since it’s faster than the little metal strainer.  My only complaint is that all consumer espresso machines under $100 are shit, and I’m not about to pay more than $25 for a coffee machine.

I recently came across the Toddy Cold Brew system, and this is exactly what I’ve been looking for.  It’s cheap (around $30 at Amazon) and the cold brewing cuts out a lot of the bitterness that you get with coffee.  What’s also nice is that with the harshness gone, I don’t have to use the super sweet condensed milk any more.  Whole milk and a little sugar and it’s perfect over ice.  Check it out, but if $30 is too much for you, then you can get the same results from using a couple of large cups or jars and a paper coffee filter. It’s so easy, even a 9-year old can do it (this kid does a great job and his video demonstration deserves a plug).

From Lifehacker:

“CrimeReports will display, when data is available, a variety of crimes including homicide, breaking and entering, robbery, theft, theft of/from a vehicle, assault, and sexual offenses by default. You can also add in other crimes like kidnapping, arson, alarm responses, and proactive police activity like community policing and vehicles stops.

All of the above have color coded flags that can be easily read on the map. The flags are identified in the left hand column or by mouse click—both give you the type of crime and the location. You can also adjust the range of dates displayed to the last few days, last week, two weeks, month, or a custom date range via calendar. CrimeReports is a free service and requires no login.”

So you think your neighborhood is pretty safe?  Find out for sure at www.crimereports.com.  I was surprised to see how much stuff goes on in my neighborhood – and that’s just the stuff that’s reported.