Revisiting the Subject of Coffee

 

Nescafe Gold Espresso. Jefferson City, Missouri. Photo: Mzuriana.

 

I have a new instant coffee love. Its tagline is velvety crema. And it is velvety, in flavor, mouthfeel, and visual presentation in the jar.  Nescafe Gold Espresso. Subtitle: Intense. 

I typically only drink instant coffee when I'm on the road, especially camping. But my coffee maker expired one day, and while I dithered over whether and how to replace it, I pulled out my instant coffee cache pending my eventual decision.

As it happened, a friend was moving, and he didn't intend to take his coffee maker with him. I asked if I might adopt it, and he generously agreed.

So I'm back with my usual brew routine, but with summer here, I've also taken a liking to iced coffee made with instant.

These recent developments have me reminiscing on past coffee-related posts: 

• 2011 March: Ethiopia: A Sweet Coffee Goodbye in Nazret
• 2011 July: Rustavi: In the Society of Women
• 2011 September: Keshalo: A Tiny Adventure
• 2012 January: Dubai: The Creek: Bur Dubai Side
  
• 2012 February: Travel Blasphemy #1: Turkish Coffee
• 2016 April: Coffee and Salt: The Essences of Life
• 2016 August: Colorado: Big Coffee
  
• 2016 September: Colorado: Coffee Trials
  
• 2016 November: Louisiana: Where I Found My True Love
  
• 2016 December: El Paso: Coffee, Design, and Geography
  
• 2017 February: El Paso: Coffee Box
  
• 2018 May: Arrow Rock Camping, Part 1: Cold Coffee and Some Walks
  
• 2019 February: Las Cruces, New Mexico: You Look Lovely in the Morning
  
• 2021 November: Gulf Shores, Alabama: Thanksgiving 2021
  

 

A coffee slide show below: 

 

#30

Jefferson City, Missouri: Kettle Corn Testing

        

Kettle corn at Longmont Farmer and Craft Fair, Colorado. June 2023.

                                   

Being always on the lookout for good kettle corn, I've felt bereft in mid-Missouri, as my very favorite Missouri kettle corn dealer - A1 Kettle Corn - at the Truxton Exit on Interstate 70 - is kinda far away for a casual drug run, and when I have gone by since my arrival, they haven't been at their usual place outside the Pilot / Flying J truck stop. I have learned that they've closed, due to one of the owner's illness.  Je suis triste, both for the owners and for me, selfish person that I am.

My hunt for a replacement ensued. 

First I tried other local kettlepreneurs to replace my A1.

Ready Popped Popcorn in Jefferson City: B

Pricey at $10 per middle-size bag. It's a high-quality bag, which probably accounts for some of the cost (in addition to having to pay rent for its storefront, which is the only supply point I'm familiar with). Both the mouthfeel and flavor are fresh.  Flavor is nice, as in nice, like the nice-lady-next-door kinda nice.

GoPo in Fulton: C

Also pricey, also in a fancy bag, also of middle size. They call it "butter kettle" corn, using Kerry Gold butter. So the result is more high-end movie popcorn rather than kettle corn. Also, it had a stale taste and mouthfeel. Please do not gentrify my kettle corn. I'm a little mad at this so-called kettle corn.

Chelle's in Jefferson City: C

Eight bucks for a loosely-loaded mid-size bag. Who doesn't pack the popcorn tightly in their bags?! Although the vendor told me she made the popcorn fresh the morning I bought it, its taste and mouthfeel were stale.

After the above uninspiring experiences, I thought to try commercial kettle corn. I put the best first:

Boom Chicka Pop kettle corn. April 2024. Jefferson City, Missouri.

Boom Chicka Pop: B+

Damn good.  I could go with Boom Chicka Pop and feel entirely satisfied. Crunchy. Fresh. Excellent balance of sweet and salty. The seasoning is almost not-quite-enough, which keeps my grade at a B+ instead of an A, but overall, I'll say it again: it's damn good. 

 

Great Value kettle corn. April 2024. Jefferson City, Missouri.

 

Great Value kettle corn: C+

I toyed with giving this a B-, but really, it's a good C+. Its popcorn essence comes through clearly, not overwhelmed by other components. It's crunchy and fresh. However, it doesn't have quite enough salt; not quite enough sweet. I would choose the Great Value over the Smartfood without hesitation. 

 

Smartfood kettle corn. April 2024. Jefferson City, Missouri.

Smartfood kettle corn: C

Crunchier and fresher than GoPo and Chelle's. And only four bucks. However, the sweetness smothers the salty, so it's not a product I'd buy again.

 

 

Indiana kettle corn. April 2024. Jefferson City, Missouri.

Popcorn Indiana: C-

Unremarkable.

An itinerant character:

On my road trip to Las Cruces in the spring, I picked up a bag of Pappy's kettle corn in Vaughn, New Mexico, at a c-store. I weren't happy wit' Pappy.

Pappy's kettle corn. April 2024. Vaughn, New Mexico.

10 Years Ago: Rootless: Goodbye, Friend

You wouldn't think a minimalist like me would get attached to mere ... things, would you? 

But I do, and I think wistfully of items that have fallen by the wayside because they've plumb worn out or been (no!) lost. 

Just last month I had to "transition" a much-loved blouse because it seemed to have begun to, er, actually disintegrate along the placket.

And my jean jacket, oh my jean jacket, is doing the same along the cuff line of my right sleeve.

I bought both of these beloveds in second-hand stores some years ago.

 

My worn, beloved jean jacket. March 2024. Credit: Mzuriana.

 

I sighed when I revisited this post from 2014. I've still not found a worthy replacement.  

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Rootless: Goodbye, Friend

Time to say good-bye, friend.

You went with me to innumerable festivals, and to Ethiopia, to Mexico, to Caucasus Georgia, to Dubai, to Istanbul, to Armenia, to New Mexico, and finally, to Louisiana.

We were such a perfect fit. I liked resting my hand on your shoulder, and to have your arm draped across mine. You protected my valuables. You carried my books. My water. My camera. You never complained.

Who could have predicted all of the adventures we'd share when we first met at that second-hand store? 

I'll never forget you. 

Yes, even though I must replace you, know that you will always be my true love.

Goodbye, bag.