fact
These 10 gemstones are so rare that some of them cash in at well above the world’s most valuable precious gems.
Once it became clear that Freaks and Geeks was going to leave behind a beautiful corpse, executive producer Judd Apatow decided to take another stab at network television and create Undeclared. The show, which premiered on September 25, 2001, revolved around a group of freshmen at the fictional University of Northeastern California, particularly the trials and tribulations of the geeky and too-nice-for-his-own-good Steven Karp (then-newcomer Jay Baruchel).
While Steven deals with his recently separated and lonely dad Hal (Loudon Wainwright III), he also has to work around his feelings for his neighbor Lizzie (Carla Gallo), the fellow freshman to whom he lost his virginity, and navigate his friendships with his roommates, including Ron Garner (Seth Rogen) and Lloyd Haythe (Charlie Hunnam). An impressive roster of future stars appeared on the series, including Amy Poehler as head RA Hillary, Jason Segel as Lizzie’s jealous ex-boyfriend Eric, and Kevin Hart as the religious Luke. To celebrate the series’ 15th anniversary, here are 15 major facts about Undeclared.
“I enjoyed my writing staff and production staff so much that I just wanted to try and keep everyone working,” Apatow admitted of Undeclared‘s origins. “So we thought, what would be the best show we could come up with that allows us to hire a lot of these same people and a lot of these same actors? And we thought, well, by the time we get this on, most of these Freaks and Geeks kids will be college age; let’s do a college show! It was as lazy as that.”
Fox ordered six episodes before ever seeing a script, giving Apatow the chance to talk to the actors about what they were like as college freshmen. He then wrote the characters based on what they said. Improvisation and messing around with the dialogue was also encouraged.
But Fox didn’t believe Segel was enough of an underdog. Instead, Apatow cast the Freaks and Geeks star in the recurring role of Eric, Lizzie’s obsessive ex-boyfriend.
Colin Mortensen from Real World: Hawaii tried out for Steven. “Thank God you beat that guy,” Rogen told Baruchel at the 2011 PaleyFest reunion.
The musician/actor hated auditioning, and because auditioning in front of network executives was particularly stressful, Apatow simply told Fox he was out of town. Instead, Apatow showed the network a tape of Wainwright. “So I saved him the trouble, even though he was really only five minutes away at the time,” Apatow admitted.
Timm Sharp, who played Steven’s suitemate Marshall Nesbitt, had to drop out of David Gordon Green’s All the Real Girls (2003), where he was set to play “Bust-Ass.” Danny McBride ended up making his big-screen debut in the part instead.
“I had this kid, Tom Welling, come in for Undeclared, and he was great, but too good-looking,” Apatow told The New York Times in 2007. “We put him in a small part in the first episode as a frat brother. I’d tell people, ‘There goes the next Tom Cruise.’ Six weeks later he was cast as Superman in Smallville.”
“I’m trying to make the show somewhat timeless,” Apatow said in October 2001, when the series was just a few episodes old. “I don’t want to do 800 Napster jokes, and then Napster goes under, and someday in reruns, my show looks ridiculous. I just try to keep it in that netherworld where the show hopefully makes as much sense in 10 years as it does now.”
In “Oh, So You Have a Boyfriend”, the A-story had Steven and Lizzie attending an on-campus screening of American Pie (1999). In the originally shot but ultimately unaired version, in an episode then titled “Full Bluntal Nugety,” Steven and Lizzie’s first date involved them going to a Ted Nugent lecture, where Uncle Ted himself cameoed. Fox thought the Ted Nugent thing was possibly “too obscure.”
Kevin Rankin, who played RA Lucien, compared Amy Poehler—who officially joined SNL a few weeks into Undeclared‘s run—to a Beatle in 2010. “She’s like John Lennon-esque in her genius of comedy,” he said. “She was so insecure and we would do a take and she’d be like, ‘That’s just not funny.’ I’m like, ‘No, you’re doing great,’ not knowing who she really was at the time.”
Mark Brazill, co-creator of That 70s Show, was upset that he heard from another party that Apatow wanted to get his show’s star, Topher Grace, to guest star on Undeclared. In a heated email exchange that was leaked to the public, Brazill accused Apatow of stealing an idea he was going to use for a new TV series for a sketch on The Ben Stiller Show.
Baruchel remembered that throughout the production of the series, as far as the cast and crew were concerned, there was a “sword hanging over our heads”—the constant threat of cancellation. “They thought we needed a laugh track because otherwise, how will the audience know where the jokes are?” Baruchel added. “Stuff like that. We’d get notes like ‘We want it to be more like Road Trip,’ whatever that means.”
Apatow framed a rave review from TIME magazine of Undeclared and sent it to the Fox executive who was about to cancel the series after 17 episodes. It came with a note that used rather adult language.
Seth Rogen got his start writing for television on Undeclared. He showed Apatow a script he and his friend Evan Goldberg had written called Superbad. Apatow ran a table read of the script with Rogen and Segal as the leads, David Krumholtz and Kyle Gass—both of whom played Rogen’s buddies on the show—as the cops, and as future Superbad director Greg Mottola later recalled, the rest of the Undeclared cast reading the other parts. Mottola, who directed five episodes of Undeclared, immediately asked Apatow to think of him if the movie ever got made.
Mottola himself later wrote and directed Adventureland (2009), with the help of an inebriated evening with Undeclared‘s writers. “One night I was getting drunk with the writers from Undeclared and we were swapping worst-job-ever stories, and I talked about the summer of 1985, when I worked at an amusement park on Long Island, the kind of place where someone would pull a knife on you if they wanted a better prize than you were giving them,” Mottola explained. “And at one point one of my friends, a writer on the show, Jenny Konner, said, ‘You should write about that.’ I’d already started outlining the young-love story, and I thought, ‘Well, that kind of fits.'”
According to Segel, nothing came of Steven and Lizzie’s relationship; Eric and Lizzie ended up having a one-night stand years later, and Eric still wasn’t over her. When Carla Gallo was asked what her character would be up to now, she speculated that Lizzie would probably be single. “I think she’s out there annoying everyone, being too perky,” Gallo said. “Maybe still living with Rachel. They’re still single ladies on the town trying to lock down a man.”
September 29, 2016 – 10:00am
September 29, 2016 – 11:15am
In 1713, Giuseppe Tartini dreamt that he had sold his soul to the devil. In the dream the devil played a masterful sonata. When Tartini woke up, he composed Violin Sonata in G minor.
The first use of “Google” as a verb in pop culture (TV) happened on Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 2002.
Doritos now have a place in your vampire-hunting kit beside the wooden stakes and holy water. According to CNET, Frito-Lay has developed a new garlic variety of the classic chip for their Japanese market.
While the black color of the garlic pepper Doritos might appeal to Dracula, their funky flavor certainly would not. One bite of these chips transforms snackers into walking vampire repellant. And in case the theme wasn’t clear from the taste and look of the junk food, the packaging makes it apparent: a silhouette of a vampire snarls against a black background while bats swarm over the spooky scene beneath him.
The new Doritos aren’t the only vampire-themed food to come out of Japan this Halloween season. A fast food chain in the region recently introduced a cheeseburger with a monstrous bacon “tongue” served inside a cardboard coffin box.
[h/t CNET]
Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.
September 29, 2016 – 9:00am
Americans have an intimate relationship with their coffee. It’s the drink that gets them going, the first hit of flavor in their day. It’s the steaming (or iced) cup that sets the tone for what’s to follow. And at a time when tastes have evolved past watery, gets-the-job-done brews into the bold, the origin-specific, and the fair trade certified, it had better be good. With so many interesting coffee roasters out there, including many who have set up shop in just the past few years, selecting the best one in each state was quite difficult. We researched our picks carefully, with an eye for detail that honors the studious methods of coffee innovators across the country.
Location: Auburn, Alabama
Take it from the caffeinated college crowd, who’ve left one rapturous review after another for this roaster and café: Mama Mocha’s makes the best coffee around. Owner Sarah Barnett Gill and her team get extra credit for blends that are both well crafted and highly eclectic, like Dawn of the Dead, a house roast with an extra caffeine jolt, and the whiskey-infused Black Moonshine.
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
In coffee-obsessed Alaska, Kaladi Brothers stays ahead of the curve with stringent quality standards and a splash of ingenuity. The company, which operates 13 cafes and began in 1986 as a roadside stand, selects only organic, shade-grown beans, then air roasts them—a process that many prefer for its clean, uniform flavor. With more than a million pounds of beans roasted each year, Kaladi offers plenty of fuel for those long, cold winters.
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Cartel’s methods are no secret: Just stop by their Tempe warehouse for a tour, or browse their website for ratios and other nitty gritty details. Transparency aside, Cartel’s sophisticated roasting process isn’t easily duplicated. The same goes for its direct sourcing program and stringent barista training, which suffers no slouches. Taken together, Cartel’s process has helped the roaster and café become one of Arizona’s premier coffee destinations.
Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas
A region best known for big companies like Wal-Mart and Tyson might not seem like the ideal place to roast small-batch coffee by hand. But Onyx has found an enthusiastic audience in Fayetteville, who come for their daily cup and for special events like roasting classes and an annual barista throw-down. Onyx prizes unique tasting notes like “mulled wine” and “brouléed grapefruit.” And true to its name, it’s a laboratory for experimental roasts, like micro-lot Ethiopian varietals and beans roasted with lactic acid.
Location: San Francisco, California
What does it take to be the best roaster in hip, caffeinated California? Start with a sourcing team that spends most months on the road seeking out the best beans from Africa, South America, and beyond. Then, using a vintage German roaster, turn out light, flavorful coffee that draws long lines of customers all hours of the day. In addition to mind-blowing coffee, Four Barrel offers classes like a “Water Quality Seminar” aimed at making you a better at-home brewer.
Location: Boulder, Colorado
The Rocky Mountain state has seen a boom in coffee roasters over the past few years. But Boxcar has a secret weapon: a refurbished 1929 Gothot Ideal Rapid roaster from Germany. The nearly century-old workhorse turns out beans that have garnered many a loyal patron in Boulder and throughout the country. To bring out the full flavor in every cup, Boxcar employs a special boiling method in its two cafes that utilizes custom-made flasks. It’s old school meets new school, with very flavorful results.
Location: West Hartford, Connecticut
Proprietor José René Martínez Onofre thinks he might have actually tasted his first cup of coffee before he learned to walk. That early love affair led him to open his first shop in West Hartford in 2012, an “artisanal coffee gathering place” that’s as much a social hub as a java shop. Martínez is fanatical about bean sourcing and brewing techniques—French Press as well as Chemex pour-overs—which is probably why he’s earned rave reviews since he first unlocked his doors.
Location: Lewes, Delaware
Notting Hill owner Amy Felker keeps her coffee roaster in the front window of her café in Lewes, but it’s not much of a distraction: she roasts most of her annual 40,000 pounds of coffee at night. Felker’s obsession with coffee is all-encompassing: she deals in flavored beans, often derided by coffee purists, and has found that some self-mixed concoctions wind up being her biggest sellers. (One tastes like a certain nautical-themed breakfast cereal.) The blends are also available via mail-order.
Location: Miami, Florida
Panther’s reputation for an excellent cup has done more than expand their Miami-area footprint: their coffee is known all over the country. Locals can walk into their storefronts and get information sheets about growers; beans are available online. Not bad for a business that started serving cold brews out of a food truck.
Location: Marietta, Georgia
A “Best of Atlanta” winner in 2015, Cool Beans tackles more than 40 different varieties of coffee in a roaster they’ve dubbed Big Red. And if you can’t make it in to sip your selection on their outdoor patio, the roasts are also offered via their web store.
Location: Mountain View, Hawaii
As the only state that grows coffee in commercial quantities, Hawaii might be home to some of the freshest beans in the U.S. Big Island doesn’t have a retail front, but its distinctive artisanal beans are sold all over the territory and they’ve picked up virtually every award out there—the USDA even honored them with a grant for their continuing efforts to improve local coffee quality. If you ask nicely, they might even give you a farm tour.
Location: Post Falls, Idaho
Staunchly supportive of fair trade, the coffee buyers at DOMA go through considerable hoops—and expense—to support smaller, organic farmers. DOMA never skirts corners, shipping their coffees in recycled bags, utilizing a roaster that uses 80 percent less gas to operate, and making sure every cup served is as environmentally responsible as possible.
Location: Chicago, Illinois
In business for over 20 years, Intelligentsia has spread all over Chicago owing to demand for their specialty craft coffees. The key to their success: standing side-by-side with growers to develop and select their preferred beans.
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis Monthly named Bee Coffee Roasters one of the best indie coffee roasters in the city, thanks partly to their self-imposed limitations. The company uses only a five-pound roaster for beans, which means small and frequent batches of ultra-fresh coffee with a different flavor every time. Bee also likes to spend time on aesthetics: co-owner Andy Gilman spearheads a “League of Lattes” milk art competition in the city.
Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa
Home-roasting began as a hobby for Jed Vander Zanden, but after he and his wife moved to Cedar Falls, Vander Zanden decided to launch his own business. He opened Sidecar in 2012, and java aficionados are welcome to swing by the downtown location on Washington Street to watch as he roasts small batches of specialty, direct-trade coffee beans from around the world. You can buy them at food co-ops, markets, and coffee shops around Iowa, or online.
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Photojournalist Jeff Taylor, and his roommate, fast food chain manager Fred Polzin, founded PT’s (P for Polzin, T for Taylor) in 1993 after Taylor tried—and failed—to find a local outlet that brewed an amazing cup of coffee. Taylor eventually convinced Polzin to give roasting a try, and in 1997, PT’s reestablished itself as a roasting operation, and began sourcing beans from skilled artisan farmers around the world. Nearly 80 percent of their coffee is acquired through direct trade, meaning the company buys beans straight from the growers, cutting out the middlemen. In 2009, Roast magazine named PT’s their “Macro Roaster of the Year,” and you can now find the company’s product across the Midwest, and in select East Coast coffee shops.
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is famous for being the home of the Kentucky Derby—but it’s also becoming known as one of the South’s go-to coffee destinations. Sunergos Coffee (which gets its name from the Greek word meaning “working together“) is a local coffee franchise and micro-roastery that sources sustainably harvested, responsibly farmed beans. Swing by the Woodlawn Avenue outpost, and you might even catch the roasters in action: their 1500-foot micro-roastery is at the back of the store, and is clearly visible through a glass wall separating the production facilities from the café area. And though Sunergos is still largely a regional operation, it has a national reputation: In 2014, it won the “America’s Best Espresso” competition at Coffee Fest, an annual trade event for tea and coffee enthusiasts.
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana
Deep in the heart of Cajun Country, you’ll find Rêve Coffee Roasters—a coffee shop/micro-roastery in Lafayette that was founded by two Louisiana natives, Nathanael Johnson and Christopher Pickle. Recently, they moved the business to a much larger location on Jefferson Street, which allows them to serve meals and use the bar space so employees can roast beans directly on site. Rêve operates a wholesale business, and sells its beans to local cafes, restaurants, and grocery stores. Many of the bean varieties come from Royal Coffee New York, but Rêve is also establishing direct trade operations with farms in Guatemala and El Salvador.
Location: Portland, Maine
In 2012, husband-and-wife team Will and Kathleen Pratt opened Tandem Coffee Roasters—a combination coffee shop and micro-roastery—in Portland’s East Bayside neighborhood. Two years later, the duo converted an old gas station in Portland’s West End into a second outpost—this time, a bakery and coffee shop.
Tandem sources its beans from all over the world, and on Fridays patrons can visit the company’s East Bay location to enjoy free tasting sessions and watch the roasting process. And if you love coffee and music, you can sign up for Tandem’s “coffee and vinyl club,” a partnership with online record sellers KMA in which subscribers receive both a new record and a different bag of Tandem’s beans each month.
Location: Annapolis, Maryland
Ceremony Coffee Roasters sources coffee beans from four continents and imports them to their flagship location—a storefront/roastery in Annapolis (other locations are in Baltimore and D.C.). Java lovers who visit the franchise’s West Street location can enjoy a seasonal coffee menu, and at the building’s back they can watch the roasters in action (or, if interested, partake in a specialty brewing class).
Location: Greater Boston Area
Barisimo is small, yet flourishing—and more importantly, it’s ready to innovate. Founded in 2008, the roastery operates three Barismo cafés in the greater Boston area (Barisimo 171, a shop at the roastery’s original location in Arlington, operates a lab-style coffeebar). Barisimo sources direct trade beans from around the globe, but the roastery is equally known for its creative approach toward coffee: They recently developed a patent-pending cold-brew injector to make nitrogenated cold brew kegs.
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Madcap Coffee Company co-founders Trevor Corlett and Ryan Knapp—who launched their business in 2008—source their beans directly from farms or cooperatives around the world. After sampling thousands of coffees, they select 15 to 20 to roast and sell. With that kind of attention to detail, it’s no surprise that their product is carried in select coffee shops around the country, from San Antonio to New York.
Customers can sip on Madcap Coffee in two of the roastery’s specialty coffee shops in Grand Rapids (one of them is located adjacent to the micro-roastery, and lets customers watch the roasting process). East Coasters can also enjoy the brew: Madcap Coffee recently opened up a satellite office and training center in Washington, D.C.
Location: Ramsey, Minnesota
If the word “artisanal” appeals to you, Paradise is the way to go. Since 2002, founder R. Miguel Meza and his team have been hand-selecting and micro-roasting the very best blends from growers in Hawaii, Costa Rica, and Ethiopia. Looking for a new morning roast? Check out Paradise’s chocolaty Blue Sky Breakfast blend, which scored 91 out of 100 in Coffee Review.
Location: Jackson, Mississippi
BeanFruit proudly focuses on single-origin coffees and educating consumers about the beans in their cup. “We want our customers to be aware of what beverage they are drinking, where it came from, and how it affects coffee farmers around the world,” says founder Paul Bonds. Try BeanFruit’s Kenya Nyeri Chinga Peaberry for a bright, complex roast with notes of melon and nectarine.
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
The self-described “coffee zealots” at Oddly Correct are on a mission “to freak out your morning cup.” If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, head over to their website or check out the café on Main Street for a cup of Space Monkey Seasonal Espresso, which boasts a creamy body, raw-sugar sweetness, and tropical fruitiness.
Location: Missoula, Montana
If you like your coffee dark and your products green, head over to Black Coffee Roasting Co. in Missoula. The company and café’s blends are all sustainable, craft roasted, and 100 percent organic. They’re also delicious. For an indulgent sip, try the rich-bodied variety called The Hunt, which promises hints of baker’s chocolate, strawberry, honey, and graham cracker.
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Seasonal sourcing isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of coffee, but the heartland-based Beansmith Coffee Roasters have built a business around finding the freshest, most vibrant beans for every cup. For new autumnal flavors, pop into the Old Market Café on Harney Street in Omaha and try the smoky, clove-flavored Phoenix blend.
Location: Reno, Nevada
Hub Coffee Roasters were founded on two ideals: coffee and community. (Don’t think coffee is an ideal? Just talk to them.) The company now has an online shop and three Reno locations and has recently begun sourcing its own beans from South America. A good pick: the Peruvian Nuevo Trujillo roast, with notes of plum and dried fruit.
Location: Bedford and Dover, New Hampshire
Flight Coffee Co. founder Claudia Barrett began with a dream and a passion for fresh, farm-to-pot coffee. Today she’s the leader of a small army of obsessive coffee roasters who regularly take classes to keep up with the latest science, techniques, and trends. Visit the roasting lab and tasting room in Bedford or treat the coffee connoisseur in your life to a monthly bean subscription.
Location: Jersey City, New Jersey
Founded by Justin Hicks and Travas Clifton in 2013, Modcup prides itself on serving up the freshest roasts, and sells all of its coffee within 18 days of its roast date. In addition to Modcup’s Jersey City coffee shop and roastery, the company built a unique mobile roastery inside a restored 1969 Citroen H-Van, which was once used to deliver fresh bread in France. The truck now splits its time between serving fresh coffee outside the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Jersey City and making appearances at parties and fairs in the Tri-State area.
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
For over a decade, local coffee roaster Michael Thomas and his two daughters have created unique blends and single origin roasts for customers at their Albuquerque shops. Thomas and his team experiment with every new batch of beans they order to find the perfect roast profile for each. In recent years, Thomas has opened an online store as well. In addition to roasting their own beans, the two Michael Thomas Coffee shops in Albuquerque also host regular coffee classes, teaching coffee lovers about coffee history, and how to make different coffee varieties.
Location: Ithaca, Trumansburg, and New York City, New York
Winner of Roast magazine’s 2013 “Macro Roaster of the Year” award, Gimme! Coffee has come a long way since it was first founded in a charmingly cramped cafe in Ithaca back in 2000. Nowadays, the coffee roaster has seven locations in Ithaca, Trumansburg, and New York City, and supplies its beans to shops and markets across the country. The company prides itself on creating flavorful, high-quality blends and on its sustainable, ethical practices which include a composting program and partnerships with their coffee growers.
Location: Durham, North Carolina
Counter Culture is based in Durham, but sells its beans on its website, and wholesale to coffee shops around the United States. The North Carolina roaster believes in sustainable practices, embraces fully transparent business practices, and, of course, makes some truly delicious coffees. Unlike some specialty roasters, Counter Culture encourages its customers to make their versatile beans using any brewing method they want. They also offer free weekly coffee tastings and brewing classes at regional training centers in Durham and 10 other cities around the United States.
Location: Fargo, North Dakota
You can find Twenty Below’s single origin roasts and blends online, served up at coffee shops throughout North Dakota, and at their Fargo coffee bar and roastery. The coffee roaster works with small farms and cooperatives to acquire beans that can’t be found at larger coffee chains, and reviewers on Yelp have called their roasts “delicious,” “complex,” and “unique.”
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea may supply coffee to stores around the country, but it still roasts its beans carefully in small batches. Each shipment of 150-pound bags of coffee arrives at the Crimson Cup headquarters in Columbus, where a master roaster oversees the roast profile of each bean variety. The company, which won Roast magazine’s 2016 “Macro Roaster of the Year” award also hosts coffee tastings and roasting lessons at its Innovation Lab in Columbus.
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Elemental Coffee Roasters in Oklahoma City is obsessed with serving up “elemental” coffee flavors. It puts an emphasis on retaining the natural flavors of its beans, and refuses to intentionally tamper with or add to its flavor. “You might say our coffee has a mind of its own,” the Elemental website explains. “It tastes this way one day, but it may taste completely different the next.” Elemental Coffee Roasters sells its coffees online and at its Oklahoma City location.
Location: Portland, Oregon
Portland has a sea of high-quality coffee outfits, but Stumptown remains a favorite both locally and in cafes across the country. One of the pioneers of the third-wave coffee movement, Stumptown won Roast magazine’s Roaster of the Year competition back in 2006. The coffee-focused Sprudge.com calls the company’s Portland headquarters, which opened in 2012, “an absolute sight to behold.” The company hosts daily free tastings there, with $15 behind-the-scenes roastery tours and classes also available. If you do take a tour or an intro to coffee class, you get to take home your own bag of freshly roasted beans.
Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Square One Coffee is a family-owned roasting company that has accumulated some serious accolades. The roastery has won a Good Food Award in the coffee category three years running, and one of its baristas won 10th place at the U.S. Barista Championships in 2015. Stop by the Lancaster café and sip a brewed-to-order cup in the backyard garden, or head to the roasting facility across town to take a class alongside the cafe’s own up-and-coming talent, lead by instructors certified by the Barista Guild of America and the Specialty Coffee Association of America. (There are also two locations to enjoy in Philly.)
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
Single-origin obsessives, pay attention. The beauty of Vanuatu Coffee Roasters lies in its absolute dedication to the South Pacific island nation that gives the roastery its name. Co-founder Jimmy Lappin traveled to the Republic of Vanuatu in 2009 as a tourist, and was so taken with the local coffee that he and his sister, Martha Soderlund, teamed up with a local cooperative to source beans exclusively from farmers on the island of Tanna. No need for milk here; Lappin boasts that Vanuatu coffee lacks any trace of bitterness.
Location: Summerville, South Carolina
Coastal Coffee Roasters, located outside Charleston, sources beans from around the world, then roasts them to perfection in small batches. The downtown Summerville café is host to a rotating calendar of events, including yoga, open mic nights, and local music—and they serve up a decent sandwich to go with that perfect cup.
Location: Rapid City, South Dakota
Pure Bean Roasters was started out of a garage in 2013, and the owners only opened up a café this year, continuing to roast their beans at co-owner Mark Royalty’s home long after the company began shipping nationwide. Pure Bean only sells organic, fair trade beans that are air-roasted in small batches, rather than in the high-capacity drums that most commercial coffee roasters use. Instead of being stirred in a hot drum, the beans float on a bed of hot air, ensuring consistency in the roast. The result is a smooth, low-acid cup of coffee.
Location: Maryville, Tennessee
Don’t head to Nashville for the state’s best coffee. Take a trip to the Vienna Coffee Company outside of Knoxville. The small-batch roaster has everything from single-origin and estate coffees to certified shade-grown, bird-friendly, Rainforest Alliance-approved, and fair-trade beans. If you aren’t in the area to come by for a free tasting, you can always sign up for their mail-order coffee club.
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Brown Coffee is one of San Antonio’s most well-established craft coffee outfits, and even other cafe proprietors admit that owner Aaron Blanco is “the most coffee-knowledgeable person in Texas.” In 2015, Food Network star Alton Brown called the drink he got from Brown Coffee “the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had in my life.” Beyond the delicious drinks, the PourLab hosts classes for a range of skill levels, from novices looking for basic tips to enthusiasts wanting to learn how to identify the type of soil coffee was grown in just from tasting the brew.
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Over two decades ago, the aptly named Brewster family founded Millcreek Coffee Roasters in a small building with one 12-kilogram roaster. Today they’re a major presence in the Salt Lake City coffee scene with a café, a wholesale store, and an outpost in the city’s airport. Coffee lovers who don’t have time to pick up their beans in person can shop for them online. Millcreek also offers “Roaster’s Choice” coffee subscriptions that are delivered each month by the pound.
Location: Middlebury, Vermont
The folks at Vermont Coffee Company know that good coffee starts with a quality product. That’s why all their beans are carefully selected and slow-roasted to order in small batches. They also know that the coffee experience doesn’t have to end when a customer finishes their cup. They write on their website: “Coffee is a social stimulus that brings people together to share ideas and stories, and when people come together, a community is formed and friends are made.” The company proved their commitment to this concept when they opened a community theater in the neighborhood. If you can’t make it to the Vermont Coffee Company Playhouse or their on-site café, you can find their coffee in establishments along the East coast.
Location: Springfield, Virginia
Cervantes’s single origin coffee is sold in over 40 retail stores in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. Java enthusiasts who live near their north Virginia headquarters can swing by for tours or coffee “cupping” (think wine tasting) events every second Friday of the month. The entire coffee warehouse is also available to rent out for private affairs.
Location: Sumner, Washington
In a state as obsessed with coffee as Washington, Dillanos Coffee Roasters has managed to rise to the top. They’ve been recognized as best in the region multiple times, and in 2011 Roast magazine named them the best macro coffee roaster in North America. With dozens of coffees of varying roasts and sources available to purchase, they offer something for every type of coffee connoisseur.
Location: Shenandoah Junction, West Virginia
Black Dog’s café in Shenandoah Junction offers coffee and a show. Patrons can come to see one of America’s oldest operating coffee roasters in action—a vintage 1931 Jabez Burns & Sons model named Plutonius. The business also hosts community events like yoga classes, drum circles, and taco Tuesdays. Even without the entertainment factor, a taste of their single origin, micro-roasted coffee is worth a trip (or at least an online order).
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Beer isn’t the only brew in Wisconsin that deserves attention. The team behind Kickapoo Coffee Roasters has been roasting high-quality, full-flavored coffee in Milwaukee since 2005. Once a month, they open up their tasting room for the public to sample offerings, tour the roastery, and ask any coffee-related questions they may have.
Location: Jackson, Wyoming
Jackson Hole Coffee Roasters brings a European commitment to coffee to Western Wyoming. Owners Stefan and Lubomira got their start in the coffee business as baristas. They took over Jackson Hole Coffee Roasters after moving to the U.S. from Slovakia, and today they sell their coffee wholesale to restaurants, coffee bars, and specialty stores and serve it fresh at their café.
By Michele Debczak, Kirstin Fawcett, Shaunacy Ferro, Anna Green, Kate Horowitz, Jake Rossen, and Jeff Wells.
September 29, 2016 – 8:00am
John Malkovich has teamed up with David Lynch to put a surreal spin on the cult director’s already surreal works. IndieWire reports that Malkovich will reinterpret several of Lynch’s most famous characters as part of “Playing Lynch,” an experimental meditation on Lynch’s films and television shows, which will also raise funds for the director’s transcendental meditation foundation.
In the first episode of the series, which is available to view for free on the Playing Lynch website, Malkovich plays Dale Cooper, the quirky, coffee-loving detective from Twin Peaks (1990), originally played by Kyle MacLachlan. In later episodes, which can be purchased on the website, Malkovich will play the Log Lady (also from Twin Peaks), John Merrick from The Elephant Man (1980), Henry Spencer from Eraserhead (1977), and even Lynch himself.
The series also features new music from contemporary musicians like Sky Ferreira and Zola Jesus, as well as Twin Peaks composer Angelo Badalamenti. According to the Playing Lynch website, the project gives world-class artists and musicians the “opportunity to do to Lynch’s world what he has done to ours for so long: show it in a new light to reveal a whole new realm of possibilities.” Check out the trailer above.
[h/t IndieWire]
Banner Image Credit: Squarespace, Vimeo
September 29, 2016 – 7:30am
As a recurring feature, our team combs the Web and shares some amazing Amazon deals we’ve turned up. Here’s what caught our eye today, September 28.
Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers, including Amazon, and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we only get commission on items you buy and don’t return, so we’re only happy if you’re happy. Good luck deal hunting!
LED Colorful Flashing Finger Lighting Gloves for $11.99 (list price $19.99)
Polaroid Super Blower With Hi Perfomance Silicon Squeeze Bulb for $5.04 (list price $9.98)
Nip/Tuck: The Complete Series for $45.99 (list price $198.70)
Kingston Digital DataTraveler SE9 16GB USB 2.0 (DTSE9H/16GBZET) for $4.99 (list price $5.99)
Fitbit One Wireless Activity Plus Sleep Tracker, Black for $99.95
Seiko Men’s SSC001 Alarm Chronograph Dress Watch for $145.53 (list price $325.00)
Bulova Men’s 96B104 Stainless Steel Dress Watch for $86.08 (list price $175.00)
Casio Men’s CA53W Calculator Watch for $15.79 (list price $24.95)
Emie Memo 10,000mAh Power Bank – Ice Cream for $19.99 (list price $49.99)
Howard Products BBB012 Butcher Block and Cutting Board Oil, 12-Ounce for $8.59 (list price $9.99)
Bellemain Stainless Steel 3 Cup Flour Sifter for $8.95 (list price $27.95)
Chef’s Choice 15 Trizor XV EdgeSelect Electric Knife Sharpener for $158.99 (list price $210.00)
KitchenAid Can Opener, Red for $12.99 (list price $15.05)
Brita Advanced Replacement Water Filter for Pitchers, 3 Count for $13.79 (list price $14.88)
IcySteel Stainless Steel Tumbler with Lid – 20 oz for $14.89 (list price $36.89)
Takeya Airtight Pitcher, 2-Quart, Black for $17.95 (list price $19.99)
RTIC 30 oz. Tumbler for $14.76 (list price $59.95)
Lodge A-SPRAY Seasoning Spray, 8-Ounce for $9.95 (list price $24.71)
Lodge ASHH41 Silicone Hot Handle Holder, Red for $5.45 (list price $8.81)
Cooks Standard NC-00349 Stainless Steel Sauce Pan with Cover, 3-Quart for $25.29 (list price $39.99)
3M Aqua-Pure Whole House Replacement Water Filter – Model AP817 for $35.86 (list price $79.49)
Hamilton Beach 40998 1 L Stainless Steel Electric Kettle, Silver for $19.77 (list price $86.76)
Libbey Craft Brews 22-Ounce Clear Lager Stein Mug Set, 4-Piece for $14.99 (list price $25.99)
Le Creuset Stoneware Pie Pans, 9-Inch, Marseille for $49.95 (list price $70.00)
Norpro 6 Piece Porcelain Ramekin Set for $12.34 (list price $14.99)
Winsome Wood Breakfast Bed Tray with Handle Foldable Legs for $12.41 (list price $34.00)
Hamilton Beach 25475A Breakfast Sandwich Maker for $24.00 (list price $29.99)
Hydracentials 16 Oz Vacuum Insulated Travel Mug for $24.97 (list price $29.97)
Wilton Nonstick 6-Cavity Donut Pan for $7.46 (list price $9.99)
Dyson V6 Absolute Vacuum Cleaner (Certified Refurbished) for $309.99 (list price $399.00)
Imprint Cumulus9 Croco Series 20-Inch by 36-Inch Mat, Cajun Toffee for $20.12 (list price $100.00)
Evriholder FURemover Broom for $11.05 (list price $19.57)
Samsung VR2AJ9020UG Powerbot Essential Robotic Vacuum for $428.01 (list price $699.99)
Black+Decker BDH2000PL MAX Lithium Pivot Vacuum, 20-volt for $67.99 (list price $79.99)
Whynter 11,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner (ARC-110WD) for $299.99 (list price $520.00)
AmazonBasics Garment Rack – Chrome for $35.99 (list price $49.99)
Altra Core Night Stand, Black Ebony Ash for $34.00 (list price $59.99)
1 X Epica Fireplace Tongs, 26″ Long, Log Grabber for $13.95 (list price $19.95)
skyn ICELAND Pure Cloud Cream, 1.7 fl. oz. for $48.91 (list price $55.00)
skyn ICELAND Arctic Elixir, 0.845 fl. oz. for $54.00 (list price $60.00)
skyn ICELAND White Cloud Spot Corrector, 1 fl. oz. for $32.00 (list price $45.00)
Borghese Fango Brillante Brightening Mud Mask for Face and Body, 7 oz for $30.16 (list price $37.00)
Borghese Fango Active Mud for Face and Body, 7 oz. for $22.19 (list price $37.00)
James Read Express Glow Mask Face, 1.7 fl. oz. for $19.00 (list price $38.00)
Sultra The Airlight Hair Dryer, Black for $100.00 (list price $149.00)
Solano Cushion Styler Brush for $13.14 (list price $20.00)
Toenail Clipper 5 Inch Long for Thick/Ingrown Nail Nipper for $6.70 (list price $14.99)
stila Lip Glaze, Guava for $18.01 (list price $22.00)
NIVEA Smooth Daily Moisture Body Lotion 16.9 Fluid Ounce for $5.17 (list price $7.99)
NIVEA Skin Firming & Toning Gel-Cream 6.7 Ounce for $8.09 (list price $12.99)
Remington Products S7231 Wet to Straight Straightener, 2 Inch for $19.99 (list price $27.99)
Womens Cat Ear HeadBand Hair Band for Halloween for $21.98 (list price $45.98)
Face Cream Moisturizer (2oz) 95% Natural Anti Aging Skin Care for $16.99 (list price $41.99)
SkinActive Clean+ Purifying Oil-Free Cleansing Towelettes for $4.97 (list price $5.99)
Kiss Products Instawave Automatic Hair Curler for $37.82 (list price $49.99)
Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Crme 4 Oz, for $15.79 (list price $19.99)
SkinActive Miracle Anti-Fatigue Sleeping Cream for $13.47 (list price $16.99)
L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Volume Filler Facial Night Cream for $15.07 (list price $19.99)
Golden Rose Perfect Lashes Blue Mascara .37 Fluid Ounce for $6.75 (list price $12.99)
Sharpie Tank Highlighters, Chisel Tip, Assorted Colors, 12-Count for $4.67 (list price $12.96)
uni-ball Impact Stick Gel Pens, Bold Point, Silver Ink, Pack of 12 for $14.99 (list price $38.49)
Strathmore Series 400 Sketch Pads 9 in. x 12 in. – pad of 100 for $9.20 (list price $12.89)
Cricut Explore One Cutting Machine for $195.99 (list price $249.99)
Universal UNV00418 18-size rubber Bands (1/4 pound) for $4.99 (list price $10.36)
Mr. Sketch Scented Twistable Gel Crayons, Assorted, 12-Pack (1951333) for $11.69 (list price $12.99)
Prismacolor Premier Art Stix Woodless Colored Pencils, 36-Count for $37.28 (list price $53.49)
Sharpie Accent Gel Highlighter, Assorted Colors, 5-Count for $6.90 (list price $11.66)
96% Pure Calcium Chloride SNOW & ICE Melt Pellets – 25 lb for $37.99 (list price $39.99)
YETI Hopper Flip 12 – Fog for $259.00 (list price $279.99)
Suncast DB5000B Deck Box, 50 gallon for $53.99 (list price $79.99)
Coleman Expedition First Aid Kit (205-Piece), Red for $19.94 (list price $29.99)
Coleman CM6020 Multitool 4.75-Inch Closed for $23.99 (list price $35.99)
Coleman Premium Dual Fuel Lantern with Hard Carry Case for $49.99 (list price $99.99)
Sunforce 80 LED solar motion light. for $36.23 (list price $56.99)
Coleman Camping Coffee Maker for $32.99 (list price $49.99)
Fiskars X27 Super Splitting Axe, 36-Inch for $57.72 (list price $94.32)
30-gallon Lawn & Leaf Trash Bag – Pack of 10 for $13.49 (list price $17.99)
Char-Broil Quickset 2-Burner Gas Grill for $53.72 (list price $129.99)
Buy 5 All-New Amazon Echo Dots, Get One Free
Samsung Chromebook 3 XE500C13-K02US 4 GB RAM 11.6″ Laptop (Black) for $179.00 (list price $229.99)
Uniden MHS126 Handheld Submersible 2-Way 6W VHF Marine Radio – Black for $98.75 (list price $114.41)
TP-Link N300 Wi-Fi Range Extender (TL-WA855RE) for $19.99 (list price $29.99)
Samsung CF391 Series Curved 32-Inch FHD Monitor (C32F391) for $349.99 (list price $399.99)
TR Industrial TR88303 Multi-Purpose Cable Ties (100 Piece), 12″, Black for $5.00 (list price $10.00)
MSA Safety Works 818066 Hard Hat, White for $6.96 (list price $14.94)
DEWALT DWA4216 5-Piece Oscillating Accessory Kit for $27.99 (list price $60.95)
IRWIN Tools Combination Square, Metal-Body, 6-Inch (1794468) for $8.49 (list price $12.28)
Chamberlain CLULP1 Universal Laser Garage Parking Assist for $16.99 (list price $25.95)
IRWIN Wooden Door Lock Installation Kit, 3111001 for $14.14 (list price $23.30)
Stanley TRA700BN Heavy-Duty Staple & Brad Assortment, 2500-Pack for $8.66 (list price $14.99)
DEWALT DC970K-2 18-Volt Compact Drill/Driver Kit for $99.00 (list price $189.00)
3M Sanding Sponge, Fine Grit, 6-Pack for $8.47 (list price $16.38)
3M Scotch #35 Electrical Tape Value Pack (10457NA) for $7.74 (list price $11.19)
3M Patch Plus Primer 4-in-1, 3-Ounces for $5.93 (list price $6.98)
Ideaworks 82-6676 Motion Activated Cordless Light, White for $8.76 (list price $10.95)
First Alert AF400 Tundra Fire Extinguisher Aerosol Spray for $12.97 (list price $18.10)
Crescent CTK170CMP2 Mechanics Tool Set, 170-Piece for $96.04 (list price $206.13)
Stanley JC509 1000 Peak Amp Jump Starter with Compressor for $69.97 (list price $99.99)
Stanley 60-100 10-Piece Standard Fluted Screwdriver Set for $8.97 (list price $9.99)
Kidde 466204 Pro 10 MP Fire Extinguisher, UL Rated 4-A, 60-B:C, Red for $65.99 (list price $84.45)
Dremel 710-08 All-Purpose Rotary Accessory Kit, 160-Piece for $22.99 (list price $44.74)
ARROW 160455 Drywall Drill Bit, Screw and Anchor Kit for $6.97 (list price $11.97)
September 28, 2016 – 12:29pm
Plenty of video games turn the horrors of real life into entertaining couch-bound challenges—say, the life-or-death realities of war, or the trauma of when the neighborhood cats don’t love you as much as you love them—but few are quite as bleak as the Korean mobile game Don’t Get Fired.
Designed to highlight the harsh realities of the Korean workplace, the game, as The New Yorker puts it, “captures the deadened hamster-wheel ambience of office life.” Even more so, it captures exactly how stressful a shaky job market can be. You go to interviews, become an unpaid intern, and hustle around the office as notifications pop up alerting you about more work to be done. All the while, you try to keep your “health” bar high enough to keep working, because if you work too hard, you’ll burn out and end up getting fired anyway.
Tellingly, when my avatar shows up at his first interview, he’s engulfed in flames for reasons the game does not explain. He goes through nine different interviews, ending up in tears each time, before he finally lands an intern gig.
Screenshot via Don’t Get Fired
There are plenty of ways to get canned in the game, some more reasonable than others. You can get caught working two jobs, or be missing when your boss comes looking for you. If you make a single mistake—“oops, I put an extra 0 in the document!”—you’re gone. Plenty of the fireable offenses are random and uncontrollable, such as your company going bankrupt. Sometimes the company runs out of work for you to do, because you worked too hard. You can get too sick to work—no sick leave here! Sometimes, you simply don’t make it past the interview stage at a company. (Fans have compiled a handy list all 29 different offenses, if you’re interested.)
Each time you go to interview at a new job, you get a little “tip,” from the creators, most of which are despondent commentaries on the game’s too-real themes. “Don’t recommend this game to your mom,” one recommends. “She’ll be sad.”
The game alternates between drudgery—spending a lot of time just waiting for a task to come up—and intense scrambling to complete all the work at hand. In short, just don’t work too hard, or your health will fail and you won’t be able to work. But don’t work too little, or you’ll get fired anyway. Simple, right?
[h/t The New Yorker]
Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.
September 28, 2016 – 2:30pm