ART @ PHILZ: GEORGIANNE FASTAIA

Down by the ballpark, there is also some new art up…stop by our 4th & Berry Philz to check it out!

Georgianne told me that these paintings are inspired by the rotting docks, fishing boats bleaching in the sun, and cargo ships anchored off China Basin. From the 4th & Berry Philz, it’s a short walk across Lefty O Doul bridge, past the enclave of houseboats on the right, to the long stretch of piers along Third Street.

Mission Rock

On the water

If you have not explored this part of the city before, it’s a quiet and beautiful spot for a midday walk with a cup of Philz!

If you are interested in showing at Philz in Palo Alto or in San Francisco, you may submit online portfolios, jpegs or websites via email to Philz Art Director: Georgianne Fastaia of FRESHART SF for consideration.

If you are interested in purchasing the art at any of the Philz store, please contact the artist directly by checking the promotional material next to the display.

ART @ PHILZ: MELISA E. PHILLIPS

So we’re switching around the art on the walls at different Philz locations. Moving from our 4th & Berry store and down to Palo Alto, Melisa Phillip’s great paintings will stay through March 31!

She is a self-taught painter, living and painting in San Francisco for the past 10+ years. A few years ago, she began using a technique called Blind Contour Drawing as a starting point for her new paintings. Since Melisa was already painting with vibrant color contrasts, and thick paint, when she turned the Blind Drawings into paintings, she used those same basics to bring the drawings to life.

Here are some of the pieces on our walls right now:

His Heart Condition

Recline Blind 2

Come by and check them out while drinking your Philz!

If you are interested in showing at Philz in Palo Alto or in San Francisco, you may submit online portfolios, jpegs or websites via email to Philz Art Director: Georgianne Fastaia of FRESHART SF for consideration.

If you are interested in purchasing the art at any of the Philz store, please contact Melisa Phillips directly via email, or phone at 415.290.3623. You can also see more of her work at Thick Paint.

SUPER DRINK FEATURE: ISTANBUL TREAT

I think it’s time again for a SUPER DRINK feature…it’s been a little while since the last one and I’m sure you are looking for something great to try. This time I’m going with a tea that you can’t get anywhere else. The other coffee places have black teas and green teas but nothing close to the Istanbul Treat! This tea is a combination of black and green teas along with some spices and a little bit of mint. It’s a balanced harmony of flavors.

Do it up our special way and you’ve got a scrumdiddlyumptious drink to perk you up…in a nice way, of course.

Please thank Melitta Bentz!

Melitta Bentz created something that is essential to Philz Coffee (as well as other filter-brewed coffees, of course!) — can you guess by her first name? It’s a definite hint! She invented the coffee filter back in 1908!

She was trying to find a better brewing solution than percolating or french press. She used blotting paper from her son’s school notebook to filter the grounds in a brass pot with a hole in the bottom. It turned out that this technique for making coffee made it less bitter and more flavorful.

How much caffeine is too much?

How many cups of coffee could I drink until I die of caffeine? This cool calculator will figure it out for you based on your caffeinated beverage of choice as well as your weight.

For me, it would take almost 70 cups of drip coffee to be pushing up daisies! I don’t think I’ve ever come close to ingesting that much coffee…and personally, I’m not interested in finding out how many it would take.

Go check it out!

(And I will crib this little legal disclaimer they have, just to be safe!)
This tool is intended as humor – and is for entertainment purposes only. Nothing on here should be construed as medical advice or information. Do not try this at home. If you actually try this and end up dying after only 101 caffeinated drinks instead of 106, it’s not our fault.

Consumer Reports Report on Coffee Blends

It seems that Consumer Reports (the mega testing group that I think is pretty reliable), has decided that there are no excellent or very good coffee blends out of the 37 they tried. How can that be? I’m actually quite surprised that they couldn’t find any coffees in the excellent or very good categories. Personally, I’d like them to taste the Philz blends…and see how we’d fare.

I’m planning on going to the newsstand to pick up the March 2010 issue to find out more about the blends they tried…My favorite is Silken Splendor. It’s deliciously smooth and just yummy!

Ooh, and in reusable mug news, we’ve got our MEGA mugs back in stock (as can be seen here by @fuzzygroove hooking up his Philz Phix.) 20 ounces of Philz coffee/tea goodness for the price of a 12 ounce coffee! What a deal! Go check out your local Philz to pick one up today!

Coffee breaks are good for you!

This article from the Daily Telegraph mentioned that coffee breaks and screen breaks are good for your brain. It seems that these breaks help your brain sort and retain the things that you have just learned. Isn’t it amazing how the brain works?

And it just gives you another excuse (as if you really needed one) to grab your co-workers for a quick trip to Philz in the middle of the day!