It's so hard to know what's best for them.

Never heard "rail" but I figured it out. I always used well.

I didn't even KNOW there were different kinds of Blue Mountain coffee! I've had it once; it was wunderbar.

Oh, hey, my parents got us a nice little espresso machine for our wedding, so I am cappucino queen. Which is awesome. Cafe au lait, baby.

I can't think of anything I am a food snob about. I have peculiarities -- I have to have whole milk or stronger in my coffee, lemon juice in about everything, and sea salt. Hmm. I may be a snob about using butter rather than margarine, but it doesn't have to be, say, Irish butter churned by sassy virgins or anything.

I dunno. I like lots of excellent stuff, but am fine with less high quality stuff, too. I've never been able to tell a difference in vodka, but I've never set out on a deliberate vodka tasting mission, either.

Jilli, what's Pinky vodka? Also, I want to try absinthe reallllly badly, but I would want to try the illegal hallucinatory kind. Doesn't seem worth it otherwise. Is it?

Oh, thank God. He was just sleepy. He's fully awake and loving now.

I didn't even KNOW there were different kinds of Blue Mountain coffee!

Blue Mountain means it's grown above a certain height on the Blue Mountains. But there are different plantations up there. My mother and sister have preferred plantations. I'll take whatever. There's also High Mountain coffee, which is grown on the same mountain, but less high. We don't like that.

Yeah, issues.

Yay wakey loving dog! I need to smish my cat now.

...now I want to hang out with ita's mom and sister tasting different coffees. Damn. I had no idea.

I CANT WAIT TO HAVE MY OWN PLACE BEFORE I KILL MY UPSTAIRS NEIGHBORS OMG THEY ARE SO LOUD

Hee. I need to become snobby about Blue Mountain coffee plantations!

Does the altitude really affect the coffee beans that much? And can you call it Blue Mountain if it's under a certain altitude; is there a vague disclaimer?

I think Dan and I need to honeymoon in Jamaica so I can properly judge all of these exacting standards. Coffee, rum, beaches. It's an intellectual need.

I think the fanciest rum I ever drank was Pyrat? I dunno if it's Jamaican rum or not.

I think the fanciest rum I ever drank was Pyrat?

That rum always makes me think of rats stealing pies.

Does the altitude really affect the coffee beans that much?

I'm going to go with yes. The good Hawaiian stuff (which I haven't experimented with) has a similar pedigree--high altitude, volcanic soil.

And can you call it Blue Mountain if it's under a certain altitude; is there a vague disclaimer?

I just checked the numbers--3,000-5,500 feet is Blue Mountain Coffee; 1,500-3,000 feet is High Mountain, and below 1,5000 feet is Low Mountain. I've never had Low Mountain. No vague disclaimers there--there's a Coffee Industry Board that regulates that stuff.

Cool. I love finding out stuff like this. I would totally do a coffee tasting.

The best wine I ever had was an Amarone; I have no idea what kind but it was like chocolate and cherry and leather and OMG so good, I would dance naked for it. I had it at Lydia's when a guy friend was a little flush.

I also remember I had the chicken with goat cheese under the skin, served with a lemon-caper-green olive sauce on a bed of sauteed baby spinach. I need to recreate that again. I did it once; wasn't PRETTY, but my, it was delicious.

But my husband (still weird to say that!) doesn't like olives. Freak.