I need to blame somebody.

I bet I have spent literally hundreds of hours searching for the perfect cup of coffee.  Just a simple, good, rich, non-bitter cuppa joe.  The first cup of coffee I ever had was percolated.  It put me off for quite some time.  But, being the romanticized artist that I assumed I was, I stuck with it.  In my 20s, I was quite the sight to behold -- small cups of Turkish coffee in one had, lit Gitanes in the other, world-weary expression on my puss.  Luckily, I got over-out-of the Gitanes habit.  But I was hooked on dark, slightly bitter coffee.  Black and lots of it.  As I morphed out of artist-girl into advertising-person, my coffee got slightly more 'refined'.  That would have been my French Roast/Espresso period.  Remember, this was waaay before Starbucks and designer-y coffees.

As I have gotten older, I tend to take myself a lot less seriously.  But, not my coffee.  If I can find a really good cup of coffee, I will drink it black and savor every drop.  Most of the time, however, it's only drinkable if I can add a dollop of cream.  I have gone through most of the coffee-making methods in my quest - perc/drip/cold filter/boiled in a pan.  The only method I have not tried is pressed.

Now comes the blaming bit - Leigh...it's your fault!!!! (Kidding.)  I had, just that morning, been having a talk with my Melitta.  "Lita," I said, "I sure wish you could keep coffee hot so I wouldn't have to inhale three cups in a row without any hope of savoring."  But we all know how I am trying not to add things to my life, but shed them...

Meet Nissan (or "Nissie"):

I can tell you that this - so far - has met all my requirements. 

* It is NOT made in China (Malaysia - is that as bad?  Pleeze tell me it's not)

* It's not plastic (at least not ALL of it; it's mostly stainless steel),  which means even I will have a hard time breaking this baby

* It keeps coffee hot for at least 2+ hours

* It takes no additional filter (less expense)

* It's non-electric. 

But here is the best part -- I can drink my coffee black again!