On Valentine's Day...

... Terry Moore is here to tell all visitors to Shades of Gray how we feel about you!

 
We're sending all of you imaginary flowers and chocolate kisses. Then, you can join us for an imaginary romantic dinner!

Bones's Red Velvet and Chocolate Raspberry

It's Sunday, so I am once again telling the world about coffee I've consumed! Today, it's two more flavorful blends from the Bones Coffee Company, one of which they marketed squarely at Valentine's Day (so I'm posting my review early enough in case you want to get goofy and share some flavored coffee with a skeleton mascot with your sweetheart)!

This year, Valentine's Day will be spent renewing our love affair with coffee!

I approached brewing and drinking these blends in the way I do most of the coffees I consume with an toward writing about: I brew it in my trusty drip coffee maker, and then drink it hot, also as it cools to room temperature, and then iced. I drink it black or with Unsweetened Almond Milk, or with sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer. Both reviews were also written with 4-oz. sample packs as the source of the coffee.

BONES COFFEE COMPANY: RED VELVET CAKE

The Red Velvet blend is one of Bones Coffee's seasonal/holiday releases that they only produce for a limited period of time each year. This one, they offer around Valentine's Day, and they've got their mascot dressed up like Cupid against a background of hearts to underscore that fact.

The Red Velvet blend is another one that starts with medium-roast Arabica beans, and then the people at Bones at their flavoring magic. My previous experience with their cake-inspired blends has been hit and miss--I enjoyed Birthday Suit but couldn't stand Strawberry Cheesecake--so I went into this one with no idea of what to expect.

The unboiled grounds didn't seem to provide any clue as to what might come; they smelled like coffee. That's, of course, not a bad thing by itself, but I've come to expect some other aroma to be mixed in when I open one of these bags.

As the coffee brewed, there was also no evident aroma other than that of coffee, and this was also the case when I poured the first mugful. Not unsurprising, there was also no detectable flavor other than that of high quality coffee with some from of sweetener added. I couldn't pick out a distinctive flavor, but it was sweeter and smoother than even typical medium- or light-roast coffee. This held true when I tried it hot with Unsweetened Almond Milk. When I tried it with the sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer, it tasted no different than it would have if I'd added the creamer to Bones' Costa Rican blend, or maybe Seattle Best's House Blend.

Although the Red Velvet blend was unimpressive when hot, its flavor changes as it cools. Once it's luke-warm, the advertised red velvet cake flavor has emerged and it becomes increasingly dominant as the blend cools to room temperature. This is the case no matter which of the two standards I've added to the mix. From luke-warm to room temp, the Red Velvet blend tastes like cake that's been soaked in coffee... and it's a delight the way that flavor gets stronger and stronger.

It might be logical to assume that the cake-like flavor would be exploding all over the place if this blend is consumed cold and over ice. This isn't the case, though. The flavors are more muted (typical of iced coffees, really), but there's also a slightly sour after-taste that is present. I initially thought I hadn't been careful enough in rinsing out the tumbler I use for the iced taste-tests after a somewhat disastrous experiment in creating a cocktail using the Starbucks Iced Blonde Roast and gin and... well, maybe I'll post details about my failure down the line. Meanwhile, the sour aftertaste was not the result of a contaminated mug, but probably from some reaction with the Unsweetened Almond Milk--it wasn't present when I tried the drink iced with sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer. One very positive thing about Red Velvet when iced is that the saltiness that emerges in other Bones Coffee blends when had over ice is not present here.

In the end, I think the Red Velvet blend works best after it's had a little time to cool, and then as it continues to cool until room temperature. I recommend it, except as an iced coffee.

BONES COFFEE COMPANY: CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY
In theory, this is one of the more "well, yeah, of course" blends. In theory, a medium-roast with a chocolate raspberry should be an easy slam-dunk for Bones, what it being a flavor that works great with coffee, as well as medium-roast coffee already having a slight chocolaty undertone to it. But will Bones pull it off?

The aroma of raspberry rose powerfully from the bag as soon as I opened it. Past experience has shown that this could be a bad sign. As the coffee brewed, I couldn't there was a distinct air of raspberry in the kitchen, but it wasn't so strong that I could smell it all the way down the hall in my office. Past experience has shown that this could be either a good or bad sign. Clearly, this was a blend I'd have to actually try before any opinions were formed.

When this blend is consumed hot and black, the raspberry flavor is very noticeable, and sweet enough that I could drink this coffee without adding almond milk or creamer. However, the chocolate taste was very subtle, almost undetectable. In fact, it's only slightly more than the ghost of a chocolatey flavor that sometimes seems to just be present naturally in medium-roast coffee.

Once I added sugar free Italian Sweet Cream creamer to my cup, the chocolate really popped and there was a fabulous blend of coffee, chocolate, and raspberry flavors. Drinking a cup with Unsweetened Almond Milk had a similar effect--the chocolate flavor was still very much present, but raspberry and coffee dominated, and it remained a wonderful drinking experience. In fact, I liked it better with the Unsweetened Almond Milk, because the mix is less sweet (which is not something I say very often).

This blend works nicely at room temperature--which is how I end up drinking much of my coffee, because it cools as I get busy and/or distracted and let the mug sit for a while--with the raspberry flavor remaining constantly strong, and the chocolate present as a powerful undertone, no matter what else I mixed in. 

As with the Red Velvet blend, the flavors retreat when it's consumed iced, with only a hint of raspberry remaining to make the coffee seem slightly sweetened. This was the case whether I mixed it with sugar free Italian Sweet Cream creamer or with Unsweetened Almond Milk. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't anything to sing about either.

In the end, I recommend that you drink the Chocolate Raspberry blend hot and with some milk added. It really does seen to be where it works best. Drinking it over ice pretty much negates the flavors.

"Coffee--ah'll never quit yew!"
(Click here if you want to learn how to make cowboy coffee)

The Great Cupid Gender Swap

In celebration of Valentine's Day, here's an idea for a campaign subplot and new magic item. (All text in this post is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. Copyright 2020 Steve Miller.)


Cupid's insane sister, Himera, has trapped him in a pocket dimension, and she has taken over as the Spirit of Love. She wants to move up from mere minor entity to full-fledged god, and she is appearing to characters with Charisma scores of 16 or better, and Wisdom scores of 12 or better, with an offer: "Promise to be loving and kind to those who deserve kindness. Promise to defend and protect romantic lovers wherever you find them. Promise these things, and I will give you power and make you a Soldier in my Army of Love."

 

When a character agrees to be a Soldier in the Army of Love, a silver chain with a heart-shaped ruby pendant appears around his or her neck. The necklace cannot be removed, and, although it does not radiate magic, it is a powerful artifact that grants its wearer the following abilities:

    * +5 bonus to hit with all bows, all bows and missiles they fire are treated as if they are enchanted weapons

    * Use charm person as a spell-like ability a number of times per day equal to the character's Charisma bonus. The character's total levels is the caster level.

    * If the amulet is flipped around so it hangs down between the character's shoulder blades, if the character utters the command word "It's the Power of Love", a pair of ghostly wings appear on his or her back that function as a feather fall spell cast at 20th level. The spell effect is limited to the character, although he or she can share the effect with one other creature (up to Medium-size) if it is embraced tightly.

Himera will continue to appear to the character from time to time, sometimes offering helpful hints in solving whatever problems the character and his or her allies are currently facing, and other times she will ask that assistance be provided to star-crossed lovers under dire threat.

    When the character next gains a level, Himera appears to him or her and demands that the character become a Priest/Cleric/Mystic (or whatever class casts divine magic in your campaign). If the character refuses, he or she, and close friends, allies, and others he or she cares about, are transported to the pocket dimension where Cupid is imprisoned. They must then help the actual Spirit of Love escape from captivity and put his sister back where she belongs.

    Even if the character chooses to become a priest of Himera, at some point he or she is bound to do something that offends the capricious entity and will find him- or herself banished with all their friends and loved ones to Cupid's prison.

Firearms Friday with Dolores Brinkman

Okay... so today's post may have been more suitable as part of a Ranged Weapons Wednesday series, but since this is Friday and Valentine's Day, I couldn't pass on the chance to present these pics of Dolores Brinkman hamming it up as a gender-reversed Cupid.

Born in 1910, Brinkman began acting as a young teenager. Her brief film career consisted of appearances in roughly a dozen movies made over the six year period from 1924 to 1930. Her final film appearance was in the comedy "Whispering Whoopie". She held her own opposite comedy legends like Charley Chase and Thelma Todd, and it shows that she had plenty of talent.

But, in 1930, Brinkman walked away from performing and spent the rest of her life trying to avoid the public eye. She was so intent on anonymity that she requested no obituary be published upon her death.

 Dolores Brinkman passed away in 2003. You can read what may be the most complete biography of her that anyone will ever be able to write by clicking here.

Space Girl Valentine's Day

It's Valentine's Day, and love is in the void between planets.

By Arthur Adams

Happy Valentine's Day!

Felicia Farr offers you her heart on this Valentine's Day...

Happy Valentine's Day from the Hart

Dorothy Hart hopes you have someone close to your heart this Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's hoping no one tears through your heart the way Ann Miller has gone through the one in the picture.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Dorothy Lamour is bringing the spirit 

of l'amour to your Valentine's Day!

No St. Valentine's Day Nonsense Here!