ahhh, morning coffee…
the stainless steel thermal mug that i bought several months ago has been very useful in keeping my coffee warm and, because of a mechanical snap closure, doesn’t allow me to easily spill the contents.
months have gone by and i hadn’t really considered the consequences of an all-too-fancy lid that is all-too-difficult to adequately clean. thorough soaping and rinsing, but no internal scrubdown. when the usual flow of caffeinated liquid seemed paltry at best, i figured the slick technology of my treasured mug had come to the end of usefulness.
first i soaked the lid in hot vinegar water (half a dozen courses) and then rinsed and rinsed. chunks of coffee-colored cheese were dislodging themselves slowly. it seemed that i had been sipping my hot beverages through a gelatinous wall of old milk and sugar remnants. i went right to work scraping the interior chamber with whatever i could get inside: the handle of a spoon, the corner of a scrubbing sponge, q-tips, wads of paper towels. i hosed and hosed away at that congealed crud until all i could see was shiny black plastic.
what’s in your coffee cup?