Shortwave Coffee

This morning, I was searching hundreds of half-finished articles I’ve accumulated on the SWLing Post over the years looking for a particular note. During my search, I stumbled upon the following post from September 2020 that I thought I published but had not. There’s no time like the present, right? Here you go:


A couple weeks ago, a package arrived at the post office and I noticed that the return address was from friend and SWLing Post contributor and Patron, Scott Gamble.

Scott knows me pretty darn well because, frankly, we’re a lot alike: we’re radio geeks and coffee snobs.

The confirmation was in the box. A Shortwave Coffee mug:

Turns out, Scott discovered Missouri-based coffee roaster, Shortwave Coffee. He shipped me one of their branded mugs and it has become a favorite here at SWLing Post HQ.

Next time I’m anywhere within driving distance of Shortwave Coffee, you’d better believe I’m stopping by for a cauppa!

Thank you, Scott!


Fast-forward to the present day and, as I type this, I’m sipping a nice Rock Creek French Roast in my Shortwave Coffee mug. Thanks again, Scott!

I should add that my buddy Troy Riedel also sent me a shortwave coffee mug–one he actually designed–nearly a decade ago. It lives in our travel trailer so I enjoy it during each of our family camping trips!

Here’s wishing everyone an amazing weekend filled with shortwave and coffee!

Spread the radio love

13 thoughts on “Shortwave Coffee

  1. frans

    Fantastic!

    In the room where my 5 vintage ‘boat anchor’ radios are plus my iCOM IC-R8600 & the little Tecson H-501x there’s also a Londinium espresso machine, 3 coffee grinders and the FZ-94 that roasts 1.5kg batches of coffee so down here the shortwave radio and ‘third wave’ coffe go well together also 😉

    Reply
  2. 13dka

    Being a DX nomad, my shortwave coffee can’t be enjoyed out of fancy mugs, proper portable equipment needs to be employed for this and I’m using a rugged thermos mug with 0.5l extra strong coffee for shorter sessions outsides, 2 of them for all-nighters. Saves the space for a cup in the car and is very safe to use around radios. 🙂 Sounds like a topic for QRPer.com, “best POTA/SOTA/IOTA coffee dispensers” 😀

    Reply
  3. Scott Gamble

    Great story, Thomas! It was a big surprise seeing it today!

    As it turns out I’m reading the SWLing Post sitting in an espresso bar this morning, so we are all sharing the coffee vibe today.

    Have a great weekend everyone!

    Scott

    Reply
  4. Guy Atkins

    I have one of the very same “shortwave coffee” mugs, Thomas! It’s used here almost daily, and my favorite roast to enjoy with this cup is from Sleepy Monk Coffee, a roaster in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Cannon Beach is a short distance from the “fabled” Rockwork Cliffs DXpedition location.

    Reply
  5. Paul JAMET

    Hello Thomas … Very nice story ! Without wanting to disappoint you, I personally prefer chocolate… And I can assure you that shortwave and chocolate also go very well together… I wanted to let you know before the tea drinkers wake up and take the third place … I very often start my day by listening to RRI – Romania in DRM at 5:00 am UTC with a cup of smooth chocolate. At the moment, shortwave broadcasts from Eastern Europe do not bring great news but they do bring other insights which underline their interest.

    In conclusion, I think that in the long run it should be possible to triple the market for mugs (coffee, chocolate & tea) while hoping that the panorama of shortwave broadcasts remains as attractive as ever…

    Reply
  6. Robert Gulley

    Coffee and radio go hand in had at my shack. I won’t mention where or which roaster, but Thomas and I were together several years ago and we both picked up a bag of coffee we intended to buy to support the roaster. However, upon realizing the coffee was already ground, I immediately dropped the bag. Thomas noticed, and realized I was a true coffee snob just like him. We had a good laugh over it, and have shared coffee experiences over the years since then. A great memory!

    Reply
    1. Thomas Post author

      Robert, when you discovered that bag has ground (instead of whole bean) coffee in it, you dropped it so quickly it’s as if it burnt you. It was SO funny! I felt the same way. I love supporting roasters, but when they run out of whole beans, they’ve run out of coffee! 🙂 Ha ha!

      It was definitely a great memory.

      Reply
  7. Bob Currier

    Ahhh, there’s nothing like the aroma of freshly roasted CW from Australia peeking up over the noise on 40 meters first thing in the morning. There are alway a few Japan stations as well, but they’re sending green tea, not coffee. You know, I think I might have had too much espresso this morning, hi hi! Great post, and I’m gonna git me one of the there mugs. As my wife would say, being a North Carolina girl. 73 y’all.

    Reply
  8. Jock Elliott

    Thomas,

    Wonderful story . . . nothing like that first cuppa in the morning . . . whether you’re switching on the rig or listening to the birds on a camping trip.

    Cheers, Jock

    Reply

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