Today, a clever way to keep your coworkers from bogarting your coffee mugs and the best way to brew coffee, according to professionals.

What’s your favorite way to brew coffee? The Chicago Tribune’s Monica Eng posed that question to four coffee professionals from around the country. Not surprisingly, no one said automatic drip. But here’s what they did say:

Vincent Iatesta of Caffe Pronto Coffee Roastery in Annapolis, Maryland, said he prefers the vacuum brewer or siphon pot method. If you’re not familiar, a vacuum brewer is sort of an odd-looking contraption that consists of a glass pot with an upper glass chamber connected to it through a siphon tube. When placed on a stove, hot water is forced up through the tube and mixes with the coffee grounds in the upper part. The coffee itself is then pulled back down through the filter into the lower pot.

“I personally love it, and it’s what I use at home every day,” Iatesta said. “It produces a rich, complex, sweet cup of coffee, and there are never any bitter or sour notes that you can get from a traditional brewing process. And it looks cool.”

Other favorites included the French press, a pour-over carafe, and the Eva Solo Café Solo favored by Doug Zell, CEO of Intelligentsia Coffee. We told you about the Eva back at Christmas time as a way to spoil your favorite discerning coffee lover and it’s no wonder Zell chose this sexy looking carafe.

“I like this because you get a little more viscosity, akin to a French press, but still a nice sweetness,” he said. “You get a lot of the positive traits you get with a French press without any of the negatives, like sandiness.”

Curses, foiled again

Do you have a problem with coffee mug thieves in your home and/or office? If so, you might want to invest in the Plug Mug from IWantOneOfThose.com.

The Plug Mug features an actual plug in the side of the mug that holds in the cup’s contents when it’s in place. Remove the plug and – uh-oh – coffee everywhere. If you keep the plug hidden when the mug mugger comes around, the next time he or she tries to drink out of it there will be a wet surprise.

I found this one from the Cleveland Plain Dealer and I particularly enjoyed their description of why someone would steal a coffee mug: “Your problem is that your coffee mugs are way too attractive to office thieves. So stop using that sweet Cavaliers mug or the one with Matthew McConaughey on it where his shirt disappears when hot liquid is added.”

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