Pilot Crystal Clear Pen and Pilon Gourmet Coffee

Yesterday at the end of my review of the Pilot 78G, I promised a review of the Pilot Crystal today. I have been cautioned that my review was too wordy, so I will have an abbreviated review today. The picture is a stock photo from the eBay site where I acquired the pen.

The Pilot Crystal I have is clear, with gold trim, and roughly the same size as the Pilot 78G I reviewed yesterday, although slightly heavier. The nib is labeled FS, which I am told means Fine, Soft. Soft is to distinguish it from rigid or flexy, but it does provide more variation in line thickness than that on the 78G, and is slightly finer than the 78G when writing under no pressure.



I acquired the Crystal from speerbob on eBay, at a cost of $12 plus $6 shipping, total cost $18.00. Until I got the 78G a week later, it was definitely my nicest under $30 pen. The pen is currently offered either up for bid on eBay, or as a Buy it Now for $24.95 from one vendor, or as a Buy it Now from speerbob, still for $12.00. If you are looking for a high quality, low cost, fine point pen with a hint of flex, you would be hard put to do better.

Tomorrow I will write about my thinline archtop electric guitar, and a different brand of coffee.

Today, for coffee, I will tell you about my personal low-cost favorite. It is Pilon Gourmet Espresso Whole Bean, from which I make coffee, rather than espresso.  My second son's father-in-law brought me some from Florida last year as a gift. He told me it is Cuban coffee, grown in Puerto Rico by Cuban expatriates. Regardless of origin, it is wonderful. I grind it fresh in my Cuisinart Burr Grinder, set for 10 cups, with the grind set one click to the left of the M in Medium. This ground coffee goes into the metal filter basket of my Cuisinart 12 cup thermal coffee maker. I then add enough filtered water to make 12 cups, start the machine, and roughly 10 minutes later, I have wonderful, aromatic coffee. The coffee, even though I make it very strong, is neither acid, nor bitter. The coffee maker, by virtue of its metal filter basket, has the major benefit of the French Press, in that the oils of the coffee, which contribute greatly to its flavor, are not absorbed by a paper filter, with the advantage of having a thermal pot, which will keep the coffee fresh and hot for several hours.

The coffee is available Here.

Until tomorrow, a guitar, and more coffee. . .

Donnie Winn