Startup essentials: Dr. Pepper, coffee and accessories

One of my Irregular chums started a GoogleGroup thread about what you need in a job that requires you work from a home office. The same can be said for the 1-3 person startup. The conversation immediately became a discussion of the merits or otherwise of different coffee making facilities and cold drinks. Given the coffee culture associated with startups (I know one guy who roasts his own blend) it seems fitting to let you in on Irregular secrets. After all, some have worked at startups and many of us are micro business people.

Jeff Nolan kicks off recommending  a Jura Capresso S9 espresso machine, 60" plasma and a series III tivo HD. I'm sure there's method in Jeff's thinking, I'm just not sure how a startup person would find time.

Zoli Erdos always takes things that little bit further and suggested a poolside cocktail bar. Of course you need the pool first.

Jason Wood who has recently made a return to blogging after a nine month hiatus then turned the conversation to the merits or otherwise of Dr Pepper.  As a Brit I find this beverage the closest thing to vomit inducing since the days when my mom used to force feed me with cod liver oil. Not the capsules I might add but the real McCoy. I understand Dr Pepper is an iconic drink in the US and Jeff quickly chimed in with:

I was thinking of you last night when I was swigging my diet Dr. Pepper... "damn that Jason Wood for shining a light on how good Dr. Pepper is!"

Not to be outdone, Bob Warfield offered these pearls:

“DiDip”, as we used to affectionately call it in my college days.

Another fine Texas product, and, like anything else, it’s worth straying from the mainstream favorites to see what else is out there.  Try IBC root beer or Big Red, for example.

Sounds like a handy fridge in that home office is helpful too.

That's one thing I can help with. I found a great second hand bottle bar. The only snag, you have to haul it over to the US.  Bob also offered culinary tips on making your own root ginger ale, a personal favorite of mine. While on the topic of Dr. Pepper, Vinnie Mirchandani came back with:

I am surprised Brian Sommer allows any shipment of the beverage to go anywhere but to his house...I think he likes the sugared version though.

When I went to school in TX it had a cult following. I lost interest when some smart ass twisted the jingle to "I am a pecker, you're a pecker too"

By this stage I was feeling like I was being well and truly peppered (sic) but fortunately, David Terrar came to the rescue with:

No thanks on the Dr Pepper - I actually identify more with the Matt Albie character in Studio 60 - constantly wired with a Red Bull in hand whilst working. Which leads me on to the coffee - I had a Jura Impressa (personally imported from Switzerland) for a couple of years but couldn't find anybody to maintain it, so gave it to a friend back in Switzerland.  Currently got a Siemens T55 (was £600 - about $1,100), which is a badged version of the original Gaggia Synchrony.  The outfit that services it says that we drink more coffee than any of his industrial clients.

Out of the blue, SAP's Mark Yolton chipped in via Twitter saying:

@DT = I vote for diet Dr. Pepper as the best thing in the world, in case my vote counts among the Irregulars ... and "Blue Bottle" coffee.

Just when I thought the conversation was taking on a real shape, Vinnie comes back with:

Craig (Cmehil), you could always drink the HP ink-Koolaid, At $ 5,000 a gallon it is supposed to be pretty damn smooth :)

Ever the man of wise words, Sig Rinde brought this rigorous discussion to a close with:

Wow, the "carbonated-sugarbomb subculture of telecommuting"... hope there is much running and cycling happening to burn all that off!

No, ample supply of Badoit or San Pellegrino and Rosé should suffice. And espresso of course (being lazy I do Nespresso).

So there you have it. The collective wisdom (ahem) of the Irregulars comes down to Dr. Pepper and whatever coffee machine your budget can afford. Still, I was a tad disappointed that we didn't hear from Thomas Otter. In my opinion, he has written the definitive article on the topic: Simplicity, elegance and the Java bean. It's a clever piece that ties this topic very neatly back to enterprise software.

What beverages would you recommend the aspiring entrepreneurial startup?