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Product Description
The Story
Read about how we make our wood rings
Natural Black Cherry Wood
Our home sits on what used to be an orchard, and a few old trees still exist near us. The black cherry wood used in this ring comes from a 35+ foot tall black cherry tree that came down in our backyard. It was cut it in lengths of about 6 feet, sealed the ends with wax, and let it cure for over a year. Afterwards, we split the logs into quarters and let them dry in our shed. We have had a lot of good use from that old cherry tree and now its wood makes its way into these rings.
Black cherry provides an excellent contrast in color to the smoky gray whiskey barrel wood, which is why we have decided to use it in this design.
Coffee - Yes, that's right! Coffee...in a ring!
We used coffee grounds from an unopened can of Hills Bros coffee from 1952. Why? Because we love history and a chance to connect with it in a tangible way.
Coffee Rationing
Though we can enjoy coffee in an endless stream today, this has not always been the case. Coffee rationing in WWII began in 1942 - families could only get one pound every five weeks - and the rationing didn't end until 1946. There were a few reasons for this. Firstly, the GI's needed coffee in the field. Secondly, German U-boats were sinking boats with coffee shipments from Brazil making coffee hard to get.
Rationed coffee was packaged in glass containers, which were not only reusable, but also saved precious tin resources for the troops. That this coffee could be purchased in a can was a sign that the war had ended.
For me, the idea of an unopened can of coffee sitting in the back of someone's pantry for so many years is a reminder of the frugality of that great generation which was permanently impressed upon them during the war.