Thelaris Coffee Company

Thelaris Coffee- Thelaris Blend, khave, and Mwangi Jungle, left to right.

The brainchild of Matriarch Melissa Thelaris of House Thelaris, the Thelaris Coffee Company is a large-scale import and export company out of Absalom, with most import coming from the Mwangi Expanse, and the bulk of it's export going to Katapesh, the Shining Kingdoms, and The Saga Lands- although Katapesh is one of the main sources of income for the company. The company's focus is on the purchase, cultivation, and export of quality coffee beans and blends, with a particular pride on their home blend, Thelaris House Blend, which has grown in popularity due to a smooth, rich body, a slightly subtle nuttiness, a decadent aroma, and a potent effect, making it one of the strongest coffees on the market, and a growing mainstay of social gatherings in Katapesh and Absalom, where the bulk of the company's chains operate.
Melissa, having taken the idea to maintain coffee houses from Katapesh, started stores in various parts of the world focused on selling her wares. These coffee houses, which were already popular in Katapesh and parts of the Mwangi Expanse and Impossible Lands bordering the desert country, have been skyrocketing in popularity since their advent, and steadily become an important part of many areas.

## Coffee Houses

   A coffee house sells coffee both to social gatherings and to connosieurs. One can purchase a pound of coffee for 5 coppers for Khave Coffee, likely the most popular blend, 8 coppers for a pound of Mwangi Jungle Blend, or 1 silver for Thelaris House Blend. Meanwhile, purchasing a single cup of coffee, already brewed, at the house costs one copper a cup for Khave, two for Mwangi Blend, or three for Thelaris House Blend. They also sell baked goods and snacks that are either made in-house or come from local eateries to go with the coffee.

These coffee houses have quickly become a mainstay of business deals among the nobility in the upper crust, and a place for a quick pick-me-up for the guard and civilians alike throughout the rest of the city of Absalom. On occasion, even adventurers stop in for a quick cup, due to the almost magical properties of the Thelaris House Blend to re-invigorate and maintain the energy levels of the consumer.

The coffee houses are decorated to be welcoming, with comfortable seating, and trained baristas who are taught to extract the best out of the beans to make a cup that is typically far superior in taste and mouthfeel to what can often be brewed at home. The atmosphere is gentle, and much like at an inn, sometimes popular bards will come in to play soothing music, given free drinks and snacks more often than not. On occasion, the matriarch of the family- Melissa herself- will be found brewing and serving alongside her trained Baristas. The sleepy girl almost seems to light up when working with coffee, and is often a delight to behold behind the counter. Heads of other companies sometimes frequent these establishments in the hopes of striking up conversations with Melissa and potentially creating business deals with the rising power in the mercantile industry.

For those with a slightly different palatte, no offense is taken: Both coffee and tea are equally distributed at the house, with tea being more popular than coffee in some parts of Absalom, as nobility and businessmen alike preferring the beverage unless Melissa is around, since it is commonly known that the quickest way to Melissa's heart is to enjoy a cup of warm coffee with her, espescially if you are willing to drink her house blend... and even moreso if you are willing to try one of her latest experiments on her quest to create the ultimate cup of coffee!

## Wares

   While the focus of the company is on Coffee and Tea- both of which offered at her coffee houses- the company is also responsible for the creation and production of many popular alchemical items and potions, and the trading and export of these goods is one of the reasons adventurers can rather frequently find these items in large supply. While they are far from the only company that trades these materials, adding their attention to this market helps maintain these alchemical items as widely available. They maintain competitive pricing on alchemical items and potions with the rest of the world in general. Pricing for coffee at her stores are as follows:

 Mwangi Jungle Blend
 Thelaris House Blend

A single bag of coffee is known to be enough to make 48 6-oz cups a pound. While drinking the coffee cold is typically not harmful, once the coffee has sat and been allowed to chill after being prepared in this way, it begins to lose it's potency. After one hour, all normal effects of a brewed cup of coffee made hot loses it's potency, essentially becoming inert. If the idea is to enjoy the coffee, not for any potential effects it has, however, some people prefer to allow their coffees to chill.

As it currently stands, Melissa has plans to perfect a version of the coffee that can be served cold without losing it's potency as one of her most immediate plans, so that an adventurer on the go or a guard on a long watch can purchase coffee and not worry about losing it's effectiveness. She is currently working on research and development to ensure that this becomes a reality, with the intention of then beginning to improve the effectiveness of her house blend in general.