Https://www.gentlemensmagic.com/accueil/51-coffee-break.html
I originally saw this trailer on Vanishing, they immediately were out of stock and I just picked it up at Tannen’s in NYC.
I’m a big fan of the Chop cup as a worker. I have a big Don Alan for stage, a Bar Cup for parlor and tables and a mini for in the hands strolling. I have played with CHOP but still haven’t gone live with it. So I am a little bit of a collector. I loved the look of these props (I know there was a Starbucks cup for a while) and the final load of the signed bill to a a coffee pod looked like it could be great even if I went back to CHOP (who can stroll with lemons in their pocket).
Well it is very nice. You get the cup, two magnets for chopping bills, 2 sugar cubes that have been varnished for longevity, 1 chopped sugar cube, the final load gimmick with enough stickers for many performances and a metal spoon which will be attracted by a magnet to use as a wand. The cup is lovely and looks just like real cup which I guess it is. The final load gimmick is very clever. I do worry that it is a little fragile to sit casually in your pocket as an EDC but replacement/refills of all of the props are available on the website. The routine taught is quite simple… pocket to table, pocket to spectators hand, final reveal to spectators hand using a chopped signed bill. The spoon and sugar cubes are provided so that you can create your own routine or use them in place of balls for an existing routine but no routine is provided. The sugar cubes are real sugar cubes that has been lacquered or varnished so that they last longer. Some sugar particles have come off with cursory handling so I do worry about pocket longevity but again replacements are available and you could use your RNT balls if you preferred. The price is $95 which I think is reasonable for the product especially since you can’t by anything with a gimmick for less than 30 to 40 dollars today. I’m not sure which if any of my current chop products this will replace but I am happy with the purchase.

Dave

Already a thread on this somewhere but I agree that this is a winner. I love the simple routine and the kit comes with everything you need. The final load is more clever and easy than I expected. I agree that because of what it is, it’s fairly fragile but I love it.

I was surprised I hadn’t seen anything about it but couldn’t find it in a search. Maybe I missed it

The structure is really pretty genius in its simplicity. The dirty work is all done at the very beginning which was a nice surprise. And it’s finally a final load that makes complete sense.

I was actually looking for a thread about it the other day and could not find one either.

Well enjoy this new and improved thread.

Waiting for reviews

Not much review needed. See my posts above. It does exactly what it shows in the trailer. Props are well made. Final load prep is done at very beginning before anyone knows what you are going to do.

I have this and a fantastic chop cup and routine. One of the best purchases I’ve made.

I will readily admit that it may be me being clumsy, but I don't get this to work. While I agree with most of the assessments here in this thread (including the durability issue of the coffee pod), there are two aspects that will most likely prevent me from using it. The first load phase, as clever as it is, I can't make it work. With something already in your hand, you have to go into your trouser pocket, where you have to open something, cram something in, close something again and grab something else, all with one hand in your pocket, all while you supposedly are only just putting your hand in the pocket and come out again. Again: Probably, I'm clumsy, but all the stuff is travelling around in my pocket (it's not held together by some "loading-contraption" that keeps stuff in position) and the explanation-video doesn't show that precise part. What the guy shows you, he does with two hands out of his pocket in front of his body - which is how I can do it, too, of course. Other than that, the explanation is just: "Put this in there, close this, grab this and you are done." all while the guy has his hand in his pocket.
The final load is an issue for me, too, in as much as I can't make the load go into the cup in the right orientation. It doesn't fit snugly into the cup, so almost always I get it in rotated by a few degrees, which prevents it from sticking - and it needs to do that. At that point in the routine, there is a bit of heat on the cup and there is no way you can correct that easily "after the fact". At the moment, I am at the verge of giving up to make the routine it came with, work for me, which is a crying shame, because it is a *** fine routine!
Having said all that, I will agree that all the other props (cup, spoon, sugar cubes) are top notch and I will certainly work on including them in a routine - just not one with the clever final load. Apart from the one moment where a lot of stuff happens in your pocket which is not shown, the teaching is very good and thorough, comes with a few extra ideas and credit is given where credit is due.
Make no mistake: I will use the props, for sure I will - just not quite in the way the inventor intended.

Totally agree Karsten - The props and routine are nice but the coffee pod feels fragile and there's no way I would feel comfortable
trying to load it while its in a pocket - Perhaps behind a bar would work. Love the little espresso cup and will certainly use it for
something else.

Agree with all positives mentioned above. Ok, the coffee pod IS as JosephKerr said above....

But, the instructions are not good.
Ok, I have over 50 years experience in the game here, and I had no problem to get the routine together just watching the performance. But if you charge 95 quid and leave the newly enthuatist and beginner with only a instabil and stuttering and jerking video on Vimeo, that also is not possible to download...

Bad, guys, bad...

KarstenMeyerhoff and JosephKerr.
Yes, it feels uncomfortoble to have the pod's two parts floating around in your pocket when you try to load it. So, I opened a new post in the secret section Howie Diddits page 61 and here I present my experiment to solve it.

https://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/view......art=1200
Scroll down!

Looks great! I'll make one up for myself tonight and give it a shot.

Cool, thanks for sharing

My adventures with Urbain's Coffee Break, PART 2

I posted a new suggestion for an easier final load.

Here:
https://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/view......art=1200
Scroll down!

Chop ball doesn’t work in this cup. Any suggestions ?

RNT balls are adjustable and can be made to work in almost any cup.

They should of thought of including a Jumbo Coffee Bean for the ending !

I think the ending is fantastic (bill to impossible location) after a chop cup routine.