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COFFEE CUP

Mariano Goni

Mariano Goni Fernandez

(Based on 1 review)
It has been said that if you want to develop new things, you have to look in the old books.
There's nothing like reviving a powerful classic, giving it a breath of fresh air.

Another treasure from Mariano's repertoire, a truly mind blowing routine, perfected over the years. Easy to understand for the audience Easy to learn Uses a normal cup (ungimmicked) Uses normal clay Very portable For kids and adults Can be performed anywhere Fits any style, spoken or musical Gimmicks included

Reviews

Stuart Philip

Official Reviewer

Jun 15, 2022

Inspired by Rene Lavand’s “The Three Bread Crumbs”, Mariano Goni presents a great cup and ball routine with small clay balls and your own coffee cup. The routine has several phases in which the clay balls jump from one place to another. The kicker ender is your typical chop cup ending.

With your $34.95 purchase, you get enough clay to make several small balls, the final load and a few pieces that make up the gimmick. You do not get the coffee cup, which you can get if you buy the Coffee Cup Complete Edition for $85. The routine is great, but there are some significant limitations to the forum in which you can perform this routine.

This routine, in my opinion, is only good for a parlor situation in which your spectators are far enough that they cannot see into the coffee cup when it is on the table. If they can, the trick is toast. Your spectators also cannot see the box in which you visibly ditch some of the balls – which balls then reappear in the coffee cup – because if they do, the trick is exposed.

Finally, there are some angle considerations. Your spectators cannot be on your side or behind you and they should not have a viewpoint that is elevated or they may see some things that will burn the secret. Another consideration is that this is not a routine for walk-around. You will need to have your performance area set up in advance for more than one reason. I would also avoid a very well lit and super bright environment so that your spectator does not notice something that they may otherwise notice.

With all that being said, when you have the right environment set up, this is a beautiful piece of magic. You will need to practice this trick to get the various phases down and to perform this smoothly. While I am somewhat critical of the packaging in which the trick comes, that is not really a deal breaker for me. It’s just that the trick comes in a small ziplock clear plastic bag and once the balls are made, you need to find another container to store them in.

As referenced above, you cannot perform this on anyone’s table because you need to be pre-set up. This is a significant limitation. Also, because you create the balls out of provided clay, when they are first made, they can be a bit sticky. You are instructed to dry them out with a hair dryer, which takes a while and can melt the clay if you are too close.

Of course, this trick requires the use of sleight of hand, but it is not difficult work to master.

The ad copy states:

“Description:

"Like most great magic, Coffee Cup is based on an old-time routine, but it is spruced up with modern gimmicks. " -Arnie Levin, Linking Ring Magazine

It has been said that if you want to develop new things, you have to look in the old books.

There's nothing like reviving a powerful classic, giving it a breath of fresh air.

Another treasure from Mariano's repertoire, a truly mind blowing routine, perfected over the years.
• Easy to understand for the audience
• Easy to learn
• Uses a normal cup (ungimmicked)
• Uses normal clay
• Very portable
• For kids and adults
• Can be performed anywhere
• Fits any style, spoken or musical
• Gimmicks included”

I do not agree with the ad copy in that it states that it can be performed anywhere because you will need to be set up before hand and the set-up is not necessarily a quick and easy set-up. Second, I do not think this is a good routine for kids, because they may want to grab the cup or the box in which the balls are tossed or disgarded.

Notwithstanding the above criticism, I think that this is a beautiful piece of magic. It is classic and quite stunning.

The 22 minute instructional video features the creator who does an excellent job explaining each step and each phase of the routine. He makes it very easy to follow along by using a clear cup so you know where the balls are at all times. Goni performs the routine slowly after he explains it so it really sinks in.

The appearing and disappearing of the tiny balls are dizzying and entertaining and the final load, a ball that is about 5 times as big as the performance balls is a perfect ending.
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