Hi, Gray Source. Would you mind making the background black, and making the font a much brighter yellow-gold color. The Work 'Gold' somehow needs to be larger or better integrated also. Please make the image more 'coffee-cup' like (not a pot, as it looks in your image). I think the gradient shadow will look good when the background is black, but perhaps you might try the background in a rich Brown to make it more accepting of the shadow. Try both Black and Brown.
#2 is slightly closer - I would like to see your signature 'gradient' look - giving the logo a brighter glow and radiating outward that fades towards the border. The brown needs also be gradient - from lighter around the logo (almost same color as #2), and get progresssively darker toward the edges where it will almost be a very dark brown.
I am not happy with the 'Gold' - somehow we need to pump this up also. The coffee cup still needs more definition. Perhaps when you make the new one, you could put shorter 'steam' strands around the top of the cup, and try a version with more of them.
Re: #6: Could you lessen the 'foam' - it does look like bread rolls. The steam should be shorter and without the 'squiggle' look - like a shorter version of #2. Is it possible to brighten up the gradient in the center - so there is a more 'radient' look?
Could you try to use the same font as 'Java' for the 'Gold', just smaller like you have? Somehow the 'gold' still does not 'pop' as it should.
Perhaps you could try a version of #6 in a 'circular' design with Java on the top and gold on the bottom. This design should be circular, like APE's submission.
On #16, 1. could you make the circle less bright - more like the right side. 2. Could you try to make the circle another version with a 'gradient' circle of color. 3. Try to make a version with the background to be completely covered with the 'lizard scale' - look, like you have on the inside of the circle. 4. Please use the 'extended' look font of #15 on the circle logo.
Here's the circular design again with your new specifications. I'm not sure if I got your instructions correctly so I made some corrections. For the extended font, I won't be able to apply it on a circular basis since it would really look uneven or unproportional.
#21,22,23 - Could you please update the 'tea cup' to a Coffee Mug - like Logo #12 (APE). Please also look at the steam on #12, and also try to incorporate it into the logo.