A Coffee Christmas

What I expected, happened. I was blessed with a shower of coffee-related goodness over the Holy Days ("holidays"). Holidays are risky though, since 99% of people bestowing these blessings have zero-negative zero coffee knowledge. The things I'm interested in aren't the run of the mill, ground coffee, flat-bottom filters, or generic coffee mugs. I'm interested in special coffee supplies and goodies. I try not to cheat, you know, tip them off too much, but the danger is often too high to leave the choosing to them- so I hinted. I am SO happy I did.

I had already accumulated 7 different brewing methods, so even if my family and friends did happen to get on the right track, odds are I'd have the item already. So, when my mom asked what I wanted this year, I didn't pull any punches- I straight up sent her links to the items on Amazon.com... and yes, I admit, that's a little more than hinting.

Very nice

First, I received an awesome Bialetti Moka Pot. This contraption uses steam pressure to force 200 degree water at about 2-3 bars of pressure through semi-course coffee grounds, producing a very stout cup. If performed correctly, the coffee produced will have a body similar to a french pressed coffee, but a taste like that of an Aeropressed coffee. Not sure what those are? Check my blog history or search for those terms in the search bar a the top of the page. Now that I have the six-cup version of the moka pot, I'd recommend a larger one, especially if you've got to share with someone else regularly. My wife is ALWAYS needing a cup of her own... mooch! Here's a video of the moka pot, though some of the preparation techniques are a little shabby and are not necessarily recommended. I'll have to post a how-to later. If you need know-how right away, check brewmethods.com, as usual.

Truly, a decent gift nonetheless

Okay, so that was bar far, the biggest gift. I've already posted about the two coffee mugs I received- they were not run of the mill mugs either, these were very personal and much appreciated. From my younger brother-in-law, I received a surprisingly fitting single-cup brewer with travel mug. Before you get too excited, these were Melitta brand- the bane of specialty coffee filters' existence. Of course, he did not know this, so this gift was remarkably thoughtful and appropriate. My wife received one as well. I did try to use it while he was there, but I cannot get over the intense PAPER taste that the contraption leaves on my coffee. I was using a nice Kona blend from The Roasterie in Kansas City, where my older brother-in-law is working as a barista- this coffee being his gift. So, even with a fantastic coffee in use, the brew still tasted like a newspaper took a whiz in it. I DO NOT recommend

Paper-tasting coffee filters

Melitta filters for uber-specialty coffee peoples. Instead, use Chemex Unbleached Square Coffee Filter or Hario Coffee White Paper Filters Size 02 for V60 Brewer, 100 Count for similar single-cup brewers. These filters have been treated especially for coffee brewing and do not leave that awful God-forsaken paper taste in you mouth when used. Of course, rinse your filters with a dose of hot water before inserting the coffee, no matter what type you're using. Notice though, I said these Melitta products were not a good choice for the uber-coffee nerds in your life- not a bad choice for everyone. Melitta stuff is sold EVERYWHERE. It's cheaper and simple to use. Therefore, it can be a great introduction to specialty coffee for those just getting into it. That's why we regifted these to others in our family that have already told us they have used them and enjoy it.

Lastly, I received an unaffiliated Visa gift card from my wife's grandmother this year. With it, I purchased the Hario "Mini-Mill Slim." This is a great hand grinder. I had my doubts due to its size, but it really has performed. I am planning on taking it with me on my trip to Mexico. This thing is truly tiny. It's about 7 inches tall total. The handle is removable and the grind setting is highly adjustable. Here's the kicker- it has no English included in the directions. This means that guys who had planned on ignoring the directions out of manly spite are now forced to figure it out due to lack of available information. Their wives must sit idly-by and watch them scrunch up their noses and match their wit and brawn against this tiny grinder's fairly confusing grind settings.

The grinder has something like a wing-nut under the black upper portion that is screwed right and left to fine-up or coarsen the grounds. The range available was shockingly varied. I achieved something as course as basically halving the beans, to a powdered sugar Turkish grind. Be warned though, grinding takes time and energy. Don't get me wrong- I've very pleased with it.

I also purchased yet another popcorn popper for my home roasting, but for some crazy reason, the popper roasts the coffee SUPER FAST! It's completely unusable. All I achieve is an Italian roast in two minutes flat (basically charcoal). It's not even a decent charcoal either, the beans are tipped so that the inside of the coffee is barely roasted at all. What a waste. I don't even like popcorn. I have weaned myself off of coffee for my trip to Mexico, where suitable pure water may not be available. I am certain that I am being punished with that dud roaster for my disloyalty- the coffee gods are jealous and will not be mocked.

With that, Lord, I thank You that You are just and merciful- far more-so than the "coffee gods" I've cooked up. I pray You would protect me as I go to Mexico this next week. it's not the safest place to be at the moment, but then again, neither was Judea/Palestine when You came to earth... or now for that matter. Keep my head deflated and on straight.

Just dreadful.

Post Script:

I also received a packet of Nescafe instant coffee. This "gift" did not even warrant being included on the actual "A Coffee Christmas" post. Icky.

Coffee Capstone Completed

My History degree has been completed at Mizzou! Easily one of the most difficult experiences of my life, not because history is somehow arduous for me, but because the assigned work combined with other assigned work, plus my LIFE, really made for a strenuous ending to the degree program. One element of the capstone project that made it more bearable though was that I had the opportunity to choose what topic I wanted to research within the subject assigned. The professor who acted as my slave driver for my project was very encouraging- and as you may have guessed, quite demanding.

A neighborhood in London with a particularly high concentration of coffee houses. Read the paper for more information!

"The British Coffee House: 'Penny University' or 'Seminary of Sedition'?" was finally completed after consuming around 300 hours of my life- that's around 13 days.  This paper turned out to be long enough to qualify for "Honors Thesis" status, but since I did not apply for this recognition before I started, you cannot apply retroactively. So, it's merely a REALLY long "regular" thesis on a fascinating time in coffee's history. I'm going to post the paper here for you to read and enjoy. I promise the read is worth it, but I know few of you will try to digest the 40 thick pages of coffee enlightenment.  For those of you who are really interested, the bibliography will be very useful for you.  Most of the texts referenced there are WAY to dense for the average reader, not to mention outdated, but there are a few good ones for introduction: Uncommon Grounds by Mark Pendergast as well as The Coffee House by Markman Ellis.

A hotly debated claim...

Here's a crude representation of the text on Google Docs: "The British Coffee House"

In case you're interested in the other massive paper for the semester: "Christianity Reduced"

I have a feeling that, like last year, Christmas gifts will be dominated by a coffee theme, both incoming and outgoing. I'll post on this soon.

Lord, thank You for Your Son, begotten, and not made, of the same substance with the Father, mutually eminating the Holy Spirit who shares Your divinity in the same way.  You sacrificed for me, with no gain to be had Yourself. I pray that would be a template for my own life. Keep my head deflated and on straight. Here we go.

Coffee Stout

Probably the single tastiest beer I have ever had. I'll give you one guess why...

The Oatmeal Stout was a fantastic beer on its own, but now that it has been paired up with Espresso 700 from Kaldi's, Schlafly really looks to be going places. What a great idea!

Why aren't more brewers doing this? From what I can tell, this is a beer perfectly crafted for the professional barista.  Most baristas I know really love beer, especially stouts- probably because they have so much in common with coffee, as far a taste profiles go. I'll be looking for more of this soon. Schlafly has some truly great seasonal beers- very inventive. Their regular beers are alright too. Kaldi's also has some great seasonal coffees products, a couple worth mentioning in particular: Fair Trade Rwanda COOPAC and Costa Rica Helsar de Zarcero are both sublime. But, relevant to this post in particular, Espresso 700, which often-times gets overshadowed by its flashier cousins, the single-origin rock stars mentioned above.  Want to treat yourself this Christmas season? Have yourself a merry little 6 pack of Schlafly Coffee Stout and pound of Kaldi's Coffee.

Lord, thank You for such great flavor experiences. I pray for more of the same. Keep my head deflated and on straight. Here we go.