As the title suggests, this post will be the first in a short series on water and how it effects our favorite brewed beverage. Given the average cup of coffee is roughly 95% water, a few short blog posts are the least we can do. The real work comes from you, the home barista, the discerning consumer of coffee, as you experiment with endless array of water preparation options in the never-ending search to dial-in …
Legend has it that the history of coffee can be traced back, quite precisely, to a single Ethiopian goatherder living in the foothills of modern day Ethiopia. Young Kaldi, the herder, was tending to his flock one fine day when he noticed his goats acting peculiarly. The goats, usually quite sedentary and dull, were prancing about from foothill to foothill. Even the older goats, Kaldi noticed, were spry with the energy of a younger litter. …
This post is for all of my batch brew enthusiasts out there – to all my friends who stare in confusion when presented with a list of espresso drinks, then promptly gravitate back to the pour-overs and drip coffees (to those confused by these terms, I’ll break it down in a future post). Perhaps you’re familiar with the terms; cappuccinos, lattes, and macchiatos are all pretty well known by most. But, do you know what …
Those of you familiar with the wild world of coffee have likely heard of the Chemex, a glass, pourover coffeemaker hailed by third wave coffee enthusiasts around the globe. If you follow us on Instagram, you’ll notice the Chemex proudly featured photo-after-photo. Why, Michael, would you use the Chemex so often when there are countless other pourover tools on the market, you might ask? To understand our logic, we’ll need to briefly explain the two …
Bottom line up front: you need a grinder. I pledged allegiance to this specialty coffee lifestyle many, many years ago, and have successfully converted so many of my friends and family members, that I haven’t had to defend this position for quite some time – until recently. The other morning at work, while dutifully preparing my second V60 of the day, a coworker approached with a clear and profound look of confusion; “what is that …
