A Morning Well Spent

Morning routines, for many, are more than just routines. My morning starts with my alarm clock going off. Per my usual custom, I snooze it. Four snoozes later, in some sort of zombie like daze, I get up and head over to my coffee bar, grab my espresso machine or brewer of choice and start making my beverage. More importantly than that, my morning routine doesn't just end with me making a cup of coffee and enjoying it like some '90's Folger's commercial. Coffee's great and I enjoy it more than your typical person would, however if my morning routine ended there I would be doing myself a disservice.

With my coffee in hand I then proceed to open up my Bible and study it. Now I don't want to paint this saintly picture of myself reading my Bible with a shiny halo hovering around my head. It's not like that. Imagine for a second: a gaunt man; a weary traveler, exhausted and weathered from the heat of the day. He stands with eyes shutting and head nodding off in and out of conciousness. Catching himself in misteps, he finds himself at a small house, dimly lit by a warm crackling fire. Wondering if this is real, he hobbles toward the door and knock as it swings opens, though it were inviting him in. He sits at a table, hovering over a warm meal somehow already prepared for him; a meal that once eaten would supply nourishment and vitality but if refused would mean starvation and ultimately death. That is who I am. I read my Bible out of necessity. The words out of that book are more than just stories, it's vitality. It has promises of a better life, both here in this world and afterward. It has the ability to change a ruthless murderer into an absolute lover of persons. It's a book whose writers, when faced with torturous death for their belief in it and were given an out for just admitting it was not true, could not deny the truth that was written in it's pages. I could go on at length about the effects it's had on me personally and many others, however I know that unless the cynic actually digs deep into this book they would not believe in it's potential.

Where am I going with this on my coffee blog? I'm wrapping it up now (by the way, remember that this blog is about LIFE and coffee. This is the life portion).

Here's what I'm getting at: set your priorities (I say this as a challenge to myself as well). Enjoy the things of life, but don't make them your everything. I love coffee but if that's where my morning time and efforts ended I'd be missing out on what life is truly meant for (and this goes for any hobby or interest, no matter what time of day). Put your stake in something that will last long beyond the coffee buzz or whatever your thing is. Invest your time in relationships. If you don't know where to start here's a quick hierarchal scale for you to try out:

1. First and foremost work on that relationship with the God who made you and who loves you, despite all your shortcomings. Spend the morning cultivating that relationship, as I see this as the most precious and deepest relationship you'll ever have. 
2. Then invest that time with your loved ones. Be it your spouse, your kids, your family and friends, invest that time together with them rather than just on yourself. 
3. Last but not least is to spend your time on others you don't know. Now this is hard for me to write, because I'm selfish and guilty of not doing this. However, having a heart for the sick, the poor, and the destitute is what we should be about. Help others around you. Look for opportunities to love on the unlovables.

Alright, I'm done with this rant. I've spoken my mind. Enjoy you're coffee; make it good. Make your day count with the ones you love and, most importantly, with the One who loves you beyond your understanding. Any questions? Throw 'em in the comments bellow below (thanks for the typo correction, Cor haha).

3rd Times a Charm: Handsome Coffee Roasters

It was only 1:30pm, and the wife was still at her baby shower until 3pm. Caffe Luxxe was great, but we had to do it. We had no choice but to go to another coffee shop.

Handsome Coffee Roasters:
This was not my first time at Handsome and, once again in total honesty, I had mixed feelings about this place from previous visits. Each time I had come I was "greeted" by less than friendly individuals, however I wanted my buddy to experience the snobbery as well, just for kicks. Thankfully, today was a  completely different experience.

Ambiance:

After crossing over the 6th Street bridge, into LA's Skid Row and past the abandoned warehouses, you'll find yourself in the middle of nowhere. Once you think you're lost, look to your right on Mateo and there you'll find Handsome Coffee Roaster. This shop is in the middle of nowhere. The only reason for you to be in this area is for coffee from Handsome. Once you get over the exterior ambiance (or lack thereof) you walk into a very well furnished used-to-be-abondoned-warehouse-turned-coffee-shop. It's actually quite nice inside. Very modern, very clean. There is ample seating to the right, seats at the bar towards the wall, and seats up at the counter as well. Their large roaster is showcased in the back behind the glass, in all its glory. It's a pretty darn good looking shop inside.

The Coffee:
As you approach the often busy counter, you'll notice the menu. It's short and sweet (unlike my blog posts). It's espresso, espresso with milk, and coffee. That's it (well, you might be able to swing an iced coffee or iced latte, but that's a bit off the menu). I warn you before hand that this is indeed a coffee shop. Not a tea shop. Not a hot chocolate shop. Strictly coffee, and that's okay as long as you know before hand, unlike my beautiful wife who assumed they would have something for the non coffee drinker like herself. That was a different visit with a different experience. Needless to say, their coffee is great. I've had their espresso with milk before (by the way, that's just a simple way of saying macchiato, cappuccino, and latte) and was happy with it. Today I had their Rwanda drip coffee, which was very nice.

But let's back up real quick.

The coffee snob may grimace at the thought of speciality coffee being served in a drip percolator. In fact, this was my rationale for sticking to their espresso menu in past visits. I couldn't figure out why the heck artissan coffee was served in such a non-artissan brew method. So today I asked why they do what they do for their drip coffee as opposed to manual brewed coffee? The answer given to me by the barista was pretty simple; it tastes good. A more detailed answer followed as he explained how meticulous they are with their Fetco Luxus, as it's on a 20 minute timer and that once the buzzer goes off, they start brewing a new batch of coffee to consistently serve fresh coffee. Also, he explained the shower head inside the brewer pulses, which allows the coffee time to bloom (see step 5 in this post if you don't know what that means). Just for good measure, Handsome even measures the TDS (total dissolved solids) in their brewed coffees to ensure each brew is up to their preferred standards (in brief, TDS can give you an indicator how "strong" your coffee is). These guys even have a refractometer on hand to measure TDS and everything, which is pretty rad. In the end, the coffee they served from their drip machine was good. I can't complain. My Rwanda was bright and floral while my buddy's Columbia was complex and flavorful. Handsome has their bases covered when it comes to their brewed coffee.

The Verdict:
Handsome Coffee Roasters is becoming one of LA's best known spots for specialty coffee. Their simplicity in coffee offerings show that they really want to identify themselves as a coffee shop; not a cafe that sells chai tea and vanilla lattes. If you check out their feedback on Yelp you'll see they tend to take flack from those who want them to be an internet cafe a la Starbucks and they never will be like that. Their fair warning is often times exemplified in their location. They aren't easily accessible. They aren't in an area where people can come and just casually stroll by and assume this is just another coffee shop. You have to seek this place out and know that this place sells good coffee. Once you get there, you have only a few options of types of brewed coffee with only whole milk as your option for your espresso based drinks. Some may see this as being snobbish by not catering to other people's likes, but nobody every complains that In N Out doesn't serve hot dogs or that their menu only consists of 3 items either. That's just what they do, and I respect them for that. Keep it simple.

Now as as I mentioned right in the beginning I have not always had such a fond perspective on this shop. In fact the first two times that I stopped by this shop were less than pleasant. For some reason, I don't know if it was just because they were busy or something, I felt that the Yelp reviews were accurate as they described some of the staff as being rude and impersonal. I definitely agreed. In fact, as I mentioned in the beginning, I wanted to take my buddy here to show him how rude coffee snobs can be.

But

I'm so thankful that this time was a new day and a new experience. I had a great discussion with various staff members about nerdy coffee science, asked them about themselves and their involvement in the coffee world, asked where they were from, and talked coffee with them. It was great and each of the baristas were personable. I kid you not, I don't think I've had a more interesting coffee dialogue with baristas at a shop as I have at Handsome.

I think that this experience reminded me of 2nd chances...and even 3rd chances. I think I've told people before that I feel more likely to give people seconds chances simply because I've been given 2nd chances (and 3rd, and 4th, and 5th...). I feel that I don't really have a right to hold issues against people because of the grace I've been given in various situations and times. Yes, we're still talking about coffee here so I'll bring it back by asking you to give the specialty coffee industry another chance if you've had a bad experience. Engage the barista. Talk to them and ask them how their day is going. They love coffee, so ask them about their coffee. Obviously keep in mind the lines and such, but I can almost guarantee you that they'd like to talk more coffee with you after the lines has died down. And I may not be in the right position to say this (shoot, it's my blog I'm doing it), but I do feel a bit compelled to advise you to give people in general a second try. I'm sure you've received second tries and third and maybe even fourth. I think sometimes we all need another try. Right? Okay, I'll stop now. Go drink some good coffee now.

Bringing Dark Roast to Life: Caffe Luxxe

My dad had just gotten back from the local video rental store with a copy of the last installment of the Indiana Jones series Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I had never seen it and the first 10 minutes had me at the edge of my seat. As soon as the action scenes kicked in, my mom came into the living room on that nice summer day telling me, my younger brother, and my dad that the guests would be coming any second and that we had to leave the house now. Apparently, there was a party going on and I wasn't invited. It was my aunt's baby shower and it confounded me why for this particular family gathering I wasn't allowed to be there. What the heck!? The only logical explanation my 6 year old brain could assume was that all the ladies were going to teach the mother-to-be how to shower...thus calling it a baby shower. Even to my 6 year old brain that didn't make sense, but what other explanation could there be to kicking out every male in the household?

I guess, subconsciously or something, ever since I was kicked out of that baby shower, I've made some kind of attempt to stick it back to the ladies by having more fun on my own than the ladies have at baby showers. And what better way to have an amazing time than to take a buddy of mine out coffee shop hopping! And this weekend while my wife was at her baby shower that's just what I did....

Caffe Luxxe:

I've heard nothing but good coming from this place, however I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that they typically roast and serve medium to dark roast coffees. My narrow minded coffee pallet identifies the term "dark roast" with "masking impurities in the coffee" as many bigger commercial coffee shops typically do. Even with those preconceived notions, I decided to see how good this place really was.

Ambiance:

Driving through Brentwood always makes me feel like my Honda Accord is just not good enough. That being said, I parked my dirty car on the street at the metered parking spot and walked up to what felt like a European styled café, furnished with several pieces of outdoor seating. Upon entry, my buddy and I were greeted by the 2 baristas behind the bar. Seating inside was available however minimal, but with the fantastic weather outside it seemed only fitting to find a seat on the patio. To sum it up, Caffe Luxxe felt traditional and sophisticated.

The Coffee:

As I mentioned before, I had my hesitations to this place due to their preference of medium and dark roast coffees, which differ from my usual light roast daily coffees. That being said, Luxxe is not technically an on-site roaster, but the company roasts their own beans at their facility nearby in the LA area and sends their beans off to their various locations. As I deliberated on my choice for coffee, I asked the barista his drink preference. The barista explained that while usually not enjoying cappuccinos Luxxe's cappuccino was his favorite. Naturally I went with his suggestion, feeling that if it's good enough for him then it's good enough for me too. Topped off with a couple of 'Lette macaroons, we received our cappuccinos and had our first sips. Smooth yet rich dark chocolates undertones were apparent paired with our creamy and well textured whole milk. This is how dark roasts are done, people. Very rich and dark without the burnt after taste. The crema was smokey and beautifully contrasted with the microfoam.

The Verdict:

Truth be told, I previously held an uninformed belief that if you roast dark, you're roasting wrong. Caffe Luxxe destroyed that mindset with their carefully roasted coffee offerings. Luxxe definitely sets the standard for what a darker roasted coffee should be like. Rich with a very subtle hint of smokiness to highlight the already flavorful coffee. In addition to having a great product, the staff were very courteous and knew their products. When I asked for his recommendations, the barista didn't dance around the topic telling me what other people like and gave me a straight answer. The other barista on duty was equally as nice, being cordial and genuine in her conversations with my buddy and I regarding coffee. Caffe Luxxe definitely won a spot on my favorite places in LA not only for an awesome cup of coffee, but for an overall great coffee experience. Thumbs up to Caffe Luxxe.

But the day was still young and the caffeine hadn't made me too jittery just yet. Adam and I had plans to keep this party going. What'd we do? Well you'll have to read the next post to find out (spoiler alert: it might have to do with coffee...).

More Coffee Options for Long Beach: Makai Coffee

Photo Credit: Makai Coffee Facebook Page

Weekends with my wife are my favorite. Our picture perfect weekends include 1) sleeping in 2) good food and 3) nice weather. Today was just one of those awesome days. Got up this morning at whatever time we wanted to, fixed ourselves some cereal (or in my case an espresso...don't judge my less than healthy breakfast choices, this is a coffee blog for goodness sake), and we were ready to roll out for some good eats at Veggie Grill in Long Beach. To add to the 70 degree sunny yet slightly breezy beach weather I  remembered a new coffee shop I've been hearing about located in Downtown Long Beach called Makai Coffee. Oh, you know where this is going... time to review a new coffee shop.

Makai Coffee:
Driving through Belmont Shore up toward Broadway (heading over to Downtown LB) I passed a couple of homeless looking college kids and bike riding hipsters and thought to myself, 'this would be a great spot to open up a coffee shop.' Then to my coffee drinking delight, I found Makai.

Ambiance:

As you park your car either in the neighborhood or along Broadway, you'll enter into this corner coffee shop and notice the simplicity. It's refreshing. Nice wood finish tables, plain walls with a slight touch of pattern along the ordering counter. As per your typical coffee shop, you'll find this shop with customers typing out their homework on their Macbook Pros or meeting a friend for a beverage. Beans from three local roasters fill the shelves as well as the sound of freshly ground up beans fills the air. As my wife and I found spot to sit, we were brought back to elementary school with our interesting grade school styled chairs. Yup, their bringing it back to 2nd grade people. I'm still a bit indifferent about that aspect of the decor, however my wife thought it was fun. I felt like I should be coloring or playing with Play-Doh in those chairs, but to each their own. True to it's name (Makai meaning towardsthe ocean") it's a quiet beach-like environment being just a couple blocks from LB's Ocean Boulevard without losing that downtown cafe feel.


The Coffee:

One of the unique things about Makai is their strive to support local coffee and that principle is exemplified in their coffee offerings. Makai offers up coffee from local Long Beach roasters Lord Windsor's Coffee Roasters, True Beans, and Rose Parks Coffee Roasters. For the sake of my wife and any other tea drinker out there, they had a variety of tea offerings as well. My wife ordered a peach blossom white iced tea as I ordered up their Panama pour over from Lord Windsor's. Needless to say, the coffee is good. It's smooth, tasty and very inviting (at least my Panama was).

The Verdict:
The Orange County/South LA area has been a recent breeding ground for good 3rd wave coffee (seen in increasingly popular places like Kéan Coffee and Portola Coffee Lab). Long Beach, being so close to the budding OC speciality coffee culture, has been popping up shops all throughout the downtown area proving to the average coffee drinker that speciality coffee is noticeably better than corporate coffee in roast style, shop setup, business practices and ultimately in taste. Makai Coffee is yet another addition to the growing number of speciality coffee shops in Long Beach. That being said, I'm glad they're there. Makai is a great option to choose from when looking for good coffee. Now in terms of 3rd wave coffee shops, this is a multi roaster; meaning they depend on other roasters for their coffee. This coffee shop model definitely works (and is seen in Los Angeles shops like Cafe Demitasse, Single Origin, Cogniscenti etc...), however it limits their ability to rise above other coffee shops. Basically, unless they have ridiculously amazing ambiance or some other kind of attraction, they have nothing different to offer than the roasters from which they buy from (which all happen to be very close neighbors to them, especially Lord Windsor being just down the street from them). It's a risk that this coffee shop assumes.

BUT...

Why should you try Makai? Because of baristas like Nick.

What sells me at Makai is what many shops lack; excellent customer service. During my visit my barista, Nick, who I've met before at various latte art throw downs in the area, not only knows his coffee but is a really nice guy. He was able to answer my questions I asked regarding their offerings, took into consideration my wife's request for caffeine free beverages (due to her pregnancy), explained the flavor profile for their espresso...and all with a smile. He was inviting, personable, and real. He wasn't an unexperienced coffee stooge nor was he a coffee snob, though he had the skill set to be one. He treated the customer right. This is Makai's selling point. It's baristas with these strong interpersonal communication skills that will encourage the customers to come back to Makai. I know that's my reason for going back.

Go to Makai Coffee. It's an awesome addition to the increasing number of speciality coffee shops in Long Beach. And tell Nick to keep up the good work in what he does.

Update:
Makai no longer serves True Beans coffee, however now includes Verve Coffee Roasters (one of my favorites) and San Fran's Blue Bottle Coffee! Coffee lovers, rejoice!

Coffee Review: El Salvador La Roxanita by Verve Coffee Roasters

By now, I've had what I would like to consider to be a reasonable amount of coffee from various roasting companies. I'm not claiming to be some ultimate coffee guru or anything even close to that. I'd like to consider myself as a home coffee enthusiast, if you had to call it anything at all. It's just my thing. While other men are glued to the TV arguing over why that coach didn't put that one guy in at that one time, I'm adjusting my grind size and measuring coffee extraction levels. All that so say, out of all the coffee roasters that I've tried I have not yet found one to be better than Verve Coffee Roasters. It may be a premature thing for me to say, but it's my blog and my opinion, so take that! Anyway, without getting deeper into my tangent on how much I like Verve, I'm just going to talk about today's cup. Today we're talking about Verve's La Roxanita. 

El Salvador La Roxanita
Roaster: Verve Coffee Roasters
Region: El Tunel, Chalatenango
Processing: Honey-Process
Varietal: Pacamara

Why calculate TDS and extraction yield when a computer
can do it for ya?

Method: Chemex, paper filter
Grind: Course-Medium (26)
Grind/Water: 19g/300g
Pour Method: 60 (agitate/bloom)-150-200-250 (agitate)-300
Initial Water Temp: 198 F
End Water Temp: 130 F 
Extraction Yield: 21.05%
TDS: ?? (Again! I messed up on my measurements)
Aroma: Chocolate, berries, roses
Taste: Milk chocolate, tinge of orange, subtle berry
Mouth feel: Balanced, smooth


The Verdict:
While being excited for Verve's newest shipment that's come to my door via their free online shipping, I still want to maintain as much of an unbiased opinion of this coffee for the readers sake (you're welcome). That being said, this coffee's fantastic. One thing I can always appreciate about Verve is that whatever the package says it's going to taste and smell like is not an exaggeration of what you're going to get. Initial aroma's reminded me of a chocolate dipped strawberry and roses (not even joking). Basically smelled like Valentines Day in a cup. Once brewed, my first sip had those rich milk chocolate undertones. A couple sips later (as it started cooling) the hint of orange kicked in with some very subtle berry tastes as well. 

Overall, it was a very pleasant experience. It was really good. Very balanced; meaning as it sat in my mouth it wasn't more acidic or more spicy. It was smooth, tasty and stinkin' awesome. Like I mentioned in previous posts, much of the character of the coffee develops even more as it cools. That being said, this definitely maintained it's balanced taste as it cooled down which makes me want to try this things iced. Hmmm. Might have to...

Now I'm all about supporting local, however I'm also about supporting talented and well done. Verve Coffee Roasters really do roast quality coffee and, in my opinion, is one of the best out there. Support local coffee roasters, but please do yourself a favor and try something from Verve. You will not be disappointed with their single origin coffee offerings. And they have free shipping! Come on! You're running out of excuses! Go get some. Oh you don't have a link to their online store? Boom. Here it is.

Any questions? Have you had better coffee that I need to try? Shoot 'em in the comments area and let's talk. 

How To Brew That Perfect Iced Coffee

The only thing better than a hot cup of coffee on a cold winter's day is a cold cup of iced coffee on a warm Southern California winter's day. Let's just set the record straight here: Southern Californian's (like myself) have no clue what appropriate winter weather is supposed to be like. We're freezing at anything less than 50° F. That being said, as I looked outside during my lunch break/date with my wife at home, I decided not to waste the beautiful California sunshine and poured myself a tasty iced beverage.

Now when I say iced coffee, I'm not talking about a Starbucks Vanilla Bean Frappaccino or that sweetened McDonalds McCafe. I'm talking about pure iced coffee; the kind of iced coffee that without any sugar or syrups added gives off those amazing fruity notes and that refreshingly crisp finish that invites you for another sip. If you've never had the opportunity to experience coffee in this light, allow me to show you exactly how to make your very own perfect iced coffee right at home.

For this brew, we'll be using the V-60 Pour Over. I like pouring directly into a mason jar for my iced coffee so that I can easily transfer it into the fridge to drink some now and save some for later. These measurements will get you about 24 ounces of iced coffee goodness.

Measurements:
30 g. coffee grinds (course-medium)
470 g. water
200 g. ice

Remember that using good coffee is the key to making good coffee. That may sound redundant and even a bit obvious however it's something that's often overlooked and such a crucial component of making good coffee. I laid out the importance of using good coffee here if you didn't get a chance to check it out.  Today, I'm using Portola's Ethiopia Yukro.

Step 1: Coffee Prep
To avoid sounding like a broken record, I've laid out detailed step by step instructions on the beginning steps for good coffee brewing. If you missed that blog entry, check it out here and follow the first 4 quick steps. For this brew, were using 30 g. of coffee, so make sure you adjust that in step 1.

Step 2: Add Ice
Add 200 g. of ice to your container/carafe. This ice will melt as you begin to pour your hot water through your grinds. Not to worry. We're adding ice at the very end, however this initial ice will cool off your brewed coffee (and is factored into the overall coffee/water ratio) so that the ice you add in the end won't melt as quickly and dilute your coffee with additional water. It'll work, I promise.

Step 3: Start Your Pourin'

When using our pour over, make a habit of allowing your grinds to bloom by doing an initial 60 g. pour/agitation. For those who don't know what the what I'm talking about, check out step 5 on my entry on making amazing coffee. Total brew time should be at about 4-5 minutes. For today, my pours went as follows:

60 g. (bloom/agitation) → 150 g. → 240 g. →330g. →420 g. (agitate) → 470g. 

Step 4: Done!
Shake up your mason jar or carafe so everything homogenizes and you are good to go! Grab yourself a cup filled with ice and enjoy your beverage. Like I said earlier, this makes about 24 ounces of iced coffee, so unless you want to feel jittery all day long and drink the entire mason jar, you can always put the lid on it and stick it in the refrigerator for later. I've heard some baristas claim that this kind of iced coffee can be left in the fridge for up to two weeks. Personally, I can say that from experience this can be left in the fridge and still taste pretty good for about a week or less. Any longer than that and it'll just start tasting old and stale.

I brought this back to my co-workers to try and the responses were nothing but resounding wow's. Clean, bright, a hint of lime and reminiscent of an iced tea. If you've never experienced a coffee with these kinds of tastes, you owe it to yourself to try out this recipe for iced coffee. It's perfect for your nice summer day, or for us living in Southern California, any day of the week. #boom 

Part 2: How To Brew Awesome Coffee...Every Time.

"Please don't take as long as you did in that last entry to talk about brewing one cup of coffee. Please?" I've heard your anticipated cry so I will make this how-to short and sweet.

For those who didn't get the list of supplies needed to make this cup, reference here for that list. I also recommend having some sort of timer or stop watch nearby. Brew time should be about 4 minutes, including a 1 min bloom time (I'll explain).

So we're looking to make a 300g cup of coffee. 300 grams is about the size of your typical coffee mug. We'll be using 19 grams of coffee for our 300 grams of water.

Step 1: Measure the Beans

With your digital scale, measure out 19 grams of whole bean coffee. Remember, your coffee's only going to taste as good as what beans you're using.

Step 2: Grind the Beans
Make sure to set your grinder to a medium grind. We've discussed the importance of making sure the grind isn't too course nor too fine for our pour over in the last post. Once you've ground your coffee, many in the professional barista community would say that you have about 15 minutes before those grounds become stale (reason being is due to the fact that your grounds now have a much smaller surface area therefore it's decay rate is now much quicker).

Step 3: Set the Water To Boil
Water boils at approximately 214° however the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) has found the perfect temperature to brew coffee at anywhere between 195°-205°F. You can either measure it with a thermometer, like I would typically do or just let the water boil (or whistle, whatever your boiling indicator is) then wait 25 seconds before using it to brew your coffee. By that time it'll be at the ideal brewing temperature. Too hot and you burn the beans. Not hot enough and the water won't fully dissolve/extract the desired amount of coffee from the grinds (that gets into TDS, which is a whole other discussion).

Step 4: Pre-Wet Your Filter
Place your V-60 on top of your coffee cup (I'm using a mason jar). Place your number 2 paper filter in the V-60 and pre-wet the filter before placing the coffee grounds in. Pre-wetting the filter will get rid of some of the impurities and paper taste from the filter. Once you've done that, dump out the water from your cup and now you're ready to put the coffee grinds in your V-60, as shown in the picture to the right. Try to make sure the grinds are spread out evenly.

Step 5: Let the Pouring Begin!

Place your coffee mug and V-60 on your gram scale and tare it so it's at 0 grams. I'll get into pouring technique on another post, but for beginners, what you want to do is pour in a clockwise motion, starting from the inside and making your way outward without pouring directly on to the filter. You're goal is to always be hitting the coffee grinds. Try pouring in a consistent stream without any abrupt stops. A nice gauge of how fast you should be pouring should be about the thickness of a piece of spaghetti. Ahhhhh! I'm sorry! I said I wouldn't get into pouring technique, but here's a quick 101 on it.

Coffee bloom is a bubblin'

• Start your timer and pour 60 grams of your water on to the grinds (making sure all grinds have been touched by the water) and let it bloom. When the coffee blooms, you'll notice the coffee start to bubble a bit. What that does is it allows the trapped C02 in the coffee to escape, which lets those trapped gases in the coffee out (also a good sign of fresh coffee). I like to grab a small spoon at this time and agitate the beans to ensure all beans have been wet.
• Once your timer hits the minute mark, pour again from inside to outside in a clockwise fashion. This time pour till it reads 125 grams.
• Let the coffee drip and start pouring again (wait till the water has passed through the filter, but not long enough to let the bed of grounds become dry). This time, pour till it reads 200 grams.
• Repeat the previous process, then begin to pour again until you get to your 300 grams. While the waters passing through, I like to give it one more quick agitation to ensure that all the grounds were fully saturated. 

Step 6: Sit Back and Enjoy

Your hard work has paid off. It's been a total of about 3.5-4 minutes since you started pouring and now your ready to enjoy that amazing cup of coffee. You'll be able to not only taste the difference, but you'll even be able to see a difference in the clarity of the coffee. Very light in color, almost tea like (obviously depending on what kind of coffee you're using). It's definitely like night and day compared to that Costco-Brand Coffee you've been drinking every morning this week (no disrespect to Costco, you win when it comes to polish hot dogs and a drink for only $1.50... am I right people?). 

See, Quintana's! Your gift from Down Under gets good use!

Now I hear and have heard critics tell me, "that's way too involved, I'll never do that." If that's you, remember that total brew time is only about 4 minutes, which isn't much longer than your coffee machine. Still impatient? As the old English saying goes, "good things come to those who wait," and those words ring true when it comes to good coffee. Take your time brewing. It doesn't have to be a chore and, at least for me, it's a relaxing and enjoyable morning ritual. It really is a fun part of my morning and in the end you reap the benefits with an absolutely tasty cup of coffee. When I drink a good cup, it just makes me think of how awesome it is that these interesting tastes can be naturally occurring in coffee. It's a wonder to me! I've had so many different kinds of coffee over the past year and half and each time I taste one I like, it blows me away how God has made these roasted coffee cherry seeds to emulate other tastes, like blueberries, strawberries, apricots, dark chocolate, or random other tastes like herbal tea, and toasted marshmallows (seriously, I've had some coffee that has a tasted like a toasted marshmallow, it's bonkers). 

My beautiful wife, the coffee antagonist, would be able to vouch that there is a world of a difference between these hand crafted cups of coffee and Starbucks. There's no comparison and it's obvious that this coffee blows others Keurig coffee or instant coffee miles away. My challenge to you is to just try it. I'll let you borrow my set up for a day if you want or just come over and I'll make you a cup. This kind of coffee is the way coffee should be enjoyed; smooth, tasty, and an enjoyable compliment to your day. If you've done coffee this way, comment away and let me know what you think. Questions? Let them be known and I'll do my best to answer them.