National Coffee Month

Happy National Coffee Month .

(08-01-2021, 05:57 AM)2Chops Wrote: Happy National Coffee Month .

How the hell did I miss this? I'll take a non-fat flat white.

Thanks! Backatcha

(08-01-2021, 05:57 AM)2Chops Wrote: Happy National Coffee Month .

That's nice latte art, Ron!

I drink espresso straight and confess to never using the steam wand on my espresso machine.

Ron, any updates on the festivities? We celebrate every morning as usual with a couple of cups of hot, fresh brewed goodness. Nothing special by your gourmet standards I’m sure, but I just can NOT start my day without my two cups. I’ve been loving my daily coffee since I was a tween. Probably by the time I was 11 or 12 it was my morning ritual. Had my first cup at age 3. My teeth are yellow.

(08-05-2021, 06:02 PM)chazt Wrote: Ron, any updates on the festivities? We celebrate every morning as usual with a couple of cups of hot, fresh brewed goodness. Nothing special by your gourmet standards I’m sure, but I just can NOT start my day without my two cups. I’ve been loving my daily coffee since I was a tween. Probably by the time I was 11 or 12 it was my morning ritual. Had my first cup at age 3. My teeth are yellow.

I have no idea my age, but always had coffee at my Grandmothers on Sunday. I was definitely in single digits. Stuck with me ever since. I can go from basic coffee to hoity toity. Depends on my mood. Haha!!!

After all this coffee talk, I decided to ditch the old 8 O'Clock Coffee and try something high-end and fancy; my bride picked some up when she went out for groceries yesterday.  So today I'll enjoy some hoity-toity, fancy-schmancy, highly elite... Folgers breakfast blend.  Our definition of "fancy" around here is pretty low... but by setting the bar low, we can exceed it more often.  Yay for Fancy!

I ordered some Black Rifle Coffee Company "Gunship" online but it'll take a few days to arrive.  "...with floral aromas, light caramel tasting notes, and an ultra-smooth finish" it sounded like a good summertime coffee (I go for dark roasts in the winter time).   Not sure if it's "fancy" or not, but I'm eager to give it a try.
   :-)
- Bax

(08-06-2021, 04:24 AM)Bax Wrote: After all this coffee talk, I decided to ditch the old 8 O'Clock Coffee and try something high-end and fancy; my bride picked some up when she went out for groceries yesterday.  So today I'll enjoy some hoity-toity, fancy-schmancy, highly elite... Folgers breakfast blend.  Our definition of "fancy" around here is pretty low... but by setting the bar low, we can exceed it more often.  Yay for Fancy!

I ordered some Black Rifle Coffee Company "Gunship" online but it'll take a few days to arrive.  "...with floral aromas, light caramel tasting notes, and an ultra-smooth finish" it sounded like a good summertime coffee (I go for dark roasts in the winter time).   Not sure if it's "fancy" or not, but I'm eager to give it a try.
   :-)
- Bax

Black Rifle Coffee Company roasts excellent coffee.  I'm currently working through a bag of their "AK" whole beans for my afternoon espresso shot.

By the way, if you subscribe to their coffee you get free shipping and their minimum is only one bag every 60 days.

I broke the bank and tried a Hawaiian Kona coffee. By "Break The Bank" I mean I bought a one pot sampler. It was around $8, but, honestly, I babe never had anything like it. Smooth, zero bitterness, and just downright delightful. Unfortunately, a 12 oz bag is now $65. I found a local roaster about 30 minutes from me where I can buy an ounce or two at a time, but I'm pretty sure it isn't the exact same coffee, though. It does allow me to experiment with others and I did really like Kenya AA. Beards, blades, and coffee!!!

As for special festivities...next Friday will be the 3rd anniversary of our opening.  And we'll be part of the Bottle & Brews fundraiser event at the museum across the street from us.  That's the big one for the month.  I post some cool coffee history and beverage tid bits on our fb page.  

Mike... Kona is the bomb in my book.  Quite a dent maker on the wallet for sure though.  Waaay better than the over hyped Jamaica Blue Mountain.  IMO.

(08-06-2021, 06:09 PM)2Chops Wrote: As for special festivities...next Friday will be the 3rd anniversary of our opening.  And we'll be part of the Bottle & Brews fundraiser event at the museum across the street from us.  That's the big one for the month.  I post some cool coffee history and beverage tid bits on our fb page.  

Mike... Kona is the bomb in my book.  Quite a dent maker on the wallet for sure though.  Waaay better than the over hyped Jamaica Blue Mountain.  IMO.

The Kona is amazing. I had a Jamaican Blue Mountain. I believe it was genuine, just a K cup version. Maybe that is where I went wrong, but it was ok. The ground version of Kona I had was nothing like anything before. I'm just wondering of the differences of the different places on the island. I'm sure the Kona I bought locally wasn't the exact same as the other I had purchased online. The one online really was incredible. I wanted to treat myself and buy a bag and I should have because the only thing that happened since is the cost went up.

Since covid hit hard and heavy last year I've bought nothing but small batch fresh roasted coffees of various beans. Today was Uganda grown at high elevation made in our drip machine. 2 cups per the daily norm.

(08-07-2021, 06:31 AM)Garb Wrote: Since covid hit hard and heavy last year I've bought nothing but small batch fresh roasted coffees of various beans. 

Although not directly due to the pandemic, in the past 18 months, our coffee selection has completely turned around, coincident with the changes that COVID-19 brought into our life.  

Before (from the turn of the millennium until 2020):  
Six days a week — Monday through Saturday — we brewed African coffee, mainly Yirgacheffe, freshly ground immediately prior to brewing, in a vacuum pot (Hario) and drank it black.

 

Sundays (only), we brewed Lavazza Single Origin Kilimanjaro preground (African) or Lavazza Perfetto preground (Latin American blend) coffee in a moka pot (GAT Konica), and drank it with whole milk heated in the microwave.  (We keep preground coffee in the freezer between Sundays.) 

After (from 2020 to present):

Six days a week — Monday through Saturday — we brew ASD coffee grown on the slopes of Volcán Barú in western Panamá near the border with Costa Rica (link:  [/url]Elida Estate Natural ASD), freshly ground immediately prior to brewing, in a vacuum pot (the same Hario, but we accidentally broke the syphon – and we have replaced it with a Yama syphon, which fits perfectly) and drink it black. We previously introduced our autumn 2020 change of preferred coffee beans for our six-days-a-week vac pot coffee here.
Sundays (only), we still brew preground espresso in a moka pot (GAT Konica), and drink it with whole milk heated in the microwave; but we have switched from the two Lavazza varieties (Torino style espresso) to [url=https://www.worldmarket.com/product/kimbo+aroma+gold+blend+ground+coffee+tin.do]Kimbo Aroma Gold, which is a Neapolitan style espresso.
My bride prefers the Kimbo Aroma Gold, and I agree with her taste. 

WHAT DOES ASD MEAN? 

(link) Anaerobic Slow Dry.  The process until recently has been mostly conducted as experimental research by coffee growers, but the experiment has been successful, and use of the process has spread, though only modestly to date.  The distinctive aspect of ASD is that after lightly washing and draining the freshly picked coffee cherries, they are sealed in an airtight (usually stainless steel) drum, and left to ferment in that state for nine weeks or so (fermentation time may vary).  Although the fermentation time frame is much briefer, the effect on the coffee beans is similar to the effects of the aging that Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale undergoes.  ASD processed coffee has a light but distinctive tang in the cup that does not overwhelm or detract from its sweet smoothness.   

The Elida Estate is located near where the Finca Sophia beans that sold for a record price of $1,300.50/pound (not a typo) at auction last year were grown.  The ASD beans that we buy are of the Catuai cultivar whereas the Finca Sophia beans are of the Geisha cultivar.  “Geisha” does not refer to a Japanese courtesan.  Geisha coffee originated in the Gori Gesha forest in Ethiopia, and was discovered by British colonial botanists in the 1930s and brought to research stations in Kenya and Tanzania before being exported to Panama.  Somewhere along the way, “Gesha” acquired an 「i」 and became “Geisha”; originally, the difference in spelling probably was a typo.

The roaster of the Elida Estate coffee that we buy, Patrick Lamastus, belongs to one of the pioneering families of Panamanian coffee producers; he imports the beans from Panamá, and roasts beans to the customer's order in Tampa, Florida; the ASD coffee is roasted on Thursdays, so the best day of the week to order freshly roasted ASD coffee is Wednesday.  (P. Lamastus also imports and roasts small batches of coffee grown in regions other than Panamá.) 

Happy National Coffee Month. 

This National Coffee Month I just received these two medium roast whole beans from Black Rifle Coffee Company.  The coffee beans are from Columbia and Brazil and roasted in Utah or Tennessee.  They will both be used for espresso, which is the only way we make coffee in our house. 

Nice stuff.

Last day of NCM. What’ll we do tomorrow? Tea?

(08-30-2021, 01:22 PM)chazt Wrote: Last day of NCM. What’ll we do tomorrow? Tea?

No.  More espresso.

(08-30-2021, 04:25 PM)TheLegalRazor Wrote: No.  More espresso.

I just realized I was off by a day. Drink up coffee lovers!

(08-30-2021, 01:22 PM)chazt Wrote: Last day of NCM. What’ll we do tomorrow? Tea?

Tomorrow?  Prepare for eleven months of Maxwell House Original Blend Instant Coffee.  Will make you more appreciative of National Coffee Month in 2022. 

Seriously, though.  Tomorrow is the first day of the month.  Forget to make "Rabbit, rabbit" the first words out of your mouth in the morning, or suffer the consequences. 

I imagine that all of these really expensive coffees are great. Whenever I have had a cup of something gourmet, I have been impressed but not enough to change my daily driver. I'll stay faithful to my bag of Bustello.