Dying for a cup! Die! Die!

"Does anybody out there like coffee?" I've found coffee to be the perfect compliment to anime. Over the last few (several?) years I've taken a real liking to the bean, particularly since I quit drinking; a vice for a vice you know. Anyhow, I love to talk about coffee, at length if I've already got a few cups in me. I use a french press. I love it. It's simple in design and functional. Quite genius really. I've settled on a particular brand(?) of bean as well. I get them from my local nutrition center. In addition to being organic, they are fair trade as well. They also, as a company, support sustainable canopy growth. I know it sounds corny, but this is very important considering coffee plantations share the same small portion of the earth as the rain forests. Once again; I know it sounds corny, but this is also important for migratory birds because they nest in this canopy growth.

I've enjoyed hours of listening to coffee gurus (friends) go on and on about coffee. I know someone who spent over 5k on an espresso machine. I know. Crazy. He's insane in an Einstein sort of way. I'll stick with my french press, it cost approx. $40.

I never use flavored beans. They would gum up my mill. When using a french press, you have to use a burr grinder or mill. A regular bladed coffee grinder's blades move to fast and heat up the beans, thereby destroying the wonderful flavors hidden within the oils of the beans. This is why I use a french press. Paper filters, or any filter for that matter, remove those oils.

Appreciation of coffee can go nearly as deep as appreciation of wine. Did you know that coffee beans have nasty tannins that will come out if brewed or handled poorly, just like wine? Anyhoo... I could go on and on, but I actually like to listen better. I think I'll go make a (another) pot right now.

I swear by my Bodum press but, for some reason, in these deep summer months, I tend to opt for more espresso-based drinks (and in deep winter, teas [green, white, oolong, pujong, puerr, etc.). I also prefer the fair-trade varieties as it also benefits the well-being of remote farming communities that aren't exactly living large.

I've even tried my hand at roasting/blending raw beans and, if it's something you haven't tried yet, I think it's something you'd enjoy. As a bonus, dried beans last for a very long time.

I love wine as well so I'm compelled to mention that tannins are not necessarily a bad thing in wines, especially ones that are meant to age. As with teas, it's more often a matter of one's taste toward its influence towards balance and character.

I think there's some part of the population that experiences their own Renaissance era and find themselves reveling in the discovery of the hidden complexities of everyday stuff. I'm glad that you've found that with coffee.

Yay, coffee talk! You are well versed indeed. I've never heard of pujong, or puerr tea. I love oolong. Did you know that oolong is actually right between black and green tea? Oolong is partially dried/fermented. Where do you stand on Rooibos (African Red) tea? It has a strong flavor and is often spiced; actually utilizing some of the same spices that are in Chinese 5 Spice seasoning and curries. I use sachets because I don't drink tea all that often. Do you use sachets or loose leaf?
The tannin topic is interesting. I am not very well versed in it's subtlety. I do know one thing though and have learned it through practice as well as being taught. You can avoid "bad" tannins in coffee (and tea) 2 ways. 1st: Don't over steep your beans (leaves). 3-4 minutes is a general rule of thumb, although some beans (leaves) have specific steep times which might be longer (shorter). 2nd: Don't use water that is too hot. Let the water that you boil for steeping cool down for a minute or 2 before steeping in it.
Hidden complexities... so true, so true. I take mine black, but I've listened to a guru (acquaintance) go on at length about the "chemistry" of cream and an sugar. "Sugar is necessary to cut coffee's natural acidity; smooths out the cup." and "Cream is used to bring out the natural mochas and earthy flavors of the bean."

I can't claim to be an expert on spiced coffees (which I perhaps unfairly roll under the umbrella of flavored coffees that I largely ignore). The same goes with herbal teas (I prefer my drinks to have either alcohol or caffeine, if not both).

Loose leaf is fairly expensive for the volume of tea I drink in the cold months but I do keep some around for when I drink tea for its own sake (like when kicking back and watching a snowstorm or enduring the cold while waiting for a lunar eclipse or meteor shower or whatever). For meals and work, I stick mostly with sachets.

Top on the list for me is water temperature. If you dial it in at the right spot then steep time can be quite a bit more forgiving for all but the most delicate white teas. But, of course, going way over on steep time inevitably has an effect on the flavor.

Another thing which harms the tea but which hardly ever gets mentioned is the sachet material. Even some pretty pricey teas come in bleached paper sachets which is terrible as it promotes oxidation during storage and alters the flavor during steeping. Why cheaper unbleached paper hasn't come into fashion ages ago is a mystery to me.

I wasn't referring to spiced coffee, I was speaking of spiced african red rooibos tea.
I find it wondrous that things such as coffee, tea, and wine; some of the finer things in life (although sadly, I don't partake of the wine any longer; I was a lover of pinot noir, Beringer was pretty good and within my financial bracket), come from very specific regions of the earth and truly cannot be recreated by other means. It takes time for one's palate to appreciate these things; but once it does, it will accept no substitutes. We as a people should take heed from the Earth Mother's generosity and care for her and her resources, lest she might take them away from us. I know, I know; most people (myself included) do not have the time or money to go crusading for a cause, but there are realistic things that one can do like buying fair trade/sustainable agriculture and purchasing thoughtfully such as unbleached sachets. Sadly enough, in this day and age a person's voice is heard through the actions of their wallet more so than even their vote.

Oh yeah, and you can get more flavor out of your beans in a french press by making a slurry before adding all of the water to the press. Just add an inch of water to the beans and stir for a few seconds before adding the remainder of the water.

There are days that I can't get throught unless I have something with caffine in it. I didn't used to drink coffee, but this past year I've gone to drinking it nearly every day. I have to doctor it up though. Lots of flavored creamer. I like my coffee drinks cold too.

Did you know that 1 cup of black coffee has the same amount of caffeine as 2, count 'em 2 cans of Mountain Dew? Half of the buzz with Mountain Dew comes from the 1/4 cup of sugar in every can.

Aahhhhh. I love Mountain Dew. All the varieties.

Aah yes, Mountain Dew and Red Bull; improving young gamers' reflexes around the world... and destroying their livers and kidneys.

All this talk about coffee compels me to share my favorite brew. I have used nothing but "Deans Beans" for the last several years. (www.deansbeans.com) It is a good company and a great bean. Dean's Beans supports sustainable agriculture and canopy growth and is organic, kosher, and fair trade certified; not to mention that the company makes donations to several charitable organizations. One in particular support education to fight gender violence in the regions where the beans are grown. Another simply guarantees the entire process of production of the coffee (from seed to cup) has "Zero Carbon Footprint". Pretty cool huh? Most importantly the beans are delicious and affordable. They're comparable to Starbuck's in price, which was my preferred bean prior to Dean's Beans. I definitely recommend checking out the Dean's Beans website at the aforementioned web address so you can check them out for yourself. I actually don't order through the website because I can purchase them at my local nutrition center for about the same price. My personal favorite bean that they offer is "Uprising Breakfast Blend" followed closely by their "Moka Sumatra" and "Ahab's Revenge"

Doesn't matter what Bean: Vanilla Latte

He's thinkin' Arby'sStarbucks.

I just made a cup of "Uprising! Breakfast Blend" in my single cup Bodum. It's so cute... cute, cute, cute! It's like the Mini Me of Bodums.

Knowing that you are so overjoyed brings a smile to my face… See ->

I'm sipping a great cup of tea while I post: "Stash Premium White Peach Wuyi Oolong".

I'm enjoying a cup of Yogi Pure Green green tea while I post. Yummy! Life is good.

I'm suckin' back a cup o' freshly ground Dean's Beans Moka Java. It's a blend of smooth sumatran and fruity ethiopian beans. Yum.

I'm having a real skanky cup of tea while I post today. Taylors & Harrogate Pure Assam Tea with 2 lumps and a shot of whole milk. Slurp.

Today's post is brought to you by Moka Java. Mmm... slurp.

I am sipping Honey Vanilla Chamomile Tea.

I'm enjoying everyone's posts with a cup of Sumatran French Roast. Good conversation and good coffee... I'm so happy.

Something about the Sumatran bean that just tickles my palate. I find it really shines when blended with other beans. I'm enjoying a cup of Sumatran French Roast while I post today.

I'm enjoying a cup of Yogi Kombucha Green Tea. Kombucha is an ancient Russian herbal tea. This brand combines it with green tea, plum, and lemongrass. Yummy!

I'm brewing a Bodum french press with a blend of beans, Moka Java (Java and Ethiopia) medium roast and Sumatra (Indonesia) french roast. Yummy.

Sluuurp. Aaahhh. A little late night posting with a steamin' cup o' Honey Vanilla Chamomile. Life is good.

I'm having a tall cup of "Tension Tamer" tea with tupelo honey in it whilst I post tonight.

I'm curled up in front of the Imac with a steaming mug of Traditional Medicinals Nighty Night tea. (slurp) I've got my very favorite oversized flannel lined denim shirt on to help keep me warm. It's about two sizes to big and it's been washed about a thousand times. (snuggle)

This afternoon's post have been brought to you by kiku and moka java. On these cold, rainy, fall days; nothin' compliments posting like a hot cup of good coffee.

WOW KIKU!!!

28 posts ( 29 counting this one )
By 4 different people.
22 of those post by you.
14 of these post are in a row ( by you )
I wonder if this is a record for this Forum, of posts in a row
By the same person??

Keep up the good work

Yeah, it's pretty lonely in here.

I'm havin' a cup o' Traditional Medicinals Organic Chamomile cuz my tummy's upset.

I usually have either uncafinenated green tea (with citrus), or orange spice tea.
Though that raspberry tea is pretty good.

I tried Earl Grey once and did not like it.

Of course since I live in the south the drink of choice is sweet tea.

Sweet tea rocks! Earl Grey sucks! I just think Earl Grey is bitter and skanky. Orange spice and Citrus green are both fun flavored teas. Orange spice is often flavored pretty strongly. Celestial Seasonings has "Raspberry Zinger". That's pretty good, I think it's got a little peppermint in it.

Yeah it's the Raspberry Zinger kind, my mom usually has a box of it in her pantry. That sleepytime tea is pretty good as well.

Of course I vastly prefer Root Beer as the drink of choice.

I tend to vary on the brand since A&W, Mug, and Barqs are all pretty good.
Wish that IBC kind came in larger quantities, besides the 6 bottle kind.
Also really like the Thomas Kemper Root Beer served at some restaurant chains.

I do also drink orange (crush, fanta, or sugar sweetened store brand), and a lemon/lime (sprite, or 7-up) sodas.

They make a Sleepytime Extra too FYI.

I really like Jones Root Beer. All of their sodas are made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup, which makes them extra sweet.

I'm snuggled up in my favorite oversized flannel lined shirt sipping a hot cup of organic golden green tea to take the edge off the weather while I post today. "Well the weather outside is frightening..."

The lyric is "frightful" so it can ryhme with "delightful".

Is it snowing?

There has been quite a bit of rain, which is a good thing since we had a really really dry summer.

My bad, christmas music isn't really my bag baby.

Pulls out a book "Christmas Songs Are Really My Bag, Baby" by Kiku.

Just kidding!

I do get rather annoyed at this time of year, especially when they start playing them at least 2 weeks BEFORE Thanksgiving.

Plus since they can't really play all the "Religious" songs, they get really repetitive quickly.

Probably the oddest Christmas Song I have ever heard was "Santa Baby" (which is traditionally sung by a female) by either Bret Micheals or Brian Setzer.
Let's just say it was rather odd hearing a guy ask Santa for stuff in that manner.

There also is this rather odd version of "Feliz Navidad" that I swear sounds like the guy is saying "Fleas on the dog".

Of course the 2 Christmas songs by Weird Al are really funny.
One is "It's Christmas at Ground Zero", and the other is "The Night Santa Went Crazy" (look them up on YouTube).

There is one other song that made me really bust a gut laughing.
It was on the "Christmas With The Joker" episode of Batman The Animated Series. The Joker (Mark Hammil) himself sang the infamous "Jingle Bells" variant that I am sure that everybody knows.

Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost it's wheel
And The Joker got away

Probably on YouTube somewhere.

Ok, we all know JAKE RULES, so I’m trying to start a thing here…
You may get him on the phone sometimes, but he is "THE" online chat guy.

So, end all conversations with him with JAKE RULES !!!

Lets see some solidarity for JAKE… "Can you dig it" !!! ( name the movie that’s from )

JAKE RULES !!!

I've pushed myself a little too hard with the whole christmas spirit thing and now I've got a sore throat. I'm steeping a cup of organic throat coat while I post.

This morning's posts ala kiku are brought to you by Mexican Chiapas... A mellow, medium-bodied cup with low acidity. A great, comfortable cup any time of the day. From the the Mut Vitz Cooperative, a community in resistance in Chiapas.

I wouldn't know about that-don't drink coffee.

Coffee. The original energy drink.

I'm enjoying french pressed Dean's Beans Moka Java this morning in a mug that my mom made when she was in college. I love coffee. I love that mug. I love my mom. "Brick, are you just looking at things in the office and saying that you love them?"

The steam pouring from my Bodum Chambord is tickling my nostrils with the bouquet of sweet sweet single origin Peruvian coffee beans.

As for me… Hmmmm… Maxwell House French Roast as always

What level of drinker are you B Dub? 1, 2, 10 cups a day?

I've been brewing a lot of Peruvian beans lately. Peruvian is quite sweet as coffee beans go. I've noticed that Peruvian tastes better than most when it's cold. Most people don't like black coffee, much less when it's gotten cold. Sometimes I'll forget about my coffee and then drink it after it's gotten cold and it's not altogether undesirable. I think I'll be on the Peruvian kick for some time. Then again, variety is the spice of life. My last kick was Mexican Chiapas beans.

3 cups in the morning

I average 'bout a pot a day.

I just pressed a pot of Dean's Beans' Moka Sumatra. "Combines the dry, rich cocoa undertones of hard bean Nicaraguan (in Frech Roast) and the full body of Indonesian Sumatran. feels like silk on your palate. Wow!"

That sounds like a commercial!

The phrase in quotes is in fact quoted from the the front of the bag.

Well hopefully you guys & gals remembered it was 7/11 day.
It was the 7-11 Chain's 85th B-Day today, and every year on 7/11 they give out a free (really small) Slurpee. Since I live rather close to one, I got mine (Coca Cola flavor). The deal ran from 11 am to 7 pm (and will be the same next year if you missed it).

If you are into Starbucks coffee, on Friday (yeah the 13th) they are giving out a free tall "Refresher" drink. This is there new "energy drink" made with green coffee. I had a sample the other day, and it was pretty good (and is supposedly good for you) it's low calorie as well. The deal is from 12 pm to 3 pm.

Also if you are in the part of the country that has Chick-Fill-A restarunts.
They are also doing a free thing as well, this time it's a free meal.
On Friday the 13th. The catch is you have to wear a cow costume to get the deal.

I'm enjoying a pot of Sumatran French Roast this morning.

Aaahh... Yup sounds good !
I was just thinking about making a ½ Pot of French Roast after I log off.
I was just making a quick pass through the Forum before doing so.
*and I saw your post*

Sumatran French Roast... with cream and sugar.

I was out-n-about at the Mall yesterday.
So I treated myself to a Grande Vanilla Latte.
This morning it’s the usual Maxwell House French Roast

Once in a blue moon I treat myself to a fufu drink such as a Grande Vanilla Latte. I don't even know what any of them are, I usually tell the person at the counter to give me the sweetest yummiest thing they got. As far the Maxwell House goes; if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Today I'm enjoying a tall cup of Peruvian while I post. "A sweet and smooth medium roast, from the Pangoa Cooperative in the Andean highlands of Peru."

This morning's posts have been brought to you by Ahab's Revenge. A powerful, yet sweet blend of Robusta and Timor Arabica. BEWARE! Contains the highest Caffeine content of all our coffees! Mmm... french pressed coffee and posting go together so well.

It's weird that a coffee bean with as silly of a name as Ahab's Revenge can be so delicious. It's definitely one of my very favorite beans.

Sounds good !

Me.. I just finished up a Shower after cutting the grass.

I'm............ "Aaaaah" .... Gulping down a Big Red.
First one I’ve had all Week ( they’re my Wife’s )
I usually drink water. ( except for my morning Coffee )

I've had a rough day and I'm taking the edge off with some organic white peony tea from the Two Leaves And A Bud Tea Company, which I steeped in my french press.

Pressing news... get it? I'm in a coffee topic and I said pressing... as in french pressing... aah, I kill me! Anyhoo... I'm having a freshly pressed cup of Birdwatcher's Blend "A smooth and nutty blend of Guatemalen Atitlan and Mexican Chiapas coffees from shade-grown farms; giving great taste while protecting critical migratory songbird habitat."

kiku's sippin' up a cuppa Full Moon. " A hearty combination of Costa Rican light and dark with a splash of Timor. A great taste for any time of day."

I am very much enjoying right now a cup of Timor Atsabe straight outta my french press. Ooh, that's hot! Timor Atsabe is "A unique velvet with chocolate undertones. This bold roast is a single origin coffee from the Atsabe village in East Timor."

Mmm, smells good. I'm experiencing (...but what I really wanna know is, are you; experienced?) one of life's simple joys while I type, a freshly pressed cup of organic fair trade kosher coffee. Dean's Beans Rattlesnake Gutter Brew to be precise. "A hearty, yet compassionate cup, combining Peruvian (sweetness), Guatemalan (smoky), with Costa Rican French Roast (for a little bite!)

I'm posting on this cold morning with my hands wrapped around a hot cup of coffee when I'm not typing. Life has so many simple pleasures. Nicaraguan French Roast for example. "A strong and exceptionally smooth cup of coffee from the region of Matagalpa. Medium body and slightly dry." Speaking of simple pleasures... I've made a terrible discovery...

...

...

...my local Chinese restaurant serves those round frosted donut things in ten packs to go...

...if you get delivery...

...they come warm...

...

...

...I'm doomed.

French Roast Mexican Chiapas

"From the Proish Cooperative in Chiapas,this coffee is dark roasted to develop a full-bodied, bittersweet taste, smoothing out the flavor and acidity."

Mexican Chiapas

"A mellow, medium bodied cup with low acidity. A great, comfortable cup any time of the day. From the Mut Vitz cooperative, a community in resistance in Chiapas."

I'm throwing all caution to the wind this morning and having a strong cup of medium roast Peruvian... with cream & sugar.