Finca Pastoral Bourbon (Blend #7)

1oz - Nicaragua - Finca San Jose
1oz. - Guatemala - Antigua Pastoral
1 oz. - Rwanda - Washed Bourbon

This blend was alright but nothing spectacular. I liked that the acidity was very low (if at all detectable) which made it a very smooth flavor. However, I noted a floral quality in the nose with the after taste which was not overpowering nor was it bad - I just hapen to not especially care for the floral notes.

How Many Cups Do You Drink?

I have just been informed that there is a flaw with the above poll. There is no option for 0-cups per day.

Huh.. Silly me, this is a blog about coffee and so I did not figure it appropriate to add zero cups as an option. But, since my wife reads this blog I guess I will have to consider her as an option.

Sorry honey.

How You Drink Your Coffee?

I posted a survey on this blog and 33 people responded. Here's the skinny.

54% of this blog readers drink their coffee the way that God intended - black!
18% drink their coffee with just cream
21% drink coffee with cream & sugar
6% add some sort of flavoring to their brew

This means that almost half of the people who responded to the survey don't really drink coffee but rather some form of coffee drink. Now, far be it from me to tell people how to drink their coffee (but I will anyway) but if you need to add something to your coffee then the coffee that you are starting with is not very good. And if all you are served is Charbucks, Maxwell House, or Folgers then your dilemma is clear - you need some good coffee.

I hope that through this blog that you will discover good coffee - sooner rather than later. Stay posted as I will continue to explore the wide range of single-crop and blended-coffees in the time to come.

Buy Only Michigan Grown Coffee

We all heard Governor Granholm's appeal in last night's State of the State Address to buy Michigan products. So I am posting this list of the very best coffee grown in Michigan.

Study - Coffee a Cure for Everything

I was given this study. I have no citations. But I do have a link to MSNBC which is as good as having it written on tablets of stone.

You may not agree with my assessment of MSNBC - BUT it does not matter. Coffee, according to science, CURES EVERYTHING!

Now before you poo poo this - it is science. I have it in a print out on my desk. You must believe it.

"NEW YORK- . . . a new study suggests that middle aged adults who regularly drink a cup of java may have a lower risk of developing dementia later in life."

Hello - has no one noticed that I drink coffee and am brilliant? (note Coffee Shock post for proof )

"coffee drinkers have lower risks of several diseases. . ."
Does anyone else see an answer here to the health care crisis that Democrats and Republicans can get behind?

The article has it's own moments of dementia such as the one where it says "no one is recommending that people start drinking coffee. . ." Hmm - the rest of you non coffee drinkers just go ahead and die - leave the coffee, and the world, to us.

"Researchers do not know if it's components of coffee itself — like caffeine or certain antioxidants — or something else about coffee drinkers that explains the recent study observations." Hello??? All of the above. Since the whole world is reading this blog they ought to know that by now.

"More research is needed to determine whether coffee is truly protective, but for now, Eskelinen said, 'those people who have been drinking coffee can still do so in good conscience.'"

Well - I for one will do my part for science and do my research. I shall continue to post my findings here in the interest of science until the Anchor Bay people (or the guys in the black helicopters circling around outside) silence me.

Coffee Shock

Well - after the first roasting experience (see the smoke filled pics in Thom's Rebuttal post) I went out and bought a air popcorn popper. Rushing home I put some green coffee beans in and plugged it in.

Out they all popped! So I tried again with fewer beans. Out they came too.

So I emailed our illustrious blogger the "Mr. Reverend, John Rock" of Anchor Bay fame.

His response - are you putting too much coffee in the roaster?

WHAT!!! How can the words "too much" and "coffee" ever go together. I mean - can you have too much love? Can there ever be too much care and peace in the world? How can anyone have too much coffee. Too much "running with scissors" perhaps. Too much fun with a slinky (which frankly after you send it down the stairs once kind of looses its appeal) - but too much coffee?
But I tried, I went back and put ONE bean in the popper. OUT it came!

Well I emailed Mr. Rev. Rock again - he is the coffee guru (or was until the next advice).

"you may need to open the machine and install a resistor to the fan circuit."

OK - I am smart - I have a Ph.D. and can figure things out. In fact - I am the smartest guy I know. Of all the people I like to listen to - my favorite is me. So here goes, I open my new (though now that I have opened it - no longer under warranty - popper) and put in a resistor. All the while talking my ever so smart self through the process. I am very cool like that.
I can already taste the roasted goodness of the coffee on its way.

Small amount of test beans added. Looked at wall socket and put plug in. . . .















Well - a few hours later - hands still shaking - clothing freshly laundered - I went back to roasting in the fry pan (batteries now out of the smoke detector).


And this morning I had a cup of good coffee.

Thom will be stopping by Thursday to pick up his coffee beans - more roasting wisdom from the brilliant team of Thom and Malcolm will be posted as they are made available.

South-American Pale (Blend #6)

1oz - Brazil Mogiana
1oz - Bolivian CIAPEC
1oz - Guatemala Palhu SHB Huehuetenango

This recipe was roasted to the point that the Second Crack was just beginning. And while it suffers in comparison to the Manna it possesses its own classic flavor. My wife describes it as more "chewy" and much "stronger" coffee - something akin to Camp-Fire coffee.

I do not find anything special about this blend but it is good all the same. This is a cup to enjoy while sitting out on the porch on a brisk fall morning.

Coffee Froth

When I make and pour a coffee with the French Press I get a froth that settles on top of my cup. I don't know why but I like it. Somehow it says "This is a great cup of coffee."

I know that my liking the stuff is irrational. It has no extraordinary flavor, it does not add to the body of the cup, and it does not clean the lid of the garbage can. It serves no identifiable purpose. But like the foam on top of a pint of Guinness, it is still somehow comforting and expected. If it were not there I would look away ashamed as if my mother came over in just her knickers.

So, I love the stuff - that much is true and only my psycho-therapist might begin to know why. But what really boggles my understanding of the world is that I don't know what to call it beside "Coffee Froth." Calling it "Coffee Froth" is as disrespectful to me as if I called my wife "Hey You!" The stuff needs a name and I shall not rest until I have come up with the perfect name. You can help too! Leave me your suggestions and together we can right this wrong and I can stop call my wife "Whatsername."

BINGO! I Call It "Manna" (Blend #5)

Have you ever wondered how some flavors were developed? I suppose much of it is just like it happens in the commercial where one idiot is walking down the street eating a chocolate bar while some other fool is walking down an adjoining street eating peanut butter from the jar, both so engrossed in their snacks that "POW" they run into each other and the chocolate accidentally got into the peanut butter and the Peanut Butter Cup emerges. OR... Some chemical engineer needs to come up with a new flavor to save his hide from the unemployment line and starts mixing all sorts of wacky flavors until "BINGO" they invent a winner.

Well I, like the chemical engineer, keep putting coffee beans together in the hopes of finding a Bingo. Yesterday I found a winner and I call it "Manna"

1 oz. Zimbabwe Salimba
1 oz. Kenyan Gichi Kiambu
1 oz. Sumatran Aceh Gold

I roasted this batch to a Full-City+ removing the heat just as the second crack was starting. I brewed it in the french press which created a very full body cup but not (as my wife commonly refers to it) chewy. And the aroma was mildly sweet and fragrant with no hint of a rogue acidity.

The flavor was full, deep and rich - free of free floating background taste-nuances and bitters. This cup was so good that my wife suggested that I make this for her tea-party this Saturday. Even though my wife is developing a taste for good coffee, this is a huge compliment to the flavor of this blend.

I am going to blend this again to make sure that I get a consistent cup and when I do I think I will take on Timmy Horton's.

Coffee Dreams - Thom's Rebuttal!

Well - as promised Thom has seen fit to change his 50% plus of the Coffee Dreams post. John - is seriously considering that allowing me to be a guest blogger may have ended his blogging career.
Here is Thom's take on the coffee roasting experience.

The Other Side…

It was still early, Friday night around 5:30 PM and Malcolm had already called me three times, left voice mails for my wife twice, and sent out several text messages and emails. The messages were all the same: Thom, do not come over before 10 AM – otherwise, you might not like what you find (imagine Malcolm sitting in his wife’s pink bathrobe at his computer creating fabulous stories of grandeur and laughing hysterically to himself).

[I note here that Thom fails to account for the Oatmeal Breakfast Stout in the bathrobe pocket - but then this is his rebuttal - so I shall let him continue]

Due to snow and a pregnant wife asking for just three more things to be done before leaving, I didn’t arrive at Malcolm’s until 10:30 AM. I drove faster and faster though, worried that my friend would not wait for me, but instead pioneer ahead without me. Finally I arrived… and was somewhat concerned at the sight of hazy smoke pouring out as Malcolm guiltily opened the door. He had indeed begun without me; luckily though it was with just a handful of beans in a skillet to make what he repeatedly called Cowboy Coffee. It was wonderful – the smell was deep and strong, the color a black mocha. The steam coming off the mug actually tickled my nose and forced a slight giggle out of me (which I quickly covered with a cough).

After much debate, two spreadsheets, a PowerPoint presentation, and a heads/tails toss of the coin, we started roasting the Costa Rican beans. I spent the first hour trying to distract Malcolm, so as to keep him from continually opening the oven door and frowning at the beans: “Why aren’t you popping!” Finally, after turning up the oven and hearing a few lonely pops, we pulled beans out. We both sampled a few and found them to our liking. We set them aside and immediately began roasting the Brazilian beans. We played with the oven settings – going from 410 to 425, trying to find the golden spot – the perfect temperature. We heard a glorious sound after only 5 minutes... it was a choir of popping, aww yes, such a sweet popping sound, like little angles clapping their hands to our hard work.

The smile upon Malcolm’s face was indescribable – the kind of smile that makes every wrinkle disappear and the eyes glaze over with contentment. We congratulated each other - our second batch was successfully roasting away, quickly approaching the famous 2nd pop… just as we had hoped and dreamed it would.

The process was at its end – we were happy, sad, wired and exhausted. What a morning… why oh why had it taken us so long in life to rediscover the simple and beautiful process of roasting our own coffee. It was at this point I noticed Malcolm fondly holding the bowl of yummy roasted coffee beans close to his chest. He had a look in his eyes… the look of pure determination, “this is mine.. mine.. all mine.” I realized then we had not discussed how, if at all, we were going to divide the beans. I knew I had one chance at breaking through to Malcolm and so I did the only thing I could, I casually handed Malcolm a paper bag and with arms wide declared loudly, “well done my friend, now, let’s hug it out.” Needless to say, I left with half the beans, of which I’m now enjoying my first cup.

Ok – time for a reality check: The process was very fun and exciting, though in the oven on a pan seems to take a considerably long time – about 1-2 hours depending on how dark you want to go.
I’ve heard about a popcorn popper that works much quicker – any comments out there? The taste of the coffee is satisfactory; I would call it a light bodied smooth blended taste. It isn’t nearly as harsh/dark/acidic as I sometimes like my coffee, but still good. I think we needed to roast it longer to bring out a more robust flavor. I’m excited to try again and again and again.

Thanks for believing in us!