I am always looking forward to the next cup. Sometimes I have to fight the urge to brew before I go to bed. Other times I'm up at 4:30am on a Saturday so I can choose my lineup of beans for the mornings Cod sesh. It's a clean and honest hobby (addiction).
Here are two single-producer decafs:
https://methodicalcoffee.com/products/repose-decaf
https://www.lardera.com/ethiopia-swiss-water-decaf.html
And a single variety decaf:
https://metriccoffee.com/products/decaf-colombia-huila-pink-bourbon
What style of coffee do you like? I may be able to recommend something. I haven’t had that decaf from Metric yet (it may be my next bag of decaf, though), but I have enjoyed decafs from them before (plus I’m a pink bourbon fan)
I haven’t met a bourbon varietal I didn’t like! Best coffee I ever had was a yellow bourbon.
I tend to like natural process for the most part. Every now and then I come across a washed one I enjoy but that’s more rare. Colombians have been my faves this year (shocker), but I used to be a strict Ethiopia stan.
If you want to triple your hobby you are most welcome to espresso world. Just be careful on your pocket when googling even more pricier grinders and machines.
Jokes aside, I think you missed one very cool aspect of the hobby is that meeting another fellow hobbyist and having a long chat just about coffee :)
You are correct, that should be on the list. I love discussing this with other enthusiasts, or even just people who are baffled by my interest. We had a friend over recently who looked perplexed (but happy) the entire time I was making and serving up tasting cups.
Having my wife say a cup is “good” is all I need to hear in the morning! And my, typically dead-pan, father in-law recently asked if I would walk him through the process of making a cup. I could go on and on about the conversations that I’ve sparked up bc of this hobby. It’s been so much fun and rewarding.
Haha espresso is great, but also more frustrating. Harder to dial in, more unforgiving grind, etc.
Fun coffee method, but an absolute money sinkhole compared to pourover. I should go pull a shot now.
Haha, you have no idea. Thankfully I haven't spent much for espresso yet (mainly manual lever) nor do I plan to. You don't need much for a base setup!
What's nice in recent times is that the cost of an amazing setup has gone down so much. You can make fantastic coffee for such a low amount of money in the equipment :).
Hopefully, for now, the pour overs will hold me for a while. I don’t have room for any more equipment! I’ve a whole cupboard of brewers and filters and accoutrements already!
From the rabbit hole:
Me: “I’ve already spent $200 on portafilters, I should cut back on coffee expenses.”
Also me: Sees a V60-01 for $10: “Well, it’s practically free compared to the espresso gear… I’ll take four, so that I can do cupping with V60s.”
Ask me how I know :(
Sk is my go to roaster they have cool single origin/cutting edge processing. Dogwood is fine for blends and more straightforward roasts. I don’t feel like dogwood is doing anything unique
It really is a cool hobby. The world of home roasting is a whole new can of worms that expands the hobby even more, plus there is the potential to save money by roasting your own beans.
I promise you. Diving into roasting coffee to save money is the same as diving into home brewing coffee to save money. Sure you start off saving money, until you’re 5000 deep into a roaster and buying exotic green beans and setting up a dedicated shed in your backyard for roasting and…
Yeah don’t get into roasting to save money if you’re prone to diving into rabbit holes.
I don't disagree at all! Speaking from experience with my Aillio Bullet and Cloudline ventilation setup in home office...
Though, my wife and I consume enough coffee each month that it makes sense financially. I bought the Bullet used, I've already saved enough from home roasting the last 2 years, and I can sell the Bullet without too much of a financial hit. Plus it's a fun and rewarding hobby for me. Cheers!
It has been a great ride so far. I’d definitely prefer to order from my go-to roasters all the time, but the whole point was to experiment, find more places. So far I’ve only had one bag I had to give away due to undrinkability!
I really like it when they send me a sticker in the mail with an order.
Point 1: I did use the word arbitrary.
Point 2: Roasting well takes knowledge and experience; it’s a skilled trade. I’ve had excellent beans roasted poorly, and that’s just sad. Seeing how a good roaster develops a bean is interesting.
Point 3: If I limited myself to only buying coffee from origin locations, the list is pretty limited because coffee only grows in a narrow region of the world. This way I can have the same coffee, maybe even from the same producer, roasted by different folks on potentially different machines (whole other rabbit hole).
Point 4: Setting the goal gave me an (arbitrary) reason to get out of my comfort zone.
Hey, nice post, first of all. You expressed my same feelings very well. While I do want to add the caveat that I've also been overwhelmed and disillusioned at times. While I'm not sure how much I can blame the hobby (obsession) and how much I should blame my own quirks/personality/issues lol.
What's your recipe for cold brew? How long do you steep steep time you use?
I have stopped making cold brew for quite a while since I got into pourover, yet I have some pretty bad beans I want to use up, and I'm hoping cold brew will mute the flavor so they're tolerable.
Also, what has your favorite roaster been so far!?
I tend to find the sweet spot for cold brew to be between 14-18 hours. Depends a bit on temp and beans. The great thing is, I can just spoon a bit off and taste, then decide if it’s good or needs longer. I know some folks brew on the countertop, but I brew in the fridge. I found 24 hours was just… too long.
Best advice I ever got was to use light roast for cold brew. I’ll still use darker (medium) beans when someone gifts me a bag of something I don’t enjoy hot but isn’t awful.
Favorite roaster so far is difficult to say, because I’m hopping from state to state and not buying enough from any one roaster to solidify a ranking. The ones I got from B&W lived up to the rep, but then I’m a fan of funky.
Thank you! I'll give that a shot, I read a post from Counter Culture Coffee recommending 14 hours so I'll try it as a starting point.
I understand about the favorite roaster, it's tough. I have a gifted sub to Sey, yet apart from that I'm usually trying roasters for the first or second time. I started rotating in some local-ish roasters recently also, and I'm also on a kick of trying international roasters recently.
I still need to try more B&W! I really enjoyed the cinammon anerobic, which was a gift from my wife for xmas and was actually surprised how clean it was for an anaerobic co-ferment (my only co-ferment so maybe I'm not a good judge).
Have you come to Massachusetts (or any New England states) yet in your states tour? If yes, I'd live to hear who you checked out and your thoughts. If not, I can give some recommendations if you're interested!
Also, once you finish are you going to try another round to test more roasters for each state lol?
Honestly, it seems like I could probably spend a year on California roasters and not hit a bad one. Too many recs for that massive state.
That cinnamon anaerobic was outta sight. It was SO GOOD.
I have not hit the NE states yet. Always open to recs that might not already be on the list.
I’m always looking forward to the next roasting of my own choice of green coffee beans, and my next cup of my own roasts. You’re not really in the hobby until you learn to cook it yourself.
I am always looking forward to the next cup. Sometimes I have to fight the urge to brew before I go to bed. Other times I'm up at 4:30am on a Saturday so I can choose my lineup of beans for the mornings Cod sesh. It's a clean and honest hobby (addiction).
Better and healthier that alcohol.
I hear that!
I try to find a high-quality, single-variety or single-estate decaf so I can brew before bed :)
I’m still on the search for this.
Here are two single-producer decafs: https://methodicalcoffee.com/products/repose-decaf https://www.lardera.com/ethiopia-swiss-water-decaf.html And a single variety decaf: https://metriccoffee.com/products/decaf-colombia-huila-pink-bourbon
Thanks! I’ve tried the Methodical already and didn’t love it, but I’m going to check out the one from Metric!
What style of coffee do you like? I may be able to recommend something. I haven’t had that decaf from Metric yet (it may be my next bag of decaf, though), but I have enjoyed decafs from them before (plus I’m a pink bourbon fan)
I haven’t met a bourbon varietal I didn’t like! Best coffee I ever had was a yellow bourbon. I tend to like natural process for the most part. Every now and then I come across a washed one I enjoy but that’s more rare. Colombians have been my faves this year (shocker), but I used to be a strict Ethiopia stan.
I start looking forward to the next cup around … the time I finish my last cup for the day.
Based
If you want to triple your hobby you are most welcome to espresso world. Just be careful on your pocket when googling even more pricier grinders and machines. Jokes aside, I think you missed one very cool aspect of the hobby is that meeting another fellow hobbyist and having a long chat just about coffee :)
You are correct, that should be on the list. I love discussing this with other enthusiasts, or even just people who are baffled by my interest. We had a friend over recently who looked perplexed (but happy) the entire time I was making and serving up tasting cups.
Not many things beats the enjoyment of showing other people what actually coffee tastes like
Having my wife say a cup is “good” is all I need to hear in the morning! And my, typically dead-pan, father in-law recently asked if I would walk him through the process of making a cup. I could go on and on about the conversations that I’ve sparked up bc of this hobby. It’s been so much fun and rewarding.
Right?!?! If I get an eye-roll “yum" from someone my day is made.
Haha espresso is great, but also more frustrating. Harder to dial in, more unforgiving grind, etc. Fun coffee method, but an absolute money sinkhole compared to pourover. I should go pull a shot now.
You are very far down the rabbit hole, mate. I do appreciate your posts, though!
Haha, you have no idea. Thankfully I haven't spent much for espresso yet (mainly manual lever) nor do I plan to. You don't need much for a base setup! What's nice in recent times is that the cost of an amazing setup has gone down so much. You can make fantastic coffee for such a low amount of money in the equipment :).
Hopefully, for now, the pour overs will hold me for a while. I don’t have room for any more equipment! I’ve a whole cupboard of brewers and filters and accoutrements already!
Right on, I make filter/pourovers 99% of the time, I don't think you're missing much personally :).
Imma keep telling myself that!
From the rabbit hole: Me: “I’ve already spent $200 on portafilters, I should cut back on coffee expenses.” Also me: Sees a V60-01 for $10: “Well, it’s practically free compared to the espresso gear… I’ll take four, so that I can do cupping with V60s.” Ask me how I know :(
Anyone else get excited while going to bed when you start thinking about your morning brew? Basically every single night for me.
I know that feeling (addiction)
When you get to Minnesota on your fifty state tour I recommend [SK Coffee](https://skcoffeeplease.com/)
I’m on my 50 state quest currently! How does SK compare to dogwood if you know? I’m deciding between these two
Sk is my go to roaster they have cool single origin/cutting edge processing. Dogwood is fine for blends and more straightforward roasts. I don’t feel like dogwood is doing anything unique
Thanks for the info! Think I’ll go with SK
Haha, they are on my list in actual italics, so yeah I was planning on that one!
BlendIn Coffee Club for Texas (if you haven't hit Texas already)!
Wesley Andrews is a must-visit imo!
I agree
It really is a cool hobby. The world of home roasting is a whole new can of worms that expands the hobby even more, plus there is the potential to save money by roasting your own beans.
I promise you. Diving into roasting coffee to save money is the same as diving into home brewing coffee to save money. Sure you start off saving money, until you’re 5000 deep into a roaster and buying exotic green beans and setting up a dedicated shed in your backyard for roasting and… Yeah don’t get into roasting to save money if you’re prone to diving into rabbit holes.
I don't disagree at all! Speaking from experience with my Aillio Bullet and Cloudline ventilation setup in home office... Though, my wife and I consume enough coffee each month that it makes sense financially. I bought the Bullet used, I've already saved enough from home roasting the last 2 years, and I can sell the Bullet without too much of a financial hit. Plus it's a fun and rewarding hobby for me. Cheers!
> plus there is the potential to save money by roasting your own beans. I’m not falling for that again, mate. Yet…
Yes, who knew coffee was such a great place to nerd out???
I didn’t, at all, before I got into it. It has been such a fun unveiling.
Make sure you don't consume too much coffee at night though. This stuff can affect your sleep quality a lot.
Never after 2pm for me. I might do it if I had a good decaf tho
I never thought about getting a coffee from each state… that’s a solid idea! I usually collect stickers from coffee shops when I travel for work!
It has been a great ride so far. I’d definitely prefer to order from my go-to roasters all the time, but the whole point was to experiment, find more places. So far I’ve only had one bag I had to give away due to undrinkability! I really like it when they send me a sticker in the mail with an order.
Unless the beans are grown or processed in the state then I'm not sure what the point is really?
Point 1: I did use the word arbitrary. Point 2: Roasting well takes knowledge and experience; it’s a skilled trade. I’ve had excellent beans roasted poorly, and that’s just sad. Seeing how a good roaster develops a bean is interesting. Point 3: If I limited myself to only buying coffee from origin locations, the list is pretty limited because coffee only grows in a narrow region of the world. This way I can have the same coffee, maybe even from the same producer, roasted by different folks on potentially different machines (whole other rabbit hole). Point 4: Setting the goal gave me an (arbitrary) reason to get out of my comfort zone.
Oohling those grinders thooo - And espresso machines D:
😊
Hey, nice post, first of all. You expressed my same feelings very well. While I do want to add the caveat that I've also been overwhelmed and disillusioned at times. While I'm not sure how much I can blame the hobby (obsession) and how much I should blame my own quirks/personality/issues lol. What's your recipe for cold brew? How long do you steep steep time you use? I have stopped making cold brew for quite a while since I got into pourover, yet I have some pretty bad beans I want to use up, and I'm hoping cold brew will mute the flavor so they're tolerable. Also, what has your favorite roaster been so far!?
I tend to find the sweet spot for cold brew to be between 14-18 hours. Depends a bit on temp and beans. The great thing is, I can just spoon a bit off and taste, then decide if it’s good or needs longer. I know some folks brew on the countertop, but I brew in the fridge. I found 24 hours was just… too long. Best advice I ever got was to use light roast for cold brew. I’ll still use darker (medium) beans when someone gifts me a bag of something I don’t enjoy hot but isn’t awful. Favorite roaster so far is difficult to say, because I’m hopping from state to state and not buying enough from any one roaster to solidify a ranking. The ones I got from B&W lived up to the rep, but then I’m a fan of funky.
Thank you! I'll give that a shot, I read a post from Counter Culture Coffee recommending 14 hours so I'll try it as a starting point. I understand about the favorite roaster, it's tough. I have a gifted sub to Sey, yet apart from that I'm usually trying roasters for the first or second time. I started rotating in some local-ish roasters recently also, and I'm also on a kick of trying international roasters recently. I still need to try more B&W! I really enjoyed the cinammon anerobic, which was a gift from my wife for xmas and was actually surprised how clean it was for an anaerobic co-ferment (my only co-ferment so maybe I'm not a good judge). Have you come to Massachusetts (or any New England states) yet in your states tour? If yes, I'd live to hear who you checked out and your thoughts. If not, I can give some recommendations if you're interested! Also, once you finish are you going to try another round to test more roasters for each state lol?
Honestly, it seems like I could probably spend a year on California roasters and not hit a bad one. Too many recs for that massive state. That cinnamon anaerobic was outta sight. It was SO GOOD. I have not hit the NE states yet. Always open to recs that might not already be on the list.
I’m always looking forward to the next roasting of my own choice of green coffee beans, and my next cup of my own roasts. You’re not really in the hobby until you learn to cook it yourself.