homecoffeeroasters

Glass, so pretty, so fragile.  Okay, I will admit I got a little shop happy on Ebay when I decided to bid on  two vintage glass coffee makers. Something inside warned me against trying to get fragile glass objects shipped to me through non-professional third parties. But, I went ahead and did it anyway.  I was blinded by my desire to taste new coffee concoctions from different coffee devices. Most coffee fanatics that I have run into on cyberspace swear by the Chemex brewer and I have always been fascinated by the principles of vacuum brewing that the Silex Coffee maker utilizes (it just seems so scientific).

The Silex was the first to arrive, or at least attempt to arrive. Being a little self conscious of all the crap that I was getting sent to my place of actual work. I decided to get the Silex shipped directly to my home. This of course, ended up being a hassle, since my postman is weary of leaving large packages for me sitting in the apartment’s lobby. (I had told him it was cool to do so, but he was not having none of that in Oakland.)  So instead of my package, I got a little card instead saying that I had a package. I signed the little card and checked the box indicating I wanted the sucker left by the mailbox and spent the next couple of day fretting about my new toy. It finally arrived two days later. Much to the relief of my concerned postman, I happened to be home when it arrived, absolving him from the problem he had of leaving a big package in the lobby of an apartment in Oakland. Giddy as a schoolgirl who just got her braces taken off, I ran upstairs with my prize. The package made a some noise as I walked up the stairs. It sounded like a bunch of loose change rolling around in  can. I knew that it could not be good. I placed the box on the coffee table and carefully opened it, digging through the bubble wrap to pull out a busted vintage Silex coffee pot. The top globe had shattered on one side leaving a pile of glass on the bottom of the box.  I nearly cried. I ran down to confront the postman about it, he  just shrugged and said that it seemed like the thing was not properly packaged and that I needed to bring to the post office.  The package was insured, so hopefully I can I least get my money back. Upon examining the Silex, I made the conclusion, that it was not something I would actually attempt to brew coffee in anyway. It was old and dusty, a thing meant to be displayed, not used. I will probably try to get another more modern vacuum brewer later on.

The following day, I got yet another little card saying that I had another package waiting for me at the post office. Apprehensive of having to deal with another broken coffee brewing device, I decided to go directly to the post office to pick it up, instead of letting it  do anymore dangerous traveling. The line at the post office was actually non-existent and I got my package without any hassle. When I got to the car,  I immediately  opened it up and was pleased to see that the packer had  used bubble wrap and packing peanuts and that the Chemex was all in one piece. Of course, I was then forced to put it in the trunk and drive around for half the day. Every time I hit a pothole, I would wince, and my girlfriend would roll her eyes at me. We finally made it home and the pot was still very much intact. I can now see why  the Chemex coffee brewer is on display at the Museum of Modern Art. It so simple, yet so elegant, I almost thought twice about actually trying to make some coffee with it. Almost. I had gotten some filters at Target, that were not exactly Chemex brand filters, but I figured that they would do the trick. I brewed up some Panama Carmen Estate 1800+ meters, and got a really good cup. A really, really good cup. It was definitely one of the better cups I have tasted from a drip type coffee brewer, yet it was not something that would make me toss out my French Press.  I attempted to re-enact my success this morning and found out that I had better hurry up and get myself some actual Chemex Brand filters. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until I dumped in the last of the water in. The filter begin to fold into itself, and before I could do anything about it, the whole thing, grounds  and all, slid through the hole and plopped onto the bottom of the holding chamber. The filters I had bought, apparently are not thick enough to withstand the Chemex process. I fished all of the contents out and attempted to pour it through another filter, only to have that one break also. I finally ended up pouring the brew into my French Press in order to get some sediment free coffee. Still, I love my new Chemex and I cannot wait till I get some actual filters that work for it. It is a shame about my Silex though, but I will chalk it up to a learning experience.

As I am writing this , I am enjoying a cup of Ethiopia Organic Menno’s Misty Valley. It is a tasty cup with very little bitterness, high acidity and definitive fruity notes. I brewed a cup using my little Bodum single cup drip brewer that I like to use in the morning since I only need to be half awake to brew up a satisfying cup.  I had roasted these beans for around 24 minutes, my preferred roasting time, resulting in a nice full city roast with a pleasant smell. There was a whole lot of chaff in this roast, which might be because of the organic nature of the bean.  Then again,  I am not really sure if organic beans are more likely to produce chaff, or if this is the result of the drying process. I guess I should do some research on this. I am actually quite  pleased by the taste of this organic bean. A long time ago I tried some  organic coffee from the supermarket, and found it extremely bland. This initial experience led the ol’ brain to associate organic coffee with blandness. To this day, I still have not shaken off that stereotype about organic coffee.  Hopefully this good experience with the Menno’s Misty Valley will help me develop new synaptic connections that will correlate organic coffee with good coffee.  Perhaps this old dog will learn a new trick.

Well,  I have become a full blown e-bay junky this past month. Who knew there was so much stuff out there that I just needed to have. First edition Philip K Dick paperbacks, Bruce Campbell memorabilia, and  of course vintage coffee makers.

The first thing that caught my eye was a Silex vacuum coffee maker.  It sure is a pretty little thing ain’t it? I have been looking into the vacuum coffee maker thing for a while and have contemplated buying a new one from the place I get my coffee beans. Sweet Marias has several different models available ranging between forty to several hundred dollars.  But, why buy a new one when you can get a used one on good old e-bay?  I ended up getting this one for about 25 bucks, including shipping. I hope that it is something that is actually usable, but I have a feeling that I am going to have to find a burner to use with it.  This, of course, means back to e-bay.  I am not to sure about the whole mechanics involved in vacuum brewing. I am the type of guy who need to see it happen before I can fully understand it. Vacuum brewed coffees are suppose to give you a great cup of coffee, that has been heated perfectly and devoid of sediment. I cannot wait to try it, but I will probably have to wait until later this week since I missed the postman this Saturday and got one of those “sorry we missed you” cards.

Even after blowing 25 big ones on a coffee maker that I am not even sure that is going to work, my e-bay itch still needed some scratching.  I had recently joined a homeroasting mailing list, and everyone on there is constantly talking up the Chemex Brewer.  It is apparently the only coffee maker that is on display at the Museum of Modern Art.  I just won this vintage piece for 18 bucks (although the 12 dollar shipping charge is killing me)  This brewer works just like any other top pour drip brewer with the exception of it unique cone like shape. I guess the secret is in the filters which are heavier than other filters and keep sediment out of your brew while letting the aromatic oils pass through. I am hoping that this baby comes with a few filters, or otherwise, yep you guessed it, back onto good ol’ e-bay.

Okay, I admit it. I am a sucker for anything with four stars in the title. So when Sweet Marias came out with several “four star”coffee  bean selections, I just had to jump at the chance to give them a try. After reading thier various reviews, I decided to try the Colombia Causca Finca El Roble first. It did not receive the highest overall reviews, but the talk about ‘guyaba sweetness” intrigued me to say the least.

I roasted a batch up in my Nesco Roaster, setting the time at 24 minutes for a good full city roast. I heard the first crack happen at around the 13 minute mark with the secondar cracks just starting out when the cooing cycle started.
The next morning, I brewed some using my good old french press and got a nice distinct cup with a definite fruity after taste. As for the guyaba sweetness, I did detect notes of the guava, but I do not know if it is merely suggestive. There is certainly something there however that does remind me of a guava.   Overall, I can see this a three star coffee, but perhaps, another tasting will enable me to see its four star potential.

I accidentally discovered a good blend the other day, when I mixed my remaining  Jacu bird beans with some of the leftover  Brazil Carmo de Mina’s Fazanda Esperance that I had thought that I had burnt. Ok, I admit it, sometimes the need for caffeine takes precedence over taste for me. This is especially the case when it comes to packing my lunch for work. If I don’t get my fix at lunchtime, I am just no good at my job. I need a little java jolt to put  little pep in my step, you know what I mean? If I do not get my required dosage then, I end up finding myself at the Starbucks slapping down my hard earned cash for a shot.  So anyway, I was running late and making my lunch coffee when I realized I did not have enough Jacu bird beans to make a full thermos of joe.  What was I to do? I really had a hankering for that  pepper pepperminty taste but I did not want to water it down or make a small amount.

What the heck, I thought to myself then tossed in a bit of the burnt Brazilian beans I had laying around, rejects from a failed experiment.  The beans did not turn out as bad as I thought, just a bit to chalky and dark for me. I ground it up and dumped it in my french press. I bottled it up in my little thermos and went off to work.  At lunch I got a great surprise. My little ad-libbed concoction actually tasted good? The two beans  really complimented each other. I savored my new creation and decided to try to make some more.

I even thought of a good name…

Burnt Bird Poo Blend

watch the birdy!

I think that we have all heard about these types of coffees and have been curious as to how they would taste.  I mean, how many chances are you going to get to taste something that was processed is such an unique manner. This coffee bean from Brazil starts out as food for the native Jacu bird. They eat the ripe red coffee cherries then excrete the beans, parchment intact, which is collected, cleaned and dried for three months. Bird poop never tasted so good.

This is not the famous poop coffee that everyone has heard about ( that one is called kopi luwak) ,but it is a coffee that has been processed by an animal. The first thing  I did when I got this coffee,  was open up the bag to take a good hearty sniff. It did not smell like bird poop, yet it did smell different from the other green coffee beans. It had a slight peppermint tinge that was intriguing.

I roasted a batch to full city, let it sit a full day and then tried it out. It definitely did not taste like poop, not that I have really experimented with eating poo.  It had a nice nutty initial flavor followed by a peppery, peppermint aftertaste. A very tasty cup indeed. Yet, I believe that the novelty factor offsets any great taste that this coffee has. I cannot wait to roast some up and give it away to some close friends. Dude, try some pooped coffee!

To paraphrase Bill Shakespeare: “What is in a name?” A lot of commercial coffee tends to come from Brazil, which is the largest producer of low grade arabica beans( according to Tom from Sweet Marias) . If you buy a can of cheap coffee from the grocery store, chances are around 90 percent that some of the stuff within it was grown in Brazil. So what is it about the Fazanda Esperance that sets it apart from the stuff found in a can at the good ol’ 7-11? With a name as long and distinctive as Brazil Carmo de Minas Fazanda Esperance, you cannot call this coffee generic right? Or,  A cheap arabica by any other name, does it still taste like muck?

I roasted my first batch for 25  minutes, with the second cracks just kicking in as the cooling cycle went on. At least, I assumed it was the seconds cracks. I was busy cleaning up my living room and did not really note if and when the first crack went off. A great feature or potential problem of my little Nesco coffee roaster is that it is pretty much fully automatic. Although the booklet strongly recommends that you never leave the roaster unattended, the temptation to multi task is usually too great for me to pass up. Once I know what I want from a particular coffee bean, I usually set the time and go off to to do other things coming back every couple minutes to  check on the progress and to make sure no fires have started.  I know that this is not very scientific of me, but hey, what can I say, I am a busy person.

Anyhow, the beans came out a bit too dark at 25 minutes making me second guess the whole “set it and forget it” theory. I guess I should have paid more attention to the process, Tom suggests roasting this bean to a city plus roast to get the best flavor out of it and I went ahead and got all full city up on it. The taste was barely even noteworthy. I made a vow to pay attention to the process next time.

The next time…

On my second attempt to tackle the Fazanda Esperance, my inattention once again gave me a sub par cup that is chalky and unforgettable. It was my day off, and I was busy cooking up a couple batches for a friend in Michigan, while plucking away on my on the computer working my work in progress novel. In my distraction, I kinda, sorta forgot about the chaff cup that is supposed to sit on top of the glass chamber. I ended up getting another dark batch, loaded with messy chaff. Curses! I still have not gotten a good batch of beans from this selection. I know its not the beans fault, but rather my own blase’  attitude that is keeping from tasting some good Brazilian coffee. I made a vow to be more careful with the last of the beans that I have.

Well, I went a little crazy with my latest purchase from Sweet Maria’s. I bought four different one pound bags of coffee to experiment with and resisted from buying up any more of the Liberica ( I need to control my inner Anohki fiend). The priciest coffee I bought was the Brazilian Jacu Bird Coffee, a coffee which is first, err, processed by by bird before it is dried and shipped. My girlfriend sniffed the bag, and joked that it did smell a little like bird poop. Tom, the Sweet Marias dude, insists that the unusual processing does not impart any significant flavor, but I have to find this out for myself. I also bought some Colombia Cauca Finca El Roble (4 star) which was one of the new coffees featured on the site. I do not know too much about this coffee but I am a sucker for anything with stars in the title. To round out the selection I got some Panama Carmen Estate 1800+ meters and some Ethiopia Organic “Menno’s Mist Valley”. Hopefully, these are all good cups.

I find that variety is indeed the spice of life when it comes to my coffee choices. One of the first coffees I tried was the Aged Sumatra Lintong, and I totally dug the licorice, tobacco undertones. I dug it so much, that I went ahead and bought a two pound sack of the beans. Sure enough, I got sick of it  and felt the need to move on. I think I still got some laying around, waiting for me to give it another try.

the arsenal

Besides roasting coffee, I also like finding new ways to brew my favorite bean. I am constantly on the look out for a new coffee brewing device that will offer up a different drinking experience for me. My kitchen is beginning to look like a coffee shrine as I continue to update my collection with new pieces of coffee making paraphernalia.

A constant fixture on my shelf is a Black and Decker Smart Brew (insert trademark thingy here) coffee maker that my folks bought me a couple of Christmases ago. I really like the thermal carafe but only use it when I am feeling lazy or need to brew a lot of coffee. This coffee maker also has a built in timer, but I ahve only used it several times perferring to keep the device unplugged.

My favorite coffee making device is my French Press. I have been a French Press devotee since I was first introduced to it a decade or so ago by a friend of mine. I just love the body the Press gives you and the different taste you get from the extra oils that get through the barrier that a paper filter will keep out. My favorite moment of the day is when I get to pour the water just off the boil into the glass be. The reaction between the grounds and the water is mesmerizing.It seem like the grounds actually rise up and enfold the hot water as it is pured in.

I have recently added a little single cup drip device to my arsenal in a effort to curb my over consumption problems. This allows me to make one strong cup of coffee each morning (okay, I usually make two or three). This simple little device has a built in wire mesh filter that allows for good body and it is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

There are two coffee makers that I am dying to get, but have been holding off due to lack of funds. I really, really want to try the vacuum press that I keep seeing on the Sweet Maria’s website, and I also want to obtain a Kona coffee maker, which is supposed give you a superb cup. Ah yes, so many ways to enjoy coffee, and so little time to enjoy it.

Coffee: a brief personal history

BY: Matthew Erickson

Sniff, sniff. MMMM,mmmmm. To me, nothing smells better than some freshly ground coffee. The sharp characteristic smell ignites something within me, snapping me awake, enabling me to face the daily grind (pun intended). Good gravy, do I love coffee.  It is, in my estimation, the ideal drink. Manna from heaven, sent down to us mere mortals so that we might sip and become enlightened and godlike in our mental abilities.

I started drinking coffee in my early teens, quickly becoming addicted to the caffeine, growing increasingly dependent upon it  throughout high school. Unschooled in the ways of true coffee appreciation, I took my daily dark elixir with lots of cream and sugar, or, “Swedish”, as they called it in the Upper Midwest. It was not until my later teens did I develop a taste for the black and bitter type. Now, I cannot stand coffee that is sweetened in any way. A little cream is fine, but sugar is an absolute no.

Back then (the nineties) I was not very picky about my coffee. As long as it was hot, black and brewed within the last 48 hours, I would drink it. Starbucks had yet to explode into the global phenomenon that it is now and us poor Midwesterners saw McDonalds blend as pretty much the high water mark in coffee quality. (To this day, I refuse to knock McD’s coffee. It is a good cup for its price.)  Growing up in the prepackaged for your convenience society had led me to accept the rather bland taste of the grocery store blends as the norm. The taste came second to the caffeine buzz, anyhow.

It was not until I got out of college, did my coffee palate gain more sophistication. Whether or not this had to do with those little green mermaids popping up all over the place, I will not say. Good old Folgers did nothing for me anymore. Sure, it woke me up, but it was lacking in taste. It was around this time that I discovered the grinder and the French Press. New taste sensations hit me like a runaway truck the first time I tried a cup of coffee from the French Press. Its flavor had so much character and nuance compared to the drip. I vowed to never go back.

During my quest for bulk whole beans, I started to become interested in the origins of various coffees and the differing tastes each region of the coffee growing world had to offer. While I did like certain coffee blends, I found most too bland and uniform. By drinking coffees from a specific region, I felt connected to that part of the world.

So now, I had thought I had become a true coffee connoisseur. I scoffed at the everyday Joe who got his fix from some machine in the hallway. I tried to convert everyone I knew to the French Press Ideal, giving them away as presents at every opportunity. I thought I was at the highest level of true coffee snobbery.

Until I discovered home coffee roasting….