homecoffeeroasters

For the past century, doctors have been telling woman to avoid coffee while pregnant without any viable research to back up their advice. Well now, research has found that woman who drink a moderate amount of the java whilst preggers do not suffer any bad side effects. Also drinking up to six cups a day can actually be a smart move for woman. Scientific studies of woman coffee drinkers have found that women who have a healthy coffee drinking habit also have a much lower rate of heart disease. The same study found no conclusive results good or bad for the heart health of male coffee drinkers.

Other studies have found links between coffee drinking and longevity. Apparently people who look forward to their morning cup of the go go juice tend to stick around a little longer than those namby pambies who abstain from the stuff.  Drinking coffee has also been found to help against Parkinson’s disease and certain types of  cancers. A recent study of smokers has found that those who prefer coffee with their smokes have a much lower rate of bladder cancer. The  diuretic affect of the caffeine apparently helps flush out the bladder, keeping the cancer at bay.

Sure too much coffee is probably a bad thing. Sometimes I find myself a bit overly jittery on those two pot Sundays. However, even the bad is not that bad. While it is possible to overdose on coffee, you would have to drink at least 60 plus cups within a 24 hour time period-no small feat for even the most hard core addict. So, drink up America. And if your urine smells like coffee, don’t worry about it . You are still about 30 cups away from the cut off point.

The new kid on the block.

After two weeks of trying and failing to use some filters I bought from the supermarket, I finally ordered myself up some genuine Chemex coffee filters from Sweet Maria’s (along with a couple of pounds of coffee beans of course). The store bought filters kept collapsing on me as I poured the hot water over the grounds. I would be pouring away thinking about how good this coffee was going to be, then suddenly the the filter would start shaking and making funny sounds and then collapse in on itself and slide sown the hole and land on the bottom of the coffee maker with a plop. The Chemex Brand filters look like folded napkins out of the box and have a very coarse consistency. They are much heavier than the other filters I had been using and also much bigger, the triangle tops rise out of the inverted cone lik wings of an albatross.

I decided to use some Finca El Robles that I had roasted very light as my first test subject. This coffee, at city roast, had come out very citrus like when I brewed it in my French Press and I was curious to see what the chemex would turn it into. The resulting cup was par excellent. It was nice and smooth, yet had body that you usually do not get when doing the drip. My only complaint was that it was a little too clean and bright without any bitterness. I know that the chemist who invented the chemex, did so in order to get the perfect cup of coffee free of bitterness, but honestly, I like a little bitter in my brew. Still it was a great cup and I plan to use my new toy until I get sick of it.

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.

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.

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.

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….

My little Nesco Brand professional roaster is pretty much the nicest gift I have ever received. I have put it to lots of use these past six months since I first unwrapped it.  It has become a primary fixture in my coffee obsession. On average I roast and consume about a pound of beans a week, which is a lot for one person. But, what can I say,  I love the coffee. The smell the taste, the caffeine rush.

I have noticed some idiosyncrasies about my little Nesco roaster.  First of all, its size limits you from doing any serious coffee roasting.  This roaster is strictly for the home hobbyist, not some inspiring entrepreneur looking to break into the bean biz.  Also , although the Nesco sports a catalytic converter that is supposed to help deal with the copious amounts of smoke that comes with roasting coffee beans, it still sets my smoke alrm off during the darker roasts. I usually need to open my sliding glass door and turn on my fan if I do not a smoky haze hanging over my kitchen. It makes me wonder what kind of trouble a roaster without a converter would cause. Its also a bit of a pain to clean. You need a good scrub brush to get inside the glass chamber and the chaff get everywhere.

Other than that, it is a pretty good little machine.