EdipisReks1

This is my second coffee for the morning, so I went decaf (Counter Culture Slow Motion). Oat milk macchiato made with the Flair and the Bellman. Was delicious.

I had a dream last night that I met James Hoffman at Square Mile, which for some reason was in an old broken down cabin. I left with coffee, but there wasn’t any under my pillow when I woke up. I think I might be watching too much coffee YouTube!

Made an oatmilk flat white. 22 in, 50 out in 48. 7 bar with a slow roll off. Jaguar from Little Waves. The shot looked perfect and I should have just drunk it, but I had already steamed the milk.

I find this roundup to be hilarious. Now, I don’t find it to be wrong. In no way shape or form is it wrong: it’s a good roundup! “Just buy an encore” is maybe the best coffee advice I can give. But, if you are at the point where you are having to wonder if a home grinder is “excessive for the casual coffee drinker,” you probably stopped long before that. I mean, if you are a “casual coffee drinker” you are my mom drinking instant, or you really like a “flat white” at Starbucks. I don’t consider anybody with an encore to be a “casual coffee drinker.” That fucker rules. My laughter was that “excessive for the casual coffee drinker” is both burying the lede and missing the point, applied there. Yes: the Sette 270 is indeed. Casual coffee drinkers do not need 270 points of grind adjustment. I don’t either. Now, infinite adjustment is good for the gander and the goose. Also I applied for a job at Counter Culture, today. We’ll see where that goes (nowhere, if they are smart, as I’m a nightmare). Just trying to figure out what I’m going to do in North Carolina.

That was a fascinating shot of espresso. I ground slightly too fine and pulled a little short, but it worked out okay. 5 bar, fast ramp up, slow ramp down, 21 in, 40 out in 50 seconds (including pre-infusion). 5 bar is more or less my standard on any machine where I can manage it with funky beans, and this one is certainly funky! I’m not sure it wants to be espresso, and I’ll likely not make espresso with it again, but I’m glad I did today. Making espresso with naturals is an adventure. I highly do not recommend it to anybody unless they are somebody I would recommend it to, in which case I highly recommend it.

I think, after I sleep for a few hours, this is gonna be in the Flair 58. I’ve been known to change my mind.

30 on the Niche seems to work fine on AeroPress (just made another decaf).

I do a 1350 or so on the OG for pour over, give or take a couple microns in burr distance . This is useful information, I’m sure. I did a French press for the first time in years a few months ago after Covered_ears goaded me into it. It was a delicious cup of coffee, but like, I ain’t got time for that shit. And I was merely startled, not burned, fortunately.

Makes me miss my Big Block.

After a long night.

Just made an Aero decaf. It came out tasty, but I got sprayed in the face with hot water: 25 on the Niche is WAY too fine for AeroPress.* I didn’t even know you could get sprayed in the face with an AeroPress. First AeroPress using the Niche. I have too many grinders. I have fewer than I used to! * assuming your Niche is autistically calibrated, as mine is.

Furniture won’t arrive from Japan for a little while, but I have this thing ready to go. Final polishing will be after sharpening. Paint in the engraving is set. It’s a very beautiful Konosuke Fujiyama Sakai white 1 that happened to be in a fire. Saya and handle (went honoki with a blond ferrule) will be another “Milky Way” lacquer job. Three polishes and etches so far. I’m very bored, obviously. I even took a Rockwell hardness reading (see the notch in the edge: 62 on C), as I didn’t know whether the fire would damage the temper. I guess I’m making another Milky Way. Took the hardness reading on the belly/tip since that will be sharpened out. It looked less nice when I started: one big ol’ lump of carbon and oxidation. This doesn’t mean anything to anybody, but this is the kitchen knife equivalent of completely cutting out brain tumor without hurting the brain.

I talked to a long time friend who had a stroke in early 2021. I cried. I wished him a 2022 that was on an upward slope. He replied that he was in a wheelchair. I said “I know!” I thought he was gonna die, and I’m very glad I was wrong.

It’s 35 degrees this afternoon, so decaf-iced-coffee-on-the-patio weather. Yes; I wear a pinkie ring: I don’t think anybody here is surprised.

A little latte with my Breville. 2.5:1 ground on the Niche (I love this grinder since I fixed it; it stays calibrated grind to grind now) and oat milk. Could have done art, didn’t. Delicious. Aetopress is good coffee, Mike. Chemex is too. Different, though.

Espresso is one of my favorite forms of torture. I think Dunhill was saying “why are you wasting heat and attention on something that isn’t me?!”

Heat is out. Cats whining. Space heaters on (it’s 7 degrees out). Made some Counter Culture decaf in the Chemex. Damn that is a good cup of coffee! Ground on the SSP burrs in the Ode, at a 6.5 indicated (which means nothing for anybody else with an Ode). Super sweet. Honey. Cocoa. No astringency. Not bitter at all. Enough malic to know it’s there. I went very fine. Will try the tornado at this grind point, if I survive the night! If I were given this cup at a good third wave cafe I would say “huh” in a very good way. If I survive the night I’ll be thinking about that cup for a while.

Having never used this before I just did my v60 routine. I would do it differently next time, but it’s a good cup. Definitely finer, as it’s a little sour, but I would be happy if I was handed this as a pour over cup at a good shop.

Brewista tornado dripper is awfully pretty.

Any updates? I tried out the Zojirushi I bought for Heather the last couple mornings I was there (finally back in Cincinnati after a rather slow and harrowing journey through the snow storm in Va/WVa), and I was very impressed. We got the Hario grinder dialed in for it, and she is ready to take it to her office when she is on campus and teaching in person again in a couple weeks. Interestingly, it’s not that much smaller than the Bonavita. Usefully smaller, and the Zojirushi is certainly very compact, but the Bonavita also packs a lot into a small package. I like both machines very much. H’s Hamilton-Beach at home is vanquished, and Mr. Coffee at college will be soon. I also gave her an Oxo reservoir pour over (uses the same 02 filter as the Zoji, and she likes pour over); it is also very nice, and is super simple which is perfect for an office setting where you have a little time to relax for a second and make something “special,” but don’t have a gooseneck and all that shit.

A tiny bit of wind and snow has knocked power out in basically all of North Carolina. Fireplace plus hand grinder equals coffee, fortunately; the gooseneck is electric, so I used Covered_ears no-bloom method and a regular kettle. Worked great! V60, 16:1, light roast Yirgacheffe.

I got up to get a drink. I had no cats. Now they have no human, as I’m sitting elsewhere.

I may have picked up some coffee here in NC. Little Waves, the bottom bags, was named the 2021 micro roaster of the year, so it should be tasty hopefully!

I like chemex a lot, but it’s it’s own cup of coffee. A straw or chopstick in the spout helps keep the drawdown from stalling, btw, as it keeps the filter from completely sealing to the glass (which doesn’t usually happen, but it can). And that’s a good price!