I'll drink to that.

Brian over at DoubleShot Coffee Company is doing something amazing.  So amazing, it will blow your socks off!  Actually, he'll probably blow his own socks off (when he's done).

Have you ever run 100 miles in a race?  Well, Brian is going to do it.  This is his fourth attempt and while he's never completed this specific race, he's completed other 100 mile races on two other occasions.

Well, Brian is running this race for himself.  He even talks about his lack of interest in racing!  Which I can understand.  I'm not a podium whore but completion is certainly my measure of personal accomplishment.

But Brian is doing this for a bigger cause than just his own satisfaction, he's doing this to raise money for Coffee Kids.  I recommend just heading over to the Coffee Kids site to read all that they do, but basically, they help in many areas from health care, education and micro-credit.

You can help Brian raise money for Coffee Kids too.  Head on over to Coffee Illuminati and make a pledge.  You pick an amount per mile and Brian will email you when it's all done to tell you how much you owe.

His previous best for Leadville was 70 miles before the time cutoff and hopefully he'll make the whole 100 this year.  

As a side note, Brian will be doing some audio recordings of his run which are very entertaining and enlightening (really?  yeah, I guess they are).

I highly recommend listening to the last "jogcast" (see link below) Brian did at Leadville, and you will see how difficult this race can be.  If you are a runner, I think you will really enjoy it.  Following along and hearing how hard it gets, then gets better, then gets hard again... it's a "roller coaster thrill ride" (Ebert)!

Well, go ahead and check out the links below and wish him luck.  After all, he does make some killer coffee!

Keep on brewing!

[old DoubleShot Leadville post]

[CoffeeKids]

[Coffee Illuminati]

[Jogcast]

Late Night Post [repost]

DoubleShot (Coffee Company) had some Kona Coffee in, and you had to pre-order, so I had to get some. I've heard great things about it.

Brian, at DoubleShot describes it as this:
"Traditionally, since Kona is an island coffee, it is very bright, clean, fruity, and delicious. You can definitely expect it to come alive in your mouth, especially if you drink it while it's still really fresh."

So, I thought I'd try some. I made a cup tonight and I really enjoyed it! Also, Jenni isn't used to (and doesn't really plan on) drinking coffee "black;" but I make her try one sip of every new coffee I get.

She usually grimaces and grabs for a cup of soda or water or something, but when I had her try this Kona, she didn't make any faces or anything! She said that she actually liked it. Now, I don't think she will always drink it that way, but is this a start of another coffee snob in the family? Perhaps!

So, if anyone wants to try a cup of excellent coffee, come on over! I'll make you a cup. But you can't add sugar or milk and you have to drink the whole thing. Don't worry, it won't be much (I don't want to waste it on you!).

Keep on brewing!

Labor Day [re] Post

Labor Day! What does that mean? If you don't know, you should look it up so you don't look like an idiot!

Jenni and I had a great weekend. It was pretty unusual too. We were going to go to this coffee shop downtown, DoubleShot. I just heard of it. I wonder how long they have been here... Anyway, it's really cool. Great atmosphere, awesome coffee, and just neat stuff. Nick, I wish you could be here.

The owner and operator, Brian, seems like a nice guy too. They have a website and blog and while I was searching around on both I saw that he's into mountain biking. That's cool! He has a Trek Top Fuel and he also just did the Leadville 100 (100 mile running race)! When I talked to him he handed me a flyer of their 2nd annual DoubleShot Duathlon.

I don't know if you know what a Duathlon is, and it's commonly confused with a Biathlon... I've always remembered what a Biathlon is because its the one where they cross country ski and shoot rifles. Yep, that something most people to everyday!

A Duathlon though is a an event where you run, bike, run. In this case, trail run 3 miles, mountain bike 8, and trail run 3. That's nothing to scoff at! It sounds like a ton of fun because they have a lot of free stuff and mountain biking is just fun in general but its kind of a big thing. I talked to the guy that helped put it on last year and told him, well, I'm kinda nervous. He said that they have everyone from pro level racers to people that just learned to bike.

I think I'm going to have to sign up! It's on a Saturday. October 6th or 7th, whichever of those is a Saturday. I'll be sure to have Jenni take some pictures and video.

** The rest has been cut out because it's not really relevant to coffee... just search "coffee" in my scrappaper blog**

Keep on brewing!

Real Coffee [repost]

The one thing I really really hate are posers. This is pretty much anyone who is not true to what they say or do. Some examples...
- “Outdoorsey” people who buy all the North Face gear, Nalgene bottles, and titanium cookware, but never go 1 mile into the woods.
- Coffee connoisseurs who just buy mochas and frappuccinos (Ok, I like mochas, but I'm trying to expand my palate, is that spelled right?) and hang out at the coffee shops with their Mac computers.
- I know there's another example, I just can't remember it.

I bring this up to say that I don't want to be a poser. I know that I'm not, but the thing I'm afraid of is being perceived as a poser. But, at the same time, I really don't care what people think about me, especially if I know they are wrong. Ok. well maybe a little.
Here are some examples of reasons I may feel like a poser...
- I bought a really nice cross country race mountain bike and I wear spandex (most of the time) and I haven't raced yet. In my own defense, I do plan on racing. I mean, I don't think I'll make podium but I just want to try it and have fun. I used to run cross country in high school and I really enjoy that feeling of racing even though I was always nervous!
- I love Nalgene bottles, fork/knife/spoon combos, and Suunto watches, but I don't go hiking or camping every weekend. I wish I did, but I don't really have the time.
- I have a Timbuk2 messenger bag, but I don't act like I'm a bike messenger. Although that seems like fun, I just don't think I could do it.
- I really enjoy coffee (although some would say that mochas aren't coffee) but I don't know the difference between an Ethiopian _______ and a Costa Rican _______.

What I think the difference is, is that I know that I'm not “posing” but I just enjoy these things, and I do use them as much as possible.

Ok, I had to give all that background info and examples to go to my real topic. “Real” coffee.

If you read some of my most recent posts, then you'll know that I found this coffee shop that is just awesome! Something has inspired me to take my knowledge of coffee to a new level. But see, I don't want to pose, so I'm not trying to say I can taste all he notes or tell what day the bean was roasted or whatever. I just want to appreciate coffee for what it is.

So, with a background of drinking mochas, my taste buds are a little tainted to say the least. I went to DoubleShot and explained my dilemma.
Isaiah, the barista at DoubleShot, understood what I was saying and hooked me up with some beans from Costa Rica, Monte Crisol I believe. I also bought a french press and a hand grinder. Basically, this is something I can take camping, or make my own coffee anywhere there is hot water.

I had two cups last night and I don't recommend doing that late in the evening unless you wanted to stay up till 3. Then I made some in the morning and had another two cups. I think one thing I really enjoy, is the process of making the coffee. I put the beans in the grinder, cranked that thing till they were all ground up, then put them in the french press. I added the water, waited 4 minutes, then pressed down slowly pushing the grounds to the bottom. Ok, if that sound like manual labor to you, then this isn't for you at all. But if you love the feeling of doing something yourself and doing things with your hands, then you would totally get a kick out of this! It's so much fun that if you want a cup of coffee, come on over and I'll make you a cup!

Alright, I'm new to this coffee thing and to really appreciate coffee, I have found that you shouldn't “tarnish” the drink with milk or sugar. Brian, owner and barista of DoubleShot believes that adding anything is a way of covering up bad coffee. He roasts all of his own stuff and I think that it really tastes great!

What scared me when starting this new adventure was that all the memories I have of drinking coffee plain, I was about 10 years old and it probably Folgers or something. I remember it sort of because when my Dad was in Ecuador or Nicaragua my Mom told me I was the man of the house. What does the man of the house do? He drink coffee, like Daddy does. Wow, I hated it! So I never tried it again. That's probably the first and last memory I have of drinking straight coffee.

But the coffee I had last night, didn't make me cringe or make a funny face. I enjoyed it. Now, I won't deny that I did want it a little sweeter but that's just because I wasn't used to it.

Jenni is gone for the day, taking her teaching exams so I have to find a way to occupy myself. I decided to go to DoubleShot, just to hang out. Well, I got thirsty so I asked for a mocha. They didn't give it to me. They wouldn't let me take it. They used some jedi mind trick to make me think I wanted a latte. No, just kidding, it's not like that. I guess Isaiah and Brian are my coffee “accountability partners!” Anyway, the latte was good, actually really good!

Thanks for reading! This blog post was brought to you by DoubleShot Coffee; increasing your jitteriness to blog for hours!

Keep on brewing!

Rainy Tulsa [repost]

I love Tulsa when it rains! I don't know why. It's probably just because it is usually hot but the rain knocks the heat down... but it does add humidity... Oh well.

I was planning on mountain biking today. It just felt so good when I was riding the other day. When the weather is nice, it makes mountain biking so much better! Although, I really enjoy mountain biking whenever (except in mud).

This lunch break was spent at DoubleShot coffee. I really love this place! It has a great environment and excellent coffee. I also decided I'm going to do the DoubleShot Duathlon. Remember? The run 3, bike 8, run 3? Yeah, it's a lot, but I can do it. My goal is to just complete it. What I really want to do is to do a test one. Just to see what my time is and see what its like.

Although I think the MTB route goes “up” lipbuster. Hmmm... I've never gone that way before. I need to really start getting these legs in working order...

Nick has always been good at the climbs. Thats what I really need to work on. Usually, the big stuff get to me, or if I make it up and over, I still get hung up while trying to keep the pace.

Bob (mountain bike Bob from church...) has been helping me prepare myself both physically and mentally for racing. He has raced for years and just recently retired from it (but still rides like a demon!). He really knows his stuff! The only thing is that our schedules have conflicted with each other and I haven't ridden with him for a while. He is planning a trip to Osage State Park, that should be a lot of fun.

I'm still amazed at how much Jenni loves to mountain bike. I think she is too! She just has a blast when we're out there! And she's really good! I think that her skills on a dirt bike transferred pretty easily over into mountain biking. So, if you dirt bike, mountain biking should be easy! You just have to work up your legs a little.

That's about it for now, I better get going! Take care!

Keep on brewing!

Two Shots of Crazy Goodness.

(photo from flickr.com/doubleshotcoffee)

You probably won't believe it, but I just had my first double shot espresso from DoubleShot. Not to be confused with a premade canned drink...

I was talking to Isaiah and Jason about what makes good espresso...
How they know when to stop the pull...

It should be a "punch in the face" but in a good way. It certainly shouldn't be bitter.

The quality of the cup... er, I mean "demitasse," is almost nothing (until you try it) compared to the preparation.

Watching Jason catch the freshly ground espresso into the portafilters basket, then gently rounding off the top of the grounds. You can already tell that the process of making this 2 oz. drink is very intricate.

Then the tamp, initial press, tape the basket, and then really apply some pressure and spin.

Lock that portafilter in place and let that water work it's way through. If you know how to do well tamps, you can practically walk away for the next 15-20 seconds.

Then Jason showed me what blonding was and how to tell when to stop the extraction.

I've seen Isaiah dump out some espresso when the shot was tamped wrong. He could have made it. It would have tasted like espresso. Add some milk and most people may not have noticed it.

Integrity and Pride
(synonymous with DoubleShot Coffee)

Keep on brewing!

Day 2 of the Yemen Mocca

It was just so good I didn't want it go without having at least another cup. I also thought I would take a picture of it so you can enjoy almost as much as I have.

There is something about hanging out in DoubleShot that is just relaxing. It's not that it is anything really special or magical but it is special to some people.

It goes back to that "third place" I talked about.

Oh, and it's really funny to be sitting down at a table, enjoying some coffee and seeing the owner of the shop napping on the couch. Actually, I think I saw Howard Schultz do that once.... maybe it was someone else...

Do you have a "third place?" Everyone should have a place to relax, that's not your home. See, I'm totally content with staying at home and playing video games or playing on the computer all day, but Jenni has to get out, which has made me have to get out as well.

It's changing my chemistry! Just like work changed my hunger schedule. I now go to lunch around 2 pm. 2pm! Yeah, my body is all out of wack.

I'm getting off topic...

This coffee is just really good. In a way, when I'm at DoubleShot drinking coffee and just sitting back, it's a similar feeling to the way I feel when I mountain bike or run (which I haven't done in a while). It's just relaxing!

There's no pressure, just sit back and relax. I know that you are physically standing when you run but there is a time when you find that groove and you can "sit back."

I think that's good for now.

Keep on brewing!

Ambergris

-DoubleSho Pic o the week

I didn't get a chance to have any coffee yesterday. I know!

That made me feel weird. But today, I woke up made myself a nice Americano with some amazing DoubleShot espresso in the Aeropress.

Have you still not gotten the Aeropress? You should!

Oh! It was just amazing! But no one makes it like DoubleShot. If you are in Tulsa, I would love to buy you an Americano or Latte or just an espresso if you wish. Let me know!

Keep on brewing!

Finally back to my "third" place...

I don't think I've talked about it on this blog before, but I think I mentioned the whole "Third Place" thing.  I don't want to talk about it right now because there is a book I want to get before I really get into it but the idea is this:

Your first place: Home

Your second place: Work

Your third place: A place where you feel comfortable or frequent outside both the other places.

Obviously, mine is DoubleShot.

For those of you that don't know, DoubleShot Coffee Company is a shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  They gained their fame in a few different ways.  One being their great coffee, the other way was being bossed around by Starbucks.  Just Google them and you'll find the story.

I haven't been in DoubleShot for a while and though I do have the Kona I've been making at home, I missed their espresso.

So during my lunch break today, I got a large Americano.  I forgot how relaxing it is to just sit there and relax with a nice __________ from DoubleShot (you fill in the blank with anything on their menu).

I also had some more Christmas money so I bought the Aeropress.  Check that link to read more.  I have to tell you this.  If you enjoy coffee at all, especially espresso, you have to get this.  Look, it's only $30 and it's worth it!

I just made a latte at home and it tastes very, very close to DoubleShots!  It should at least because it is their espresso... but it is mind blowing!

So easy too!  Please, please try it!  But you have to have a good grinder.  My Dad sent me that one burr grinder and it does a good job at getting really fine so that's why my espresso turned out so well.

I'm looking forward to making americanos, lattes, mochas for the wife, and just espresso too!

I'll post some pics but I just want to get this post online.  Amazing.  Really.   But there is one secret I need to let you in on.  If you want amazing espresso and coffee you have to do one thing... 

pssstt!  down here!

You have to start with DoubleShot!

Oh, and a crazy device made by a frisbee company doesn't hurt either!

Keep on brewing!