Aeropress

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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!

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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!

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CoffeeGeek!

Wow! I was on a CoffeeGeek podcast! Well, not me but my letter. Just go to the link below.
My letter goes in about 6 minutes in.

http://cdn.libsyn.com/coffeegeek/cgristrettopodcast02.mp3

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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)

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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!

Yemen Mocca Sanani

I had some great coffee yesterday!

Oh baby!

It was the Yemen Mocca Sanani. Brian told me about it and said there wasn't much left so I had to stop by. It was great, he made me a small press pot of it and it was just really awesome.

I don't know why, but I thought that Yemen coffees were harsh but they aren't! Why did I think that? I don't know.

This is Brian's take on the coffee:
"Yemen coffees are unique. And delicious. This coffee is beautiful from its dry fragrance all the way to the aftertaste. Big, fermented fruit fragrance, apricots, and maybe smoke and banana in the wet aroma. The tastes are a little milder than the fragrance, but it is a complex coffee. Caramelized sugars, garlic and more of that fruity (apricot?) taste that pleases my palate so much. The aftertaste is a bit more of the ashy, vanilla-y taste. It's a touchy coffee to roast, and when it drops out into the cooling bin, it sounds as smooth as a blanket tumbling out of a dryer. Mmm."
To order some, take the jump.

If you are near Tulsa, hurry up and order a press of it! It's gonna go fast!

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!

New podcast!

I started listening to a new podcast, to get me through till Mark Price or Brian Franklin do their next one.

It's called Bellisimo Coffee Podcast.

It's not too bad. I've only heard two episodes, and it's ok. To me, they are a little short and a little dry. I like a little bit more excitement I guess.

The longer podcasts are better for me because I enjoy listening to them at work while I'm doing stuff I don't need my hearing for.

I also find that I'm really productive because I don't have nearly as many distractions!

But if you are looking for some podcasts on coffee, go ahead and check this one out. I can't vouch 100% for it yet but it's not terrible at all.

I'll be putting my podcast picks up on here soon. I'm just going through iTunes and seeing what ones are good.

Keep on brewing!

La Minita 1

From DoubleShot Coffee Company:

I took some video a year ago when I was in Costa Rica. It's taken me this long to put something together, and still it's not very good. It doesn't do justice to the people, the farm or the coffee of La Minita, but it's the best I can do right now. I hope it's at least good enough for you to see the work that the people do for your coffee and the quality standards that La Minita holds to.