Making the Perfect Pot of Coffee

This week my folks sent me some freshly roasted coffee from their favorite coffee roaster in Altoona, Iowa (where they live).  The roaster, The Coffee Barn, is run by a great guy, Carl.  When I was roasting, he and I would trade ideas and thoughts periodically.  Now that I'm not roasting, I drink his coffee whenever I have the opportunity.  The coffee is a Dominican Gold that he roasted on Feb. 8, 2010, so it is still within the sweet spot of prime flavor (the bag of Yirgacheffe is pictured below, because the Gold bag of the Dominican didn't photograph as well).

This morning, I decided to do his coffee right and busted out the French Press...  instead of dealing with trying to clean out the drip pot which requires running vinegar through it, checking temperatures, and trying to track down the paper filters. (We use a reusable filter on a regular basis, but the flavor can be a bit off with it.)  I ground the coffee just before adding it to the press. Our regular coffee grinder died a few months back and it is killing me to use the little whirligig model because its so inconsistent, but it works for daily coffee and until I round up the $359 for my Rocky Rancilio (or settle on $140 for a Capresso Infinity) it will have to do.  My wife had received an electric tea kettle for a gift and I used it to boil the water then transferred it to press (the slight loss in temperature from boiling to cool pot makes it perfect for extracting flavor from coffee!), added four rounded scoops of ground beans, stir, and let it set about 6-7 minutes.

It came out perfect.  If you haven't tried the French Press method, I urge you to try it.  It makes a world of difference (and as an added bonus clean up is dramatically easier).

Bicycle trailers

My brother just clued me in to a fun link for a variety of bicycle trailers:
http://www.sfbike.org/?racks

I'm especially a fan of the idea of a "camper" bike trailer (like the Midget Bicycle Camper pictured to the left here).  Not that I want to drag one behind me, I just think they are a fun idea.  I'd like you to drag one and I'll sleep in it.  How about that?

I've always had this sort of crazy dream to build a mini-brewery or a coffee roaster on a bicycle trailer and then bicycle it around town makin' beer or coffee. Though, actually, as I think about it, I'm not really sure where I would bike it... other than to my pal's houses, and frankly, it's a lot less work to have them come to me.

I like the link to an instructable for building your own paniers.  I've seen this instructable before (perhaps it's one of the more popular ones?), and I might try and take this on at some point.  Mostly just because I'm drawn to projects like this, and if it can be done for cheap, then all the better!

I already have a BOB trailer, so I can't say that I have any need for another trailer, though "need" has never really gotten in the way of my desire for new bike gear in the past.  I've been watching craigslist and curbs on trash day for a cheap kiddie trailer that I can turn into an inexpensive cargo trailer (the start to the brewery?!?), but have not found one yet that fits into this project budget (that budget is about $10 for those that are curious). 

Anyway, truth be told, I'd rather just get one of these.

National Coffee Association Coffee Consumption Study

The National Coffee Association has released their annual coffee consumption study and there weren't many surprises this year.

Everyone knows its a tough year economically for a variety of reasons, and that was reflected in the study. While consumption overall has remained steady (54% of the overall respondents), gourmet beverages are down (14%, down from 17% in 2008) - likely driven by a decline espresso drinks (5%). However, coffee made at home is up significantly (7% growth in the last year). Interestingly, traditional coffees are also down.

So, as the economy tanks, people are more likely to make their coffee at home. Not surprising: as folks look to stretch their dollar, they recognize the value of making coffee at home instead of purchasing it at a shop. But those who used to buy lattes and other espresso-based drinks on their coffee break, aren't likely to start drinking low-end coffee made at home. This is an opportunity for small roasters and those in the grocery business that can provide high quality fresh beans.

Another interesting trend that may be contributing to coffee consumptions trends is the increase in freelancing. According to CNN Money, freelancers working at home have grown to 26% of the U.S. working population, up from 19% in 2006. While coffee shops are often used as meeting places by freelancers, in-person meetings are not likely happening every day, but coffee consumption does... at least in my office!