coffee roasters | Coffee, It's a Helluva Drug

new toy

So I splurged on something totally unnecessary, because it looks great and is high-level nerd tech. I treated myself to the Acaia Lunar scale, which I featured in 2018 as part of my original holiday gift guide. It’s still one of the most well-regarded coffee scales available. And as expected, it’s gorgeous.

gifts

This week’s mail brought coffee from roasters I’ve never tried, and the first try with each was a success.

First up was an unexpected present from a friend.

I had heard recently of a new coffee company in New Jersey, LeGrand Coffee House. Not just for the coffee, I was naturally drawn by Eric LeGrand’s inspirational story. It was meaningful to receive it from my friend, a proud native of the Garden State.

what a bargain!

My Father’s Day gift this year (I was asked what I wanted) was an on-line home espresso class, offered by Breville in conjunction with Onyx Coffee Lab. My session was yesterday.

I’ve taken classes before at Counter Culture and Vigilante, but it had been a while and this offer was too good to be true.

trying a new bag (or two)

I’ve heard a lot of good things in the specialty coffee nerdiverse about Onyx Coffee Lab, a roaster in Rogers, Arkansas, with cafes in Rogers, Fayetteville, and Bentonville. Since I’ve never been to the Ozarks and, current pandemic notwithstanding, don’t anticipate getting there anytime soon, it was high time to try them out by ordering some beans by mail. I was very happy for this box to appear on my doorstep the day after I ran through my current stash of beans.

finding the new normal

One person’s adjustments to feeding their coffee addiction in the time of social distancing.

loving coffee in the time of COVID-19

As we transition into what we all hope will be a temporary new normal, it’s natural to expect an impact on cafes and the coffee industry as is the case with pretty much every business in every industry.

Here are a few changes that have already happened:

a great read that’s not just about coffee

For those who read the report of my visit to Dublin last summer, you may recall my regret at not picking up a copy of Colin Harmon’s book, What I Know About Running Coffee Shops when I stopped at 3fe. I rectified that this week by downloading the Kindle edition, and I’m very glad I did.

single scene, take 2

Following my recent dip into single serve pourover pouches, I’ve been trying the Counter Culture singles I received at Christmas.

So far, a success. I’ve found I like the bolder flavor profile of the Big Trouble blend more than Forty-Six, but that’s just a personal preference and both are certainly good. I also like that, unlike pourovers or drip coffee, there’s a much greater depth of flavor and a really nice caffeine jolt. Using the bags is simple, and on whole a much easier portable process than the pourover pouches or using the aeroPress.