Coffee, It's a Helluva Drug

(yet another) new toy

Further proof that the universe of coffee gizmos and knickknacks is infinite and, for some of us, remains irresistible. Behold, the WDT tool.

WDT stands for Weiss Distribution Technique, which is a fancy way of saying gently stir ground coffee in the portafilter before tamping, to break up clumps and even out the density in the puck. The promised benefit is a reduction in channeling (water finding empty space within the ground coffee during brewing), which should lead to more consistent quality and higher extraction. The technique was developed by a PhD computer scientist and home coffee enthusiast, John Weiss.

I recently got one, and tried it for the first time today. To be honest, I think this is something where it will be impossible to find significant impact. If nothing else it will mean a little more confidence as a home barista, and I found it oddly soothing to stir the grounds gently, which felt soft and fluffy.

guest post: home roasting

Thanks to my friend Charles for sharing his story of roasting coffee beans at home. Interesting read!

Coffee roasting at home; A review of the Fresh Roast SR800.

About 20 years back, I thought roasting my own coffee would be my thing. However, living in South Africa then my options for home roasting equipment were limited. The idea quickly faded due to likely mess, smell, and cost!

For Christmas 2022, I was given a coffee roaster by my wife (bravo to Robyn for encouraging you! – mm). It is a Fresh Roast SR 800. Nothing fancy, but with many good reviews. It is not a barrel type of roaster; no disrespect to it, but think of a multi-heat level hair dryer blowing up into a cylinder.

Here is my short review and perspectives on roasting at home.

whoa

This is a first:

Good thing this wasn’t a Starbucks, it would be weird drinking a macchiato with “Mort” written in the foam.

gorgeous

Have seen many in red, but this is the first time I’ve come across a La Marzocco machine in blue, especially such a vivid shade. The fleur-de-lis are a nice touch. What a beauty! At Swing’s roastery/café in Alexandria, VA.

Salt & Pepper Diner songs of the day for 3/18

I haven’t tapped the cranial jukebox for a while, so thought I would share a song. The only problem is several candidates occurred to me and I couldn’t pick just one. So let’s stock up, shall we?

Fact: 98% of people over the age of 21 are incapable of resisting the urge to sing along – loudly – when they hear this song. It’s science! Back when we used these shiny things called “CDs” to listen to music, the Hot Fuss album got an awful lot of play in our car.

Matthew Sweet is criminally underrated. Why didn’t this guy become a much bigger deal? Should have been a huge star after the Girlfriend album. This one isn’t off Girlfriend but is equal to all the great songs on that one. I know everyone claims their twenties was the era of the best. music. ever. But man, we were completely spoiled in the ’90s with so much amazing music.

I really enjoyed this one when it was in heavy rotation on what we innocently called indie radio. It wasn’t until years later that I learned the frontman and I went to college together. Great guy, huge talent. His current band is doing some terrific stuff, check them out too.

new grinders for the home

Coffee obsessives who brew their drinks at home have a couple new options for grinding fresh beans. Both look absolutely terrific.

Moccamaster KM5
If you read my most recent holiday gift guide, you’ll know that Technivorm Moccamaster has some of the best-looking home coffee makers – and they also make cute Christmas tree ornaments.

coffee’s origin story

I am not usually a podcast listener, but have recently been hooked by the Empire podcast, where historians tell the story of the rise and fall of some of history’s most important, well, empires.

In an episode released in January, the subject is the history of coffee, particularly its impact in the Ottoman Empire, spread through Europe, and development in England. The hosts are William Dalrymple, a Scot who has lived most of his adult life in India and written many terrific books, and Anita Anand, a British journalist and historian of Punjabi descent. They are joined for this episode by Harvard professor Cemal Kafadar, who has written of coffee in early modern Istanbul.

I realize this description has been less than enthralling, but give it a try. The podcast is available on Apple podcasts and on Spotify.

Surprises in the Sunshine State, part II

Following up on a not-so recent post (sorry I’ve not been diligent lately about posting) about a trip to the Jacksonville/Saint Augustine area, here’s a report on another trip, this one with my family over the holidays to Sarasota. The trip included catching up with old friends, a day trip up to St. Pete, interesting museums, beach time, and, of course, lots of coffee.

Let’s start with the non-coffee stuff, shall we?

that didn’t last very long

The excitement over last summer’s debut of Tigerella’s coffee shop in DC’s Western Market is now officially extinguished, as it is permanently closed.

The coffee side of the business closed in December, with a sign in the window announcing a holiday break with a January reopen. I was in Western Market today and the space is now bare, except for a few fixtures; a bagel shop will soon take its place. Tigerella’s restaurant is still open, but its only coffee option is French press.

Coming soon after the closing of beloved Little Red Fox, which is ceding its space to a different local bagel chain (one which, IMO, is very overrated), this ain’t good. Let’s please wrap our finest DC independent coffee stalwarts like The Coffee Bar in bubble wrap and keep them as safe as possible.

photo of person standing in between trees — my current vibe
(photo by Min An on Pexels.com)

P.S. Sorry not to post part II of the Florida travel piece yet, it’ll be up soonish

well that’s a first

My drink of choice is a bit of a bastardization of a standard beverage, so it’s not unusual to find myself in a detailed conversation with the person at the register and/or the barista of what it is I’m looking for. How that plays out is often a good clue of where to set my expectations on a first-time visit to a cafe.

Sometimes the drink I end up with shows that I probably wasn’t clear enough. Phrases like “traditional macchiato,” “a little bit of milk,” and “not too much foam” can mean very different things to different people.

Today I visited a cafe I’ve been to before, and my request for a “macchiato with an extra double shot” didn’t phase the barista.

I was given something that I haven’t ended up with before: