Coffee and Sentiment

The weather is finally warming up here in Minneapolis. Today has been a pleasant 50 degrees... and I never thought I would find myself without a jacket in such a climate. Anyway, with this new burst of "warm" weather we've had requests for iced and cold drinks. So, time to play with cold press coffee! For some reason, over the past few weeks, I've been trying new ways of brewing the stuff. So far, the most (slightly) creative, and my personal favorite was using a Bodum Teapot. For the first two hours of the twenty-four I brewed it, the coffee was left at room temperature. Then it was refrigerated for the remaining two hours. Oh, and the coffee I used was our Sumatra Blue Batak. I don't know if was the temperature sequence or the fact that the teapot allows the coffee to not always be in contact with the grounds, but something about the method produced an incredibly sweet cup of cold press.

I also figured I'd throw up a picture of my sweet burr set. These are actually the burrs from the Robur I used in the 2006 USBC. I spent a lot of time with that grinder preparing for the competition, so I guess there's still some sentimental connection. What can I say, I like the pic...

This week our new guest espresso has been Andrew Barnett's Ecco Espresso Reserve. It's mostly Brazil and incredibly sweet. I feel like it gets lost in milk though. As espresso, this blend is delicious. We've been dosing it at about 18 to 18.5 grams and have the group set at 201. I haven't been over packing much at all, but I feel like I could remedy the milk issue fast if I did. Bottom line, I do really enjoy the blend.

Other coffee I received this week was a pound of cat and a pound of Intelly's DT Bolivia. The Bolivia and I first became friends on the show floor at Coffee Fest Chicago. Tis' a good coffee for sure. The Cat is rockin' way better than the last batch. As much as I love my espresso pulled over-packed, I've finally given up and realized that Black Cat is just best when not over-packed. The macciatto pictured is made with the cat in my favorite cup. The cup means more to me than any other one I have. My little brother brought it back from Italy last spring... So, here it is.

I saw Miguel's agenda for the next few months today. We are bringing in, easily, twenty new coffees now through June. Many will be micro-lots that come and go very quickly. Some will be around longer. Keep an eye out for what be will in.