Time to say goodbye to the coffee world

Well, if you didn’t already figure it out.  I have to C O N C E N T R A T E on some things that makes it so that I can’t be focused as I would prefer on the “Bean Chaser Blog.”

I appreciate friends like Jason Dominy, Jim Hoffman and crew, Mark Prince, Dan at HB, Chemically Imbalanced, Tonx, Shannon Hudgens, Kevin & Regina @ Crema Roasters,  Geoff Corey, Scott Conary, and I will even thank Nick Cho, and I can’t leave out the team at Octane and by name Tony.  The home roasting ability of George Holt.  Finally, I thank, the professional roasting of Intelligensia Roasters and Counter Culture Coffee.

There is no certian order to that list.  Some listed had a HUGE impact on my life and I will be forever thankful.  And there is some there that taught me a huge lesson on what not to do (I mean that good and bad).  I will have forgotten some, I guess.  It’s is unavoidable.  Some people I have there faces in my head and I can’t remember their names.

If I hadn’t found Mark Prince in a Google search for “French Press” this would have never been started and I hadn’t have ever messaged Tonx, I would have never found Hudge, and thus, I would have never had my first INCREDIBLE shot of espresso (single origin, mind you).  If I hadn’t found Hudge I wouldn’t have this massive two group Faema in my kitchen, which in the words of my brother-in-law “is the first and last thing you see in that house.”

Only 15-20

Well if you don’t know who they are or who he (on the shirt) is I guess you could ask in the comments section.

This is idol worship, but I like it!

Courtesy of Portafilter.net

“Making a run on” the in season from Intelly

Last week we ordered from Intelligentsia via their “in season” site.  I love this site, as it keeps even the most elementary student of coffee informed of what is in season AND the best information on brew temps and such.

We purchased a bag of their Itzamna, Guatemala and evidently people have made a “run” on Intelly for this coffee because they have taken it down from the purchase site, but it is still viewable on “in season.”  This is a rich coffee.  I have just utterly been amazed in the past year at Guatemala coffees.

Where in the World Is Wilson Hines

Anybody remember the computer game called “Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?”  I played that thing on a RadioShack Tandy back in the day!  And I OWNED it!  I could beat it ten ways each day! 

I guess some people are asking where I am and what I am doing.  I have a few answers:

• It isn’t work that is keeping me from posting quality information to my site.
• It isn’t a lack of quality coffee (will reference some later in the post).
• It is Twittering.  There is the whole blame.

The last post was the 21st of December.  I have found that Twitter is a fantastic tool for “Micro-Blogging” and I have been using it more and more every day.  On the mobile, at the desktop and checking the DMs constantly.  I “tweet” about anything and everything, coffee included.

Christmas was special.  We really had a good time this year.  I love Christmas and we try to make it a special coffee experience every year, as well.  This year, as previously posted, we went across the pond to the United Kingdom and purchased a fantastic group of coffees from @SquareMile Roasters in London (see there I go twittering).

The coffee Square Mile sent us was fantastic.  The Los luchadores Espresso was surely in a class by itself.  Everybody knows I like Toscano from CCC and this espresso was just as good and in some respects, better.  The Santa Rita Natural was just that: Natural.  Really full of flavor.  I even sneaked a espresso shot of that COE and it was great just as a SO espresso.   While there wasn’t anything wrong with the  El Portillo, it just wasn’t the Santa Rita!  It was great, please don’t misunderstand me.  But, the Santa Rita just kept coming back to us.

We surely enjoyed our time with their coffee and the shipping was great too; eight days to the Eastern United States off of roast.  I think that is perfect timing for some degassing and such.

Since running out of the Square Mile, the wifey and I have been going to Raleigh every 10 days or so and buying whatever strike our fancy up at Helios Cafe in downtown.  They serve Counter Culture Coffee.

Thanks for the visit and enjoy your coffee for the day!

Espresso Test: This is a test

A friend of mine and I travelled yesterday up to Cary, NC to Crema Roasters to get a couple pounds of espresso.

Kevin gladly responded by saying, “You want some espresso I am working on?” Meaning it was going to be a test.

“Sure thing.  You got my attention”

• Ethiopian Guji
• Costa Rica La Pastora
• Columbian Hvila
• Brazil Pedre Grande
• Sumatra Mandilin

Well if this is a test, please let me grade this with a “Oh, my word!“

Look, I am not trying to toot my own horn, either.  But, Mark said the espresso tasted better out of my machine (Faema).  Kevin’s is a temp stable La Marzocco FB/80.  This almost has to be a temprature issue – IMHO.  I know that machine runs hot, almost 205.  I am running in the 199-201 range, according to everything Shannon and I discussed.  Ahh, alas I need a Scace of my own with a data logger.

Running into Helios Cafe in Raliegh and end up meeting important peeps!

Hmmm, I quickly with a rush blow into Helios Cafe in Raleigh to grab some Counter Culture whole bean for the press and some espresso to tide us over until the Square Mile comes in and “lo and behold” Rich Futrell is sitting there getting wired up on espresso Aficionado.

I had never met Rich, but dude was there and with the very limited time we had we were able to talk shop!! I wish I had much more time, but I had my sister’s family and mine in the Excursion waiting!

Good to meet you Rich and I hope we can run into each other again very soon!

While I was there I got a pound of Counter Culture’s Espresso Aficionado, Ada’s Finca Mauritania, & Kenya Kangocho (a personal CCC fav).

Can’t wait until the morning when I can get into this stuff.

Square Mile Roasters of London chosen for the Holidays!

Square Mile Coffee Roasters is on top of my list this year.

Nikki and I wanted to do something this year out of the ordinary…and that we did. As much as I love Counter Culture Coffee, I live within an hours drive of the place. I was really wanting to do something different this year. Nope, not Intelli, either. They were my introduction into the specialty coffee world. What about West Coast? There are some fantastic roasters out there, like Stumptown or even Ecco Cafe.

But, after some discussion, we landed on Square Mile. Me personally, I just kept coming back to them in my head (good marketing guys). They are working on some special stuff. I like the fact they work with small batches and small numbers of those batches. In other words they don’t have 30 different beans for sale, just six or so and they have rather limited quantities of those beans.

I have an inordanant amount of trust in James Hoffman’s and Stephen Morrisey’s ability and skill and Anette Moldvaer‘s nose and taste buds. All are champions! And I am laying trust in that. I have heard some comments, which shall remain nameless, that swear by the stuff! Honestly, one said the “Winter Espresso” was disappearing in milk. I just can’t help but wonder if it wasn’t a batch error. Afterall, you can’t get every batch perfect. It is coffee, not the Bible.

Anyways, I can’t wait. Here was my order:

• Los luchadores Espresso – 2 lbs
• Santa Rita Natural – 1 lb
• El Portillo – 1 lb

That Santa Rita natural has my mouth watering thinking about it.

I will need more coffee for the holidays. That is only four pounds. I am leaning on Stumptown, but your thoughts are important and I desire your comments!