There is one four letter word... that can get many modern-day, third wave baristas all up in their feelings, and that is dark. The lowly dark roast, although it has been the historical standard in coffee for decades, and considering there is a good chance it was the first kind of coffee you and most likely everyone...
When it comes to pour over drippers... there are a lot of options ranging in size, material, and shape, but when I sat down to do a quick inventory of my collection I realized I had more flat bottom options than any other style. And looking back over the last year or so, I've found myself...
As the year wraps up... it seems like a good time to do a good old fashioned 'ask me anything' video. A lot has gone on since the last one, where I responded to many questions, and even talked about how angry my moka pot recipe has made many Italians. This year's topics appear to be...
When brewing a pour over... there's really no debate about the benefits of agitation, especially during the all important bloom. Getting the entire bed of coffee thoroughly saturated with water and releasing any gases built up produces not only a better extraction, but a better cup of coffee. Much like many other techniques in coffee brewing...
There are endless rabbit holes in coffee... and roasting is one that's been growing in popularity, especially in enthusiast circles. Over the last few years there have been a handful of coffee roasters hitting the market, like the humble Hive, and the mini workhouse the Aillio Bullet, but there's another option that has been finding its way...
On my journey to expand my coffee content... I'm once again trying something new that I lovingly call the Barista Challenge. The game is simple, roll the latte art dice, pour the design, and win some cash. Of course there are some additional multipliers in the mix. For example, if you roll a basic heart, that's...
A few keen observers... have been noticing a regular brewing cameo in some of my recent videos, so I figured now may be a good time to introduce my current daily driver pour over: the Orea V3. This incredibly simple and unassuming brewing device has been more or less the only one I reach for when...
It's hot out there... and these late summer days tends to be the perfect opportunity to enjoy some iced coffee drinks, so I figured I'd share a few of my favorites. Of course they all feature my favorite form of coffee: espresso. Even though each recipe is intended to be used with espresso, those who don't...
When it comes to brewing coffee... there are a handful of standard variables that all baristas spend their time working within, but one has been relatively untouchable until recently: grinder speed. Over the last few years more and more grinders have hit the market with adjustable speed capabilities. So when I was in the market for...
Do you remember... the days before? The days before March 2020? I do, and it's wild being nostalgic for a time just a few short years ago. Yet, as things began to open up again I wanted to relive one of my favorite experiences of the pre-pandemic days, a coffee crawl. By that I mean, grabbing...
We are in the golden age of the subscription... and you can get nearly any item you want on one. There's pet toys, beard oil, yoga pants, pickles and of course coffee. In theory the idea of a coffee subscription is great. You can stay stocked without thinking about it and try quality roasters from all...
As you can see, its here! After about four months of waiting only somewhat patiently my new espresso machine has arrived, and it's taken it's rightful place on my home coffee bar! With this brand new addition and future heart of my espresso focused content I thought it would be a good time to not only...
Those ride or die followers may remember... that way back when when I hit the milestone of 100 YouTube videos I did a coffee time question and answer (Q&A) video. Well, recently I hit 100,000 subscribers and I'm quite a bit over video number 200 so I think I'm a little overdue for another one. To...
A humble hand brew... will teach you a lot about brewing good coffee; consistency, grind size, brew time, and how they all correlate, building a solid foundation of knowledge. But one factor still remains more or less a mystery when it comes to traditional pour over designs, and that is water bypass. The term bypass refers to the...
Getting a new coffee grinder... is often a joyous and exciting experience for every coffee lover, but one thing tends to always hang over our heads as we prepare to grind our first batch; burr seasoning. If you haven't heard of seasoning your grinder burrs you wouldn't be alone, as its not something that everyone has...
As a coffee lover... I've collected a whole grip of gear over the years. If you can brew on it I likely have it, or its on a long list I keep on my phone of future buys. But one thing most of them have in common is they tend to be hyper focused on one...
Since the latter part of the last decade... there's been a lot of talk about industrial automation, and the coffee industry hasn't been immune. It seems we've started small with automatic tampers, espresso machines, and milk steamers, but the next logical step is replacing the most inconsistent part of the process: the barista. Now after the...
In a world full of drippers and espresso machines... the humble Moka pot feels like it's a forgotten brew method. In the specialty coffee circles it's pretty much a four letter word, and you don't see it garnering lots of likes on Instagram or see coffee nerds debating bed preparation on the barista forums. Well, I...
Instagram and I have a love/hate relationship... Of course I see it as a great place to share my work, connect with viewers, and even find inspiration. Yet, on the flip side it has a lot of blatant attention grabs for likes and shares, and many things that are purely for the visual aesthetics and not...
The holiday season is fast approaching... and with all the delays in both manufacturing and shipping I figured I'd get this video out a little earlier than normal. So for those looking for some affordable coffee gifts, or just wanting to know what coffee toys I've been loving through 2021 than this video is for you....
The Aeropress never goes out of style... for many reasons, its versatile, simple, and has more of an aftermarket than a Honda Civic. It's even got its own competition, the World Aeropress Championship (WAC). Yeah, it's a big deal. Personally, up until a year or so ago I had a rocky relationship with the Aeropress, but...
It's no secret that the future of coffee... as we know it is relatively uncertain, so it's important to do everything we can to preserve it. For many of us its become a hobby or a passion, and for some of us it's our livelihood. It pays our bills. So whenever I hear about someone trying...
If there's one thing I always pair with my coffee... It's some good music. It often flies under the radar, all but only one of the nearly 200 videos I've ever produced has had a musical track incorporated inside of it, and little does anyone know that I actually spend a good amount of time finding...
If you’ve been making pour overs... in the last decade or so you’ve likely been trained, taught, or told that a bloom is an absolute necessity for a quality cup. The reasons for the process are sound, as it gives the coffee time to expel C02 built up in the roasted coffee’s cell structure, which can repel...
When I first saw the... Hario Switch I thought it was just a more expensive version of the Clever Dripper, but after getting one I realized it's a bit of a different beast. Unlike the Clever you can easily manipulate the brew from percolation to immersion, and back again with the flip of a switch, hence...
There is a wide variety... of pour over drippers out there, and they come in many different shapes and sizes. Also a pretty good number of them look nearly identical, and the differences can be pretty subtle; like a mere ten degrees for example. In fact that's what we're looking at today. If you're reading a...
There are few combinations of words... that would drive the relatively docile coffee nerd into fits of rage, but I think "instant Gesha" is likely one of them. Even though instant coffees in general have undergone what I would consider somewhat of a renaissance in recent years, still in certain circles the thought of putting some...
It's far too easy... and also extremely common for folks in the specialty coffee scene to dunk on Starbucks, but today I want to give you some reasons why they actually deserve a little respect. Of course, this isn't a "we should all love them" kind of video, and they most definitely have their flaws. I...
Each Standart issue contains... some new and unique perspectives on some of the topics affecting coffee, and many of them aren't top of mind, which is why I enjoy them so much. The current issue, number 22, focuses mainly on the how animals contribute to our coffee experience. Whether it be the obvious, as they provide...
For awhile now... I've been toying with aging coffee, both green and roasted, in my freezer at home. One particular package of coffee was roasted, vacuum sealed, and subsequently traveled from Japan to my freezer here in California. This coffee has sat patiently for almost exactly two years now. If you've been around for awhile this...
For most people... whether they are just a daily, passive interest coffee drinker, or a budding home barista, the humble filter coffee is where we generally start the adventure into brewing at home. It's one of the simpler forms of coffee to make by hand, and offers endless control. It also makes for a nice morning...
If you ask a barista... latte art isn't just an art, it's a lifestyle. It's also the quickest way to break a barista's heart, just stir it up right in front of them. As you become more and more versed in specialty coffee culture it becomes clear that the skill of steaming and pouring velvety milk...
This basic little brewer never... ceases to amaze me with the wide array of brewing techniques it's capable of, but I hadn't even considered a no press Aeropress option. It wasn't long ago I discovered the WAC (World Aeropress Championship) recipes and those opened up a whole new love for the simple coffee brewer. Fast forward to...
The fact is tea has been... around way longer than coffee. A quick online search will tell you tea goes back some five thousand years, as compared to coffee's paltry five hundred. I'm not here to tell you one is better than the other, I actually appreciate both immensely. What can I say, I'm a beverage...
Instant coffee has come a long way... from those dehydrated Foldgers crystals. Today we've got coffee in tea bags, super concentrate, and even specialty instant, but there's still room for the bar to be raised. This brings me to the newest, and dare I say most unique option to enter the market lately, Cometeer. They call...
Many of us... at least in terms of modern day, western specialty coffee culture, have been trained from day one how to brew a pour over by creating a slurry of water and grounds. But the fact is there is no end to the amount of brewing methods and recipes you can find online. There's one that...
Making better coffee... is a strange and complicated journey. Many of us put so much effort, time, and money into it that those on the outside looking in think we're insane. That I think is a good introduction into the wildly time consuming act of sifting coffee. By that I mean grinding coffee, placing it into...
Nothing seemed more appropriate... for a video released on New Years Day than one that uses confetti for a pour over filter. I do have to say this was not my idea, and I saw it originally on the Melodrip Instagram page and found it pretty intriguing. When the urge struck I decided to give it...
Just a few short days ago... winter officially began and I feel a bit torn about it. I do really love the Holiday season, but I'm not a big fan of cold weather. Yeah, I do live in San Diego, so winter isn't nearly as "wintery" or "cold" as other places, but I still crave those...
Lately there has been... a lot more interest in coffee cupping and tastings, even within those who are more casual coffee drinkers. For quite some time cupping was something that most casual coffee drinkers had never heard of and looks pretty odd from a distance. It was mostly reserved more for coffee roasters, barista competitors, and...
At this point my digital... footprint may as well be a coffee bean because when some kind of new coffee contraption finds its way onto any platform that I use regularly it will absolutely find its way in front of me. The Seven & Me is one such contraption. It presented itself as a sponsored advertisement...
There is no shortage... of V60 recipes, tutorials, and techniques online in both written and video formats. It seems almost like a rite of passage, or at the very least a given for coffee YouTubers and bloggers these days. Since there are so many options out there, I guess I didn't feel like I needed to...
Making your own coffee... at home can be a humbling experience, even just picking the right coffee can be tricky. Knowing how to read a coffee label is one of those skillsets that's as niche as knowing how to juggle. The amount of information on the label can vary widely from one roaster to another roaster,...
Coffee can take many forms... and throughout the roasting process it goes through a variety of transformations. Each phase of the roast brings out a unique flavor characteristic. Now, whether it tastes good is, like all coffee, is subjective. For me, the ideal roast is always past first crack. But as a lover of coffee I...
Paper coffee filters... seem like one of those simple pieces of coffee brewing that pretty much don't get much love in terms of updates and innovation, until now. CAFEC has entered the filter fray with something new. Just a few short months ago they started offering roast specific coffee filters. Using their proprietary hot-air drying method...
Just like any other industry... we here in coffee tend to pick up some trends from time to time, for better or worse. Resistance to these trends is futile. No matter how hard you try, you can't escape them. They'll invade your Instagram feed. They'll litter your favorite coffee subreddits. They'll even rear their heads within...
As the saying goes... "necessity is the mother of invention", and this week's post is born purely out of my love for a simple and delicious cup of coffee. But I should back up just slightly and give a little context as to what I'm talking about. As you may of guessed I'm a big lover...
I have a love-hate... relationship with flavor notes. In some ways they seem to be pretty helpful. Like a road map directing us in the right direction in picking coffees we'll likely enjoy. It seems like a pretty simple overall. Do You like fruity coffee? Look for fruit notes. Do you like chocolaty coffee? Look for...
There are countless Aeropress recipes... online, which isn't surprising, it's been out for the last fifteen years. But very few of these aeropress recipes are from literal world Champions. Now I've had my Aeropress for years, but I retired it quickly because it just couldn't stand up to my V60 or espresso brews. They often tasted...
I found Jot Coffee... while scrolling through Instagram. Rarely do sponsored posts catch my attention, but at some point this hyper focused marketing has to work. So after watching their video pitch I did the unthinkable and made my way to their website. Similarly to their advertisement it was clean, engaging, and very well designed. The...
I'll be happy if... I never see the Dalonga coffee ever again. As a fan of all things coffee I was open to it. Yet the constant inundation of something that became popular via a platform as cringy as Tik Tok just isn't something I can get behind. Plus pumping out videos about it purely to...
Extraction is a dense topic... and this experiment may lift off a bit of that density. It will provide some answers, depending on how you feel about my scientific methods, or in some peoples views, lack thereof. Armed with an idea, a refractometer, and two bags of the same coffee I decided to dig in to...
