Coffee On-The-Go

Do you have an on-the-go coffee routine?

If you're like me, travel can easily throw off your coffee game, but don't let travel force you to settle for sub-par coffee. Just because you are not in your normal coffee making environment does not mean you cannot have good coffee. I generally have two approaches to obtaining good coffee when I am away from home.

When I travel, I often do so with a range of coffee paraphernalia. While there are many methods that work well on the go (mini drip brewer, french press, Aeropress), I have lately been bringing my pour over setup, scale, pre-ground coffee, and electric gooseneck kettleb if space permits. Does this require more space and time than the hotel room or lobby alternatives? Of course it does! But it is so worth it (not to mention it makes your suitcase smell great 😊).

If I don't want the added fuss of brewing my own coffee, or I simply don't have the time, my alternative is to search for local coffee shops, specifically those that roast their own beans, and make a point to stop in to try a double shot espresso and pour over or drip coffee. While there may be a slight risk to being a bit underwhelmed, supporting local shops and taking the opportunity and time to meet some locals beats out drinking hotel, gas station, or chain coffee any and every time.

While these options may not work well or be possible for every travel situation, I hope you at least give them a try and that they serve as an opportunity to up your coffee drinking game when you're away home. Cheers ☕️!

Processing Coffee

You may have noticed the line on the TCC bags that mention the processing method for that particular variety of coffee? Ever wondered what that means?

Coffee beans are the seeds of the berries (often referred to as cherries) of a coffee plant. The “processing method” refers to the steps taken by the coffee farmer to extract the coffee beans from the cherry, as well as the method used and amount of time taken to dry them.

The reasons why a farm may use one method over another can be related to tradition, necessity (i.e. weather and/or availability to water), or simply be due to experimentation and technological advancements. Regardless of the motives behind which process a farm uses, the impact a processing method has in defining the coffee’s flavor characteristics, mouth-feel, profile, etc. cannot be understated.

While there are many processing methods used throughout the world, there are two that are more common: washed (wet) process & natural (dry) process. We'll focus on these two methods, since most of the varieties offered by Town Crier's Coffee fall under these two categories. Additionally, many of the other methods are a mixture of both of these two.

I'll keep it short and sweet. If this piques your interest, or if you would like to learn more about other processing methods, I'll include a link to a resource where you can learn more on this subject.

Washed Process (also called wet process):

• The cherry is pulped to remove outer skin.

• Mucilage layer is removed, either by fermentation or mechanical means.

• Beans are washed to remove any residual mucilage.

• Beans are dried either mechanically for 1-2 days or in the sun on beds or patios for 3-16 days.

• Profile: Acidic, clean, consistent and articulate flavors.

Natural Process (also called dry process):

• Cherry is removed after drying. Beans are dried in the sun (up to 30 days) before the berry or pulp is removed by being husked or hulled off.

• Fermentation occurs with berry and pulp still intact and with mucilage surrounding bean.

• Profile: Fruity (often strong notes of blueberry or strawberry), winey flavors. Heavy, earthy body. Naturals often also have chocolate or nutty tones.

Generally speaking, washed processing provides a more consistent, "cleaner" and bold coffee and often requires an aggressive roast. Natural processed coffees tend be earthier, fruitier, sweeter and less acidic than washed coffees. Natural processed coffees require a more delicate roast with a lower charge temp and lighter roast.

If you are curious by nature, like I am 😊, this may have sparked your interest. If that's the case, you may want to check out the following links:

Coffee Processing
Coffee Bean
Coffee Production

While there are indeed other factors at play that can determine the end result of a coffee (soil, age of plant, roast and brew method to name a few), the processing method plays a vital role, arguably the most important role, in the midst of all the complexities of this cherished resource known as coffee ☕.

Storing Your Beans

Last week we discussed the importance of keeping your coffee whole bean and grinding it as close to when it is brewed as possible. We delved a bit into the science behind this, and this week we will discuss different ways to store your whole beans, focusing on a few options that have the science behind coffee in mind. I’ll try to keep it brief!

The brown TCC Kraft bag that your coffee comes in may seem like a good storage method, but, ideally, this bag should only be used to transport the beans from the roaster (me) to the brewer (you) 😊. After you’ve received your coffee, it is best to then store it in a durable & reusable vessel that has built-in qualities/features/tools that are meant to prolong the life of the coffee’s freshness. Remember, being exposed to oxygen allows oxidation to happen, which causes the coffee to stale.

Try looking for an airtight metal, ceramic, or plastic container to store your coffee. In addition to being airtight, there are a number of containers that have been designed to take it a step further by incorporating tools to slow down the degradation of coffee. Here are a couple examples:

Coffee Tin with One-way Valve*

Airscape (Amazon & Seattle Coffee Gear)

I won't go into too much depth here, but both of these options are great, in that they not only are airtight, but also incorporate a de-gassing valve (tin) and allow the beans to be stored with very little exposure to oxygen (Airscape).

As previously mentioned, Seattle Coffee Gear is a great resource when it comes to coffee supplies. In addition to their online store, they also offer in-depth reviews for a wide variety of their offerings on YouTube. Here is a link to their coffee storage offerings.

*Let me know below if you’d be interested in Town Crier’s Coffee offering this as an option on the website. If there enough people interested, I'd consider it as a tin+coffee combo. Unfortunately, it only holds 12 ounces of coffee (as opposed to a full 1-lb. TCC bag), but it is a great storage option to start out with. I would probably sell it for the normal $12 or $14 price, but instead of getting 1 lb. of coffee, you'd get 12-oz. and the tin. Moving forward you could go back to buying in the Kraft bags and refill the tin.

To grind or not to grind...

As we continue to go over the key components necessary to brew good coffee, the importance of a grinder cannot be overlooked.

In addition to 1.) using a brewer that performs well and 2.) knowing the appropriate water:coffee ratio via a scale, one must also consider whether to grind their own coffee or not. True, there are a few benefits to having pre-ground coffee (time, ease, money), but if you are buying good quality, freshly roasted coffee, and you’re trying to get the most out of your coffee, keeping it fresh and whole bean right up to the point of brewing is crucial to achieving just that.

Time to get a little technical…

From the moment coffee is roasted to the time it is brewed, it is 'degassing'. Approximately 2%, by weight, of freshly roasted coffee is carbon dioxide. In the first 12-24 hours after roasting, due to higher amounts of CO2 degassing, the bean’s internal pressure is high enough to prevent the introduction of oxygen to the coffee’s internal structure. After this 12-24 time period, however, oxidation causes coffee to stale and degrade in flavor, and grinding your coffee only speeds this process up. With that said, you will get the most out of your coffee by grinding it yourself.

What should I consider when choosing a grinder?

Like so many things, there are innumerable options for coffee grinders available to the everyday consumer. The main differences between all these grinders boil down to price, style and function. This may seem beneficial, right, because who doesn’t want options? If you’re like me, it may not take long to realize that the more options there are the more confusing it can be. Rather than complicate matters more, I will only offer a few tips of advice for searching for a new grinder.

If you’re looking for a new grinder, keep the following in mind:

• If possible, look for a conical (not flat) burr grinder. This style grinder is more expensive than flat burr grinders or the blade style grinders most people are familiar with, but are well worth it. They use two burrs which have indexed levels of fineness that they can be set to, allowing for precise and even grinding. Blade grinders have a tendency to produce uneven fineness, making it all to easy to over-grind your coffee and turn it to powder.

• It’s not necessary to break the bank. While I do think of the grinder as a key component to brewing coffee, I don’t think that there is much notable difference between how well a $250+ grinder & a $80-100 grinder perform in a household setting. $100 (or less if you utilize coupons) is more than enough to get you a grinder that will work well day-to-day, and should last you for years.

• If a conical burr grinder doesn't fit in your budget, using a flat burr or blade/mill grinder are both better options than buying pre-ground coffee when it comes to freshness.

Which grinder would I suggest?

If I were to pick one grinder in helping you up your game, it would be the Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder. While there are plenty of nicer, more expensive grinders that have more bells and whistles, this one does the job, and does it well. I have had firsthand experience with this grinder (and other like grinders), and couldn’t be happier. It can be found for anywhere from $90-100, but is also available from Bed Bath and Beyond for $99.99 and can be combined with their 20% coupons.

Though you may already have a grinder, or may not want to buy one now, my hope is that this at least has you thinking the importance of a good grinder, and should you find yourself looking for one, that you feel confident and pointed in the right direction.

Brewing Coffee with Drip Brewers

Last week, we read about the importance of using a scale when brewing coffee*. Equally important to this is the equipment being used to brew coffee.

"Do I need to go broke to get a decent coffee pot...?"

Most of my customers are brewing their coffee with drip machines, so this week that’s what we’ll be covering, specifically what makes a good machine. Down the road, we’ll take an in depth look at other brewing methods such as pour over, French press, etc., and what each one of those unique.

Just as there are several variables that go into making a good cup of coffee, there are also different factors that determine how well a coffee brewer performs, being: brew and drip time, water temperature, and extraction rate.

Coffee reacts to water differently at different temperatures. The ideal temperature for brewing coffee is 195-200 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition to the temperature, a full brew cycle should take 4 minutes or less (8 minutes or less to finish dripping). Any more time and the coffee would be over-extracted. Meeting both criteria helps to ensure proper extraction.

Thankfully, there is an organization that exists that has done much of the work and research to find brewers that outperform others. The organization I’m referring to is the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association), and a list of SCA Certified Brewers (home brewers that meet the above mentioned criteria) can be found here: SCA Certified Home Brewers.

Don't throw out your coffee pot yet! This information is meant to be an opportunity to highlight the importance of a coffee machine, and to help you step back and assess how well (or not) yours is doing its job. After reading this, if you decide it's time for an upgrade, I hope this serves as a good starting point to find a new brewer and gives you the necessary tools to feel confident as you begin your quest to making better coffee!

Another great resource is Seattle Coffee Gear. In addition to their website/online store, they have a lot of video reviews that can be found on YouTube. Ultimately, $100-200 should get you a decent brewer that performs well, and should get you headed in the right direction.

Trying out this blog thing... "I'm buying good quality, freshly roasted coffee... What's the next step I should take?"

Excerpted from my newsletter/roasting reminder from last week Friday, September 27:

The initial purpose of this newsletter was to simply remind my customers of when I'm roasting, and to act as a trigger to take a look and see if you would be needing coffee before the next weekend or not.

Prior to setting this up, I would text my "regular" customers, if I did not already have an order from them, asking if they were needing coffee that week or not. An email reminder seemed like a good substitute, and it still serves the initial function, but to change things up a bit, I will be adding some little educational-type blurbs regarding all things coffee.

Some of what I'll cover may be news to you, some may not, but my hope is that it remains interesting and educational.

As of right now, I have a loose list of topics that I will be covering, but if there is anything you would like me to delve into drop me a line and I'd be happy to take some suggestions! Thanks to Trevor and Aaron for your input on this (and the coming) week's write-ups.

I'm buying good quality, freshly roasted coffee... What's the next step I should take?

This is the question that I get asked more than any other, and I'm always eager to talk about it. So, if you're asking this, here are some of my thoughts:

Regarding prepared coffee, there are multiple factors that are directly tied to what ends up in the cup;

• Quality, freshness and roast of coffee

• Is the coffee simply scooped/eyeballed or is it weighed to a set water:coffee ratio

• Method of brewing

• The equipment used to brew

• Water quality

• Water temperature

• Amount of time taken to brew

• Etc. etc. etc.

Now, I understand that not everyone has the time or desire to delve into all this, and there is a cost associated to coffee paraphernalia, but I can't emphasize enough how much of a role each of these variables (and a number of others not listed) play in getting the most out of coffee.

This Week's Topic: Should I use a kitchen scale when preparing your coffee?

One of the easiest ways to consistently dial in your coffee every day is by weighing it. A kitchen scale is one of the first things I suggest adding to your arsenal of coffee equipment.

It may take a bit of tweaking to find your sweet spot, but once you do you can repeatedly get identical results day to day, and with varying amounts of coffee made. For drip brewers, a good starting point is to use 8 grams of coffee for every 6 fl. oz. of water. If this is too strong, try 7 grams on the next pot, or 9 grams if it is too weak.

Here are a couple scales that I have used and had good results with:

Etekcity kitchen scale
OXO kitchen scale

If you have pre-ground coffee, put your coffee filter and basket onto the scale, turn the scale on, and fill the filter with the desired weight of coffee. If your basket does not sit flat, use a small cup or bowl to weigh the grounds in, and then pour the desired weight of grounds into the filter. If you have whole beans, put a bowl or cup onto the scale, turn it on, weigh the coffee, grind and pour into the filter after grinding.

This week's topic - using a scale when brewing coffee - is a key component to producing a reliably good cup of coffee. More to come on other key components to brewing great coffee in future newsletters.