Intelligentsia Coffee in the US is probably the world’s leading producer of quality coffee. It’s a big call. But their staff win all sorts of barista competitions.
Here’s a video that goes through all the basics of coffee production.
Espresso, Intelligentsia from Department of the 4th Dimension on Vimeo.
Via Davidould.net and CafeDave.
You’ll never catch me drinking decaf. But it’s not because I drink coffee for the caffeine hit. You can get caffeine from so many other places that it’s just not worth the effort of drinking a less than optimal coffee.
If you’ve been reading for a while you would have caught this infographic about how healthy different drinks are for you based on sugar content.
Building a coffee machine into your PC is easy (allegedly) – but Macs are notorious for not requiring tinkering. You don’t need to tinker with perfection – well not without a really good reason.
Here’s a guy who puts together a Mac/Coffee Machine/Speaker combo. And he does it all in the body of the now defunct iMac.
On the job
Originally uploaded by St. Eutychus
Before Christmas Robyn and I spent a few nights running a little coffee stall at Stable on the Strand.
We didn’t make a whole lot of money – but we learned a fair bit about being coffee entrepreneurs.
I’m testing out integrating Flickr and my blog. I’m not sure what I think so far…
One of the issues plaguing the local tourism industry in the time I’ve been working in Townsville has been convincing people that the best way to grow their individual operation is to grow the pie for their “competitor” at the same time.
It’s as true in coffee as it is in tourism… and it’s probably true in ministry too.
In tourism your goal is to develop first an appreciation of a destination and then compete for the attention of the people who holiday in the region.
In coffee your goal is to develop first an appreciation of great coffee (compared to the average coffee served in the average cafe/diner/McDonalds).
This “disloyalty card” that has been produced by the current World Barista champion is a sensational idea.
The coffee guys are onto something with their focus on cooperation rather than competition. Strong competition and an educated market is a great thing for everybody competing – it’s not great for those left behind with a shoddy product.
The ministry application is probably tangential – but important… obviously there’s a Biblical compulsion to stay with a particular body of Christ (local church) – it’s not a matter of continuous shopping around while you look for the church that best suits you.
Izaac wrote about Godcasting the other day – the act of downloading and listening to sermons from quality preachers.
He envisaged a day where we will be warned off listening to sermons from gifted men by preachers jealous for the admiration of their flocks (or perhaps, more charitably, sensitive to the possibility that listening to exceptional preaching will cause discontent).
I think we should be encouraging Christians to listen to, read, and consume as much great teaching as possible. Chances are that those Christians keen enough to seek out great teaching will be the ones who are keenest to serve their church – rather than critique. And the idea of learning everything from one flawed vessel is scary. I’ll be encouraging everybody who comes to any church I preach at to seek a second opinion on whether my teaching is faithful to scripture. That’s the model we encourage when we’re training preachers and teachers at college isn’t it? Who wants to go to an institution with one lecturer.
Neil from Ministry Grounds has started importing Behmor Coffee Roasters. Based on the specs, and an email from Neil, this will be a much more efficient way to roast coffee than my current breadmaker/heatgun setup.
So I ordered one yesterday. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Also, for Townsville people, Robyn and I are making (and selling) coffee at Stable on the Strand this year. If you’re in the neighbourhood you should drop by and exchange your money for our coffee.
I made the fabled “Espresso Machine Eggs” last night. Well, they’re not fabled. I’d been reading about people’s scrambled egg making exploits for some time. I thought I’d give it a burl.
Here are the steps involved.
They were very fluffy. I’ll do it again.
Here are the photos…
Karen Eland is an artist who not only paints using coffee – she puts pictures of coffee in famous paintings. And as such, she is now my favourite artist.
Here are some good ones – there are heaps more…
The same group that brought us the awesome apostrophe flow chart has produced arguably the best infographic ever made.
It’s so good I’m posting the whole thing.
We’ve been enjoying time with Zack and Sarah this week.
But I’ve been particularly enjoying the present they brought with them…
Mmm. Delicious.
And, in related coffee news… I received my new toy in the mail yesterday. Via the Espresso Workshop – they will take your unused portafiller (the handle thing you put your coffee in to use in your machine) and lop the bottom off for $40 – the cheapest naked portafiller I could find online (short of cutting the bottom of myself, which I didn’t want to risk).
Here’s what my coffee will look like when I take a photo of it… (picture from the espresso workshop product page)…
If Blur were still around (and they may well be) then not only would their claims of superiority with regards to Oasis be borne out (on the basis of longevity alone) but this post title would be representative of the kind of song they’d write now…
That was a tangential segue worthy of Today Tonight. But tonight. In all its glory. I give you. The Coffee Casemod – a computer case with a built in, and working, software controlled drip filter coffee machine.
It is awesome. I commend it to you.
Here’s how to make your own.
Anybody who tut-tutted my coffee machine’s carbon emissions (2.3 tonnes per year) should think twice. Especially if they own a dog.
So says Good Magazine and a team of scientists… and who can argue with them… here’s a nice little infographic breaking down the comparitive eco-footprint of pets and four wheel drives… I’m guessing that a turtle is about on par with the hamster featured in the bottom left hand corner.
Wired has a fascinating look at the chemicals at play in your daily espresso.
Here’s my favourite part of the chemical equation (if you thought caffeine you were wrong):
Trigonelline
Chemically, it’s a molecule of niacin with a methyl group attached. It breaks down into pyridines, which give coffee its sweet, earthy taste and also prevent the tooth-eating bacterium Streptococcus mutans from attaching to your teeth. Coffee fights the Cavity Creeps.
October 1 is Coffee Day in Japan.
Here’s my photographic tribute from the farm to my cup…
Coffee withdrawal headaches hurt. Mikey reports that ibuprofen will fix them…
But you’ve got to wonder – if you’re getting coffee headaches are you at the stage where your addiction is harmful? Possibly. So just how much coffee can you drink before it kills you? This site can answer your query. And it’s not limited to coffee, any caffeinated beverage will do.
