Two of my favorite vices: Coffee and Pens

[AzJon]

Morning Ritual

Boil water
Grind beans
Warm cup
Pour slooooowly
Drink hot
Write the Day

https://i.imgur.com/lzKUXOv.jpg?1

[FredRydr]

WHAT?! No Pelikan Cafe Creme? No matter, the early resin 146 EF will do verrry nicely (better in fact).

[AzJon]

WHAT?! No Pelikan Cafe Creme? No matter, the early resin 146 EF will do verrry nicely (better in fact).

One of my favorite pens. I had a sample of Robert Oster Cafe Crema, which is a lovely brown, but I used it all up. Really need to get on a full bottle...

[azkid]

Good stuff. For me the morning starts with warming up the Gaggia, grinding, brewing and making an iced latte. Call it sacrilege but for me it makes every day better. On occasion I will even go so far as you roast my own beans (I <3 Sweet Maria's). What would I do without the stuff?? :)

[AzJon]

Good stuff. For me the morning starts with warming up the Gaggia, grinding, brewing and making an iced latte. Call it sacrilege but for me it makes every day better. On occasion I will even go so far as you roast my own beans (I <3 Sweet Maria's). What would I do without the stuff?? :)

You do you, honey boo-boo.

I like fancy, delicious coffee, but won't knock someone for liking it a different way.

I've been toying with roasting my own for a while now, but have lacked the want to take that dive. I have a tendency to dive super deep into a topic and I've got three others occupying my mind at the moment, but soon...

[azkid]

And roasting is one really deep rabit hole... All the types of beans, ranges of roast... Then espresso adds another maze to explore... Pressures, mass, time, grind, tamp... Ack.

[AzJon]

And roasting is one really deep rabit hole... All the types of beans, ranges of roast... Then espresso adds another maze to explore... Pressures, mass, time, grind, tamp... Ack.

Yeah, I'm sure I'll get there some day, I'm just working on self restraint enough to not dig a new hole until I meticulously explore all the other ones first.

[Jon Szanto]

Hey, he doesn't come around that often but you guys need to hook up with FPG'r Tim Hoffman (goes by "manoever", I think). He has a coffee business in the Pittsburgh area (I think?) and I see his stuff on Instagram all the time. He has started shipping his beans once or twice a month. I'm going to try to poke him and see if he'll check out this thread. His place is called The Coffee Mess.

[Bold2013]

I do a little roasting and a lot of drinking. Stovetop espresso and a touch of heavy whipping is my favorite brew.

[VertOlive]

So happy for coffee!

[Jon Szanto]

Stovetop espresso and a touch of heavy whipping is my favorite brew.

That belongs in another subforum...

[FredRydr]

Stovetop espresso and a touch of heavy whipping is my favorite brew.

That belongs in another subforum...


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Wai0KpzGIPQ/SCCO3TqI8OI/AAAAAAAAAy8/0NDL9PxoRMI/s400/rick-louie-gambling.jpg
"I'm shocked, shocked...!

[FredRydr]

So many addictions to choose from!

39839

Foreground: early resin 146 EF just like AzJon's, a Pelikan Cafe Creme EF. The Rest: a semi-vintage (using pen lingo) '60s press reserved for caffeine (just replaced another glass beaker), a burr grinder, a vintage '50s silver-plate press (one of the first presses produced and PITA for fitting replacement glass) reserved for decaf, and two lbs. of local roast from a little shop next to Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania USA. Oh, I'm not all snob; the big Costco bags of beans are under the counter.

[manoeuver]

Hey, he doesn't come around that often but you guys need to hook up with FPG'r Tim Hoffman (goes by "manoever", I think). He has a coffee business in the Pittsburgh area (I think?) and I see his stuff on Instagram all the time. He has started shipping his beans once or twice a month. I'm going to try to poke him and see if he'll check out this thread. His place is called The Coffee Mess.

Thanks Jon! I check in daily but haven't had much to say of late.

I'm roasting coffee in Northwest Columbus OH (Hilliard to be exact.)

I'm a sponsor of the Ohio Pen Show- 2018 will be my third year.

If anybody has coffee questions, I've been in the biz for about 20 years, roasting for 6.

I do ship coffee at the end of every month.

I start my day with a whole pot of auto drip, and if I'm being good, a bout of Morning Pages to clear out the ol' skull...

[Wuddus]

I only have maybe one or two cups of coffee a week. I don't get a lift from it the way most folks seem to. To me, coffee is a thoroughly effective laxative, only to be enjoyed when I'm not planning on leaving the house anytime soon. If I overdo it, I can end up feeling quite washed out rather than energised, and if I drank it everyday... well, I dread to think... reconstructive surgery probably...

[AzJon]

I only have maybe one or two cups of coffee a week. I don't get a lift from it the way most folks seem to. To me, coffee is a thoroughly effective laxative, only to be enjoyed when I'm not planning on leaving the house anytime soon. If I overdo it, I can end up feeling quite washed out rather than energised, and if I drank it everyday... well, I dread to think... reconstructive surgery probably...

I don't get a "lift" per se, one cup of coffee barely phases me to be honest. I enjoy the flavors and my morning rituals. I'm usually up 30 minutes to an hour before the Mrs. to make my coffee and sip it in the early morning calm. I watch the birds and breathe in the day with my coffee. Its as much about the coffee drinking as it is the moment, the dharma of my father and my father's father, starting the day in silence with a hot cup of coffee.

[FredRydr]

I like the scent of freshly ground beans. I wish coffee tasted like that.

[penwash]

This thread reminded me of my previous hobby

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/123/369593057_21014e6080_o.jpg

Both my wife and I love coffee and she's the brewer in our house.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

I've never got the buzz from coffee, same goes for my mother too. At one time a doctor I worked with would regularly bring me back a sack of coffee beans from the Blue Mountains in Jamaica (where he lived), and I would be happy enough drinking that. As an Englishman though my heart belongs to tea. And now being part of a Chinese family, that relationship has been strengthened. Tea all the way for me. There are still rituals enough if you want them. :)

[AzJon]

I've never got the buzz from coffee, same goes for my mother too. At one time a doctor I worked with would regularly bring me back a sack of coffee beans from the Blue Mountains in Jamaica (where he lived), and I would be happy enough drinking that. As an Englishman though my heart belongs to tea. And now being part of a Chinese family, that relationship has been strenghtened. Tea all the way for me. There are still rituals enough if you want them. :)

I started with tea a number of years ago. I've got a handful of yixing pots and a respectable pu-erh collection. At some point in my tenure in San Francisco, I started dipping into the coffee world (while simultaneously frequenting tea shops) and never really went back. I still enjoy good teas and the ritual around them, but coffee supplanted my early morning routine.

Being a bit of an anglophile, tea is still consumed in the afternoon en masse. :)

[ethernautrix]

I am, uh... here in Poland, in the cafes, the coffee is very, very tasty, but where I live, um... (prepare to gasp!) I drink instant. This thread might not be for me. Although I do have a small accumulation of coffee cups from various travels.

Also tea. Not instant. Bags and loose. I also like tea. ("Herbata" po polsku.) (Lubię herbatę.)

[FredRydr]

I'm married to an Englishwoman. The four teapots were just out of the photo.

[KrazyIvan]

Oh yeah, I love coffee.

https://scontent-dfw5-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/6f7de0fee5d8fb0ceb48ba6a5ac9ee96/5B8C8D29/t51.2885-15/e35/30591186_218454332073111_7349104426923065344_n.jpg

https://scontent-dfw5-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/bfe3cd65df5883a3bd919e08bb27c5b5/5B92C106/t51.2885-15/e35/27573686_578787265826879_3411988308467646464_n.jpg

https://scontent-dfw5-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/c69549b67dd23f303444e264f48b164d/5B7F7A39/t51.2885-15/e35/19122318_307951159647532_2821183958828449792_n.jpg

Best budget coffee I've found.
https://scontent-dfw5-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/aeba772198e441b0d4a1095fd0f2c4af/5B7F9CFA/t51.2885-15/e35/17587122_395182310862819_5323291691975704576_n.jpg

[Kaputnik]

As with pens, I have more Coffee gear than I strictly need. Particularly for someone who drinks all coffee black (except for a little sugar in Turkish coffee only) and uses all dark roasts (except that Turkish coffee uses a medium roast).

For years I've been using a French press, but lately I've been experimenting with pour over makers and an Aero Press for travel. I got a collapsible electric kettle to heat up the water.

I have four hand grinders set up. One for coarse grind, one for medium fine, one for extra fine, and one for the powdery Turkish grind.

But it's an odd thing about caffeine, I've never noticed it having any effect on me at all; and I wake up at the same speed if for some reason I have to go without coffee entirely; I just like having it. I avoid decaf on principle; somehow it just seems wrong, but apparently some people are genuinely "sensitive" to it. Human physiology is an odd thing.

[Wuddus]

As regards "kit", my set up is incredibly simple. I have a cafetiere for fresh coffee, but two out of every three cups I drink will be instant. Sometimes I might go a month without any fresh coffee in the house. Likewise with tea, I do have a decent sized teapot, but mostly I'll just brew up with a teabag in a mug. I'm never without teabags at home though. I don't buy decaffeinated anything. If I want caffeine free, I'll drink something else.

[FredRydr]

https://www.pelikan.com/pulse/vfs-public/exclusive/products/classic-special-editions/classic-m-200-cafe-creme-large.png

[AzJon]

My daily kit is simple pourover with Melitta filters and a ceramic pourover that my wife made.

I also have a German "Kaffe Kanne" which is pictured above that is all ceramic and does not use a paper filter, but has crosshatched ceramic that does the filtering job. Makes a cleaner cup than a french press while maintaining that nice oil.

I've really been thinking of getting a Nano-presso for home espresso shots because I can't, in any reality, drop multiple thousands of dollars (or counter space) on a good-to-decent espresso machine.

[FredRydr]

I just make stronger coffee in my press by adding more grounds.

[Jon Szanto]

I think it is pretty funny, the whole pour-over thing. I actually thought it must be something else and went to a couple of places to have it. Nope, it's just the same as the Melitta setup I used in college back in the 70s. The first local coffee roaster had opened in town and suggested I either use that system or a french press. Being a college student I went the less expensive route. Got one of the gold mesh filters so I wouldn't have to keep buying paper cones.

Now it's pour-over. Everything old is new again.

Two recent tastes, via p-o, at the lovely coffee bar at station KEXP in Seattle...

https://i.imgur.com/jlWMsgP.jpg

[FredRydr]

In the coffee shop I’m in right now in New Oxford, Pennsylvania.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180520/a3f5182d378abe9a1ab9fc7a8a5dbb01.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180520/74ba21e90cad7561159ed5e354db681e.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180520/d1b1d32c44afb0007086d84204f80239.jpg

[Jon Szanto]

In the shop I’m in right now in New Oxford, Pennsylvania.

Well, yes, there is that. On the wall of the above-mentioned coffee area, a quote by the Italian coffee master who inspired the location:

https://scontent.fsan1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/30743265_1822017357821758_8249579462182921246_n.jp g?_nc_cat=0&oh=eea347940eec86c2357a5e12a1180d4f&oe=5B87D3C1

[FredRydr]

Well, yes, there is that. On the wall of the above-mentioned coffee area, a quote by the Italian coffee master who inspired the location....
You're trying to out-class me! Well, New Oxford isn't exactly the crossroads of civilization. On the other hand, there are lots of antiques shops here for hunting pens in the wild.

[Jon Szanto]

Well, yes, there is that. On the wall of the above-mentioned coffee area, a quote by the Italian coffee master who inspired the location....
You're trying to out-class me! Well, New Oxford isn't exactly the crossroads of civilization. On the other hand, there are lots of antiques shops here for hunting pens in the wild.

Not at all, those are great. Just had it handy from a trip a couple weeks ago.

[AzJon]

I think it is pretty funny, the whole pour-over thing. I actually thought it must be something else and went to a couple of places to have it. Nope, it's just the same as the Melitta setup I used in college back in the 70s. The first local coffee roaster had opened in town and suggested I either use that system or a french press. Being a college student I went the less expensive route. Got one of the gold mesh filters so I wouldn't have to keep buying paper cones.

Now it's pour-over. Everything old is new again.

Indeed it is. Allows for more control for the brewer with timing and temperature than a machine (unless you drop a small fortune on one). It also allows coffee shops to offer samples of a wider selection of roasts/beans without needing to have dozens of coffee pots ready to go.

[Jon Szanto]

Indeed it is. Allows for more control for the brewer with timing and temperature than a machine (unless you drop a small fortune on one). It also allows coffee shops to offer samples of a wider selection of roasts/beans without needing to have dozens of coffee pots ready to go.

Also labor-intensive AF. Makes sense to me on a home level, but it just cracks me up at the local pop-ups (one right next to Symphony Hall, my office) with a line of people waiting for the drip... drip... drip...

But, yeah, probably a great way to make a fine cup.

[FredRydr]

And then there's another coffee-themed item...

39996

Though I've owned it for a few years, I've not noticed until now that the blob on the bottle's label is a coffee bean!

[oldstoat]

Chronologically I've had two percolators, three filter machines, half a dozen cafetieres, a couple of stove top thingies- you know, the octagonal aluminium things, and now an Aerporess. The Aeropress is good but I do like the cafetiere and occasionally the stovetop one. But the treat is the result, not the means.

40002

[Bzzer]

Nice garden too Stoat.

Anyone else prefer their coffee from an earthenware mug, ideally without a glaze.

Something like this -

http://www.giskaa.com/earthenware-clay-round-coffeetea-cup-longpi-black-pottery

[TMac]

Hey, he doesn't come around that often but you guys need to hook up with FPG'r Tim Hoffman (goes by "manoever", I think). He has a coffee business in the Pittsburgh area (I think?) and I see his stuff on Instagram all the time. He has started shipping his beans once or twice a month. I'm going to try to poke him and see if he'll check out this thread. His place is called The Coffee Mess.

Thanks Jon! I check in daily but haven't had much to say of late.


I'm roasting coffee in Northwest Columbus OH (Hilliard to be exact.)

I'm a sponsor of the Ohio Pen Show- 2018 will be my third year.

If anybody has coffee questions, I've been in the biz for about 20 years, roasting for 6.

I do ship coffee at the end of every month.

I start my day with a whole pot of auto drip, and if I'm being good, a bout of Morning Pages to clear out the ol' skull...

Tim, glad to here everything is good. I met you a few years ago when you were with Zekes in Baltimore. I still go there every Saturday morning!

[Craig Ruhl]

Best time of day for me is early morning, before turning on the computer, TV, or radio. I sit in my reading/writing nook with some freshly brewed coffee along with my journal, pen, ink, and thoughts. On a really good day, that time can last for many hours.

[usk15]

An old photo, still enjoying espresso and pens:

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5466/17958977291_09ddaec287_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/tmYsgv)

[manoeuver]

Tim, glad to here everything is good. I met you a few years ago when you were with Zekes in Baltimore. I still go there every Saturday morning!

The new cafe is awesome, isn't it?

I'll touch base next time I'm in town and we'll grab a cup!

[chalkdust]

I had no idea that the fountain pen set and the coffee roasting set would have such a large intersection. I have been wasting coffee at home for 17 years now. However, I am by no means an expert at anything other than Just The Way I Like It.