And this whole time I thought I know something about coffee – just because I frequent a few hip spots in the city and buy single origin beans from small roasters. Teresa from Dallis Bros Coffee came into our office today and straightened us out.
Some things I learned today:
- The roasters matter, but roasters can’t make magic out of ass beans. Good beans come from good farms, and Dallis is serious about the farms they buy from.
- Everything matters when making a cup of coffee – the water, water’s temperature, how you grind the beans, the beans, the brewing method, the cup’s temperature, you, etc.
- Quality over quantity. Teresa saw our coffee machine and commented that we’re better off using a French Press to make large quantity. She reminded us that good coffee is like drugs – a small, but good hit is better than a bunch of junk. Something like that. Teresa is a great instructor.
- Uh, I’ve been making my coffee wrong. Let’s just leave it at that.
- Coffee packaging – there needs to be some kind of vent so the beans can release CO2. Pretty paper packaging (like Stumptown or Coava) means that oxygen is getting into the bag, which leads to shorter shelf life (coffee gets stale faster).
- Through the act of weighing, grinding beans, pouring hot water over and waiting for that coffee to brew – you smell, touch, and see the transformation of coffee – and then you get to drink it. It’s a ritual. A fantastic, rewarding ritual.
- You use a handful of rice to clean your grinders (!).
- I have never tried Dallis before, and their coffee is fucking good. And they’re a New York roaster (in Ozone Park since 1913!).
I’m throwing out our coffee machine. As soon as we get a proper French Press. And a scale.
