Grind your own

I'm sure you all grind your own coffee beans, right? Right?

Anywho, there are 3 types of bean grinders out there. The first is the Blade Grinder. Usually the least expensive of the 3. This can also be called a mill grinder. The grinding action consists of a tiny blade that spins around very quickly, chopping the coffee beans into small pieces. The longer you run the blade, the finer the coffee grounds are. Warning though, if you grind the beans too fine, the resulting coffee will be very bitter.

The next type of grinder is the flat plate burr grinder, which grinds the beans between two hard burrs on top of each other. The result is coffee grounds of consistent size. Most burr grinders have settings for different sizes.

Perhaps the best grinder is the conical burr grinder. This grinder grinds very slowly, which creates very little change in the flavor of the beans, due to the lack of heat created during the process. This grinder is also less prone to clogging than the plate burr grinder. This is then an excellent choice for flavored coffee blends which contain more oils/liquids in the beans. However, this is a larger unit and usually somewhat expensive.

Starbucks French Roast Via

Sorry to all of my followers for the lack of posts lately. I've been quite sick with some stupid sinus thing lately, and when I have such an issue, and an accompanying sore throat, I prefer cold beverages to warm.

So, Starbucks just announced their "Trenta" size for various iced drinks. Pretty stoked for that come summer. Now, we just have to survive this upcoming arctic blast...did you see a high of 3 on Friday? Craziness.

Anyway, Starbucks also recently released their French Roast for Via. It's promoted as intense and smoky, their darkest and boldest coffee. To my pleasant surprise, it's not very smoky. All other descriptions are on point.

Bean rating: 4 out of 5. The French Roast, is in fact, my favorite of all the Via options.

cut me some slack

Lately, with all of the usual holiday activities, a sick child, etc., I've been a little lazy in getting more coffee to review. To make matters worse, I've again resumed my Starbucks Via instant coffee habit. I drank through a box of the Holiday blend packets and am now on the Italian Roast blend. My local Starbucks was totally out of the Holiday blend, which was quite a disappointment.

That being said, I do enjoy the Italian Roast Via mix. For an instant coffee, it has a deep, rich, hearty taste. The Italian Roast is my instant coffee choice in a pinch.

Bean Rating: 4 out of 5 (although, if this were fresh gr0und it would be more like a 3.5 out of 5).

10 ways to tell if you drink too much coffee:

1. you answer the door before people knock;
2. juan valdez named his donkey after you;
3. the only kitchen appliances you own are made by Mr. Coffee;
4. you ski uphill;
5. you get a tax deduction for all the coffee you bought;
6. you get a speeding ticket even when parked;
7. you speed walk in your sleep;
8. you haven't blinked since the last lunar eclipse;
9. for vacation, you visit the Maxwell House;
10. you're so jittery that other people use your hands to blend their margaritas

Java - a little bit of this, a little bit of that

Java Estate is coffee produced on the island of Java (who wouldn't want to live there, right?). The Indonesian prhase "Kopi Jawa" refers not only to the origin, but also used to describe the strong, black, very sweet coffee.

I purchased a half pound of the Java Estate blend from La Java coffee house, in Green Bay, WI. This is pretty far from my normal taste preferences, but hey, I turn 35 in a few weeks, so it's time to shake things up and start that mid-life crisis a little early.

The best way to describe this blend is "chocolate earth." It had a slightly spicy initial punch, but the earthy and chocolate undertones lingered a while. I'd describe this blend as a medium to slightly full bodied cup, of medium acidity as well.

While this isn't driving my taste buds to shout to the heavens, it is decent for a change of pace.

Bean rating: 3.75 out of 5.

'Tis cold outside

I made a pot of Brazilian Sweet Yellow Coffee this morning and realized how much I missed this one. Sweet Yellow is made from a mixture of several varietals (bourbon, catoise and caturra). The coffee is very sweet, super smooth with lots of happy high notes. It is a light roast with a medium body. It does not have an overpowering acidity and does not have a lingering aftertaste, so your co-workers do not have to fear the dreaded coffee breath monster.

I purchased this coffee from La Java, located in Green Bay, WI. If you are ever there, make sure to check out their new location on Lineville Road. I hear they have some killer soups and sandwiches, not to mention fantastic coffees.

Bean Rating: 4.80 out of 5.00 (near perfection)

Indonesian Flores

Flores is a small island located off Indonesia. The milling tradition is wet-process. This process uses water at the mill to transport the seed through the process, which allows for the removal of defects to float to the surface. Wet processing often produces a brighter, cleaner flavor profile, with a lighter body than dry process coffees.

The Flores coffee was sweet and floral, with a good, syrupy body and a clean overall cup of coffee. Flores coffee als has uses in espresso.

I thoroughly enjoyed this blend. I purchased this half-pound at EVP Coffee of Madison (www.evpcoffee.com) and highly recommend both the blend and the coffee house.

bean rating: 4.75 out of 5 (near perfection).