Coffee, Tea or Me(dicine)?

It is winter!
Not officially mind you, that happens on the December 21.
The time of year I am blessed with the joys of snow, Christmas and lots of pie!

While the season was approaching I was getting excited to enjoy warm, delicious espresso based drinks like peppermint mochas and eggnog lattes!

There was only one problem.
I had a cold, a common cold.

Instead of moping and complaining, I started to think.
If the common cold was so common, why wasn't there a cure?

Photographer Unknown

This post is about my quest to find a cure.
At the very least, I was determined to find a remedy for the common cold so my holiday season won't be ruined!

Will it be Coffee, Tea or Me(dicine)?

The Events.

Coffee?
I had just finished the coffee my husband left in the pot before going to work. A little less than half a pot. Just enough to stimulate the energy needed to get my son to school on time.

Tea?
Walking into the house from the garage the bright blue kettle on my stove catches my eye. I fill it with water, set it down and turn the burner on high. Shuffling out of the kitchen I head to the coat closet. After hanging up my coat, stuffing my hat and mittens into the bin, and placing my shoes on the rack, I slide my raccoon faced slippers and pad back to the kitchen to select a tea bag to brew with high hope of alleviating my sore throat.

Me(dicine)?
I can no longer even whistle a bit of air through my nose. I never appreciate my nose until I can't use it anymore. My sinuses are so stuffed my eyes have swelled making wearing contacts an impossibility. I don't like wearing my glasses. They are uncomfortable on a good day and unbearable when my head has become inflated with mucus like a water balloon.

They only cold medicine in the house is "green death", the green colored NightQuil.
It tastes makes bile taste good.

The Observations.

Coffee:
It gave me energy to get moving, but coffee is a diuretic. It made me slightly dehydrated and once the caffeine wore off, I crashed.

Tea:
It made my throat feel better. The herbal aromas rose with the steam and helped to clear my nose temporarily. While I still had to tinkle a lot, it didn't leave me feeling dehydrated like with coffee.

Me(dicine):
Worse than the flavor of the one cold medicine in the house is the medically induced coma it will put me in within 5 minutes of gagging it down. I can't. I have to pick up my son for pre-school in an hour.

After making some observations I recall some pertinent facts.
My husband was sick with this cold for 2 days. My son was sick for 5 days.
I have MS (multiple sclerosis) which means my autoimmune system is busy fighting against my body, so my immune system has less time and resources to fight off germs efficiently.

The Math.

If I take the number of days my husband and son are sick and add them together, then divide that sum by the number of people involved and finally multiple the quotient by 5 and have I the number of days I was sick.

In this case: ((2+5)/2)*5=17.5 days.

Like any scientific equation there are variables that need to be included.
In this case study those variables were Coffee, Tea and Me(dicine).
Each variable is assigned a number in the order of it's effectiveness and multiplied by the number of cups or doses I ingest.

Coffee gave me energy (.1) but dehydrated me (-.3).
Tea caffeinated tea gave me energy (.1), herbal qualities (.3) soothed my throat and temporarily cleared my nose.
Me(dicine): Medicine alleviates symptoms and induces sleep. Sleep is good when your sick, but not at the cost of my son; daytime use (-.5), nighttime use (.5).

So if I commit an act of desperation and omit coffee from my diet while I am sick, increase the amount of tea I usually drink from one cup to four and use medicine only at night for 5 days (the length of time my son was sick) I wonder what effect it will have on my cold.

(((2+5)/2)*5)-((((.1*4)+(.3*4))*5)+(.5*5))=
17.5-(8+2.5)=1
17.5-10.5=7.5

If I were to extended that logic to 7 days what would the outcome be?

(((2+5)/2)*5)-((((.1*4)+(.3*4))*7)+(.5*7))=
17.5-(11.2+3.5)=1
17.5-14.7=2.8

 

The Conclusion.

It has been proven I have too much time on my hands to have random thoughts when I am sick.
I also think it is safe to say I have not found a special remedy for the common cold.
However, I have learned to value of tea.

When you are sick, put coffee aside and drink tea instead.
I prefer mine in the traditional English style with a splash of (almond) milk and a sprinkle of sugar.
My husband prefers his plain or with a squeeze of honey. 

Water: Myths or Facts.

For me, the past week was spent in a coffee deprived state of consciousness. While I was kayaking around Lake Tulaby daydreaming about coffee, a few curious thoughts occurred to me.

Myth

A watch pot never boils.

False.

If you don't believe me, go boil water and stare at it.

Myth
Cold water boils faster than hot water.

False.

Fact
Water boils at 212 F.

The physics of bringing water to a boiling point is pretty straight forward.
It is a transfer of energy, specifically 1 calorie to heat 1 milliliter of water 1.8 F.
My husband, an aerospace engineer who enjoys astrophysics, informed me that it is technically thermal dynamics which is kind of a branch of physics and kind of chemistry.

A pot or kettle of water sits on a heating unit. The heat is transferred to the pot, from the pot to the water. If the water is cold to begin with the coefficient of time will be higher because the temperature difference is greater.

Time Difference = (Temperature Difference * K * Surface Area) / (Heating Power * Material Thickness)

K as a water property constant which is a bit tricky to calculate as the properties and efficiency will vary for the water supply you use and the setup of the system.

In summation, using hot water means you will be able to brew and enjoy a cup of coffee sooner. 

So again, why?
The science for using hot water is sound.

Why boil cold water?  

Fact

Hot water leeches minerals and possibly lead out of metal pipes.
Obviously lead is not something we want to be voluntarily ingesting on a daily basis and the minerals will add off-flavors.

Now I know why I’m constantly being instructed to use cold water to brew coffee or cook.
It goes against the facts of thermal dynamics, but quality of life will be improved by better tasting coffee.

If you know your water supply and house hold plumbing do not interact with metal pipes, use hot water to bring water to a boil faster; if you are not sure or if you know there are metal pipes, continue to use cold water and be happy with the knowledge you won’t receive lead poisoning from your daily consumption of coffee.

Visible & Invisible

Spring?

When there is snow outside, ice to slip on and a wind chill below freezing it is hard to believe the first day of spring has come and gone. Flowers and rain, not ice and snow, is what I expect.
It's time to start...

artist unknown

In spring there are two types of cleaning that must be done.
The kind of cleaning done with a bucket, mop and broom which will require many pots of coffee; and the kind with a cup or two and some thinking.

Visible:
I promised my husband a freshly roasted pot of his favorite, Mocca Java, to help him tackle the garage which seemed to have exploded with dust, cobwebs and clutter over the winter.

Since I have not been able to roast for much of the winter, I haven't purchased any new green coffee beans. Going to my stash of remnants from last year's stock, I discovered I only had an ounce or less of the Java Ciwidey, Yemen Mocca Matari, Indian Mysore and Papua New Guinea Purosa.

It seems like a dire situation to a dedicated amateur.

Yes, I roasted in the snow to get a clean garage!
I would not advise.
Electricity and water (even if it is frozen) do not get along.

What to do?
The answer is simple. 

Do not throw them out, make a blend.
Take four ounces of whatever is remaining and roast them together.

This is the best way to gain experience. 
Experiment, taste and enjoy.

Cleaning out the remaining green coffee beans to make room for new ones in order to provide the fuel and motivation needed to spring clean away the visible dirt, but what about the other spring clean that needs to be done?


Invisible:
The first thing I thought, as I sipped with a two handed technique, was sadly far from deep.
It was what came first...

The chicken or the egg?
Stay with me!
The egg or the bunny?
There is a point, I promise.
A bunny who lays eggs...for children to eat?
Okay, so that thought is both disgusting and disturbing!

How has another holiday of candy taken priority over the real meaning?

Halloween I can accept as a candy holiday.
Trick-or-treating is a tradition in my house.
Christmas has Santa Clause; whose real name was Saint Nicholas; who was trying to share christian charity around Christmas; whose real message is the birth of Christ.
Logical.
But an Easter Bunny on the day celebrated for someone being killed
and rising from the dead?!
Whether a Christian or not, that logic is flawed.

Take the Easter season as a time to Spring Clean what cannot be seen.

Personally, I saw how I needed to spend more time on others than myself.
I don't own make up or a hair dryer, so I don't mean in a primping in front of a mirror way.
For me it is the time I spend doing what I want, like writing, drawing, designing and roasting that needs to be replaced with things my son, my husband or even my dog wants to do with me.

Reallocating my time, giving away what I want to others, has given me a happier heart.

As winter clings on this year give spring cleaning some thoughtful consideration.

Which rooms you might want to bribe your significant other to help clean?
The places too gross or high to reach are always my choices. 

How to spring clean yourself?
Personally, I made my husband shower before sitting down after cleaning the garage! The real answer I gave above.


Which coffee blend you can create with the beans left in last year's stash?
I would love to hear about your blends. What combination of beans were used? How were they roasted? How did it tastes? Use the comment box below or email me directly at sarahjorichards@gmail.com.

Happy Spring Cleaning, Roasting and Easter!

Expectations. Hope. Coffee.

Expectations come with hope.

You expect you've been good for the year, so you hope Santa brings you a puppy for Christmas. 

Those were the years. 

 

CBS News

Now, I am older. As of February, I am one year shy of thirty.
Until this year I didn't really pay much attention to politics. 

I expected the officials who got elected to do their job. 

I hoped a deal would be struck before the budget was sequestered. 

Now, the only government office to not have their budget be affected by their inability to do their job is their own salaries.

I probably wouldn't give this any thought, except it affects my sister who was an officer in the Navy until last year and her husband who is an active officer in the Marines. They have both been serving their country since Sept 11, 2001.

But that's not the rest of the story, it affects my household too. 

This sequestered budget forces my husband to be furloughed. 

We will lose a significant portion of his salary. 

Since I am a stay-at-home mom, his salary is our only source of income.

Today, he told me this might not be the worst to come.

If March 27 passes with congress not meeting the budget deadline, it could be much worse.

And not just for us. I know there are many people who will be affected by all of this inaction.

To cope with these current events, I did the only thing I could think to do. 

I made coffee.

With a manual grinder, I ground Blue Mountain Jamaica roast.

I have been dying to try this coffee!

I did not buy green beans and roast them.
I could never afford them! Five pounds of green beans cost $240!

Already roasted bean were given to me as a gift from my in-laws when they got back from a vacation in Jamaica. 

It was like Christmas to me!

Expectations that this was going to be the best cup of coffee ever in order to assuage the pain of our current situation were high.

I brewed it with the manual press, poured it into two mugs and sat with my husband on the sofa. 

Top Gear (U.K) was on Netflix and our son was napping.

The heat from the cups warmed my perpetual cold hands. Raising to my lips, I sipped.

I don't know what flavors I was expecting, but they didn't come.

Thinking of how coffee changes flavor with different temperatures, I waited for it to cool and took another sip.

This was repeated until the coffee was gone. 

Looking at my hubby, my face showed my question and opinion. 

"I agree," was all he said in reply.

It had been an incredibly smooth cup of coffee. 

It had nothing repugnant about it.

It also had nothing remarkable either.

No flavor.

I was less disappointed on every Christmas morning growing up when all the gifts from Santa had been opened to discover he didn't give me the one thing I had really hoped for. A puppy.

I still hold out hope that Congress won't crush my expectations for them to do the job they have been elected to do. Their lives are not being affected, but my family's, my sister's family and many peoples family's will be affected. 

I would drink that unremarkable coffee every day, because it holds the promise of something better when I finish drinking all the beans. That the replacement beans will be better.

The same holds for our elected officials.

I will, my family will, make it through this crisis with hope because of the promise of being an American. There will be another election in 2014 where the officials who have not done their jobs can be replaced, just like my coffee.

How to Make Store Bought Coffee Better.

Snow has fallen, giving me the pleasure of shoveling the driveway. My son is too little to push a shovel, so he gets to use a dustpan.  

The concept of shoveling off the driveway is lost on him.

He scoops a pan full of snow off the side of the driveway I had just cleared and dumped it back on. Once he gets bored with that game, I am repeatedly pelted with snowballs. Mind you, the entire time I can see the faces of my neighbors through their windows watching and laughing as snow went down my back through the crack at the collar my scarf didn't cover.

With rosy cheeks and frozen feet, we head in. Hot chocolate was swiftly made for my son and then I checked for coffee options. Since the snow on the back deck was deeper than the driveway I had just shoveled, I knew replenishing my fresh roasted coffee stash isn't going to be a viable option until the groundhog's prediction of an early spring comes true.  

Only stale store bought coffee remains my option! *Gasp*

Have you found yourself in this situation?
Don't dismay!

With a manual grinder, manual drip device and a teakettle you have the power to turn bad coffee into decent coffee; decent coffee into good coffee; and good coffee into an outstanding cup.

Step One: Take the pre-ground store bought coffee and grind it again until it is fine, almost powder like.

Note: An automatic grinder will work, but the motor will emit heat which will roast the coffee further destroying the flavors and coffee potency of the blend.

Step Two: Boil water. Electric kettle, stove top or over a fire north woods style, it doesn't matter how you choose to do this step.

Note: Actually, remove the water from the heat before it reaches boiling temperature (212F). Ideally, coffee should be brewed with water around 190F and not above 200F.

Step Three: Set up a manual drip brewing device according to model specifications. Once the filter is in place, pour the re-ground coffee in.

Step Four: Slowly pour water over the grounds.

Note: Moisten the coffee thoroughly with a small amount of water at first, then brew as much coffee as the pot can hold.

Step Five: This is the most important step, Enjoy!

Whether or not the taste is improved by this five step method is up for debate.

Perhaps it is the "Ikea effect" that makes me believe I have made a better cup of coffee.

"Ikea effect" defined: You buy a piece of furniture, put it together, it wobbles and you still love it because of all the work you put into making it. Versus going to a furniture store and picking out a table, where if one wobbles you don't buy it based on the poor craftsmanship.

Is it possible using a manual grinder and drip machine to improve store bought pre-ground coffee actually makes a better cup of coffee, yes. Then again it is completely believable that the extra work does absolutely nothing to improve the cup.

But, even if that is true, I am enjoying the cup of coffee more than if I use the easiest way possible becuase I worked for it. 

In the words of Porky Pig, "That's all folks", five steps to improve the taste of store bought coffee when you find yourself unable to roast your own. Even if it is just the "Ikea effect" for coffee, I am happy and for me that is all the proof I need to know this method works.

As always Happy Roasting and Brewing!

Hunter's Blend: Mocca Java & Indian Mysore

What if the Big Bad Wolf and the  Woodsman  were the same person?
What would happen to Little Red Riding Hood?
Over the past couple weeks I found myself becoming Little Red in that very perdicament.
Here is my story.

31 October 2012.
Halloween start out innocent enough.

My son was dressed in his dinosaur costume. Stomping around the house and chasing the dog around with one loud, obnoxious ROAR after another.

After getting some real food and a couple of vegetables into his stomach, my son was jumping from a physiological induced sugar high at the front door.

Long after the sun had set.
Once every doorbell in the neighbor hood had been rung.
Past the time of Tick-or-Treaters at my door.
A wolf lead the dinosaur home.



2 November 2012
A terrifying realization hit me. 
Deer hunting opener was the next day.

The Big Bad Wolf from Halloween was about to become the Woodsman or rather the Huntsman.

I had to find a way to ensure my husband returned to me free of his canine form and red neck ways.
Coffee was the answer.

Roasting Notes for Hunter's Blend:

2 ounces Java Ciwidey and two 2 ounces Indian Mysore were
roasted on medium heat for three minutes with a high fan before increasing the heat to high for ten minutes and decreasing the fan to medium. The first crack was heard after one and a half minutes with the second occurring five minutes into the roast. 

It is important to note because I roasted these beans together the cracks were overlapping with the Mysore cracking before the Ciwidey.

This was a smoky, dark roast that brewed into a smooth cup of coffee.

The exact kind of blend my husband loves.
Surely this would ensure he returns to me the same gentle, caring and kind man I fell in love with.


3-10 November
He hiked.
He sat quite and still in a tree stand for hours.
He hunted.
He encouraged me with a video.
Please note: This video is meant to humorous. However if you are easily offended, skip watching and just keep reading.

11 November
He returned to me.

I learned this day that the cabin he was staying at didn't have a coffee grinder or machine.
He settled for chewing some coffee beans while sitting in his tree stand.

12 November
He was finally able to drink, instead of eat, the roast I had made for him.
It was delicious.

I encourage you to roast this blend if you like dark, smoky coffee.
Let me know what you think by using the comments box below or emailing me directly at sarahjorichards@gmail.com.

Happy Roasting and Brewing!

Mocca Java Blend: second attempt

At 6 pm, I wanted an espresso. Checking the cupboard I saw a sight that made me gasp stronger than the year every person in a haunted house was calling me out by name as I walked through.   An empty mason jar where the decaf should have been.

Looking out at the setting sun I thought, There is enough light.

No. There wasn't.
Not even with the pumpkins glowing near by, the deck lights on and a nearly full moon on the rise.

I thought, It's not too cold outside

Yes. It was cold.

I thought, I can get a Mocca Java blend roasted and some decaf Lagniappe roasted before my husband and son finish grocery shopping.

I was ambitious.

What I learned that night was that it takes significantly longer for beans to reach a first crack (and second) in Midwest autumn night time chill.

Roasting Notes:
Mocca Java Blend

2 ounces Java Ciwidey and 2 ounces Yemen Mocca Matari roasted together.

3 minutes on medium heat with medium-high fan. Then high heat for 14 additional minutes.

The first crack occurred 12 minutes into the roast with the second in the last minute. 

For notes on Lagniappe decaf refer to a previous post on this roast.

My nose was cold.My toes were cold.
The gap between my sweatshirt and jeans was frostbit.

The temperature wasn't the biggest challenge to overcome.
I could see the timer clearly, but not the beans as they roasted. This was a handicap I had never experienced while roasting before.

I used my sense of smell and hearing to finish the roasts.

I genuinely don't now whether it was the struggle of sensory deprivation or the longer roasting time needed because of the cold weather, but this Mocca Java blend was far superior to my first attempt.

My husband came out on to the deck when he got home. I was still roasting.

My breath was visible in the moonlight. I was still hunched over the roaster for warmth,  turning my head occasionally for fresh air to prevent asphyxiation.

He laughed when he say me and told me I looked like an addict.

I have standards for what I consume. If the means roasting in the dark, in the cold for a good cup of coffee during the day and at night, then am I not ashamed to declare I am a coffee addict.

I will be found in my back yard next week, and the ones to follow, with my dog on one side and the roaster on the other keeping me company and warm during the fall and winter months.

Happy Halloween and Roasting to All!

The Language of Coffee.

"When traveling with someone, take large does of patience and tolerance with your morning coffee." 
~ Helen Hayes

Photographer Unknown

When traveling domestically, this advice is easy to follow. Drive through a Starbucks or Caribou Coffee and order a beverage. The trip continues without the added drama of the uncaffeinated.

Traveling abroad is another story.
On a tour of Europe you could encounter over 230 spoken languages. 

In the European Union there are
23 official languages: Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish and Swedish.

I have tried to learn Spanish, French and Latin.

After three semesters of Latin in college, all I can remember is what Dead Poets Society taught me:
agricola, agricolae, agricolas, agricolas, agricolatis, agricolatus.
The ability to parse the latin word for farmer won't help me order coffee.

My best friend from high school now lives in Austria. My husband and I have plans to visit her in the next couple years. Coffee will be a necessity against jet lag. 

What to do to get coffee when you can't speak the language? Charades? Mime? 

While these two options may be successful, the embarrassment might not be affordable. 

Using pantomime to get a cup of coffee is bad enough, but the embarrassment will last only a short while. However, the pictures friends or family will take of your desperation for coffee will last forever. 

I have compiled a few key phrases to prevent international embrassment.
Learn what you can say in French, Italian and German to order coffee.

French 
Is there a coffeehouse nearby?
Y a-t-il un café tout près? 

An espresso, please. 
Un café espresso, s'il vous plaît.

I would like to take it intravenously. 
Je le voudrais en intraveineuse.

A black coffee, please.
Un café noir, s'il vous plaît.

I am about to fall asleep.
Je suis sur le point de tomber de sommeil.

Italian
An espresso, please. 
Un caffè, per favore.

An espresso laced with brandy, please.
Un caffè corretto, per favore.

An espresso macchiato, please.
Un caffè macchiato, per favore.

I'd like a double cappuccino, please.
Vorrei un doppio cappuccino, per favore.

A black coffee, please.
Un caffè nero, per favore.

I am about to fall asleep.
Sto circa per cadere addormentato.

German
Is there a coffeehouse nearby?
Gibt es hier ein Café in der Nähe?
 
An espresso, please. 
Einen Espresso, bitte.

A latte, please.
Einen Milchkaffee, bitte.

I'd like a double cappuccino, please.
Ich hätte gern einen doppelten Cappuccino, bitte.

A mocha, please.
Einen Mokka, bitte.

A black coffee, please.
Einen schwarzen Kaffee, bitte.

I am about to fall asleep.
Ich schlafe gleich ein.

Coffee may be a global commodity, but language isn't universal.

Even if bad pronunciation abandons you to face jet lag coffeeless, the written word can save you. 
Print the list and place it in a pocket. It is as valuable as your passport.

I would love to here your coffee adventures, international and domestic. Share them in the comments box below or email me directly at sarahjorichards@gmail.com.

Practice. Research. Experiment.

photographer unknown

“I love this top.” You flip the tag over and read the price. “$75. I can’t afford this right now.” 

Leaving the dressing room with every intention to put it back on the rack and walk away, you notice there are only a couple left. The only left in your size in the one still in your hand and the sales rationalizing beings.

“This top is 25% off and I can save an extra 15% with this coupon...”

It is amazing how one can justify buying something. With coffee there is no justification needed for buying the better coffee. Using logic and science, roasting, brewing and drinking better coffee becomes our scientific duty.

Practice.

In high school I was a competitive swimmer. The 500 yard freestyle and 200 yard butterfly were my events. In college, I was a member of the synchronized swim team. I spent three hours a day in practice training.

I play the clarinet, bass clarinet and piano. Each of these instruments requires daily practice to improve.  

Sports and musical ambitions take practice, but practice doesn’t make perfect. 

Practice brings us understanding. Understanding brings us closer to perfection.

When roasting coffee, practice is needed in order to gain an understanding of the roasting apparatus. Familiarity of how my roaster works will allow me to roast better coffee. 

Practice isn’t limited to roasting. Practice brewing is important as well. And if you’ve spent the time roasting and brewing coffee or espresso, it is only logical to practice tasting the beverage. It is wasteful to spit it out, so you’ll just have to drink it. 

This is, after all, in the name of science. One must be thorough.

Research.

The scientific process documents the experiments and thoughts a scientist used to get to a conclusion. It is this method which makes it possible for scientist to build upon the knowledge of those who came before them in order to make new discoveries.

In order to roast and brew better coffee you need to learn from the knowledge of others. 

Read books and blogs.

Talk to baristas and other roasters.  

Drink coffee others have roasted.

Remember science is depending on our research to make more advancements everyone can benefit from. This might mean you’ll have sacrifice a hour of sleep and have that extra shot of espresso.

Experiment.

After becoming familiar with the roasting and brewing processes, and researching how others roast and brew while drinking good coffee, like Intelligentsia’s Black Cat espresso, it is time to apply what has been learned.

Recently I roasted Papua New Guinea  Purosa, Indian Mysore Chikmagular and Yemen Mocca Mataria together using only low heat. 

It produced coffee.

It wasn’t posionous.

It was far a success.

It left my mouth dry with a burnt crust after taste. 

I don’t consider the attempt a failure. 

Like Edison and the light bulb, I just found another blend roast that didn’t work. 

When roasts don’t turn out well it just motivates me to try again. 

The bad roasts are need with the good to obtain perspective. 

Which is why it pays during research to let your palate taste good coffee so you know what experiments to repeat and which ones to never do again.  

Share.

If Newton never share his law of gravity, would Einstein have been able to give us the theory of relativity?

Practice, research and experiment with roasting and brewing coffee, and then share your findings, the good and the bad.

It is for science!

For the betterment of culture and society.

For the advancement of the human race.

And one can’t argue with scientific fact.

Share your findings here by using the comments box, or by emailing me directly at sarahjorichards@gmail.com.