Since we're broke trying to save money in the current economic crisis, as I went shopping yesterday for dinner I bought some cheap coffee. Trader Joe's Italian Roast, which at $8.65/lb is less expensive than the $10.50/lb I pay for any of the brands at QFC, or even the (gasp) $16/lb I would spend these days for Dead Man's Reach. (When I get a job, though, I am so buying myself some DMR, though.)

Trader Joe's Italian Roast is an unremarkable coffee. It's more bitter, closer to the historical coffees you might remember when your father drank it, but definitely better than that; it's smoother and more forgiving, and when you first pour the beans out they're dark and oily and just they way they should be. It's like heirloom coffee, in a way.

The taste is slightly bitter and has a high palette, very little nose with some chestnut in it, and a very strong chocolate aftertaste that is nice. It's not great coffee-- the opening notes are somewhat astringent, but that fades very quickly-- but it'll do.

On the other hand, it has a lot of caffeine. I mean, make the "Elf jittery with one cup" lot. I don't know whether this recommends it to you, or not, but there you have it.

Tags: coffee, review
Current Mood: awake

Having run out of my favorite brand, Dead Man's Reach, I had to suffice myself with some Tony's Shade Grown Coffee, a politically correct brand that advertises its sustainability, fair trade and organic certification.

The first blend I tried was their Songbird Blend, which was a combination of a light-to-medium roast and a very dark roast. It was not my favorite blend; it was bitter and lingered unpleasantly after I'd drunk some of it. Not the best roast in the world.

The second roast I tried was the French Royale roast. Much nicer. Good and smooth, and this one actually has the "chocolatey overtones" that the flyer claimed was to be found in the Songbird blend. Very yummy, especially with four minutes of french press steeping.

Tags: coffee, review
Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Heather Alexendar, Gypsy Bardic Tinker People

Don't cover the chimney completely! I forgot to mention that: you don't want to cover the chimney completely. The spoon I use is just the right size to keep the beans from popping out when they well up from the center, but if you prevent the airflow from leaving the popper it will burn out and then you might just need that fire extinguisher. If you hear the popper whirring up, you're blocking too much airflow, and that's not a good thing.

Tags: coffee, cooking
Current Mood: amused

I've been making coffee. Not just brewing it, but starting from raw beans (an Ethiopian harvest) and turning it into real coffee. Since I've had pleasant success with it, I've decided to try and write down what I'm doing.

( Cheap, good roast! )

Tags: coffee, cooking
Current Mood: happy
Current Music: The Scientific Method, Into the Machinic Phylum