Merry Christmas = Great Coffee?

Santa Claus (a.k.a. Camille) was very kind this year. Again, each of the coffee-related requests were granted including one that actually turned out to be a bit difficult to find: an 8-cup (40 ounce), handblown Chemex (CM-3). On Christmas morning, a vintage (~1980), handblown, 8-cup Chemex with a box of white Chemex filters was found to be hidden beneath some decorative cloaking; the filters are new and were purchased from our hosts along with the Chemex CoffeeMaker Cover.

There were doubts as to whether or not the the brew from the Chemex would be enjoyed because it uses paper filters - not a fan. Upon reading the box that ensconced the Chemex filters, the following statement was noted, "Chemex-bonded filters filter out all the bitterness, sediment and oils: produce a clear, flavorful coffee without fail." Oils? Musings of, "How then can the coffee be any good?" ensued. However, many of you constantly extol the virtues of this brewing method, hence the original Christmas request to "Santa."

This morning, the session of sleep was brought to quiet closure by a cherubic, "There's coffee brewing ..." It was the Bali Kintamani Arabica brewing in the Technivorm (with SwissGold filter), roasted last Friday (12-21) in the RK Drum. Ahhhh ... delightful!

This afternoon, there was a desire for more coffee; a perfect opportunity to try the Chemex. It was decided to brew the Bali since the cup could be compared to this morning's brew. A quick reference of Sweet Maria's tip sheet, grind coffee, pre-wet filter, preheat carafe, heat water in cordless Bodum Ibis (also delivered by Santa), etc., initiated the process. Grinds in filter and begin brewing, allow bloom, continue to pour, patience, continue to pour, sample the aroma of the wet grounds - WOW ... that is nice!

While the brew was being poured into the cup, the beauty of the crystal-clear elixir could not go unnoticed! The olfactory was obsessed as cups one, two and three were filled; Wyatt and Camille anxiously awaited their share too. The decision was unanimous; this is exquisite elixir.

Merry Christmas = Great Coffee!

The Behmor and Mr. Behm

While I was out of town for Thanks- giving, a brand new Behmor 1600 Coffee Roaster arrived with 8 pounds of Sweet Maria's precursors to exquisite elixir; all due to the generosity of my friend Aaron! Aaron had taken some steps that had worked out for him lately and made his life better; he wanted to share that with someone and as a net result, I was the recipient of generosity. Thank you, Aaron!

Now, one stipulation was that Aaron would get the first roast out of the roaster. Well, life has been so hectic that I have only had enough time to take it out of the box and snap a few photos. Starting tomorrow, I am on vacation until after the first of the year and I am both determined and looking forward to getting some roasting done with the Behmor 1600.

Given that Aaron is a fellow home roaster with a Behmor 1600, I want him to enjoy my first roast out of this roaster; I already have a bean selection in mind. What to do? Well everyone talks about how friendly Joe Behm (inventor of the Behmor 1600) is. I also remembered that I emailed him a Happy Thanksgiving message and he responded to call anytime. So I picked up the phone and called him. He answered the phone immediately, and it took Joe about 30 seconds to answer my specific question; the rest of the hour we conversed and shared stories on just about every subject one could imagine, including coffee and roasting. He even followed up with an email and some instructions that he mentioned within 30 minutes.

With this kind of customer service, Joe is sure to glean the benefits of his eight years of hard work to bring this roaster to the market. I wish him success,prosperity and a Merry Christmas!

Oh, and I was certain that his last name was pronounced Bame (Bām), and he confirmed this. However, the name of his roaster is pronounced, "Bee-more" (Bē-more) as in "be more," he wanted his roaster to be more.

Ogeechee River Coffee Company, Statesboro, Georgia

We made it to the Eastern Shore of Virginia (Exmore) late at night to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday with family. This morning, I brewed some of the expertly-roasted precursors to exquisite elixir that we purchased from Scott, the owner of Ogeechee River Coffee Company; the Brazil Cerrado was a big hit this morning! Nice rustic fruit in silky-bodied chocolate ... oooh!

Stopping by to see Scott at his Ogeechee River Coffee Company was a fantastic way to start this vacation; I feel like we stopped in for a visit with family. Scott was so welcoming and Lisa's brilliant personality obviated the need for interior lighting! Even Wyatt, my 41/2 year old enjoyed it. I got a tour of the shop, which is beautiful, a fine double espresso pulled by Scott himself, a great lunch and two thermoses full of a delightful Ethiopia Kafu for the second half of the trip. If any of you are ever in the Statesboro area, just outside Savannah, Georgia or surrounding areas, you must stop by and visit. Buy some of his roasted coffees as they are excellent! We bought four bags of Scott's coffees to supplement the home-roasted coffees we brought with us. And, in case you missed it, here is the link to the article that was recently written about him and his coffee shop: http://www.statesboroherald.com/news/article/5614/

We did get a couple of pictures. Next time we will have to make time to be able to do some roasting too.

Scott, thank you again and please tell Lisa the same!

WHOO HOO! Got Mentioned in Imbibe Magazine!

Hot dang! My friend Vicki and I actually got mentioned in an article in Imbibe Magazine ... a magazine that I actually subscribe to!

Check it out!

Imbibe Magazine Article

Guatemala Antigua - Retaña Yellow Bourbon

At only 2 1/2 days rest, I love this coffee.

This coffee is soft, sweet, clean, clear, crisp and enticing.

The aroma is honeyed to the point of relaxing, contrasted with enough spice to keep you alert with anticipation.

At first there is white grape, very present, but not biting, and soon accompanied by a mouth-watering perception of pear. The fruit fades and leaves an inviting floral aspect reminiscent of the bouquet of wild honeysuckle.

Anticipation rewarded ...

Brazil Organic Camocim Moka (Peaberry)

Am I sorry I waited so long to get around to roasting this coffee! WOW, I would have ordered more!

At only 30 hours of rest, it already has an excellent waxy, oily mouthfeel with nuttiness and woody aromatics mixed in with the deep, dark chocolate essence.

---------- Roasting and Brewing Particulars ----------

Brewed in a Melitta Single-Cup Pour Over with a Swissgold filter.

Roasting details:

Roaster: 4 lb RK Drum
Date & Time: 09/02/2007 @ 12:30 PM
Ambient Temperature: 86F
Batch Size: 1 pound
Roast Level: Full City (right at the brink of 2nd crack)
1st crack: 12 minutes even
2nd crack: nope
Roast pulled and cooled: 14 minutes 45 seconds

In the Cup - Brazil Jacu Bird Coffee

My first cup of this coffee was rested for 2.5 days and brewed in the Technivorm with Swissgold filter. Same method for each of the ensuing days.

This is a really nice, smooth, pleasing cup of coffee. The term that Tom (of Sweet Maria's) used, "dusty sweetness" is a very apt description and there is a really pleasing suggestion of milk chocolate too. There is the "drying" hint of peanut in the aftertaste and aroma, but not
astringent. The aftertaste is long, and very pleasant. As the days progressed, it developed the slightest peppery hint. A nicely balance, very enjoyable cup of coffee.

My co-workers had been waiting for me to bring it to work so that they could try it. I brought a Thermos of it to work with me each day for sharing and it was unanimous. Everyone knew beforehand what the deal was with the coffee and there was only two people who would not try the coffee. Of all those that tried the coffee (about a dozen or so), everyone agreed that it was a very nice, balanced, enjoyable cup of coffee with a great lingering aftertaste.

Roasting details:

Roaster: 4 lb RK Drum
Date & Time: 07/08/2007 @ 5:10 PM
Ambient Temperature: 90ºF
Batch Size: 1 pound
Roast Level: Full City+ (just a few snaps of 2nd crack)
1st crack: 12 minutes 15 seconds
2nd crack: 15 minutes 30 seconds
Roast pulled and cooled: 15 minutes 30 seconds