What’s Your Method?

By the time you read this Rendezvous will be over and the Frostbite Music Festival will be but a memory. But March is here, and with it more sunlight, longer days, and that urge to shake it up.

The roaster is on, the coffee is hot and I am having a great time at work these days, tasting new coffees. We have been cupping up a storm, checking our blends for consistency, taste testing new roasts, and enjoying the fun of method testing.

I have been brewing, pressing, extracting, making espresso, and literally enjoying the fruits of our labours.

I enjoy taking the same roast, and tasting the difference in the method; for instance, a dark Columbian brewed in a drip machine will have a different taste when pressed, when made as a stove top espresso, and so on.

It thrills me to realize that there are some coffees I just really like as drip coffee, and some that I prefer in a press. Some that I really dislike as an “espresso” and others that really stand out without any cream or sugar.

Some coffees taste great with chocolate, and some with lemon. Coffee has so many interesting and versatile qualities.

My favourites these days seem to be from Indonesia. Balinese coffee in particular is smoky and full-bodied, with just a hint of sweetness, when pressed.

I cannot seem to stop drinking Ethiopian as a drip coffee, after it’s roasted to perfection: not too dark, not too light, right there in the middle where the fruitiness sits.

And Kenyan AA, a true goddess of coffee, is still one of the only coffees I can drink black, as it never bothers my tummy. And it has such a mellow aftertaste. I love that I can enjoy it on its own, no fillers.

I have also been pressing espresso blends, and also making them as drip coffee, and I have to say I enjoy both as a nice afternoon coffee, adding a slip of honey, nothing more. Yum.

On weekends, I have been drinking coffee pressed with a smidgen of cardamom. And the other day I tried my espresso with a wedge of sugared lemon, Italian style.

Something to remember is that if you find yourself sick of your usual favourite, try changing your daily routine.

Try making cowboy coffee at home on the weekend, instead of your usual drip brew.

If you start your Sunday with a stovetop espresso, next time give the press a whirl.

This is especially true of those who boast of drinking only one kind of roast. Try that same favourite made differently – I think you’ll be surprised.

If it turns out that you really just like your coffee made exactly the same way every day, that’s fine, but your palate will thank you for branching out every once in awhile.

I also stick to my theory that coffee always tastes better made for you!

Random acts of coffee kindness can happen anywhere. Make someone you love a cup. It most likely will be reciprocated at a later date.

When it comes to this lovely bean, almost anything is possible. So think outside the box and, when in doubt, add whip cream.

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