If you’ve followed Loam Coffee for any time then you’ll know that we love experimenting with different brew methods. Seemingly every month there’s a new device out on the market that claims to brew a “perfect cup” of coffee. As I’ve shared before, at times my home kitchen looks like a junior high science classroom with all sorts of beakers, carafes, scales, electric kettles, various grinders, filters, and more. So when we had the opportunity to test drive the new Wacaco Nanopresso it was a resounding, “YES!!!”
Lately I've been on a mission. Maybe it was boredom sneaking in or simply the need to change things up, but I had grown bored with how I was brewing coffee at home. As I'm always looking for new brew methods and buying ones that pique my interest I recently picked up the Coffee Gator Pour Over Brewer. I had been watching numerous Youtube videos about the Kinto slow coffee style and the Coffee Gator looked like a (cheaper) similar set-up I thought, "why not?"
Mountain bikers are accustomed to continually dialing in their bikes. We're constantly tinkering the PSI whether in our tires or suspension depending on where we're riding, trail conditions, and of course personal preference. Sure, if you're like me you don't fuss much with that kind of tomfoolery. A quick grab of the tires to check the PSI or pushing down on my front forks and I'm set and ready for the trail. It's not like I'm getting ready to drop into the DH course at Fort William or Les Gets. But we get this whole notion of tweaking ... adjusting things like brakes, shifting, suspension, and keeping everything in top shape.
The same mindset can and actually should be applied to coffee.
While coffee is always essential for staving off dark winters it is just as vital in the warm summer months while road trippin' to get your day started. The question then is which brew method? With so many choices out there and so many opinions to go along with them which one should you choose? Is there truly one brew method to rule them all?
There is seemingly an explosion of people either selling homes and moving into conversion vans or at least doing so for extended periods of times. The spontaneity and flexible it allows is unheralded. Many of us long and dream about such a day when we can go and do the same. To walk away from our 9-5 jobs and make our careers and livelihood sync up with life on the road. To drive from mountain bike hotspot to mountain bike hotspot waking up each morning, brewing up our coffee, and then hitting the trail that you're parked next to.
The way you brew your coffee is also a thin-slice into your personality. Do you doubt? If you tell me how you brew your coffee I can begin telling you a little bit about who you are. No, this is not like the middle-aged magician dude at the carnival guessing random things. So tell me ... how do you brew your coffee?
