Sharing stories about coffee, stories, and stoke
I like to create and start things. Maybe it's because I started off university studies as an art major. Art is about creating from scratch. A blank canvas is where it begins. However, I'd say that for me even beneath the surface of all of this is a natural curiosity. I like to create and start things because I'm curious.
I feel as though I'm always poking and prodding topics that, while they are near and dear in the world of coffee and bikes, don't always garner the most attention. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people talking, writing, and doing these things. They just don't snag the headlines like when Trek releases a new frame, Marzocchi drops a new fork, or the latest happenings in the DH World Cup. Don't worry, no conspiracy theories harbored here and like you I love reading about all the latest happenings in the mountain bike world.
It's hard to explain, but there is something magical about the Pacific Northwest. Of course, that's a very American term because when we lived up in British Columbia for a couple years it would more or less be considered southwest Canada, but anyways ... you get what I'm saying. No one really knows or has explicitly defined what the PNW is as far as geographic boundaries. My hunch is that it starts somewhere in northern California and follows the coastline all of the way up to southeast Alaska. Pretty much wherever there is lots of rain, fog, and dense forest (with lots of loam) there you'll find the Pacific Northwest.
I admit I'm a sports fan. I have my go-to sports that I enjoy watching live when I can. In the fall it's all about college football. Every Saturday I hit up a small college football game somewhere in Oregon. In the winter I regularly go to home basketball games at the university where I also am a professor at. However, I've found little that has come close to the emotions, anticipation, and intensity of DH World Cup finals.
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.
