In a way, I'm starting over. No more consumer electronics, no more apple, not a lot of tech.
Its all about coffee.
I'm making one man's(teen's?) journey through coffee Like this guy, this blog is inspired by him and his is awesome, check it out.
Backround Info, copied from my post on Home Barista
I use to be amazed by dads coffee and process when I was younger, even though it was drip.
I use to start making mochas with instant mocha mix, and before long I was going to SBUX at least once or twice a week buying mochas. That was around 10, and at around 13 I got my first "espresso machine". It was a Mr. Coffee, cheap steam $40 machine. Then the next year I upgraded to the Delonghi EC155, It was a weekend thing--on Saturday and Sunday mornings I would always make a sweet mocha or carmel mocha.
Then my parents remodeled my kitchen, and at the same time I started to go to local coffee shops and started to have flavored lattes. I gave away my Delonghi because my parents bought a Miele CVA 4066 for the entire family (dad, mom, bro-16, and myself, at the time 14). I was getting into the mood at that point being the connoisseur or snob for coffee in my family, and about 2 months ago, I wanted to go back to the manual machines and not the "push-button cappuccino". I got my Rancilio Silvia&Rocky and I started to make more cappaccinos and ordered them from my local coffee shops. I started to go to the coffee shops less and less and only attend my local ones about once every week. My drinks have been amazing to me and the coffee I have been buying has been fresher than ever.
I am 15 years old, and a very passionate young man about coffee. I want to go to college, major in business, minor in computer science, and then with a little background money from programming, start my own coffee shop. My dream. Everyone is surprised that a teen as young as me is as much into it as I am.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
ehhhhhhhhhhhh Skim...
Try to steam skim milk, you will not be able to get the right textured milk because it separates to darn quick. That is all.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Why Starbucks Sucks--Coffee Taste part 2/2
Hmmmmmm Okay. Now time to explain it a little bit more detail why Starbucks roasts their coffee so much and how it affects the coffee.
Yes the coffee tastes burnt, but what else does it do and why do they do it?
Starbucks does it because they want to get the coffee in and out of the roasting plant--fast. Like I said, in the US alone, Starbucks has the responsibility of sending coffee from this one roasting plant to +10,000 stores. They need to roast it quickly. Thats why Starbucks roasts there coffee at a higher temperature, so then they can roast it faster. Another benefit for the corporate giant is that high roasted coffee can keep longer--if it is kept as whole beans. If it is pre-ground, it will go stale easily within days.
Three major side affects of this amount of roasting--bad taste(which I have already covered), oily beans, and losing the essence of the coffee.
The beans become oily because....well lets get a minor education on roasting. Coffee roasting is supposed to stop between after the first crack (endothermic process) and a little bit past the second crack. Most coffees are in the happy median between. However, Starbucks often roasts after the second crack. These cracks release moisture within the bean, and also it releases oils. These oils can clog and damage your machine and grinder.
The third consequence is that this degree of roasting destroys the essence and background of the bean. Roasting develops the specific bean's flavors (for example, an Ethiopean-grown bean has specific admired qualities), but after the peak of flavor--somewhere between first and second crack, varies with different coffees--the flavor and taste of that specific bean just deteriorates. This also might be a reason why Starbucks roasts their coffee at such a large temperature, because roasting near this amount takes away from the flavor and the coffee impurities because the impurities of some coffee are their flavor.
This is all that is flowing out of my mind right now, in the future I'm going to write these posts about this subject:
Yes the coffee tastes burnt, but what else does it do and why do they do it?
Starbucks does it because they want to get the coffee in and out of the roasting plant--fast. Like I said, in the US alone, Starbucks has the responsibility of sending coffee from this one roasting plant to +10,000 stores. They need to roast it quickly. Thats why Starbucks roasts there coffee at a higher temperature, so then they can roast it faster. Another benefit for the corporate giant is that high roasted coffee can keep longer--if it is kept as whole beans. If it is pre-ground, it will go stale easily within days.
Three major side affects of this amount of roasting--bad taste(which I have already covered), oily beans, and losing the essence of the coffee.
The beans become oily because....well lets get a minor education on roasting. Coffee roasting is supposed to stop between after the first crack (endothermic process) and a little bit past the second crack. Most coffees are in the happy median between. However, Starbucks often roasts after the second crack. These cracks release moisture within the bean, and also it releases oils. These oils can clog and damage your machine and grinder.
The third consequence is that this degree of roasting destroys the essence and background of the bean. Roasting develops the specific bean's flavors (for example, an Ethiopean-grown bean has specific admired qualities), but after the peak of flavor--somewhere between first and second crack, varies with different coffees--the flavor and taste of that specific bean just deteriorates. This also might be a reason why Starbucks roasts their coffee at such a large temperature, because roasting near this amount takes away from the flavor and the coffee impurities because the impurities of some coffee are their flavor.
This is all that is flowing out of my mind right now, in the future I'm going to write these posts about this subject:
- Starbuck's "Specialty Drinks" and Customers
- Starbuck's employees and their treatment
- Starbuck's Policy/Morals
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Why Starbucks Sucks--Coffee Taste part 1/2 (background)
Coffee-most consumed beverage behind water in the USA and second most widely traded item behind oil. We live on it.
And yet the coffee environment/community is being corrupted. Well at least, changing for the worse and it HAS changed for the worst since 1971.
When Starbucks was founded.
I have been ridiculed, well more like questioned but to me it feels like I'm a heretic for hating Starbucks. People don't understand, and actually that is part of Starbucks fault too...So many reasons. Today I'm going to just go over the taste of their coffee, not their service or employee/acquaintance treatment or even the average Starbucks customer 'sigh'.
First of all, their coffee is burnt.
If you can't tell that their coffee is burnt, do you really consider yourself a real coffee connoisseur or a person that wants the best coffee possible? This could go into the average Starbucks customer, but I don't want to do that.
"Oh NO! Why would Starbucks EVER burn there coffee? (uh what does that even mean, I mean my frappuccino is cold...not burnt..)"
Don't get me started with their "specialty drinks" either...
Coffee- it is a bean--well actually a seed, but I don't want to get into that either.
To get the delicious coffee taste--sips my cup of a little bit before full city roast--you have to roast the coffee. You have to get the perfect timing and temperature. Starbucks has +10,000 stores in the US alone, and they all get their coffee from one, single Starbucks roaster. The prime time to have fresh roasted coffee is 2-3 days after it is roasted, and that would be very hard for Starbucks to do. Actually, pretty much impossible.
Well how does Starbucks do it? They started to roast their coffee a little bit more.
Then more.
Then to today.
Their coffee is now so over-roasted, that those who may have never had Starbucks that may have always been visiting a local, not a large chain, coffee shop if they went to Starbucks, they would be repulsed by how it would taste. They would just throw it away and leave.
I wanted to do that when I went back a few weeks ago. I wasn't born a Starbucks hater. In fact, I use to praise them, there frappuchinos and macchiatos! (I will discuss specialty drinks in another article) I even had a gold card.
Then, I decided to pursue my coffee interest, my hobby. Now-I'd say passion.
Woah ok that was kind of long. At least for me typing. I'll go to the actual roasting reasons in another article.
And yet the coffee environment/community is being corrupted. Well at least, changing for the worse and it HAS changed for the worst since 1971.
When Starbucks was founded.
I have been ridiculed, well more like questioned but to me it feels like I'm a heretic for hating Starbucks. People don't understand, and actually that is part of Starbucks fault too...So many reasons. Today I'm going to just go over the taste of their coffee, not their service or employee/acquaintance treatment or even the average Starbucks customer 'sigh'.
First of all, their coffee is burnt.
If you can't tell that their coffee is burnt, do you really consider yourself a real coffee connoisseur or a person that wants the best coffee possible? This could go into the average Starbucks customer, but I don't want to do that.
"Oh NO! Why would Starbucks EVER burn there coffee? (uh what does that even mean, I mean my frappuccino is cold...not burnt..)"
Don't get me started with their "specialty drinks" either...
Coffee- it is a bean--well actually a seed, but I don't want to get into that either.
To get the delicious coffee taste--sips my cup of a little bit before full city roast--you have to roast the coffee. You have to get the perfect timing and temperature. Starbucks has +10,000 stores in the US alone, and they all get their coffee from one, single Starbucks roaster. The prime time to have fresh roasted coffee is 2-3 days after it is roasted, and that would be very hard for Starbucks to do. Actually, pretty much impossible.
Well how does Starbucks do it? They started to roast their coffee a little bit more.
Then more.
Then to today.
Their coffee is now so over-roasted, that those who may have never had Starbucks that may have always been visiting a local, not a large chain, coffee shop if they went to Starbucks, they would be repulsed by how it would taste. They would just throw it away and leave.
I wanted to do that when I went back a few weeks ago. I wasn't born a Starbucks hater. In fact, I use to praise them, there frappuchinos and macchiatos! (I will discuss specialty drinks in another article) I even had a gold card.
Then, I decided to pursue my coffee interest, my hobby. Now-I'd say passion.
Woah ok that was kind of long. At least for me typing. I'll go to the actual roasting reasons in another article.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Benefits of Moderate (3x/day) Coffee Drinking!
I wrote this a while ago for school, but here ya go!
https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AbKRR2trXoSmZGdkNHZrdnRfMGR3N2JxM2Nq&hl=en
Another Link
Margarita this is for you!
https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AbKRR2trXoSmZGdkNHZrdnRfMGR3N2JxM2Nq&hl=en
Another Link
Margarita this is for you!
Monday, April 25, 2011
iPhone 5 rumor season
Well it seems like most of the rumors that have arisen from the Apple Device manufacturers have been increasing in the recent days, and one is the actual photo of this next-gen device. It looks a lot like the iPhone 4 and doesn't seem to have many large improvements beside a larger 4" screen. Although there is something like a dual-core A5 under that. Are you going to upgrade?
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
iPhone 5 yay?
Well it looks like many in the tech community, including myself, assume that the next generation will not feature some of the previous rumors such as NFC (Near Field Communications), a complete redesign, 4g, or a little bit better display. The assumptions are the iPhone 5 (or 4g, 4gs?) will just incorporate a better processor, the A5(dual core), an 8 mega-pixel camera, and possibly some more RAM.
No Redesign
No NFC
No 4g
No better display
I really hope this doesn't happen. Although last year's iPhone 4 was completely redesigned and significantly updated, I want another significant update! I mean who doesn't? I guess the Androids can stick to there NFC Angry Birds......
No Redesign
No NFC
No 4g
No better display
I really hope this doesn't happen. Although last year's iPhone 4 was completely redesigned and significantly updated, I want another significant update! I mean who doesn't? I guess the Androids can stick to there NFC Angry Birds......
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