Let's Talk Coffee!

So it's been well established what I do for a living. Along with life at sea comes long hours in cold, boring spaces (that's what we call rooms on ships.) My job on a ship, by and large, is not that exciting. (It does GET exciting, but not very often, for very long, and we're talking about the boring parts.) So how do we do it? For me, it's coffee. I drink coffee all day long. I can drink anything, any roast, cold or hot, weak, strong or burnt. Even *shiver* instant. But let's face it, I can, but I'm a coffee elitist at heart. So this Christmas, El Jefe got me one of these babies.



It's a burr coffee grinder, and I am completely in love. I love trying new coffees, and the Greenie in me loves Fair-Trade, Organic coffees. But the problem is that often these small, home roasters offer their coffee in whole bean form. To have it all ground and sitting on my counter (even in an airtight container at room temperature) would be to lose some of the freshness. Most roasters will grind for you, so please try some, but if you LOVE it, get a burr grinder.

Once upon a time, I had a small blade grinder. You've seen them - small handheld, pour the beans in and flip it over because the top is the ground-bean vessel. It was good while it lasted, but it's grind wasn't consistent, it was a pain to clean, and it was really loud. The other problem with blade grinders is heat. The amount of time it takes to get a consistent(ish) grind burns your beans, causing bitterness.

Of the two kind of burr grinders, cone and disk, mine is a disk grinder. Great for home application (yay) and easy to clean, and affordable, now I can have freshly ground coffee when I want without having hit hit the drive-thru. Now I just need a cup like this one:




Available at Fred Flare for $22, made of porcelain with a silicone lid.





And some of this, which I have been lusting over FOREVER:





Brainscan Fair Trade Organic coffee!

I hope you enjoyed my "I love what I got for Christmas post", there's more to come!