Are you heading to the mall today to return unwanted or wrong-sized gifts? Or, to look for clearance sale and other deals?
In my neck of the woods, Nashville seems furthest from people’s minds. I have to drive my wife to the mall but I’m not shopping, just head on a swivel.
Might visit a gun shop later although ammo inventory level is not encouraging.
Headed to work. I have hungry people to feed.
@BeanCounter I’m here laughing because I did my bodyguard work today. I drove my wife to the mall and then hit the local gun store. I picked up a rifle bag, single point sling and the attachments…
Went to the range. A good time was had by all.
I thought about doing that but got paranoid to let my wife out of sight.
I’ll get over it do what normal husbands do like you just did 
Actually, the wife went with me. 
Taking wife and kids to pick up some after Christmas sale items. So yep head on a swivel definitely. Especially when heading to an electronics store.
It ain’t paranoia anymore! It’s real, it’s happening! No more theories and no conspiracies, they have attempted and are about to complete the greatest fiasco known to man! Heads on swivels! No phones while in public, eyes up!
Went to the range and stayed away from stores. Not sure I was any safer.
Had a couple of guys with brand new guns learning as they shot live rounds. Waving their pistols around. Range officer ended up paying them a visit to at least teach them the basic rules.
I’ve been trying to dial in a new espresso machine. One of the most frustrating things ever is trying to do so with no guests in the house. Only one drinker means days of ‘a couple of pulls in the morning’, and then it waits until the next day. Yes, coffee is that valuable! (That, and I can’t do as much caffeine and expect to sleep at night like I used to.)
But, as this is an after then after the day, I may have finally got real close. 28 seconds, 72 grams, tastes none too bitter, none too sour! I think we may be getting there for a lungo!
(I’m really after 18 grams coffee in the double porta, 36 grams extraction in 28 seconds. The question is will the grind change more or the pull time shorten?)
Fresh ground I hope? The grind does matter. You want to extract flavors from the fresh ground coffee bean and everything from the temperature of the water and the size of the grind makes a difference. and to think, I do this for a living but, in a bigger way.
Defiantly play with the grinds and see which way the flavors go by going from course to really fine. I would mix a variety of beans and see what flavors you can get.
…there’s the rub, I’m just getting some parts sent out for my Hot Top roaster (it has been sitting unused for about 7 years now - ah, life - is - ) so I’m working with Lavazza whole bean. I’ve also got orders out for fresh roast from a vendor and updating my raw stock from Sweet Marias. I am coming back to an HX machine after years of using a double boiler so getting the brew head “just so” for consistent pulls is also a process of interest.
At one time I thought doing the roasting thing would be a great 4th career, so far it’s a pass time that hadn’t seen much exercise, what with everyone in my immediate family getting old and passing. After 2020, I’m reviewing the things that made me happy in the past and going after them - before thinking up stupid and foolish New Year’s resolutions! (Although, that Aillio Bullet looks like a nice toy… /boot to the head!)
Thanks for the feedback, always good to be reminded of the important things.
I thought about brewing beer. I have been doing it for years now and have a good collection of recipes. The thing I find funny is I do not really drink. I taste different beers but, I do not just go have a beer.
I really enjoy the building of the flavors and seeing what % of ABV I get.
Puget Stout - 13.3% ABV
Green Tea Pale Ale - 6.3% ABV
Hmmmm, maybe!
I have a single-serve keurig and a 12-cup brewer as back-up when I have visitors. I was looking for another single-serve but didn’t find one on sale.
I’m not picky when it comes to coffee, one cup + 1 tbsp sugar.
But, I’ve been experimenting with different k-cup flavors. Still can’t find a tiramisu flavor.
After I began drinking good coffee, I found I did not need adulterants (milk, sugar, etc.) in my coffee. I also do like espresso and had a machine for several or more years, until it broke. Finding a good roaster is integral to getting a good cup.
I have looked into roasting my own, but that appears to take a good amount of money for decent equipment and a lot of experience and a good source of green coffee beans to get a good cup. Then, as I like many varietals, I would likely have tens of pounds or more of green coffee to store. I usually order about 10 pounds of roasted coffee from a roaster each time. I have never had any issues with it going stale before my wife and finish it.
There was a time, when we first moved to Atl, that I got a Tassimo for folks in the family to have access to a ‘good’ cuppa of coffee when I wasn’t around to make it for them with an espresso machine. After a while, I didn’t have others making coffee with the Tassimo, and, funny thing, the brand, and cartridge design flopped in the US. So, NBD.
When my third Breville passed (after 10 years of total worthy service by equipment and the repair department at Corporate), I thought, I’m drinking tea, NBD, again.
But I do like a good cuppa coffee every so often, and I was getting bored with pour-over and french roast. Pop up “illy” ad! Now I have an illy ‘device’ and capsules of very nice iperEspresso ready to pop in and go!
Sooo… it just isn’t the same as weighing, grinding, charging, and pressing. New Italian espresso machine, preparing to roast again, and (obtw) I’m not drinking much tea at the moment. I’ve noticed coffee caffeine + tea caffeine is amazingly different than just tea, just coffee. Frightenly different. It reminds me of asthma medications I took as a child. People say it’s like an epinephrine push.
Yep! and it’s smaller in volume than you may think, even one hundred pounds of different varietals. People tell me, before automation and factory/small corner shop roasting, folks were roasting in their kitchens, on the fireplace, outdoors on an open fire. It is doable and there are dedicated machines that don’t require a grand (and more!) to ante up.
You made me look up the illy brand.
While I enjoy my keurig, I’m not a fan of pods and capsules.
Ages ago, I worked at a gas station convenience store that had an old school espresso machine. Everything was measured by hand. I used to have a customer who asked for a mocha with just a hint of cocoa.
I still dream of owning a machine like it.
Every place I have worked I was banned from making the coffee, even in a Mr Coffee. I dont get it, you just fill the thing up to the top with grounds, add a full pot of water and let it go. Clean up the grounds that spilled out of the basket afterward. Obviously a design flaw on their part. Why make the basket so big if you are not supposed to fill it up?
Other flaw is they should all come with an immersion blender to stir in all the 1/2-1/2 and sugar.
Just too complicated.
I see you just wing it and don’t use the measuring spoon. 
Before the pandemic, I used to prepare a 48-cup brewer for Sunday School. One old fella told me it’s too strong it reminded him of his military days.
I have re-used a Keurig pod for a second cup of coffee out of it, I think it is just as good as the first cup.