r e . a l i t y
ɹǝʌo ǝɯ uɹnʇ – sıɥʇ pɐǝɹ uɐɔ noʎ ɟı
High fat to relieve the high heat? Maybe not…
Aug 19th
- Icepresso Chiller (Second Cup, 16 oz.) – 208 calories, 3 grams of fat
- Coffee Frappuccino (Starbucks, 16 oz.) – 240 calories, 2.5 grams of fat
- Iced Creme Brulee Ristretto (Second Cup, 16 oz.) – 439 calories, 21 grams fat
- Caramel Frappuccino (Starbucks, 16 oz.) – 400 calories, 11 grams fat
- Iced Cappuccino (Tim Horton’s, 14 oz.) – 365 calories, 17 grams fat
When the weather is hot, I think that I just might think twice about hitting the Timmy’s drive-thru! Might dissappoint the kids though…
Popularity: 1% [?]
Grinder upgrade?
Aug 17th
Well. I think that I’m getting closer to biting the bullet and getting a real coffee grinder.
Still not 100% sure how far I’ll go, but there are few contenders:
- Macap M4
- Mazzer Mini
- Bezzera BB004
- Rancilio Rocky
The difficult part is determining what to spend in the end. The Macap seems to be the grinder of choice on coffeegeek.com, with the Mazzer Mini a close second, but these are also the most costly.
I haven’t read too much about the Bezzera, but there is a local supplier which is a bonus to me. And the price seems not too bad.
The Rancilio Rocky is another recommended grinder… but I’m not certain that it can grind the variety of beans that I would like. And many owners seem to eventually upgrade to the Mazzer or Macap grinders. Eventually I would like to get an espresso machine… so this grinder should be able to ‘do it all’ I want to buy once…
This would be sweet!
Popularity: 1% [?]
Aeropress
Jul 23rd
I finally picked up an Aerobie Aeropress coffee maker today from St. City Roasters.
I’ve been wanting something to make a single cup of coffee for a while… I’m finding that with the heat lately, I haven’t always been finishing the coffee I make in the morning… and it doesn’t feel right dumping coffee down the drain.
Anyway, I tried it out this evening for the first time… putting a couple spoonfuls of fresh ground Organic Timor Maubesse beans into the coffee maker. I boiled up some water, then waited a couple minutes for the temperature to drop down a bit…somewhere between 175 and 180 F. Poured a little in to moisten the grounds as recommended, then poured in the rest and gave it the 10 second stir before putting in the plunger and pressing out a mug full of coffee.
The results were VERY pleasing 
It was an excellent cup of coffee, and unlike my normal coffee from my Starbucks Grande Barista coffee maker, there was no coffee silt at the bottom of the mug. The coffee was very rish in flavour, no bitterness whatsoever. Absolutely delicious !
I might just pick up another one to keep at the office… and there will likely be more than one purchased as Christmas gifts for a few relatives that I know enjoy a good cup of coffee.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Have a homebrew!
May 4th
The best beer can often be found in your neighbour’s basement
I used make my own beer as well, and made some awesome homebrews. I still have most of the gear…. a couple primaries and about a half dozen or so secondaries. Might have to give it a whirl again, and dig up my old recipes… yes, I actually kept a log of most of the batches I made, particularily the more complex batches, or ones that particularily enjoyed.
Popularity: unranked [?]
More Coffee!
Oct 30th
Well, just in case anyone is wondering why the heck is this guy posting coffee stuff… my enjoyment of coffee has been revived. I finally got totally pissed off at the lukewarm toiletwater that our old Braun coffee maker produced. After googling around, and discovering coffeegeek.com, I went shopping for a replacement coffee maker. Basically 3 requirements: 10+ cups, Thermal carafe, and proper brewing temperature.
I found a number of posts about the Starbucks coffee makers at coffeegeek.com, and also a couple other review sites. No really adverse opinions, and in general, a good solid machine that met the three requirements, and I could actually go to a store and see one.
So far I’ve put about 5lbs of coffee through this machine, and have been very pleased…pot after pot. I went and got a Thermos to empty the carafe into, so that I could have some excellent coffee at work. I found that I was wasting coffee in the morning.
So today, I picked up a couple more pounds of coffee from St.City, and Sunday morning I’ll see how the new grinder works. I bought a $30 burr grinder that Superstore started selling a couple weeks ago. Now that I finally have some beans, we’ll see how it works. (The reviews I found online for a Black and Decker grinder that looks the same were really poor…hopefully my experience will differ).
Popularity: 1% [?]
