Moving forward?

So, in the sense of "moving forward," I have always tended towards trying new things and experiencing something different in order to learn more.  My recent move to Ypsilanti, has left me with the feeling of a wonder.  I ask myself what is the best way to brew a cup? V60? Bee-house? Fetco? French-press? I am sure everyone has their preference of brew method, but is there one right way to brew?  If you were to hear of a shop who brews all french-press, would you instantly not want to go there for a cup of coffee? (although you may just have the best french-press in the world?)  Would you turn your nose up to a shop that just does pour over bee-house brews?  Who is defining what is right in the coffee industry? What if it was not possible for a shop to do slow brew due to space or customer flow? Triple ristretto or double traditional? What is your biggest cup size? What is your base price for a "regular" cup of coffee? Is there really an excuse for a coffee shop to not brew quality? Roast quality? Source quality?

My past tense has caught up with me... who is defining me & what do I stand for?

All I needed was a personal 'Thunder-bolt!'

Looking back, I do not remember who told me this but if you were the person let me know and I will give you full credit for inspiration, all I know is that it was recent... The Thunder-bolts, it was the title of some high school team's mascot, kinda like the Milford Redskins or the Hartland Eagles.  What strikes me about this team name is that there is no such thing as a thunder-bolt, and another striking thing about this is that an institution of knowledge could allow themselves to be called the thunder-bolts (or redskins for that matter).  I bring this all up as a sort of analogy for my ever changing and always chaotic situation.  An institution of knowledge, a place where you go to learn, reflect, critically think, behave, and ultimately try to define yourself as independent, humble, and willing to take on the world.  I always thought that I would ideally live a life that mimicked the hard fought battles found in learning and growth.  I guess even the most romantic, optimistic and prepared person can wear blinders in the worst possible times and situations. I was involved in a situation that was not right from the get go, something was always amiss.  It was not just the team name, the players were not right, and the goal was always wrong.  Free of 'the hazards of love,' I find myself looking forward solo, independent, and unique.  I am moving to Ypsilanti to work at the infamous Ugly Mug Cafe and Roastery.  I am anxious, focused, and itching to start this new leg of my journey. 

Extract Mojo-ing

This will be short to echo the time I have spent playing on the extract mojo.

What I realize is that most of the brewing methods I have learned, been taught or have read about are for the most part on the over-dosed under-extracted side of coffee brewing.  Having spent a few hours trying to dial in a coffee using extract mojo and comparing it against my pallet, I seem to be finding that what I am experiencing is mimicked in the program.  It is also helping me put a more precise idea of what is going on in the cup descriptively.

I gotta say that it is really freaking cool... expensive, but shifting my mind...
My new favorite borrowed toy... I may just have to buy a refractometer to do this all the time...

Meaning, Michigan, & My Home.

It has been an exhausting few weeks.  We arrived in Grand Rapids with the help of my parents and the hands of a few friends.  Courtney and I made the decision to move back to our home state of Michigan, settle down and start planning our futures in coffee and life.  We have set up our professional residence at Madcap Coffee, the place where a kid can be a kid.  Wait! No! That's another place.  Madcap, from my perspective, is a place where we can work with other coffee professionals in developing ourselves and help in shaping Michigan into a coffee hub of sorts.  I am not going to name drop, but many a coffee professional hail from Michigan. But, just as we once did, these coffee professionals tend to leave the state for more lucrative coffee opportunities seeing as there are not many in Michigan.  Madcap, with the aim of the good souls that started the place, have put their gun-sights on quality, and what can be done to improve quality in all aspects of the coffee expierence.  I remember leaving Madcap the first time I visited, peering into the windows of this newly opened cafe and wondering to myself if Michigan was ready for the experience I had just had.

I now find myself serving up single brewed by the cup coffees to the fine people of Grand Rapids.Their open ears hanging on my every word.  They are looking for every nuance in the coffee I am serving and describing to them.  I find myself elaborating in great detail the benefits of providing Grand Rapids with the best quality cup brewed to the best of its ability.  I find myself empathizing with the needs of an ill informed public and raising their standard of living by giving them something only found in some of the biggest and most advanced cities around the world.  I find myself fine tuning the details of my routine in order to better understand what and why I am doing what I am doing.  I tell people that the emphasis that has been for so long been put on quality espresso and espresso based drinks has consequently left brewed coffee devalued  and under-appreciated.  We are filling that void by putting a single cup of brewed coffee in its proper place.  A cup of coffee is a gesture of romance and class, culture and soul, it gives real emotional value.  I do not mean value in a sense of monetary means but value in that a single cup of coffee can be worth far more than any action during a day.  A cup of coffee creates meaning and tells a story, the story, your story.

NOW!!!

I have moved to Michigan.  I have just had the internets hooked up.  I am working at Madcap Coffee Company in Grand Rapids. I have not had time to stop and write.  My laptop died.  I have things to write soon. Sorry I have not called, I have been super busy.

Saying goodbye

I worked my last shift at Anodyne today.  It was sad, but I never tend to get sentimental.  I am sure I will return.  Not as a worker, but as a customer.  I am excited to see what will come of my new adventure.  I need to get packing.  

Sitting and Reading

I had the opportunity to do something very valuable for myself today.  It was merely the chance to sit in  Anodyne and drink a cup of coffee while reading a book and doing some sample roasting. 

Why is this of value for me?  As my days usually go, I work eight hours, come home to settle in my nest of an apartment for dinner and  hopefully some reflective thinking before a good nights sleep.  I know it sounds boring and repetitive but this is how my days usually are.  Everyday I see people come into the cafe, and while drinking a coffee they are usually enjoying a good book, paper or casual conversation. One of the huge reasons why I fell in love with the 'coffee shop world' was the endless amount of time I would and could spend hanging out and drinking coffee.  As of the last half year though, this has not been so.  The reading of a book in a cafe has turned into sneaking a few minutes of book time in before bed.  The newspaper has turned into an I-phone application that I read while waiting for my vegan pork-slaw to come at Honeypie's.  Most importantly the casual conversations have turned into silence.  I do not mean to sound angry or bitter (if I do), after all these are the situations I have unconsciously constructed for myself.

Today though, I sat down with seven half pounds of El Salvador samples sent to us by Aida Battle from a bunch of farms in her local region, for us to cup and hopefully for Anodyne to get in the future.  I also sat there in the cafe with some head phones on listening to tunes, reading a book, enjoying some Burundi Kayanza Andaro made with the aeropress.  It felt good to sit and take in the environment not from a working perspective.  I do not consider sample roasting a particular kind of work seeing as I love coffee, and really love great coffee (which I hope this stuff turns out to be.)  I only have a week and a half left here in Milwaukee before Courtney and I pack it all up and move to Grand Rapids.  I am trying my hardest to soak it all up.  Maybe I am feeling prematurely nastalgic about moving after a year from a place I have enjoyed so much, but I know confidently that we are ready to move on and grow in other ways and other places.

I am really glad I got a chance to sit and read today, it helps to put things into perspective every once in a while...