It seems energy is the topic of the week on The Order. Monday’s post featured some great energy-saving (and therefore money-saving) tips from our friends at wisebread.com. Now that we have reduced the rpms on our electric meters, we’ll focus on revving our own engines.
Friends of The Order may be surprised to know that I only recently began drinking coffee. I earned my merit badge last Fall, acquiring this taste during a particularly busy cycle at work. At the time, I was admittedly self-medicating to get the job done, but now I want to enjoy coffee, not just take it as a dose.
Stepcase Lifehack to the rescue! Stepcase is one of my favorite blogs; updated every weekday, I find it both professional and relevant. This week, Joe Falconer published this article on brewing the best cup of coffee, not just for taste, but for kick.
I’m interested in both. Simple as it may seem, I have not yet found the right formula for my drip coffee. The appropriate water to grounds ratio eludes me, and I need to figure that one out before I start adding my cream and sugar. And as summer comes, I am looking for the best iced coffee recipes too.
I’d like to get away from diet soda; full of chemicals (esp. aspartame) and in a non-eco-friendly container. Coffee is cheaper, greener, and tastes better to me. Plus it kicks a little harder, according to Falconer’s article.
I need your help. I am not ready to ante up for an espresso machine; I have a long way to go on the basics. Please comment and share your favorite bean brand and recipes for hot and cold liquid energy.
I’ve never used it myself, but I’ve heard countless positive reviews about the AeroPress. If the ritual of brewing espresso is not your thing, according to a lot of coffee snobs I respect this is the next best thing.
As for beans — it’s worth finding out where the roasters near you are, because the beans in the supermarket are actually stale. You should buy beans that have been roasted in the last seven days and try to use them before they are fourteen days old.
Hope that helps and thanks for reading!
Give up on making coffee perfect. It is easier to train your taste buds. I found how to make the best coffee I could with a particular brand, then got bored and started over. As long as you don’t have to strain it through your teeth or scrape it from the bottom of the pot you are fine. I make the stuff before my eyes are open. Selecting water temperature and water to grounds ratio isn’t in the cards until I’ve had a cup of coffee to get all cylinders firing anyway.