How i make my morning coffee

I know its the afternoon... but i work nights so this is my morning. I used to go to starbucks 2-3x a day and at $5 dollars a pop it gets quite expensive. 15 x 7 is 105 dollars spent per week because I don't go a day without coffee. Adding up to a total of 5,460 per year. That is why coffee is such a lucrative business... caffeine. Drug pushers with a corporate logo.

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Starbucks is hit or miss for me depending on the barista... ive had some of the best coffee ive tasted and some of the absolute worst. Starbucks is well known to burn their coffee making the finished product bitter. I have definitely thrown my $5 coffee in the garbage within a minute of receiving it on the counter because it was that bad and I do not like to complain. Nor do I have the time to wait for another if I'm working.

Philz is the new craze around here... with a different approach to coffee. First off; they blend different types of coffee. I have talked to the owner saying when they first started they had all types of coffee in jars with letters of the alphabet on them and by trial and error: Ex: AB AC CG GD....ect. Found the combinations that taste the best. Next they use temperature controlled water in a pour over method. 8oz of fresh grounds... poured over and over again until you have crack in a cup. Started with 1 store and now I have 2 in the city I live in... been referenced many times on Silicon Valley; HBO. I'm sure there are similar coffee shops becoming popular all over the world.

OK... anyway... I have a kureg, pour-over method, french press and the Turkish coffee maker at home.
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This is my favorite... boils water and steam goes through the grounds and collects in a chamber up top. Very strong espresso is the result.

OK... let me go through step by step with photos how I make my morning coffee.

Step 1: You need good quality coffee to begin with... I use Blue Bottle Coffee. Its exclusive to the Oakland area of California; they have some shops around San Francisco and East Bay area. I get it online. It is delicious... they roast their own beans in Oakland and take great pride in creating a top quality product. Currently I have Coban Santa Isabel Catura which is from Guatemala. The description from the website is this:

"From the region of Cobán comes two distinct cultivars grown in the same rain-drenched jungle. Contrast the Caturra, with its tropicality and brightness, with the subtly sweet Gold Sarchimor to glimpse the stunning variety Finca Santa Isabel has to offer."

credit: Bluebottlecoffee.com

Step 2: Grind just enough beans to use to make your coffee. I specifically only get whole beans and ground them fresh when brewed. The aroma and flavor is released when you grind them; this is lost over time if you get it already ground.

Step 3: The grounds should be fine but not too fine or you will end up with gritty coffee. Fill the chamber with grounds...

any that spill over the rim; use your finger to brush them off. I know the photo isn't from mine but just to show you what I mean.

You need to compress the grounds... so that they are not too light and water just runs through and not too hard or the coffee will come out burned because it takes too long to run through. This is the fine touch that usually seperates a good barista from a bad one. Its pretty much trial and error... firm but not too firm...

Step 4: Set the burner at a reasonable temperature. I have learned that cranking it up all the way; you get your coffee fast but its not as good. The water just shot through the grounds; it is lacking flavor and could be burned. So on my stove; it goes to a level 10; I place it on 7. Then you can hear the water boiling to the top... turn off the burner and let it sit for a few minutes while you make the frothed milk.

Step 5: Frothing your milk. This concept is new to me; Its much easier than I thought. I bought a milk frother on Amazon.com for about $50. I pour milk in; Organic whole fat milk into the frother. Just pour enough to cover the whisk; turn it on and it takes 30 seconds or so.

Step 6: The rest is pretty self explanatory; pour your espresso into the coffee mug first and then pour your frothed milk over the top. Done... a delicious cup of Joe... dispite all the fancy coffee and milk I use; it turns out to be much cheaper than going to Starbucks several times a day.