Let's Talk Coffee

So if you know me, you know I love coffee, but you don't really know why or how much. The thing is, it's not just about the coffee, it's about the coffee shop, the idea of coffee, and the culture, I guess.

Before I decided to kinda pursue my acting full-time, well, I can't even say that, ok how do I say this, when I got out of school, I never wanted a 9-5 job, I wanted to open up my own business, and there is this place in Houston, I go to a lot it's called Agora, I put a picture up, so I just love being there and so I thought if I could just have a place of my own, and I could hang out there all the time why not.

So, I did a bunch of research, learned everything there is to know about coffee, and the business, and decided that before I settle down I want to be free and travel and enjoy my younger years first. Because once you open up a business it's not like you can take off to Europe for a month, you have to stay there for a while, make sure everything is going ok, then you can take off.

So I read this book called "The joy of Coffee," and I learned that starbucks makes the worst coffee ever, they make a Carmel macchiato like a latte, their beans are 2 years old, and the cheapest ones you can buy, because no one goes there and orders real coffee, just sweet drinks, but enough about that....

...my point was, that every morning when I make coffee, I have to decide how I'm going to make it, I have 4 coffee makers, one that only makes real American coffee, the 3 others just make Espresso, One is The Moka, which is one of the easier ones, and it's what I used this morning, it was first made in 1933, and since Italians travel to the coffee shop several times a day, when they want it at home they use an easy inexpensive, (about $30) way to do it themselves. So, when I make it in that device, I warm some milk in the microwave and I have a latte. You have to put espresso extra fine grind in the machine, or you can buy it already ground, like me I sometimes buy El Pico :D

If I want regular American coffee, I like to grind my own beans, because they are the freshest when you grind them your self, every day they sit unground the less fresh they are, you get it, you have to get the one wear you can select different types of grind too, it's about ($50), so I use this Bodum Plunger Pot or French Press ($20). It's really easy too you just take your regular ground beans, put them at the bottom and then fill it up with hot water and let it sit for 4-6 min, then press the handle down to filter out the coffee. You have to figure the kinda portions you want though. I always guesstimate.

The other 2 I have, are espresso machines, one is really cute and red, and I bought it because I liked the way it looked and it matched my kitchen, only I found out later that it only takes pods, but it's still cute so I kept it. I put a picture up, I have the exact one.

The other one is more original you put your own beans in there and have to pack them in and it's a lot to clean so I really don't use that one at all anymore. I should sell it actually.

Well, that's it, if your interested in where the best beans are or considered the best blend, there is one place in Houston to buy it, others are knock offs, it's about $18 for a small bag it's called Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee.

It's really expensive, I found $179.52 for a 3lb bag! on Amazon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Blue_Mountain_Coffee::::::::::
Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee or Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is a classification of coffee grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. The best lots of Blue Mountain coffee are noted for their mild flavour and lack of bitterness. Over the last several decades, this coffee has developed a reputation that has made it one of the most expensive and sought-after coffees in the world. In addition to its use for brewed coffee, the beans are the flavor base of Tia Maria coffee liqueur.

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is a globally protected certification mark meaning that only coffee certified by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica can be labeled as such. It comes from a recognised growing region in the Blue Mountain region of Jamaica and its cultivation is monitored by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica.

The Blue Mountains are generally located between Kingston to the south and Port Maria to the north. Rising to 2,300 metres (7,500 ft), they are some of the highest mountains in the Caribbean. The climate of the region is cool and misty with high rainfall. The soil is rich with excellent drainage. This combination of climate and soil is considered ideal for coffee.