What has caught my attention in the coffee world in the recent months? I’m just sharing in case you’re interested, it being the season of giving (to others and perhaps yourself). We do not earn any money for referrals, sponsorships, etc., so this is just what I feel like mentioning.
I like the idea of this edible coffee cup, created by a New Zealand company, which Air New Zealand is piloting. Makes me think of ice cream cones. I do often buy scooped ice cream in cones just to keep the waste, but not the waist, down.
On another note, as stated in this article, it’s a sign that pourovers have gone mainstream when Mr. Coffee now offers pourover equipment. It’s a different price point than their usual affordable machines. There was a time when it seemed you’d see a Mr. Coffee drip coffee maker in most homes. (Is Mr. Coffee considered “first wave” or “second wave” coffee?) It seems like you see everything nowadays in “third wave” coffee — French press, manual pourover, moka stovetop pots, Krups, Keurig, Nespresso, etc. — depending just how exacting the home brewer human is.
Also entering a new era for its brand, Chemex has a single cup brewer, and a digital electric gooseneck Chemex Chettle. My opinion? Too expensive when the Hario dripper will do. But maybe you love Chemexes. My friend recently cleaned out and sold her parents’ home. She discovered 35 Chemexes! Some were different sizes, but still. She says she has a physical reaction when she sees them now. We tried to come up with reasons a couple would need so many of the same type of coffee brewer, but we couldn’t.
I’m still trying to find the right formula (weight and grind size) for our 8-cup Chemex. Getting closer, but still not satisfied. It didn’t help when I hadn’t used it in a few weeks and had not yet had any morning caffeine, so maybe my brain was sluggish. I used the coffee amount for eight cups, but only filled it to its belly button, which is the half-way point, but I thought was full. Full is below the wooden collar. I must have been thinking like wine glasses, where you don’t fill up the bowl. I don’t usually make larger quantities of coffee, so I’m not regularly practicing with it. It’s amusing how such a simple device and concept still has to be dialed in. I know what our coffee can taste like, and I can’t get a single pourover to scale up with my Chemex yet. I have to host more coffee get-togethers and practice more, I guess.