Last year I picked myself up a little birthday present - A Handpresso Wild Hybrid .  I got it when Whole Latte Love was doing their deal a day sale after Thanksgiving.  It's been a lot of fun, so today I thought I would post about it.  I've had some time to play with it and learn what seems to work and what doesn't.

The Handpresso does not heat water - so first (and not pictured) I put some water on to heat.  Then I got it out and ground 7 grams of coffee. 6 might be better, but I tend to be messy when getting it into the tiny portafilter.  Getting the grind right was the hardest part for me.  Too coarse and no crema.  On the other hand, just because my grinder will go Turkish fine doesn't mean I should.  That just gave me a few drops of coffee that was kind of bitter.  I used beans I didn't like to play around with and adjust the grind settings.   For this shot I used beans I do like, even if they were not actually intended to be espresso.  I had some darker beans from Lanna Coffee Co that were given to me byKc Coffegeek.  That's what I used here.  The flash makes the grounds look lighter than they were, but I'm just not in an editing mood.  If you have a Handpresso - use whatever beans make you happy.  Nothing says it has to have espresso written on the bag.

Really don't need much water so it doesn't' take long to heat.  Then it's time to pour into the Handpresso.  Just up to the bottom of the cross that portafilter sits on.

The you put the coffee filled filter into the Handpresso with the water and put the cap on.  Turn the cap to the locked position and - I CAN NOT EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH - make sure the button to the side of the lock makings is in the correct position.  That's the release button and if it's already triggered you will end up with a mess when you start to add pressure.  A mess that involves very hot water.  Think of it as the safety on a gun - make sure it's on before you start messing around with anything.

Now you have to pump the handle until the gauge is in the green area.  Pretty easy at first and about two bars from green it gets much harder - by the time you reach green you're getting a workout.  At least I am.  Be careful how you hold it during this.  I have accidentally pressed the release button.  Then I have to start over from the beginning AND there is coffee all over my floor. Not 

Get it up to full bars and press the release.  Espresso happens.  Real espresso without a big machine.  

It's not perfect, but it's pretty good.  I would not say it's as high quality as the big bulky machine, however I am not taking the big bulky machine camping.  Given one camping coffee maker only I would choose the AeroPress, but both are small and I can take both.  Some days I just want to make a fancy espresso drink - even when I'm not in a place normally conducive to making a fancy espresso drink.  I prefer this espresso to the coffee concentrate that passes for espresso from the AeroPress, but I prefer the AeroPress for a regular cup of coffee. 

When I go on my road trip in November I'm bringing both.   

I've had several Mexican coffees lately and it's interesting to see how different roasters get different results with the same kind of coffee.  In this case Mexico Chiapas from Peaks Coffee co.


This was one of the bags I was lucky enough to get from KC Coffeegeek.  I've definitely been on the winning end of our relationship!  He gets a lot of good coffee to try which means I get a lot of good coffee to drink.  My reviews are not nearly as precise or detailed as his.  Be sure to check out his take on anything I post about - especially if you're into details like water temp and so forth.


The details I can give you are that I brewed this in my Kalita Wave at a 15:1 ratio.


This one was bright and lively on it's own.  The aroma reminded me of baked apples but I didn't detect any real spice in the cup.  I got some light citrus flavors and brown sugar.  It had a mediumish body with an aftertaste that was on the shorter side.  Over all it was a nice enjoyable cup of coffee.  


Until I bit into my Kind bar.  Salted caramel Kind bar to be exact.  Every tastebud in my mouth screamed "OMG NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"  Awful.  It magnified the brightness to about 1000%.  Felt like someone had washed down the inside of my mouth with an astringent.  


So I drank some water and put the Kind bar into a baggie.

I then tried some cheese. Sharp cheddar and pepper jack.  The coffee was excellent with the cheese.  A bit better with the pepper jack than the cheddar.  The brightness of the coffee was balanced out and the whole experience was different.  If I had started with the cheese before trying it without food - I would have said this was a very mellow cup.  It's always fascinating to me how things work together (or not) to make both appear different than they do on their own. 

The Peaks was enjoyable and filled in New York on my map!  

http://www.peakscoffeeco.com/

It was one of those mornings when waking up wasn't the easiest thing in the world.  Coffee was required.  Good coffee.  Good coffee, on the bright side.  So, today I decided to try the other Equator coffee KC Coffeegeek gave me.  This one is from Honduras.  It's a light/medium roast according to the website.

In the past I've enjoyed coffees from Honduras, they had a lively acidity and that's what I was looking for this morning.   turns out I made a good choice. 

The aroma was very sweet.   I got sugar and vanilla and it really reminded me of how things smell when I make rice krispies treats.  Or when something sweet has been mixed, but not baked yet.  It was a fresh sweet, not a spicy, baked sweet.

The same can't be said for the taste.  There was spice there.  I still got hints of vanilla, but some stronger spice too.  Ginger like maybe?   It was bright and bouncy.  What I was looking for this morning.  A real "Good morning! How are you today?" kind of acid.  The body was light/medium - kind of a refined elegance but not etheral and wispy.  Lots of sweetness.  Darker sugars, brown sugar, maybe some dried fruits.  It reminded me of the sweet, spicy brightness of root beer.  Didn't taste like root beer,  just that the feeling of it was similar.   The dark sugar and spicy taste contrasted very nicely with the sparkly acidity.  

I found the aftertaste to be lingering and pleasant.  As the cup cooled I noticed that the sweetness became more pronounced in both the aroma and the taste.  Maybe a hint of nuttiness in the aftertaste. Maybe nuttiness is not the right word - but there was something there.  

I may have finally learned my lesson about pairing bright coffees with sweet fruits or treats.  It just does not often go well.  Today I did NOT grab a banana while drinking this, had a real breakfast instead.  This coffee was wonderful with homemade corn tortillas, eggs and a bit of beef cooked with onions & peppers and topped with cheese.  Kind of an open faced breakfast burrito. 

As of this writing the coffee is still available on their website
http://www.equatorcoffees.com/

This is one of the coffees given to me by KC Coffeegeek.  It's from Equator Coffee & Teas and I was more than a little surprised when he told me how much it goes for per bag. 8oz bag is about $50.  I looked at the beans - just looked brown to me.  Not sure if I was expecting flakes of gold or what.  Then I smelled them.  Smelled like coffee.  Good coffee, but $100/lb coffee?   He gave me a lot of coffee so I hadn't tried this one yet.  Then yesterday I read his post about the "Best Guatemalan coffee" he's ever had.  So in my best Brain voice I told the dog "I know what we're going to do tomorrow"  he just looked at me and went back to sleep.  I need a new Pinky.  

I didn't read KC Coffeegeek's review before I brewed it.  Just saw the twitter post.  I like to try them and see how I compare with what I get.  Same reason I like Angel's Cup.  

Made some in my Kalita.  I use a 15:1 ratio much of the time.  I've heard that 17:1 is perfect or 18:1 or 16:1 or 20:1  What can I say- I like a strong cup of Joe and I use 15:1 although at least a couple of times I've dropped it down to 14:1 for coffees that just didn't develop at my normal brew.  Also gone up to 16 for ones that just seem to strong. I don't go much higher than that most of the time.

I wasn't sure what to expect.  How fancy is expensive coffee anyway?  Well sometimes a lot I guess.  Right away the smell was sweet with vanilla and kind of marshmallowy.  Like that moment when you first start toasting them and the sugar starts to caramelize but BEFORE the thing catches fire.  Those 15 seconds of wonderful smell.  Or when you make marshmallows at home.  It was a good smell, but not a super strong one.  I could smell it by the Kalita, but it didn't fill the kitchen with that tasty aroma.  

On my first sip I was hit by the brightness of it.  Not in a bad way, but was a sunshiney, sweet Florida fruits kind of brightness.  Not lemon lime like sprite, but like oranges and lemons.  That was followed by some heavier fruits.  Like it faded from orange colored fruits into purple/black fruits like plum and blackberries and maybe mulberries - fruits you would spice when cooking.  It was still sweet, but there was a hint of spiciness to it.  The finish was kind of rosey with some cocoa tastes.  The body was like heavy tea.  More of an Earl Gray or breakfast tea than the lighter iced tea we drank down south.  The kind of tea people actually add milk to.  

Something that I thought was great - this worked cold.  You know how when you go to some chain coffee places and iced coffee is just left over brew that got cold so they put ice in that?  Yeah, ick.  It almost always tastes terrible.  I had some of this left over after drinking my first cup and it  was cold. I tasted it just because and it was really really tasty.  Not flat or bitter or just ewww.  It was good with a lot more of a floral taste coming out, still having a lot of the brightness.  

I don't see myself buying very many $50 bags of coffee.  I'm a balloon artist - not a millionaire.  However I am very grateful to KC Coffeegeek for giving me the opportunity to try this one.  It is a really good coffee and I can see why it's high priced.  It's easy to write it off as just overpriced brown water, but that's like saying good wine is overpriced grape juice or excellent champagne is overpriced fizzy drink.  Something just cost more because they are rare and excellent.  

And while I won't be buying a bag of this one Equator Coffee has several I plan to try.  In particular the Kenya Kuguyu and the French Laundry Blend - both of which had taste notes that appealed to me.  From this sample I gather that they can roast a fine bag of beans, so I'm excited to see try some of their others!

I was stuck waiting for my husband while he took care of some paperwork the other day.  Lucky for me I was stuck at UMKC and Crow's Coffee is right there.  I had not been in, but I've heard good things.  They serve Messenger Coffee and  the staff knows coffee.  I view coffee as an art and I appreciate people who know how to do more than push a button to make the machine work.  

It's a cute place.  Lots of room - which is good since it's across the street from the University.  A mix of table sizes with some outdoor seating too.  

It's decorated with an assortment of unusual and artistic crows.  Lots of black crows, but it's not a dark or goth place.  It's a comfortable place.  No overbearing music, a varied group of customers and a friendly staff.

I ordered an Ethiopian natural as a pour over.  I like natural coffees, so it was an easy choice.

It was a good cup of coffee.  I had a chance to talk to Jerry while it was being prepared.  Lucky for me I was there BEFORE the students came back.  I'm sure this place is BUSY when the students are in town.  

The day I visited Crows was the same day I decided to play with AeroPress recipes.  I had 4 cups before I came in and the pour over was cup number 5.  I should have said no when Jerry suggested an ice Aeropress he makes.  I didn't.  So this is what Coffee #6 looked like.
  

Jerry told me the recipe and I plan to email him and get details.  It's an AeroPress that he does using the inverted method with a long slow plunge.  He does it over ice and then shakes it which makes it nice and foamy.  It reminded me a lot of the Nitros I like.  I don't know why the shaking makes it different, but it does.  This was a creamy, tasty cup of iced coffee.  I need a shaker for home.

So I sat, waited and drank way more coffee than any one person needs.  I'm getting closer to finished on my poncho.  Maybe that's the secret to getting done faster - lots of coffee.  Interestingly enough I didn't have any problems going to sleep that night.  Slept like a baby.

Coffees from 
Equater Coffees & Teas
Blueprint Coffee
Lanna Coffee Co
Epic Bean Coffee
Sweet Bloom Coffee
PT's Coffee Roasting
River City Roasters
Peaks Coffee
Compelling & Rich

These were all compliments of KC Coffeegeek.  Check out his page for full reviews, especially since I didn't list all the beans, just the roasters.  (more than one kind for some of them)  Also, he has just put together a guide for people in KC.  Where to find the coffee.  If you live here, check it out.  If you know someone who lives here check it out and then tell them to check it out.  If you plan on visiting - check it out.  You get the idea.  :-)

http://www.kccoffeegeek.com/kccoffeeguide/

KC Coffee Geek gave me some coffees that he has sampled  Among those was a bag of Deri Kochore from Sterling Coffee Roasters.  I immediately took the stash up to Angie's book store so we could smell and examine them all.  We do that.  It's good to have coffee loving friends.  We picked out which coffees we were most interested in and the Deri from Sterling was at the top of the list.

So we drank it, I posted about it on Instagram and then got a message from Adam at Sterling Coffee Roasters offering to send me some of the new batch of Kela Kochore.  yay!!!!!  A quick exchange of information later and I had coffee in the mail.  

It arrived and I was pretty excited.  Had a chance to email with Adam a bit too.  He's a nice guy.  And he lifts.  :-)  Anyone who knows me, knows that I love weights and strength training.  Running saved my life, but lifting gave it real satisfaction.  I still like distance, but picking heavy things up makes me extra happy.

Anyway.... Got some coffee and as it turned out the timing was perfect.  Angie was having a bad day, so I immediately brewed some up and took her a cup.

It was fantastic.  Good friends having a nice chat over a warm cup of coffee in an independent bookstore.  How perfect of an afternoon is that?  Doesn't get much better!

Now for an actual review of the coffee itself.

The aroma in the bag was strong and really addictive.  I like the smell of coffee in general, but some are just better than others.  This is one of those that just smells tasty.  

The body was medium-full and the acidity was bright, lively and citrusy.  It lasted well into the aftertaste and wasn't harsh.

The aroma in the cup was lightly floral - maybe jasmine.  A brown sugar and honey sweetness with a hint of caramel or toffee.  

The flavor was citrus bright mandarin oranges.  I just drank a glass of water flavored with frozen mandarin oranges last night and the taste immediately made me flash to that.    It was a sweet coffee with honey coming through, but a dark rich honey, not a super sweet bit o'honey kind of thing.  I also picked up on a spicy flavor that I couldn't quite place.  The sweetness and the spiciness both became more pronounced in the cooling cup.

This one paired very well with a goat cheese and dark greens salad.  It also went well with some chicken salad and baked chicken.  Surprisingly I also liked it with some smoked trout.  Not so much with the broiled salmon though.  Just didn't work there.  I also didn't care for it with breakfast oatmeal, but with an omelette is was pretty good.  

Mostly I drank it black, brewed in the Kalita Wave.  It was excellent with my cold brew coffee milk though.  (that one was made with the Deri)  

I also did a flash brew for a nice iced coffee.  That really brought out the bright sweetness and a cocoa flavor that I missed in the hot brew.

I don't see this one on the website, but now that I've tried 3 of their coffees ( I had Blendo Stupendo too) , I can say that you are not likely to be disappointed with anything they send you.  

http://www.sterling.coffee/

The date on the bag gives you an idea of how long this review has sat in my notebook.  It's not even that I didn't like the coffee. Just am easily sidetracked and the actual job kept me busy.  

Of the two coffees I ordered from Smelly Cat Coffeehouse & Roastery I found that I preferred the Central American Fusion  However, my coffee friend Angie,  was all about this one.  

The body was heavyish with a nice milder acidity, not as smooth as a low acid Brazillian coffee, but not bitey and harsh.  

The aroma was chocolate with some spice and a bit of citrus.  The aftertaste lightly lingered and kept the sweetness and acidity on the tongue.

The flavor was smoother, not a bouncy taste.  Sweet, richer and citrus.  Like cooca dusted oranges with a hint of a lemon.  The spicy smell reminded me of black tea in the cup.

It got sweeter as it cooled but lost some of the spiciness.

I brewed mine in the bee house, Angie used a traditional drip coffee maker.  She really loved this one.  I'm going to have to order her a bag of their newer Ethiopian when I get a chance.

http://smellycatcoffee.com/

I borrowed this picture from the Prosum Roaster's Instagram.  Hopefully they won't mind too much with my reposting it.  I liked it because it's a happy picture and that's one way I characterize the coffee I'm reviewing here.  It's a happy coffee.


When I was deciding which coffees to order from Prosum I was influenced by my love of Ethiopian coffees of course, but this review from Patrick Z. really pushed me to buy this particular coffee.    


I found it to have a lighter body with a bright, almost bubbly - happy acidity.  I got a real "yellow fruit" vibe from this one.  Think Lemons, maybe some peach.  The aroma was sweet and fruity with a very light floral.  


Like I've said, this is a happy coffee.  It has that warm coffee taste, but not a "trapped under a thick blanket while it snows" warm.  More of a "sit down and let's be friends" warm.


I did drink it at breakfast, but I found it to be an excellent working day coffee.  Something to keep me going while I did the paperwork required to run my business.  


It was an excellent choice for cold brew coffee milk.  If you read the blog, you know I'm all sorts of into that right now.  Also if you grind it into a Turkish Coffee fine powder and blend it into real vanilla ice cream with a dash of hot chocolate mix (don't judge) you can make a kind of coffee frosty.  Works well for that.  Lots of beans don't work on their own for treats or candy.  This one did.  


I meant to try it in a cold brew that didn't involve milk, but there are many coffee drinkers in my life, so that never happened.


I plan to stop by the actual cafe next time I drive to CA.  I want a cup of "in person" coffee.  :-)  We almost always stop in Albuquerque on our way anyway.  It's a good point for a rest.   Just need to plan for a bit of extra time there and get a bit of extra caffeine in my system before the rest of the drive.  I'll need it.  It's 14 or 15 hours from Albuquerque to Monterey and the desert is BEAUTIFUL - for the first 4 hours.


Check out Prosum at http://www.prosumroasters.com    

My second coffee from Barefoot Coffee Roasters was the Abana African Blend.  It's a mix of beans from Burundi & Ethiopia.  

It had a medium body, nice acidity and an aroma that as lightly nutty, sweet with some light florals and a hint of spice.  The sweetness smelled honeyish to me.

The flavor was berries and nuts.  Fruity - red berry fruits like strawberries and raspberries. It was a pretty sweet coffee.  The spiciness I noticed in the aroma became more pronounced as  the cup cooled - think almost gingery, minty, cola a hint of vanilla.   They said something about sarsaparilla which has a taste very similar to root beer and those are the tastes I picked up as the cup cooled.

I brewed it in the bee house and V60.  Tried it in a flash brew, but it was not my favorite.  Angie used a drip machine and she enjoyed it a lot.
I'm interested in having this one again...but they also have a couple of others that I want to try.

Find them online at http://www.barefootcoffee.com  and Instagram 
http://instagram.com/barefootcoffee