Today I’ve become one with the bean. I know, I may be the very last person on the world to join the coffee revolution (the real coffee revolution), but here I am. Now, I’ve been drinking coffee since Momma made it half milk, three teaspoons of sugar and half Maxwell House Instant when I was ten. More than a few gallons were consumed on the night watch of the USS Bowen while steaming the North Atlantic. And after years of the morning show, still more coffee. I never got into the Starbuck’s thing, although many have, but after listening to the story of better bean roasting from Lee Rouget in Hailey Idaho and Dennis at Red Door June, I’ve begun to change my way. Now Dennis will tell you that if you don’t over roast your bean (like maybe Starbucks), you’ll have better coffee. Lee reminds me that after roasting, you’ve got about two weeks of good coffee in those beans. Now if that’s the case, it would seem that all the coffee on the shelf is probably beyond prime by the time it gets to the store.
So on Friday, I bought a Black & Decker Coffee Bean Grinder and some Dancing Goat Coffee that was probably roasted last week. And this morning, while barely awake, I ground fresh beans and brewed my first cup. As I write this, I’ve filled my CharterBank cup a second time and the coffee is great.
Next I’ll be trying some of the coffee from Liz’s (Lee’s Wife) new coffee shop in Ketchum, ID. You can visit them and check out/buy her coffee at www.lizzysfreshcoffee.com
So after all this, I’ve headed off to Red Door June for the regular Saturday Morning meeting of friends. The place was packed out. Lots getting ready to tailgate, others watching the Ryder Cup & me working on this post of the blog. Dennis got his free coffee from Liz in Ketchum, ID (that’s Sun Valley) and he’s grinding some of the beans for a couple of cups. More on this in a bit. Bill & Gwen price got a look at Phil & Meredith’s Loft Apartment above the coffee shop. It’s funny how folks in town have no idea of the really cool living we have in downtown. I think before they left for Auburn, the had conducted another tour.
From the Archives — originally published on the Opelika Daily News on September 20, 2008. View the original page.
