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This and that… and the other!

January 6, 2010 By MindanaoBob 2 Comments
Feyma with some Christmas Gifts we will give out

Well, it's been a busy few weeks in the Martin household in Davao.  I've been busy with a lot of different things, it seems.  I suppose that the holidays are like that.  So, I thought I'd just write a "general" article that is really not about anything in particular.  Just an update of what has been going on, and maybe an update of some of my more recent articles here on MindanaoBob, my personal website. One of the big pieces of news here, in my opinion, is that I have a new cat!  I should say that "we" (as a family) have a new cat, but I consider this one to be "my cat" and she stays in my office and in our bedroom, so she hangs out with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coffee, Exercise, Featured, My Thoughts Tagged With: Exercise, Family, News

I’m going to Nyeri!

December 15, 2009 By MindanaoBob 6 Comments
These Green Coffee Beans are Decaf beans, and they really are quite brown!

Nyeri is a district in the Central Province of Kenya, in Africa.  I'm gonna be going there!  Well, through my coffee cup, anyway!  That's right, I'm not going to physically go there and visit the place, but I just got two coffees that originated from the Nyeri area in Kenya!  Yes, the Postman visited yesterday to notify me that my fifteen pound box of green coffee beans had arrived and were ready to be picked up at the main Davao Post Office, so I headed down there and picked them up right away! Within 15 minutes after getting home with my box of beans, I was already at the stove and roasting them too!  I was so excited, because Kenya … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coffee, Featured, Green Beans Tagged With: African Coffee, stash

Nice Visit

August 1, 2009 By MindanaoBob 2 Comments
Mabel Sunga Acosta

We had a nice afternoon yesterday.  It all started when I got an e-mail through Facebook from one of my Facebook friends.  It was a Facebook friend, but somebody whom I had not met in person.  It was from Davao City Councilor, Mabel Sunga Acosta.  Mabel is the President Pro Tempore of the Davao City Council. Mabel e-mailed me asking if it would be OK to stop by for Coffee at my house in the afternoon.  I had a long standing invitation to Mabel to come by for some coffee and conversation, but we had not yet had a chance to do it.  Mabel said, though, in her message that she was going to be having some time for coffee with her friend, Father … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coffee, My Thoughts

My Equipment

July 15, 2009 By MindanaoBob Leave a Comment
roasting

Basically, you need some various types of equipment to do different aspects of the coffee hobby. My personal setup is very simple, not expensive, yet still produces delicious coffee. Let's have a look at what I am currently using. Roasting For roasting coffee beans, I am using a simple stovetop method. There are lots of types of coffee roasting equipment that you can buy, but for now, I just pan roast my beans. It's not the most elegant way of achieving roasted beans, but it is cheap, and good enough. I have a simple rice pot that I use to roast beans on the stovetop. It's a small rice pot that can handle roasting of about a half pound … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coffee, Equipment Tagged With: Coffee Grinder, French Press

What's that stuff in my cup?

June 22, 2009 By MindanaoBob 2 Comments
sludge

So, you are sitting there drinking a cup of coffee, and you're getting near the bottom of the cup.  You take a drink without paying too much attention, and you feel a little grit in your mouth.  Almost like dirt or sand.  What the heck is that? What is sludge? Well, it's most likely sludge.  Coffee sludge.  What's that?  Well, it's sludge, or it will be!  You see, when you make coffee in a French Press, some sludge is inevitable. The photo shows how coffee is brewed in a French Press.  When you are brewing there will also be a lid on the coffee (to keep it warm) and a plunger built into the lid.  When the coffee is finished brewing, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coffee, Featured Tagged With: French Press, Sludge

How do you roast?

June 16, 2009 By MindanaoBob Leave a Comment

How do you roast your green coffee beans?  I am not looking for the procedure.  I'm not looking for what machine you use.  What I mean is, like, how much do you roast at a time, and how many different varieties of coffee do you roast at a given time? For me, I usually roast about twice per week, sometimes only once per week.  I roast small quantities, usually 1/4 to 1/3 pound of any variety.  If it's a coffee that I have a large stash of, then I will do up to a half pound on a single roast. Why such small batches?  For a couple of reasons: I find it easier to control the roast process when I roast only a very small batch of beans.  … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coffee, Roasting Tagged With: Variety

Building a stash

June 14, 2009 By MindanaoBob 2 Comments

I just got started in the Specialty Bean hobby a few months ago.  I am working to build up a stash.  What's a stash?  Well, it is a supply of various green coffee beans.  Sort of just how the word sounds... it's a variety of coffee beans that you have put away for your supply for the months to come. A few minutes ago, I was brewing a cup of Rwanda Cup of Excellence for myself, and got thinking that my green bean stash has been growing.  It's still small compared to others, but I'm starting to build up a little pride in my efforts.  I made a list of all the greens I have on hand, and I was also wondering about others.  How many different … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coffee, Green Beans Tagged With: stash

Coffee Forums

June 13, 2009 By MindanaoBob Leave a Comment

For me, this coffee hobby that I have gotten into is a learning experience.  I suppose that on a hobby like this, no matter how long you are at it, you will always be still learning.  You will learn new roasting techniques.  You will try new coffee beans for the first time.  You will keep learning as long as you are willing to learn, no matter how much you already know. For me, though, I am just a baby in this hobby.  I mean, I've been doing this since around the beginning of March 2009, so that is only about 3 to 3 1/2 months at this time.  I basically know virtually nothing.  But, I enjoy it. So, how do you learn about it?  Well, number … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coffee Tagged With: Forums

Sulawesi Kalossi Toraja Gr. 1

June 11, 2009 By MindanaoBob Leave a Comment
Sulawesi

OK, for my next coffee review, I am coming closer to home, to Indonesia.  More specifically, I am talking about a coffee from the Island of Sulawesi, the nearest Indonesian Island to my home in Mindanao, Philippines.  As a matter of fact, when I used to live in General Santos City, we could even receive radio transmissions and sometimes TV signals from Sulawesi stations.  So, I feel a little bit of connection with Sulawesi, even though I have never been there in person. Because of my tenuous connection with the Island, I was excited to taste the Sulawesi beans.  I actually roasted these beans a little beyond where I intended to go, to the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coffee, Cupping Tagged With: Asian coffee

Mexico SGH Organic Natural Terruno Nayorita

June 9, 2009 By MindanaoBob Leave a Comment
Mexico

The next bean that I will feature is a North American coffee bean from Mexico (yes, Central America is geographically part of North America).  The bean I am talking about is Mexico SGH Organic Natural Terruno Nayorita.  Yeah, it's a long name, but it's also a tasty bean! Again, with this bean, I roasted them to a Full City+ level, just up to the second crack.  As I said in previous articles, this is a little darker than I normally go, but for this bean, I think this is a good level. For this bean, I found that after one or two days resting, there was little flavor in the cup.  It really takes 3 to 4 days post-roast rest for this bean … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coffee, Cupping Tagged With: North American Coffee
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