Introduction

Coffee is meant to be enjoyed; to be made slow,

not on-the-go!

That’s what I believe, and that’s what many renowned scholars and
connoisseurs  believe, too. My name is Matt, and I build websites for a
living. This website, however, I built because I love coffee, and I wanted to
share that love of coffee with  you and everyone else who shares my
passion. Through this, we can all enjoy the glory of thoughtfully made,
mindfully prepared “slow” coffee together – even if we’re not in the same
room. Hell, even if we’re not in the same country.

Do you believe that coffee…

• is a magical drink that makes you smarter?

• is an ambrosia sent down from the Gods?

• has healing powers beyond human understanding?

• somehow tastes better outside during a crisp Fall afternoon?

• is a MUST, every single morning?

If you answered “yes” to at least one of these questions, then you, my

friend, have arrived at what I hope you’ll agree is Coffee Mecca!

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What is Slow Coffee?
Some of the world’s great icons believed that coffee was the key to their
genius. But truly great coffee requires time, care, and most importantly
love. In today’s gotta-have-it-now culture, we’ve invented ways to pump
coffee (read: caffeine) into our bodies with regard only to speed and
efficiency, not enjoyment. We’ve lost touch with the joy of brewing and
drinking great coffee for its own sake.

Take, for example, the once-beloved Keurig brewing system. It’s a

machine- a machine that brews one shitty cup of coffee at a time, in
record time. It uses a single plastic, non-recyclable k-cup for each brew.
This not only produces a sub-par lukewarm cup of mud, it also hurts the
environment- the very same environment we depend on for coffee in the
first place.

A confession: I used to own one of those machines, and I loved it. At least
I thought I did, until I discovered that the coffee I was drinking was
horrible. As it turned out, I had been drinking horrible coffee for about 25
years of my life.

Not anymore!

Since the scales have fallen from my eyes, I now take my time when
brewing coffee. I’ve come to understand that the time one puts into
brewing coffee is in direct correlation to its quality, no matter what
advertisements for quick systems promise. I had to realize 3 things:

1. The coffee I buy is not cheap, and to brew it quickly is to brew

it  incorrectly, wasting its value.

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2. I want nothing less than the finest cup of coffee I can possibly make at
home, every day.

3. I enjoy taking my time in the morning, letting my body and brain

prepare themselves for the day. The time spend enjoying the coffee
has its own intrinsic value.

Brewing coffee and drinking it slowly is relaxing. It’s a meditation that

allows me to appreciate the nuances, of the coffee and everything else.
These days, the morning is under-valued.

In other words, despite the caffeine, slow coffee helps you chill out.

Famous People Who Enjoyed Slow

Coffee
I’ve talked at great length to friends, family and acquaintances about
coffee. The common thread of complaint most of them have about the
ideas behind this website goes something like this: “You probably make a
great cup of coffee, but I don’t have the time and patience to do that at
home.”

I know. I get it. But that’s the whole goal of this website. It’s not just about
brewing great coffee, it’s about appreciation, being present, and
decreasing stress. I believe coffee is a gateway to enlightenment. If that
sounds like a little much, consider that  I’m not the only person in the
history of the world to believe great coffee is worth the effort…

Ludwig Van Beethoven

The famed composer was obsessive about his coffee, and would count by
hand 60 beans per cup, according to his biographer.

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 Beethoven’s remarkable eating and drinking habits corresponded to
his eccentric housekeeping. For breakfast he drank coffee, which he
usually prepared in a glass coffee-maker. Coffee seems to have been
the one indispensable item in his diet, and he was as fastidious as
an Oriental in its preparation. He estimated sixty beans to the cup
and would often count them out…

From “Beethoven As I Knew Him” by  By Anton Felix Schindler

Theodore Roosevelt
Teddy drank a shit-ton of coffee. In fact, he was responsible for the
slogan, “Good to the last drop” used by Maxwell House (That is in no way
an endorsement of Maxwell House, which is to be avoided at all costs).

He drank considerable quantities of both coffee and tea, and since

he was particular about his coffee, Mrs. Roosevelt provided him with
a service of his own. T.R. Jr. says that his special coffee cup “was
more in the nature of a bathtub.” When, in the 1890s, he often
visited Richard Henry Dana III and his wife, Edith Longfellow, in
Cambridge, Dana noticed that he always took between five and
seven lumps of sugar in his coffee, “and I bethought me of the
humming bird which lives on sweets, and is one of the most
strenuously active vertebrates.” In 1911, however, Roosevelt says
that he has used saccharine, not sugar, for many years.

“The Seven Worlds of Theodore Roosevelt” by Edward Wagenknecht

Jerry Seinfeld
Seinfeld is a passionate newcomer to the coffee game  (surprisingly new,
considering his popular web series about coffee). Of course, he hasn’t fully
committed to the subtleties of great coffee, according to his interview with
NPR…

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 I like it pretty basic. I’ve just started this espresso thing, but it’s just
milk and sugar. That’s it. I don’t want to talk that long to the guy or
gal.

But there’s always hope.

Paul Erdös
Mathematician Paul Erdös first did mathematics at the age of three, but for
the last twenty-five years of his life he put in nineteen-hour days  fueled
by  10 to 20 milligrams of Benzedrine or Ritalin, strong espresso, and
caffeine tablets.

A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems.

Maybe a less than healthy approach to unlocking the inspirational power

of coffee, but try to remember that math is hard.

Honoré de Balzac
The French novelist and playwright, best known for La Comédie humaine
(The Human Comedy), wrote:

Coffee glides into one’s stomach and sets all of one’s mental
processes in motion. One’s ideas advance in column of route like
battalions of the Grande Armée. Memories come up at the double,
bearing the standards which will lead the troops into battle. The light
cavalry deploys at the gallop. The artillery of logic thunders along
with its supply wagons and shells. Brilliant notions join in the combat
as sharpshooters. The characters don their costumes, the paper is
covered with ink, the battle has started, and ends with an outpouring
of black fluid like a real battlefield enveloped in swaths of black
smoke from the expended gunpowder. Were it not for coffee one
could not write, which is to say one could not live.

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Like those of Erdos, his words stand as a beautiful tribute to the allure of
coffee, even if his personal habits provide a warning about excessive
caffeine consumption (he consumed a lot).

Whether you’re a musician, a President, a comedian, or a mathematician;

coffee is the answer. To hear more about notable coffee drinkers,  check
out this article, and the book Daily Rituals by Mason Currey.

You Don’t Have to Be a Hipster To

Enjoy Slow Coffee
Of course, with any attempt at fully enjoying the pleasures of life  comes
the ever present danger of pretentiousness. Lately, all things artisanal,
even coffee, are subject to the flannely condescension of the hipster
inside all of us.

Be not deterred- coffee  has been around for a very long time and has
been enjoyed in many ways.  It’s a seed. A seed that’s roasted, ground,
and steeped in water. It is simple. It is elemental. Don’t take it so seriously
that you forget to enjoy it!

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 Buying & Storing

There's coffee, and then there's coffee. If you want the latter, a few
conscientious steps make all the difference. Follow these guidelines to
ensure that you're getting the best out of your brew.

1. Always Buy Whole Bean Coffee

Always. As they say, if you want something done right, you've gotta do it
yourself. Nowhere is that more true than when it comes to grinding beans.

If it's already been ground, it's either been losing flavor ever since, or what
flavor it has is being chemically preserved. Fresher is always better, and in
the case of coffee, that means grinding immediately before brewing.

2. Buy from Local Coffee Shops and Roasters

The supermarket? The Starbucks? They're the enemy. Not the enemy of
society or anything (that's another debate), but certainly the enemy of
conscientious coffee. With rare exception, what they sell is sub-par, no
matter what idyllic photos of indigenous coffee farmers they slap on the
package.

Your local, independent cafes are like you. Assuming you're not on this
website by accident, you care. You care about quality, you care about
ingenuity, and you want your coffee from people who nurture a passion for
it.

These are the places where personal relationships are fostered around the
sacred brew, where the barista who knows what you like turns you on to a

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flavor you've never considered. These are the places that make coffee,
and neighborhoods, better.

3. Look for a Roast Date

Everybody checks the date on milk, but somehow coffee is assumed to be
immortal. It's not. Look for a roast date within the last two weeks,
preferably with info about its origins.

4. Buy Only What You Need

By which we mean a week's worth, tops. Not only does this ensure that
you're drinking fresh coffee, it encourages you to go out and interact with
fellow java-philes. Regular trips to the coffee shop foster the culture, and
the culture fosters the brew.

5. Store Coffee Beans in an Airtight Container

As soon as you've brought home the beans, re-home them in a mason jar
or tinted OXO container. As charming as those recyclable twine-tied bags
with the shop's name on them are, they do little to delay the bean's
degrading.

[hipster]With mason jars, you should hear a slight pop every time you open
it, as the beans will still be gassing off inside. That's the sound of
freshness.[/hipster]

6. Store Your Coffee in a Dry, Cool Place

Believe it or not, even light can affect the freshness of your coffee (hence
the tint on the OXO). As attractive as a mason jar full of beautiful beans
may be, don't be tempted to use it as decoration. A cool pantry is best.

7. Skip the Fridge

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Coffee beans don't refrigerate well, and there's no good reason to buy so
much coffee that you'd have to refrigerate it anyway. A cool pantry and an
airtight container are all that's needed.

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 Grinding

The first rule of Roasty: Always grind your own beans.

The second rule of Roasty: ALWAYS grind your own beans!

We also recommend not talking about Fight Club. As for coffee, it should
never be kept waiting in pre-ground form. Therefore, the third rule of
Roasty is to only ever grind enough beans for what you’re about to brew.

Every brew should start with a fresh grind, because entropy begins to set
in almost immediately. An airtight container can help, but only for so long.
And the fridge? Don't get me started. In all the vast and diverse world of
coffee, one thing that every truly great cup has in common is that it was
beans about five minutes before.

Let's Learn About Coffee Grinders

There is only one way to grind coffee beans, and that’s with a burr grinder.
Actually, there are two ways, the other being a blade grinder, but we don't
recommend it.

Burr Grinders vs. Blade Grinders

Blade grinders work  more like a blender, with whirring blades at the
bottom of a container. Because of this, the consistency of the grind turns
out to be very...well, inconsistent. Worse, the blades actually heat up and
"cook" the beans slightly, altering their flavor.

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Burr grinders consist of two cutting discs, called - wait for it - burrs. The
consistency of the grind (meaning the size of the individual grinds) is
determined by the distance between the burrs. The closer the burrs, the
finer the grind.

Automatic or Hand (Manual) Grinder?

There are two types of burr grinders, manual and automatic. Both work
just fine, but I prefer the manual for aesthetic reasons. There's just
something satisfying about grinding the beans with my own hands, like the
Pilgrims did, probably. The rhythmic motion induces a sort of meditation, a
Zen state of oneness with the coffee. Or something.

Even better, hand grinders are more compact and good for travel. They're
also much more affordable, while automatics can cost upwards of $50.

How to Grind ...Coffee, that is

So, to grind your coffee, start by figuring out how much you need for only
that sitting. Using a kitchen scale, measure out the beans.

A good rule of thumb is to use 1 tablespoon per cup, or 15 grams of

coffee for every 250 grams of water, to be precise. For a shortcut, just go
by the amount of coffee your grinder can hold. In my case, a 24 oz hand
grinder holds just enough for my 20 oz tumbler.

As for which grind to use, it depends on the recipe and the brewing
system. Different beans and different filters will produce different results
with finer or more coarse grinds. For example, the Aeropress system's
tight filters allow for a very fine grind, intensifying the flavor. Feel free to
experiment.

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Once you've set the grinder to the desired consistency, simply turn the
crank until you can hear that all the beans have been reduced to delicious
brown powder.

Brew to your liking, and drink away. The extra minute or two it takes to
grind your own is worth its weight in goodness, as your taste buds will
attest.

No matter where your coffee journey takes you, no matter what varieties
or brewing systems you try, never, ever forget the first rule.

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 Water Temperature

Temperature matters.

Half the problem with sub-par coffee comes down to temperature. Under
heated or overheated, no bean can reach the full expression of its flavor.

Fortunately, there's a single perfect temperature, no matter the method, no

matter the bean. Tattoo this number on the inside of your mind- 205.

The Perfect Water Temperature for

Brewing Coffee Is...
205 degrees (that's Fahrenheit, or 96 degrees Celsius) is the ideal water
temperature with which to brew any coffee. You can reach this exact
temperature or you can approximate it, depending on your equipment.

Traditional thermometers can do the trick, but even easier (and more
accurate) is a laser thermometer, available at any hardware store. This also
allows you to measure the temperature from a distance, and amuse your
cat afterwards.

Even better is an electric gooseneck kettle with an electronic base that

lets you set and monitor the exact temperature of the water inside.
Perfectly accurate, these kettles are the ultimate must-have for the
discerning and/or dangerously obsessive coffee connoisseur.

[hipster]However, if you're working with a plain pot or kettle (never both,

lest accusations of blackness fly unbidden through your kitchen), you can

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always use the time-tested method our forefathers used at Ye Olde Beane
& Brew, or wherever colonial hipsters went: just boil it. Once it's boiled,
remove for 30 seconds, which will typically give you something in the
199-205 degree neighborhood.[/hipster]

And while we're talking water, remember: depending on where you live,
tap water may adversely affect your coffee. Always use filtered water to
ensure the best possible brew.

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 Brewing

So far in this guide you’ve learned about buying and storing the right
coffee beans, grinding them, and heating up the water to the perfect
temperature for brewing. The only thing left to do besides drinking coffee
is brewing it.

In this section I will outline 3 different ways to brew coffee. To help you
decide on which brewing method to start with, let me give you a brief list
of the pros and cons of each:

1. Chemex (or Pour Over Method)

This is my favorite, but it’s slow. It makes a clean cup of coffee, but it
takes time.

2. French Press
I started brewing great coffee with a French Press and it will always have a
place in my heart, and my kitchen. It’s great when you’re brewing for a lot
of people, but it leaves some coffee sludge at the bottom of your cup.
You’ll know what I mean when you try it. It’s not bad, just not preferred
(and yes, there are some tricks to avoid this)

3. Aeropress
I use an Aeropress when I travel and it makes a clean cup like a pour over.
It’s like a great cross breed of the two methods. However, it only makes
one cup at a time and it doesn’t make a full 20 oz cup, so I have to add
water to my final cup.

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 How to Use a Pour Over Brewer

I have to say it: of all the gadgets and methods I get to try out, the Chemex is
my favorite. It makes a clean, aromatic, delicious cup of coffee. More
importantly, it's a slow, involved process, and it's downright fun. For someone
aspiring to real coffee connoisseurship, this thing is a joy.

1. Measure & Heat The Water

Heat 2 cups of water to 205 degrees F (96 C), or simply boil and remove for 30
seconds.

Heat about 1/2 cup of extra water separately, to pre-heat and rinse the filter.

2. Measure & Grind the Beans

Grind your beans to a medium consistency, about 30 grams (or 2 tablespoons)
worth.

3. Pre-Heat & Rinse

Open a paper filter and place it in the brewer. With the extra 1/2 cup of water,
thoroughly rinse the filter. This will also pre-heat and set the filter in place.

4. Bloom The Coffee

When the water is ready, put the grounds in the filter and pour just enough water
to saturate them. Let it sit and "bloom" for one minute, allowing bubbles of
carbon dioxide to gas off.

5. The Pour Over

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Once the bloom is complete, slowly pour the water over the coffee in either a
side-by-side or circular motion.  Be sure to saturate the grounds evenly and
completely.

Once the coffee is fully filtered, toss the grounds and enjoy. If you like your
coffee hotter, the Chemex can be heated on a glass or gas burner, but never on
an electric coil burner. A separate adapter is sold for that.

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 How to Use a French Press

One of the first steps to elevating your coffee game is moving beyond the
"convenience" phase. Great beans deserve better than to be turned into thin
brown drizzle and piddled into that rarely-cleaned (admit it) petri-pot by some
break-room contraption. You deserve better than whatever brown dust the
robots at the Keurig factory have packed into those condiment cups. Consider,
then, the French press.

When I first started taking coffee seriously, the French press was my method of
choice, and it's still one of my favorites. It creates a coffee with body,
suspending particles in the brew for a fuller, composed java. It's especially
perfect for having coffee with friends, as it makes multiple cups without
sacrificing quality.

1. Measure & Heat the Water

Measure out 1,000 grams (4 cups) of filtered water. Heat it to 205 degrees F or
96 C (or for the less precise, just boil it and remove from heat for 30 seconds).

Add a little extra water to the boil for use in rinsing the press later.

2. Grind The Beans

Grind 60 grams (about 4 Tablespoons) of beans. It's always best to grind only
the amount of coffee you need for each individual sitting, so that every cup or
pot is always as fresh as possible. The ground coffee should be about as coarse
as kosher salt.

3. Preheat The Press

Rinse the press with some of the hot water, which will also serve to preheat it.
Make sure the wire plunger is clean and free of old coffee grounds.

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4. Bloom & Steep
Add the coffee grounds to the French press and set a timer for 4 minutes. Pour
some of the hot water into the press- just enough to saturate the grounds. Leave
it there to "bloom" for 1 minute before adding any more water.

Next, evenly pour the remaining water over the grounds, filling the press. Put the
lid and plunger on, and let steep for 3 minutes.

5. Press & Serve

When your timer goes off, slowly press the plunger down, using only the weight
of your hand. No pressure!

At this point, you should either serve immediately, or pour the coffee into a
carafe or insulated mug. I prefer a Yeti Rambler, which keeps coffee's
temperature for hours (Seriously. Hours.) Whatever you do, don’t leave it in the
French press to overbrew. That'll get you nothing but bad taste and sludge.

That's it- boil, bloom, steep and serve. Once you've had a cup this way, the
extra few minutes it takes will seem more than worth it. But don't take my word
for it.

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 How to Use an Aeropress

Here at Roasty, we're working hard to fight the culture of convenience that's
driven people away from mindfully prepared coffee and toward the quick-n-easy
K-cup scene. That doesn't mean there isn't room for a time-saving device, as
long as it doesn't detract from the integrity of the brew!

The AeroPress is perfect for a great cup of coffee that's prepared relatively
quickly and leaves little mess to clean up after. It's not ideal for groups or
marathon caffeinating sessions (it only makes a cup at a time) but it's the most
convenient way to have a quality coffee without turning to your local barista.
Most importantly, it makes the coffee well, without sacrificing much by way
of flavor or body.

1. Heat Up The Water

Heat the water to 185 degrees F (85 C), or just boil it, removing for 30 seconds
after for roughly the ideal temperature.

NOTE: I've mentioned before that the perfect water temperature for brewing
coffee is 205 degrees F (96 C) and that still holds true. However, with an
Aeropress, you can play with any temperature between 185 - 205 degrees F (85 -
96 C).

2. Grind The Coffee Beans

While the water's heating, grind your beans to a fine consistency, until you
have 2 tablespoons or about 30 grams.

3. Set Up The Aeropress

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Put a filter in the drain cap and rinse with hot water. Then put the cap on the
AeroPress and place it directly onto the mug or tumbler you'll be drinking from.
Make sure it’s a sturdy cup, because you'll be putting a little pressure on it.

4. Stir & Steep

When the water is ready, put the coffee into the AeroPress. Pour the water in
and give it a quick stir (using the stirrer provided).

5. Plunge
Wait 30 seconds, then slowly plunge with only the weight of your hand. The finer
the grind of your coffee, the longer the plunging will take- but it's worth every
second. The AeroPress filter allows for a finer grind, which produces a stronger,
fuller coffee.

Once the plunger is fully depressed, remove the press.

For milder Americano style coffee, add more water. For stronger coffee, drink it
as is.

Alternately, you can use the inverse method. Simply flip the AeroPress so that
the filter/cap side is facing up, with the plunger on the bottom. Add coffee and
water, then stir. After 30 seconds, place the cap and filter on, flip it over onto the
mug, and press in the usual way.

The Cleanup Process

Cleanup is a breeze. Simply remove the drain cap and depress the plunger over
your trash or compost to pop out the grounds. Rinse everything with hot water,
and call it a day.

The AeroPress is a great compromise between devotion to quality coffee and

the need for speed that we all face from time to time. When you're in a bit of a

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rush, you can't do better than an AeroPress at home- beats the hell out of the
vending machine, anyway.

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 Let’s Start Brewin’

I hope this little digital guide has gotten you excited about coffee. Not just
drinking it, but the process of finding and brewing as well.

I’ve been drinking coffee for as long as I can remember, but it was only
recently that I started to take it seriously. I’m so glad I did because I’ve
made friends while bonding over great coffee. I’ve enjoyed conversations
with roasters and baristas, which before have always just been that girl or
guy behind the counter making my latte.

I believe that if you’re going to do something (like drink coffee everyday)

do it to the best of your abilities. And at the same time, why not make new
friends and share stories?

Since I started RoastyCoffee.com, I’ve been so overwhelmed by the

support of coffee lovers (both drinkers and producers), and I can’t wait to
see where this takes us.

Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Matt Giovansici

Creator of Roasty Coffee

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