Coffee Log Day 9

I am still doing pour over coffee every day, but it seems a little too much to be posting the same updates. Today was my second day using Black & White Roasters Diego Campos (archived). I only just realized these were Colombian, the same as the beans I started with on Day 1. I want to try beans from as many different regions as possible. That said, this is a great opportunity to see how beans can differ by roaster.

Yesterday when I used these beans, there was a problem. The flavor was really flat and just a little too sour. The grind also clumps a little more. I guessed that I had not given the grounds enough time to bloom. Today I bloomed for 45 seconds instead and it made a big difference. The sourness was some of the most pleasant I have tasted – that’s the sweet citrus part of this blend.

Today was also my second day of using the Searchpean KC200. For pour over, it’s a little cramped with the Hario V60-02. I might need to get a smaller size. I can see the display, but it’s a little obscured by the collector. I want to get into espresso, so I’m not sure if it’s worth buying anything else. This setup works and the coffee has been great.

What if regular exercise is the best cognitive exercise? (HN) →

As always, posts on HN about exercise get a lot of commentary. First, an observation: HN commentors who discuss exercise have a certain arrogance that I can’t quite place, especially when it comes to lifting. I speculate that it is unfounded confidence from inexperience. It’s quite common on the internet for people with little exposure to an activity to cosplay as experts of said activity.

The thread is full of anecdotes about lifting. While I love strength training, I find that lifting alone does not have the long-term cognitive effects described. I think people over-emphasize lifting as exercise or as the only exercise when there exist many activities that work as exercise.

I definitely agree that lifting helps improve focus and motivation, but where it seems to come short is in long-term stress management. When I started, my stress levels were under control, but I noticed that I started to get pretty flustered with customers at work. 1

Through trial and error, I found that cardio is an essential component to stress management. My unscientific theory is that working on the neuromusculoskeletal system generates stress hormones that aren’t effectively cleared by lifting alone. At least not in a person like me.

I think that both cardio and stretching are underrated activities for stress management. 2 Both of these can be light activities. Cardio doesn’t have to be strenuous. An hour-long walk is great for stress management. Riding a bike is another. And of course, exercises that challenge both strength and endurance are the best. Then stretching is next. I’m not sure what is best for stretching, but I know it really helps me relax. I do mostly static stretches that target my lower back and hips. These seem to help avoid knee pain and back pain. 3

As always, YMMV.

Footnotes

  1. I often wonder if people can hear stress in our voices and they intentionally try to incite a negative response. This is similar to the “u mad bro” mentality seen on the internet. People seem to get enjoyment out of upsetting other people. 
  2. But they must be used in conjunction with strength training. 
  3. I think pain is too general a term for knee pain and lower back pain. Sometimes it’s sharp, sometimes it’s dull. It’s not really a pain that matches any other type of pain I’ve ever experienced. I would say it’s a combination of soreness and tightness. 

Coffee Log Day 7

Nothing new to report except that I think I’m noticing the flavor-to-age correlation. Still tastes great, but definitely not as flavorful as the first few days.

Coffee Log Day 6

Same beans as Day 1-5. I used 20g today. 3-minute brew time total. I made sure to get the heat turned up. Today’s was good. Almost no sourness, but not overly bitter, but I think this cup has the problem of “lacking clarity” as many might say.

Coffee Log Day 5

Same parameters as Days 1-4 EXCEPT I tried to be more careful about the temperature. This was a mistake. I got the water temperature to 200°F (but may be lower since the thermometer is analog). I think I under extracted the coffee.

Coffee Log Day 4

Same parameters as day 1-3. Today was good. The sourness was more subdued today than yesterday, but with the dark chocolate flavor staying the same. The only difference today was a decrease in time dripping – I cut it short at 3m20s.

Coffee Log Day 3

Same parameters as Day 2 and Day 1. I got the technique down today. I mixed the grounds at bloom and didn’t overpour. The cup is great. Not overly sour and with a great dark chocolate taste and delicious aftertaste.

Coffee Log Day 2

Today I used the same beans as Day 1, 19g. Same grind setting – 15 on the Baratza Encore. I remembered to stir today, but I ended up taking coffee grounds with the spoon and there didn’t seem to be enough water for the stir.

I overpoured by about 20g today. Total was 223g.

The sourness was actually more muted today than yesterday, but unfortunately so was the dark chocolate flavor. It was still pretty good, but obviously, as a novice, my technique still needs improvement.

Coffee Log Day 1

My v60 came yesterday. I don’t drink coffee at night, so today was my first day trying it. I used the method James Hoffmann describes in The Ultimate V60 Technique.

For this brew, I got some Colombia Huila Supremo 17/18 beans from Crema here in Cary, NC (archived). It was nice dropping by on my bike to pick up the beans. I can only guess that the roast date was Monday, October 31st, 2022.

I did a ratio of 20g beans to 300g water. I had a little trouble with timing and getting the right weights. My scale is a little slow to establish a final weight, so I would frequently go over by a few grams. I also forgot to agitate the grounds during the blooming stage.

I think it was a good cup of coffee all around. There was a sourness to it, but it wasn’t overpowering. There was a very nice “smokiness” or dark chocolate taste to this coffee. The aftertaste was also very pleasant with the same kind of dark chocolate. Coffee from restaurants often has a very strong sourness in both the initial taste and aftertaste. Smooth with no chalkiness or stickiness.

I’d say this was pretty good for my first attempt on the v60 and only my second or third pour over brew.