It's been years since I added an entry to Overextracted - Blog about espresso and life, but a writer's workshop related assignment gave me the excuse. Attendees were expected to submit a story that would motivate the reader to act. They gave us a couple weeks to write it and of course I waited until the night before the class to begin to write it.

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Coffee is a part of our lives, so much so that we often consume it without really thinking. This engrained routine leads many to drink it without consideration for taste, or worse yet, assume it's naturally a bitter, unpleasant beverage that must be tamed with milk, sugar, and countless varieties of syrups. Fellow Americans, wake up! Your morning ritual doesn't have to be this way.

You've probably heard the term "French Roast", but do you know its origin? It was a term coined to describe the charred coffees the French served hundreds of years ago. Back in those days, coffees were shipped in the lower stores of boats, where the greens would frequently grow moldy. Rather than toss the coffee they transported from afar, the French would roast it so darkly, the sickening taste of mold would be burned away.

Foreigners visiting France came to associate this roasting method with the French and the moniker stuck. Hundreds of years later, one of today's well-known coffee purveyors developed their signature taste around a similarly dark-roasted coffee whose burnt, harsh, bitter flavor would be softened with copious amounts of milk and sugar. They even developed flavored syrups to better mask the coffee's flavor and eager customers paid MORE for the privilege of NOT tasting the coffee they'd bought!

Most Americans know what a good hamburger tastes like. They know that it's supposed to be flavorful, moist, and delicious. If you need to slop a thick layer of ketchup on a hamburger to render it palatable, you know either the beef wasn't good to start out with, or the chef overcooked it. Why don't Americans have a similar critical appreciation of coffee?

Sadly, as noted earlier, the reason is obvious: We have been trained that dark, bitter coffee is "normal" because that's all we've ever tasted. But like the child who learns later in life that a hamburger from the Golden Arches isn't the pinnacle of perfection, you too can seek out better coffee. Whether you make it yourself, or buy it at a café, a delicious coffee taste experience sans masking agents awaits you!

The first steps of improving your morning routine begins with seeking out light to medium roasted coffees. They must be freshly roasted! That is, the coffee must be roasted within the last 10 days. If you see a "Best by" date or a reminder of when the coffee was "freshly scoops", move on. The best source of freshly roasted coffee is the roasters themselves. Hundreds of roasters sell same-day roasted coffee online.

Most importantly, your coffee must be properly prepared. Freshly roasted coffee, correct brew temperature, and a good grinder unlock the flavors of a wondrous beverage. If you live in an area that doesn't have discerning baristas at your local café, try it at home! Preparing a pourover coffee isn't difficult and only takes a few minutes. You'll soon learn that coffee, like wine, offers a variety of taste experiences that can change each day. But unlike wine, the best coffee in the world can be enjoyed every morning and costs less than a buck to prepare!

Amen! Spread the word brother HB!

Blog bookmarked so I can go read the backlog! Look forward to more entries.

I found this one the other day:

A beginner's guide to good coffee wrote:Despite the facts that it's possible to buy "gourmet" coffee in almost any supermarket, and that there are cafes on almost every street corner in every city, it's sadly true that it can still be difficult to find good coffee these days. Fortunately it's getting easier all the time, and more and more people are getting interested in good coffee, either finding it at a good café, or making it at home. There are a lot of misconceptions and misinformation out there about, here's some things to keep in mind if you want a great cup of coffee:

1. Most people have never had good coffee. Most of the coffee sold, served and consumed in the US is "commodity" coffee, grown for volume, not taste. And over 90% of the coffee is incredibly, incredibly stale. Virtually 100% of the coffee in the supermarket, and restaurants, most of the coffee in cafes is stale. Even "fancy" cafes like Starbucks or Pete's are serving stale coffee.

2. Not only that, but most coffee is burnt to a crisp. This is because when you roast coffee dark, it stops tasting like coffee, and starts tasting like burnt carbohydrates, proteins and sugar. So, if you have a bunch of cheap commodity coffee and it's going to sit in warehouses and on shelves going stale for months before it gets sold or served, might as well roast it dark so it will taste like something. But this is an incredibly generic and boring flavor, it's the flavor of burnt toast, burnt caramel and roasted/burnt nuts. There's nothing wrong with that, and it can be a nice compliment to the natural flavors of quality coffee, but if that's the only thing you're tasting in your coffee you're missing out.

(cont'd here on reddit)

Dan, that is a well-written motivational essay. I really enjoyed it. I'm no expert critic, but I'll bet if you started a few days before the deadline it might have even been better. But maybe not - sometimes over-thinking seems to make writing less effective.

I must say, however, that I still have not learned to appreciate brewed coffee. Probably because I have not tried hard enough given my love for espresso. Although I seldom use sugar, I love milk in proper proportion for AM cappas. And I do prefer medium or darker roasts for espresso. I can even appreciate an after dinner espresso with a small spoon of sugar. In those cases darker roasts can actually be pleasant, balancing milk or sugar.

The first post was the initial draft; below is the final draft after several revisions and suggestions from a writing coach. As part of assignment, the article had to have no more than 272 words (per the seminal example, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address).

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Has your sleepy morning routine led you to drink coffee without consideration for taste, or worse yet, conclude it's naturally a harsh, unpleasant beverage that must be tamed with milk, sugar, and syrups? Fellow Americans, wake up! Coffee doesn't have to be bitter!

You've probably heard the term "French Roast", but do you know its origin? It was coined to describe the charred coffees the French served hundreds of years ago. Back then, coffees frequently grew moldy during their long journey from field to roaster. Rather than discard it, the French would roast the coffee so darkly, the sickening taste of mold would be burned away.

Foreigners came to associate this roasting method with the French and the moniker stuck. Starbucks developed their signature taste around a similarly dark-roasted coffee whose burnt, harsh, bitter flavor would be softened with copious amounts of milk and sugar. As a result, Americans have been trained to accept this as "normal".

Anyone can develop their coffee palate, whether you're a connoisseur or newbie. For more experienced coffee drinkers, seek out light to medium roasted coffees. They must be freshly roasted within the last 10 days; if you see a "Best by" date, move on. The best source of freshly roasted coffee is available online from the roasters themselves.

If you're just beginning, online reviews for your town are an excellent way to find cafes catering to more discerning coffee drinkers. Or better yet, try it at home! Preparing a pourover coffee isn't difficult and only takes a few minutes. Whether you make it yourself or buy it at a café, a delicious coffee taste experience awaits you.