Multitasking Parent

I read an article that said that being a good multitasker isn't something to brag about because basically with multitasking instead of doing one thing well, you are doing a few things not so well. But, any parent will tell you, the key to parenting is multitasking. I mean, I don't know what multitasking is if it isn't trying to keep a baby's hands out of the toilet while you are pulling up your pants! I digress.

Here's one you don't see every day, a multitasking dad; roasting coffee and taking care of his baby. It was a scene I stumbled upon that sort of made my day. I love that this guy is not only passionate about his coffee, but he also is passionate about his kids and helping out. So, here's to all the multitasking dads out there. You rock!

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My Husband Has Ruined Me

I don't know if it's the newest little man in my life, or the fact that we now have a coffee pot that keeps coffee hot for long periods, but I find myself drinking copious amounts of coffee everyday. Like amounts that rival my early 20's when I practically lived off caffeine. And it sure doesn't hurt that I have fresh roasted coffee at my disposal. Anyway…

The other day I made myself coffee and left for the school run without bringing it along with me. Unfortunately, this happens a lot these days. I run out of time, or really just forget in the hustle and bustle of the morning to grab my coffee before I head out the door. But, on the days that Isla has school, we spend a lot of time in the car, so there is a lot of coffee drinking time to be had. On this particular day, I decided to go to starbucks and grab myself a cup of coffee.

The first sip I took of the coffee made me think they used cigarette ash as coffee grinds. Obviously I don't know what cigarette ash tastes like, but if I had to guess, it would have been this cup of coffee. Yeah, it was awful. And thankfully, when I got home, my forgotten coffee was still nice and hot, sitting in the tumbler on the dining room table.

But seriously, I have never thought of myself as a coffee snob…or connoisseur. I leave that to my husband. Just give me coffee and I will drink it. Now, I find myself not only turning my nose up to coffee, but even no longer regularly drinking dark roast. WHO AM I?!

I blame Ian. Apparently starbucks is no longer good enough for me…of course, maybe that's a good thing considering how they are ruining their rewards program and all.

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Coffee Happenings

I thought it would be fun to write every once in a while about our coffee business. Just to remember how it all started and how it all went. Plus, it seems to be the first thing people ask me about these days when I see them. Now, this is something we never intend on becoming Ian's main job, but a side business meant for fun and just see where it goes.

Over the weekend, we participated in our second event that we sold coffee at. The first one was in June  at Four Friend Market (a small business market three of my friends and I hosted). It was a huge success. Ian sold a ton of both french press coffee as well as cold brew. He also sold a bunch of bags of whole beans. Ian is definitely the social one of the two of us, so really he spent a lot of time chatting with people about coffee, while I served people that wanted to buy stuff ;) This past weekend, we were asked to have a table at the one year anniversary of a local cafe, LAMO Cafe in Turlock. They had one other local coffee roaster, as well and the coffee roaster that supplies the cafe with it's coffee. The event itself was packed. We did sell a lot of whole bean coffee, but not as many cups of coffee, as most people bought coffee from the actual cafe on their way into the event. As a result of the event, Ian now has bags of his coffee on the shelves in the cafe for sale. This is the second location he is now in. He is also in Barley & Wine, a beer and wine supply store in Modesto.

Another exciting opportunity that Ian is doing is barrel aging a batch of coffee in a whisky barrel from a local distillery, Do Good Distillery. The green coffee will sit in the whisky barrel for a month, then Ian will take it out and roast it. I have to admit, I was crossing my fingers that the barrel would stay at the distillery, but low and behold, Ian showed up with it at our house about a week ago. It actually is really cool looking and nowhere near the size of a wine barrel, so I am fine with it. Plus, I am starting to accept the fact that coffee related paraphernalia is literally starting to take over my house. I thought toys were the number one thing in my house, but coffee stuff is quickly catching up…and may soon pass up toys.


All exciting stuff aside, Ian is still roasting at least once a week, sometimes twice. I generally label, weigh, bag and heat seal all the coffee while he is roasting. Cold brew in 64oz growlers has been a huge hit this summer and we have been selling 5+ gallons of it a week. People still pick their coffee up from our front porch. Sometimes I notice them, sometimes I don't. Sometimes one of the kids will come inform me someone was just there. There is something kind of charming about people picking up a locally made product right off the sellers front porch.

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Why I Said Goodbye to Starbucks

My love affair with coffee started at a young age. I can remember my grandma giving me coffee in her sunroom in the morning when I would sit in there and play card games with her. I remember playing tea at a friends house. While everyone else wanted to drink juice in their cups, I would beg for coffee and her mom would always concede. I remember my dad taking me to see "a coffee shop in a bookstore!" And I remember when the first Starbucks opened in my city when I was 14. Everyone loved it. Sure, most my friends were getting frappuccinos while I got a cappuccino. But I loved coffee and never went down the super sweet coffee road. 

In high school, hanging out at Starbucks was basically a daily occurrence. In college, both Ian and I worked at Starbucks. After college, the love continued. And my love only grew during my time working at Starbucks in Scotland. After having Isla, my love of the Starbucks drive thru was born. I needed to get out of the house but didn't want to unload two kids from the car. And after being up half the night, the Starbucks drive thru was just the place to go. 

Then my kids started getting older. I started treating Connor to his own drink. And that's where the drama began. More often than not, stores wanted to argue with me about the cost of a kids beverage. It really was workers on some weird power trip, but I got tired of it. I got tired of ordering a $1.40 drink for my four year old and having to argue with the person ringing me up why I shouldn't have to pay $3…when it was clearly on their menu for $1.40!!! I actually can't even tell you how many times the manager got involved and how many times I wrote Starbucks in frustration about the matter. Because of that, I basically stopped going to Starbucks altogether. It wasn't worth it for me to argue about the price of a child's beverage each time I went there. 

I get that Starbucks is a money making corporation. I have never had a problem with that. But over the past few years, they seem to care more about churning out overly sweet beverages at an alarmingly fast rate than they do about their customers. I can't tell you how many times my cup of coffee I ordered was only luke warm. And given my "inside knowledge" it appears that more often than not, they are serving old coffee…fresh brewed coffee is supposed to be dumped and rebrewed every hour. Now, my husband probably wishes I had given up on Starbucks and their "subpar" coffee years ago. But it never bothered me. It was convenient. Even though they are everywhere and convenient, they are no longer worth it to me. So, with sadness in my heart, I shut the door on a huge chapter in my life and kiss Starbucks goodbye. I wish them and their zillion frappuccino flavors all the best. 

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A Glimpse Into the Home Coffee Roasting Business

As I mentioned before, Ian started up his own home roasting business. The roaster itself, which is about 5 feet long and 3 feet wide, is in our kitchen. We moved the lockers we had in the kitchen into the playroom and had it installed there. We had to have a dedicated gas line run for the roaster, as well as ventilation that goes through our roof. The business is fully legit, meaning we have a business license and a health food license. Having the health department come out and inspect my house about sent me crazy. I really should have just hired someone to clean my house rather than go crazy deep cleaning everything myself. Oh well…next time, right?!

We* launched a website a week ago and it has worked out well because people can just order and pay straight from the website. Due to cottage food laws, we cannot mail the coffee. At first we were delivering most of the coffee to people, but we have moved to having people pick it up at our house. We got this cool old army chest that we set on our front porch. Ian bags up the orders and writes the person's name on the bag, then I put them in the box in the morning and people come by and grab their coffee. So far, it has worked out really well. 

Ian roasts coffee once a week, on the weekend. He usually roasts about 15 pounds of coffee. He does light, medium and dark roast, as well as a dark roast decaf. 

 

 

We were just talking about how we are excited to see where this goes. So far, we have put almost no effort into advertising, but it has definitely taken off. Since launching the website last week, we have even had customers that we don't know. Kind of exciting! 

I thought I would mention, we don't intend on this becoming Ian's day job. Just a fun side business to have. Plus, it gives us great, fresh coffee to drink all the time! 

* I use the term "we" loosely as this is Ian's baby and I really just provide him back up. 

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A New Adventure

At the end of last week, Ian and I took a quick trip to Carson City, NV to do a training on his new coffee roaster. That big thing Ian is standing next to will be in my kitchen! This is the beginning of a dream that has been the topic of conversation for months in our home. Ian is going to be starting his own little coffee roasting company…Bean Counter Coffee Roasters.

I was excited to go with Ian just to get some time away with him…even if most of it was spent driving. I am glad we went because we actually got to be there when they tested our machine for the first time…and the second and third time too. Then they turned it over to Ian and let him roast two batches. They walked us through cleaning and maintenance and all the what ifs.

^^ Did you know they smell the coffee a bunch of times while it is roasting? And at one point it totally smelled like bread. 

It's fun watching Ian get so excited about this. Watching his friends text him for coffee. Knowing people stand behind him and his dream. My only request was that he not officially launch his coffee roaster until after busy season…because, well, that is keeping him busy enough right now! In the mean time, he will be able to test out the different coffees he wants and pick a couple to use. There is also selecting the packaging, designing the logo, the website, etc…

The roaster should be arriving at our house today or tomorrow and be installed (we need an exhaust put though our roof) later this week. It's starting to feel real. 

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DIY Iced Coffee

For those of you that don't have a coffee background, iced coffee is basically double strength coffee. And if you want to be real legit, you will cold brew your double strength coffee, rather than hot brewing double strength coffee. The cold brew way takes more time, but it also makes the coffee taste more smooth, as it removes some of the acidity from it. We cold brew. It tastes better and besides the wait time, really isn't any harder. What we use at home to make our iced coffee is a Toddy. It's a cheap and easy to use system for making iced coffee. 

The Toddy system comes with five parts - brewing container, reusable filter, rubber stopper and a glass pitcher with a lid. 

To make iced coffee, there are only two ingredients - coffee and water. We use about a cup of whole beans for each batch of coffee. And though we now use home roasted coffee beans, I also recommend Trader Joes smooth and mellow coffee for iced coffee. But back to making the coffee. All that is needed for the Toddy is a cup of beans and the Toddy pitcher full of water. 

You will want to put your rubber stopper in the brewing container, then put in your reusable filter. On a side note, you have to store your reusable filter in the refrigerator or freezer...random, right? And I realize our filter isn't a pristine white any more, but the two filters the toddy came with have lasted two years.

Next you want to grind your beans. You want the beans ground pretty course, like for a french press. 

Then you are going to put about half your water in the brewing container. Top it with about half your grinds and allow the grinds to soak into the water themselves. DO NOT STIR IT. Then you will repeat the process by adding more water and more coffee grinds. Once you are done, top with some cling film (you know, to keep flies and small people's hands out) and a rubber band and let the concoction sit for 24 hours.

After the 24 hours, while holding the brewing container over the pitcher, pull out the rubber stopper. Then set the brewing container on top of the pitcher and allow the coffee to drain into the pitcher. And, tada, you have yourself some amazing tasting iced coffee for way cheaper than Starbucks. 

And for you, a little tip. Since the pitcher isn't required for the brewing process, when you find yourself running low on iced coffee, start a new batch brewing, so it is ready when you run out. 

Ian and I both drink our iced coffee the same - no sugar, but with a little cream. I prefer to drink my coffee with a straw and the reusable iced coffee cups are my favorite. I've used ball jars before, but I prefer the coffee cups because they have lids AND fit in the cup holder in my car. 

And just to confuse you a little more, you can also do this method with a french press...using less coffee and water obviously. Just make sure after the 24 hours is up to not store your coffee in the french press with the grinds. Also, you will want to filter it again just to make sure all the grinds and grit are out of the coffee as the mesh filter in a french press doesn't do an amazing job. 

So now that you know how easy it is, save yourself some money and start making your own iced coffee. But don't blame me when you find yourself drinking way more than you should! And if any of you out there currently make your own iced coffee, I would love to hear about your methods. 

I Now Own Everything Coffee Related

You know how sometimes you don't even know what you are missing out on until your life is changed and you discover what you have been missing all along. Well that happened to me...again.

My father in law came back from England (I know, I am just as shocked as you that he didn't ask me to come along. I think of myself as an amazing travel companion.) the other day with gifts in hand...smart man. He knew after not inviting me on the trip, coming home gift less would not be safe. I kid. Anyway, so he hands me my gift and I find myself staring at this piece of fabric that I have no clue what it was. Then he enlightened me...and changed my life for the better. Everyone knows what a tea cozy is, right? Well my father in law got me a COFFEE COZY!

An adorable little invention that keeps my coffee warmer for longer. And let's be honest, also makes my coffee corner look even cooler. And we now truly own practically every coffee related item out there.

Like Mother, Like Son

We are a night time drinking, full caffeine family. Ian and I seem to handle it well. And, well, it appears Connor can pass out after making himself a cup of joe as well.

And on a semi-unrelated note, how cute is Connor's coffee maker...and the fact that he went to bed with it?! He got it for Christmas. It is wood and all sorts of adorable.

Just Sayin'

"I don't know why I have trouble falling asleep at night", says the girl sipping on a trenta iced coffee at 9:30pm. 

Not All Coffee Creamers

Are created equal

I recently discovered this...the hard way. The store I was at didn't carry my usual Coffee Mate creamer, so I picked up a bottle of the International Delight. HUGE MISTAKE! It tasted horrible. I ended up picking up more of my usual creamer to replace the disgusting creamer. I had a friend over and told her about the creamer situation (I am an interesting person to be around, I know.) and the same thing happened to her. Weird, right? I am thinking one of two things happened:

1. Coffee Mate is so good that every store in Modesto simultaneously (such a big word for me!) ran out of it
2. International Delight paid all the stores to conveniently run out of every other creamer to boost their sales

Okay, so I have a confession to make. When going to take the picture of the creamer bottles, I discovered that the gross creamer, International Delight, is actually sugar free. That is probably why it takes so freaking bad. Fake sweetener equals GROSS. But still, it is ruined for me. I have vowed myself to Coffee Mate forever. Kidding. Kind of.

And seriously, who writes an entire post on coffee creamer?!?

For the Coffee Lover

A cappuccino at home you say?

Well, kind of...


I know what you are thinking, at home espresso machines have been around for forever (well, at least in my little mind). But this beauty got nowhere near an espresso machine. In fact, one could truly call it a hand-crafted beverage!

We learned this trick at a friend's house this weekend. They had one of those stove-top Turkish coffee makers to make some good espresso to go in this at-home beauty, but Ian and I do not. So here is what we did...


Made a french press of coffee. Then, heated some milk in the microwave, and foamed it to perfection in the french press by quickly plunging it. The trick to the truly velvety milk is to keep the "plunger" (mesh part) of the french press under the milk while quickly plunging. Honestly, I think this has changed my life...well, would change my life if a Starbucks weren't closer (and I didn't get a discount)!

Caffeine

I am trying to decide if I think/believe that caffeine truly affects me or if it is all in my mind. Now, don't get me wrong...I do believe that after enough caffeine, it does something...it gives me the jitters. BUT, I am not sure about the overall effectiveness otherwise.

Personally, I think it is more of a head thing and less of an energy thing. For 9 months, I went off caffeine. I drank camomile tea, decaffeinated soda and gave up my oh-so-present caffeine addiction (I was the person that single-handedly kept Red Bull in business!). I am not got to say that it was easy, because it wasn't. But, with the correct amount of sleep (in fact, probably too much sleep) I made it thru. In fact, by the end I didn't even really miss my daily Red Bull/coffee. Unfortunately, after Connor was born, I started on coffee again. And before you know it...I didn't have coffee the other day and ended up with a splitting head ache (and with a trip to Starbucks to mend the headache). This got me thinking...

I know caffeine affects me (HELLO, it cures my headaches!), but does it really give me energy to get thru the day? I don't think so. I think psychologically it makes me feel better. Those morning (then noon, then night) cups of coffee give me strength, energy and warm my body (and possibly even my heart). And personally, even if it is ALL IN MY HEAD (like most things), it makes me happy...and I am thinking, that is all that really matters!

If any of you care to share...I would like to know how present (or lack of) your caffeine addiction is and what you think it does for you.