Life
As mentioned in the intro, this has felt like a very busy quarter, mostly spent planning for future events. This has cut into my time for other pursuits, like photography, reading, etc, though I’ve worked to keep a balance that still allows for some downtime and enjoyment. The difficulty is actually making use of any downtime and not allowing myself too often to choose mindless doomscrolling over things I actually enjoy and get some benefit from. That’s a struggle I’m sure many of us work at on a regular basis.
I’m still thoroughly enjoying my time learning about and trying different coffee beans from regions all over the world. This quarter I’ve mostly purchased beans from Red Rooster Coffee out of Floyd, Virginia, and Bluemont Coffee out of Bluemont, Virginia, which have become my go-to roasters of late, from regions such as Costa Rica, Rwanda, Guatemala, Venezuela, Ethiopia, Kenya, India, Nicaragua and Mexico.
Here’s my current brewing setup, for those interested:
1Zpresso X-Ultra manual grinder (great all purpose grinder)
1Zpresso ZP6 Special manual grinder (my newest addition, specialized for lighter roast pour over)
Metal and Glass Hario V60 pour over brewers
Small and large bodum French press brewers
Fellow Stagg gooseneck electric kettle
On days I have time to pause and enjoy my cups I use a V60, and on days I’m in a little more of a hurry I’ll use a French press. I have certain recipes (grinder, grind size, water temperature, ratio between grinds and water, brewer, pouring patterns) that I regularly use but I also like to experiment with new recipes. It fascinates me how much the flavor can change when adjusting any element of the recipe.
On the book front my father and I visited a bookstore he’d heard about in Woodstock, Virginia, called Bonfire Bookstore and Yarnery. It was a fascinating store that I described in one of my regular emails, and sold both new and used books, yarn and thread art items, and puzzles of all sorts and sizes. I really enjoyed the very comfortable feel of the store.
And on the food front we ate a couple times at the New Iberia Kitchen located inside The Marketplace in Sperryville, Virginia. It’s a real hidden gem of a restaurant, and The Marketplace is fun to walk through, full of little stores, a chocolate shop and a bakery. Check them out if you’re ever in the area, though you may have to look to find the place.
I hope you’ve been well this quarter. And I hope you’ve enjoyed this look back as much as I’ve enjoyed creating it. Thanks so much for reading and for all your support. I hope you have a fantastic second quarter of the year!
