bronte

Just thought I'd make an entry while was sipping on my coffee. I like to roast my own, but the roaster is in storage, so I've just been buying 2.5 lb. *$ bags from Costco. I normally don't drink Starbucks, but it's a means to an end. It's hard to find a fresh bag, but you can usually do well by looking for those that are loosely packed...have air in them. After roasting, beans release CO2 for a few days, so if you see a "gassy" bag, means it's been roasted recently. The firmly packed or vacuumed bags are long-since stale.

I love the smell of coffee,especially freshly-roasted coffee. I used to do a 50/50 mix of Yemen Mokha and Aged Sumatra or Salawesi Toraja. The aroma released about 8 hours later was intoxicating...literally makes me weak in the knees. Never been into the "designer" coffees...Jamaica Blue Mountain, Kona, etc. JBM is WAY overpriced and overrated IMHO and I'd put Puerto Rican Yauco Selecto up against Kona (favorably) any day. All that aroma, flavor, and body with half the price..it's pretty awesome.

Anyway...

Waiting around for an acceptable time to call my friends. They're hosting a shabu shabu event and I don't know if I'm on booze detail or pie detail. I prefer to bring booze, because I"m good at picking it out and it's one-stop shopping. Finding a good pie is another matter...Heidi's Pies is usually a good bet...banana creme, Peach, Boysenberry, Apple...though if I want Boston Creme, I gotta hit Baker's Square. *sigh* What's a guy to do?!