I can't get this song out of my head. I find myself humming it to myself throughout the day.
"1 2 3 4" by Feist
One Two Three Four
Tell me that you love me more
Sleepless long nights
That is what my youth was for
Old teenage hopes are alive at your door
Left you with nothing but they want some more
Oh, you're changing your heart
Oh, You know who you are
Sweetheart bitterheart now I can tell you apart
Cosy and cold, put the horse before the cart
Those teenage hopes who have tears in their eyes
Too scared to own up to one little lie
Oh, you're changing your heart
Oh, you know who you are
One, two, three, four, five, six, nine, or ten
Money can't buy you back the love that you had then
One, two, three, four, five, six, nine, or ten
Money can't buy you back the love that you had then
Oh, you're changing your heart
Oh, you know who you are
Oh, you're changing your heart
Oh, you know who you are
Oh, who you are
For the teenage boys
They're breaking your heart
For the teenage boys
They're breaking your heart
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Sunday, December 16, 2007
My four favorite day-to-Day coffees are from Starbucks. They are:
Espresso Blend
French Roast
Italian Roast
Gold Coast Blend
Are these the absolutely best beans you can get? No, but the quality you get for the price are hard to beat, plus they are always easily available.
When I want to treat myself my favorites are
Black Cat Espresso Blend from Intelligentsia Coffee
Dead Man's Reach from Ravens Brew
I've found the best brewing method for my tastes is the French press.
I measure 5 tablespoons of unground beans for 0.5 liters of water or 8 tablespoons of beans for just under a liter of water and then grind them in a burr grinder at the coarsest setting.
After the water has come to a boil in my electric kettle I wait until I don't see any more bubble action in the water, put the grounds in the press, pour the water into the press, stir the brew well with a spoon, and then let it brew for 4.5 minutes. Don't let the coffee stay in the press after you have pressed it because it will keep extracting and give you a bitter and too strong coffee.
The most important thing you can get if you want good coffee at home is NOT the brewer, but the grinder. The little grinders with the spinning blades inside are not good for a couple reasons. The most important is because the particle size will not be consistent. Some particles will be smaller than average, others will be larger. The smaller ones will be over-extracted and the larger particles will not release their entire flavor.
What you want to get is a burr grinder. They are designed so all of the particles are uniform in size. I have the Braun KM30. Cuisinart also makes a good grinder. Both are in the $40 to $50 range.
One of these days I want to get the KitchenAid grinder. It is $200 which is why I don't have one right now.
Espresso Blend
French Roast
Italian Roast
Gold Coast Blend
Are these the absolutely best beans you can get? No, but the quality you get for the price are hard to beat, plus they are always easily available.
When I want to treat myself my favorites are
Black Cat Espresso Blend from Intelligentsia Coffee
Dead Man's Reach from Ravens Brew
I've found the best brewing method for my tastes is the French press.
I measure 5 tablespoons of unground beans for 0.5 liters of water or 8 tablespoons of beans for just under a liter of water and then grind them in a burr grinder at the coarsest setting.
After the water has come to a boil in my electric kettle I wait until I don't see any more bubble action in the water, put the grounds in the press, pour the water into the press, stir the brew well with a spoon, and then let it brew for 4.5 minutes. Don't let the coffee stay in the press after you have pressed it because it will keep extracting and give you a bitter and too strong coffee.
The most important thing you can get if you want good coffee at home is NOT the brewer, but the grinder. The little grinders with the spinning blades inside are not good for a couple reasons. The most important is because the particle size will not be consistent. Some particles will be smaller than average, others will be larger. The smaller ones will be over-extracted and the larger particles will not release their entire flavor.
What you want to get is a burr grinder. They are designed so all of the particles are uniform in size. I have the Braun KM30. Cuisinart also makes a good grinder. Both are in the $40 to $50 range.
One of these days I want to get the KitchenAid grinder. It is $200 which is why I don't have one right now.