Breakfast!

[Mark The Homer]

Yes - that is one major obstacle for really good coffee - having the time to fool with it. Having the time and the patience. Because of that, practically my whole life has passed me by before I realized the magic of coffee.

 

[RedWolf]

Right now, it's breakfast time, or maybe even a little late for breakfast, and I'm drinking a cup of coffee. Coffee is kind of like breakfast, right? Because we don't have a coffee thread. Yet. So I am putting this here.

We have a breakfast thread and a dinner thread. We have a burger thread and a BBQ thread. But IMO, we need a lunch thread and a coffee thread.

Anyway, it's Saturday morning, and I'm sitting here sipping my coffee. It's really good. It's really really really good. It's a Hawaiian coffee from Big Island Coffee Roasters. It's called Kona Peaberry. It's rated 94 points on coffee review dot com. Whole bean, fresh ground, direct pour. It's a medium light roast. Recommended.

Breville espresso machine and Lavazza Super Crema beans. Cafe americano, espresso, iced coffee, cappuccino. Don't use the French Press anymore. Easy peasy

 

[Mark The Homer]

I live really good coffee but I am usually in too much of a hurry to commit to making it!

I hear you. "Commit" being the key word. It definitely takes a commitment. Not just making it, but learning how to make it and understanding it.

This morning, Sunday morning, it's Hawaiian Harmony. Medium Dark roast. Direct pour. This was originally a blend of Kona, Ka'a, and Maui coffees. But then in 2023, the Maui fires devastated the Maui coffee plants, so now they have to rebuild which will take several years. And so Big Island roasters is using coffee from the Big Island exclusively - mainly Kona & Ka'u. Ka'u is interesting because it's just 70 miles south of Kona and is on the same mountain range and faces the same direction as Kona, so it's very similar to Kona and yet cheaper because it's largely undiscovered by the public. It's a local favorite. This coffee recently earned 93 points at coffee review dot com. It's one of our favorites.

 

[Mark The Homer]

Breville espresso machine and Lavazza Super Crema beans. Cafe americano, espresso, iced coffee, cappuccino. Don't use the French Press anymore. Easy peasy


View attachment 10315

Nice! Is that a super automatic? My Dad shipped me his used "super automatic" coffee maker a long time ago because he wanted to upgrade. I never heard of it. I looked at it. It looked dumb. It looked complicated. It was big. It looked expensive. I did a little research. I thought to myself: Dude. Why would you drop four figures on a coffee maker when you could buy one for thirty bucks? I don't have time for this. I put it back in the box and didn't look at it again for like a year.

So after about a year, I decided to finally check it out. Made room for it on the counter. Pulled it out of the box. Read the instructions. Set it up. Hooked everything up. Holy mackerel. It was amazing! Want a cup of coffee? All you have to do is push a button. That's it! It grinds the beans, it heats the water instantly, then brews the coffee perfectly and draws your cup. All in about 30s secs. And it tasted really good! I was amazed! And it lasted seven years before it finally broke. Totally impressed and amazed by that machine. Can't remember the brand name. Am I going to buy one to replace it? Hell no! I can't afford that kind of coin for a coffee maker!

 

[DWinzit]

Yesterday my wife and I went to a farmers market fairly late, 11ish and we had not eaten anything all morning. Normally I would get like street tacos. Instead we went with 3 types of crepes and split them. One savory with eggs, brie and chorizo, one was Nutella, bananas and whip cream, one strawberry with vanilla ice cream and Grand Marnier. Yum

 

[Skinsfan1311]

Breville espresso machine and Lavazza Super Crema beans. Cafe americano, espresso, iced coffee, cappuccino. Don't use the French Press anymore. Easy peasy


View attachment 10315

That's looks bad-ass! Is it easy-peasy to clean? We lived in Naples in the late 70's/early 80's when Dad was stationed there. I have the old school La Pavoni Europiccola, from the late 70's that our family has used so much that the seals had to be replaced twice. It's in the shed now, because the seals should probably be replaced again, which ain't bad considering it's pushing 50. A bartender in Naples showed my Dad & I how to use it. There's definitely an art to it. My sister has the other one that Dad bought and she can crank out a really good cup of cappuccino too. When I was a teenager and young adult, I loved cappuccino, but I gradually switched over to espresso, which is easier to make in a Moka pot than breaking out the La Pavoni. I'm too lazy to walk out to the shed, but here's what it looks like.

 

[RedWolf]

So about the espresso machine... I watched it for 2 years because it was about $700. When I got laid off from my last job and got a very nice severance and bonus I said what the hell and treated myself. Easy to use. Grind the beans tamp it down and hit a button for a double shot. Easy to maintain, I just need to descale twice a year. It took me a while to get the grind correct, how fine and how much

 

[RedWolf]

Hmmm...omelettes anyone?

 

[Mark The Homer]

Sipping Mayorga Winter Blend this morning. It's a dark roast. This blend is seasonal. Mayorga is a local coffee roaster located right here in the DC area - in Rockville - on Gude Dr. It's good coffee, I think it's better than Starbucks. Since they roast it right here, potentially you can get it super fresh. Funny - an associate I know in the Seattle area emailed me a while back and asked me if I had tried Mayorga because "they roast it in Rockville," she said, and that's what she's currently drinking - and Seattle is known to be a coffee town. So I thought that was interesting.

I've never seen it in a grocery store, but Costco has it most of the time. It's significantly cheaper at Costco. I usually order it online right at their roasting facility and pick it up myself. They have a locker system for pick up.

Besides Winter Brew, they also have "Cubano" (dark roast) and "Muy Macho" (very dark roast). And others.

Mayorga Coffee

Best-Selling Organic Specialty Grade Coffee that is better for the farmers, our planet, and you. Roasted in small, fresh batches and sourced with our partner farms in Latin America.

mayorgacoffee.com

 

[Skinsfan1311]

Sipping Mayorga Winter Blend this morning. It's a dark roast. This blend is seasonal. Mayorga is a local coffee roaster located right here in the DC area - in Rockville - on Gude Dr. It's good coffee, I think it's better than Starbucks. Since they roast it right here, potentially you can get it super fresh. Funny - an associate I know in the Seattle area emailed me a while back and asked me if I had tried Mayorga because "they roast it in Rockville," she said, and that's what she's currently drinking - and Seattle is known to be a coffee town. So I thought that was interesting.

I've never seen it in a grocery store, but Costco has it most of the time. It's significantly cheaper at Costco. I usually order it online right at their roasting facility and pick it up myself. They have a locker system for pick up.

Besides Winter Brew, they also have "Cubano" (dark roast) and "Muy Macho" (very dark roast). And others.

Mayorga Coffee

Best-Selling Organic Specialty Grade Coffee that is better for the farmers, our planet, and you. Roasted in small, fresh batches and sourced with our partner farms in Latin America.

mayorgacoffee.com

View attachment 10343

Cubano is a staple and Muy Macho when Costco stocks it...

 

[Mark The Homer]

Just finished a cup of Cuatro Sompras from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Medium roast. A farm-to-cup coffee that started in 1856. One of our favorites.

We followed that with Ether which is a blend from Philz Coffee in San Francisco. Very dark roast. Philz cafe is unique in that each cup is brewed individually per the customer's specs. It doesn't come from a pot. The beans are ground and the coffee is brewed seconds later. Their motto is "One cup at a time." Philz Ether from the original cafe in the Mission District is what turned me into a coffee nerd ten years ago.

 

[Skinsfan1311]

Omelette with cream cheese, leftover pieces of Old Bay shrimp & some avocado ...

 

[DWinzit]

Hmmm...omelettes anyone?

She was making something?

 

[DWinzit]

When I visited Spain last year, I could not get enough of the Iberian ham sandwiches (especially during my time in Barcelona). They have a number of different names, Bocata, Jamon are two of the names.

All the bakeries, cafes and tapas bars had them and my, are they good. They aren't all the same but mainly are made from incredible fresh baguette, butter, Iberian ham (like prosciutto) , arugula and burrata cheese...maybe some balsamic. YUM

 

[RedWolf]

Bocata is little bite or little mouth. Jamon is ham. FYI

 

[Mark The Homer]

Non-FB Anne's plate. Mine was the same but included a dash of tabasco. That's the Lonaganiza sausage from Boarman's, sliced and fried up.

 

[RedWolf]

Eggs sunny side up in butter with English muffins this am.

WTH is non-FB?

 

[Mark The Homer]

It means Anne is not on Facebook. lol Kind of an inside joke with me and skinsfan1311

Sunny side up is the way to go. You just gotta know how to cook it. Non-FB Anne insists on over easy, even after I cook it perfectly sunny side up. I dunno why.

I'm doing reubens again tonight. I'm not gonna bother posting the pics. I think this site has seen enough of my reuben pics.

 

[HOF44]

Bocata is little bite or little mouth. Jamon is ham. FYI

I just ordered some Iberico pork. A secreto steak, bone in loin, and another cut I can’t remember the name of

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Yesterday my wife and I went to a farmers market fairly late, 11ish and we had not eaten anything all morning. Normally I would get like street tacos. Instead we went with 3 types of crepes and split them. One savory with eggs, brie and chorizo, one was Nutella, bananas and whip cream, one strawberry with vanilla ice cream and Grand Marnier. Yum

I’ve learned to make crepes at home. I have a crepe maker. Often times I just make the batter from scratch. However if I’m in a rush, crepes Amore in Vienna sells a crepe mix where you just add eggs and water and it works very well.

Learning the crepe making technique takes time and patience. And a lot of misinformed crepes. But they taste pretty good regardless of shape.

I like making both the savory and sweet. I like making a red, white and blue crepe with strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream. I also like ham, avocado, egg and cheese.