Everyday Beans Podcast - Mostly About Coffee and Other Stuff

Send us Fan Mail I recently completed a two-week odyssey with the Deep 27 flower dripper from Kafek, brewing nearly 30 cups of coffee to truly understand what this unique brewer brings to the table. I've called it a "selfish brewer" before, but in the best possible way - it keeps giving exceptional results while staying completely out of your way. What shocked me most about this com...

Send us Fan Mail I took a deep dive into the Hario V60 Mugen dripper after using it for a couple of months, and I have to be honest with you—I don't think you need it. In this episode, I share my side-by-side testing results comparing the Mugen to the original Hario V60 and the Origami dripper. I walked through multiple brewing rounds using identical variables and discovered something interes...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I dive into the SCA flavor wheel and explore why I think it's fundamentally biased in how it represents coffee flavors. I break down the structure of the flavor wheel, examining how it dedicates massive sections to fruity, floral, and acidic descriptors while giving surprisingly minimal space to classic coffee characteristics like sweetness, chocolate, and nu...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I dive deep into what it actually means to master coffee and how I'll know when I've achieved it. I break down the four specific benchmarks I've set for myself in this year-long journey: brewing a great cup in three pours or less while understanding exactly why it works, identifying roast levels purely by taste without any gadgets, intentionally shi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm getting real about the year-long coffee mastery challenge I'm about to embark on. While I'm excited about the journey ahead, I'm taking a moment to reflect on five potential pitfalls that worry me as I dive deeper into this pursuit. I talk about becoming a coffee accessory chaser, getting trapped by recipe obsession, losing patience with th...

Send us Fan Mail I started this episode planning to convince everyone why flatbed brewers are superior to cone-shaped filters because of their more even coffee bed distribution. But after testing both methods over the past few days, I realized I needed to talk about something more important—how to explore different brewing styles without buying more gear. I've been a cone-shaped filter devote...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I dive deep into one of the most overlooked aspects of brewing great coffee: ratios, or as I like to call it, strength level. I share my personal journey from brewing at a 1:10 ratio (pretty strong, mainly to satisfy my wife's preference for bold coffee) to discovering that different roast levels demand completely different approaches. I talk about how my pal...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I open up about my current relationship with coffee and what drives my brewing choices every single day. I confess that I'm a pour-over person through and through, with a strong preference for medium to dark roasts—especially darker roasts that deliver both sweetness and acidity in balance. I share my struggles with light roasts, my evolving palate that'...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I dive deep into the Hario Pegasus Dripper and share my honest thoughts on whether it deserves a spot in your coffee brewing arsenal. I walk through my hands-on experience with this size 2 dripper, examining everything from its groove pattern design to its filter compatibility issues. I discuss the peculiar two-hole drainage system that bothers me, the awkward fit...

Send us Fan Mail I recently started questioning whether mastering coffee in a year is even possible, but I've decided to push forward with this ambitious challenge anyway. In this episode, I open up about my goal to reach a level where I can grab any bag of coffee—light, medium, or dark roast, washed, natural, or anaerobic—and nail the perfect brew within two or three tries. I'm talking...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I dive deep into a brewing experiment that challenged my coffee preferences and taught me valuable lessons about knowing what you truly enjoy. I challenged myself to brew a medium roast coffee at 200 degrees Fahrenheit using a 1:17 ratio, pushing the boundaries of my usual brewing comfort zone. Through this experiment, I discovered that this weak brewing ratio sim...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I share my ambitious resolution for the year: mastering coffee through intentional failure and relentless experimentation. I open up about what this journey means to me—pushing past comfort zones, questioning the status quo of specialty coffee, and discovering why certain coffees, roast degrees, and brewing methods work the way they do. I talk about my desire to u...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I dive deep into the engineering and geometry behind pour-over coffee brewers, drawing from my background as a drainage engineer to explain how water flow impacts extraction. I break down the science behind popular brewers like the Hario V60, Fellow Stagg, Deep 27, and the UFO dripper, examining how their cone angles and design features manipulate water flow to cr...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I get real about something we don't talk about enough in specialty coffee: not every coffee is going to be special to you, and that's perfectly okay. I share my experience with a lightly roasted Kenyan coffee that smells divine but I just don't like, and reflect on a customer review that said my Brazilian coffee "wasn't special enough.&quo...

Send us Fan Mail In this reflective episode, I share my birthday thoughts about what really matters in the coffee journey. I talk about how I've accumulated so much coffee gear and knowledge about brewing techniques, but I realized I've been missing the forest for the trees. I discuss how we often get caught up in the latest grinders, brewers, water recipes, and extraction methods, but f...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I dive deep into the world's most controversial brewing device - the AeroPress. I share my honest journey from initially thinking it was garbage to learning to appreciate its unique capabilities. I discuss a thoughtful comment from a listener about AeroPress techniques, exploring both the traditional and inverted brewing methods. I break down the common leaka...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm diving into coffee grinder recommendations—specifically why I don't recommend the Baratza Virtuoso despite owning it for years. I share my honest experience with this popular $250 grinder, explaining how it performs flawlessly mechanically and looks great on your counter, but ultimately falls short in what matters most: the cup quality. I talk about...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I dive into my latest obsession: perfecting Japanese milk bread. But this isn't just about bread—it's about how pursuing mastery in one craft can transform your approach to another. I share my journey of deliberately choosing to make Japanese milk bread once a week, experimenting with different flours, ratios, techniques, and baking methods, all while st...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I share my weekend revelations about coffee brewing that completely shifted my perspective. I realized that it's not about the brewer—it's about the recipe and understanding the coffee itself. I tested different recipes with various devices, including the Hario V60 and Mugen Dripper, and discovered something profound: we often lose sight of what really m...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I dive deep into one of the most critical yet misunderstood aspects of brewing great coffee: finding your grinder's sweet spot. I share my recent experiences with multiple grinders, including the Timemore Chestnut Clarity King and the Timemore CP6, and reveal why most grinder settings are essentially useless. Through weeks of testing and countless cups of cof...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm getting real about my evolving relationship with coffee and where I'm heading in the new year. I've been reflecting on my coffee journey over the past couple of weeks, especially as I've been exploring clarity in my brews, and I'm realizing that my love for coffee is becoming more specific and intentional. I talk about how I don't...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I dive deep into my experience with the Hario Mugen Switch, a coffee brewer that has completely changed my perspective on pour-over brewing. I share my journey from first trying the regular Mugen dripper to discovering the switch version, and why I believe this $35 brewer might be the best pour-over option available today. I explain the unique design features that...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I take you through my journey with what I initially thought was one of coffee's most useless gadgets—the Hario Drip Assist. I share my skepticism about unnecessary coffee tools and explain why I almost dismissed this particular device before giving it a chance. After testing it with my Moka Master and various V60 brewers, I discovered something unexpected: th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I share my honest experience with one of the world's most expensive and hyped coffees - Jamaican Blue Mountain. I take you through my journey from my usual medium wash Guatemala to discovering this elusive coffee that costs significantly more than typical specialty beans. I explain how I approached brewing and tasting this coffee black to experience its pure...

Send us Fan Mail In this thought-provoking episode, I dive deep into a question that's been weighing on my mind: what truly constitutes a "game changer" in the coffee world? I challenge the overuse of this term and examine whether the latest innovations in coffee brewing, roasting, and processing are actually revolutionary or just incremental improvements on existing methods. I shar...