Dear friends and family, 

While you may get your hands on some great coffees, it isn't a sure bet that you'll actually brew it...correctly, or rather in a way that best expresses the flavours intended.

{you can scroll right down the end to see how you can upgrade your coffee fast]

I say that with hesitation because I'm certainly not here to judge the coffee you like. People will like what they like. 

But it is my mission to guide you to better coffee, so let's start a discussion. 

Coffee goes through as many as 17 processes until it gets into your home. Those in the coffee industry can only hope that you actually drink the coffee in a way that respects all the work, care, and love that went into the coffee.

Believe it or not, the buck stops with you. You!

So in the end we're counting on you to respect the coffee, respect the seed, the farmer, the importer, the exporter, the roaster, the cafe and so on. All the way to you to consume it with gratitude. 

A little heavy? Good.

I hope you feel how much coffee means to me and that someday you'll come to simply appreciate why. 

Out of all the very technical ways you can go with coffee, I believe there's a method that respects the coffee, it's easy not to screw up and is just delicious. Which at the end of the all, is what really matters. 

I want you to have delicious coffee every day. 

Discover a brew method (if you haven't tried it) that minimizes the window of screwing up a coffee you paid a premium dollar for. 

Which takes us to this question, "how could I screw  up my coffee?"

Great question, basically you can over-extract or under-extract your coffee and these other fun things... 

1. Grind size could be inconsistent

2. Water may be too cold or too hot

3. Water quality may be filled with weird minerals affecting taste

4. Your filter may not be rinsed (are you drinking paper water?) 

5. Your coffee may be stale (did you grind your whole bag of coffee after you bought it?)

6. Is your ratio skewed? (i.e. coffee: water)

7. You have the right tools, but don't know how to use them

8. You put...milk and sugar in it...why? (jk on that last one...kinda) 

Okay so we have a fun little list now inducing anxiety for us in the morning. No! Don't see the cup half empty my friends, see it as a road to discovery. A new path to enjoy what you've always enjoyed but with greater depth. 

I know first hand that approaching coffee in what seems like an over-indulgent way seems like a waste of time, but I like to think of it this way...

People accept the love they think they deserve. 

Which I think is very true. And sometimes it's very sad. Do you accept bad coffee in your life? What other things are you accepting that isn't the best for you?

If you think brewing coffee for yourself shouldn't be something you give love and attention to, then it's almost like saying you aren't willing to love yourself. Is that a stretch? Maybe, maybe not.

Serving myself coffee is a ritual, gets me going, I do it every day, almost twice a day. Why wouldn't I give myself the best experience, flavour, and method of doing so? The act of serving the best coffee you can serve, is in it's purest state, an act of love.

When I realized this, I threw out my Mr. Coffee maker, my Kuerig. The cream and sugar had wasted away. I traded this "convenience" that was sold to me for 20-plus years for something real. Really great coffee, delivered by me. How empowering is that?

When I brew coffee for myself, I use that time to reflect, give thanks, meditate on the sound of the water hitting fresh grounds, watching the bubbles foam up as the steam rises. 

This is what I call conscious coffee.

It's an amazing feeling to be conscious of where your coffee comes from, how it is stored and handled until finally brewed to its final form. To be conscious of that journey and to give thanks that you get to be a part of it every day. 

What a world we live in for this to be possible for us. So here's where I can nudge you in the right direction. 

The Recipe

First, get a decent grinder, flat or conical burr is fine. 

Second, brew it for yourself first, then take on larger scale coffee brew methods.

My Favorite Brewer: Aeropress + circle filter it's an affordable and easy way to upgrade your coffee fast. 

Why: Easy to pack, easy to clean up, can't really screw it up, no need for gooseneck kettle, you can travel with it, and it's very affordable.

Get it here. 

• Get your Aeropress out
• A standard flat bottomed cup that can take some pressure
• 18g / 2 Tablespoons of medium ground coffee
• Water, not tap, just of a boil or 207 degrees
• Place the filter, and rinse it with the hot water and discard
• pour in your coffee grounds
• fill to the '4' and wait a moment, observe the coffee
• stir it all together 
• plunge it with even pressure, go slow and steady
• add more water if you need to (say, if you plunged too quickly) 
• Let your pipping hot coffee cool for at least 5 mins
• Then enjoy Blk, milk and sugar masks all the flavour

Watch me brew it here. 

Hopefully, you can see I'm not trying to create more barriers for you to enjoy coffee, or be super obnoxious with it. You can eyeball everything to a point and give yourself what is essentially the best method that can't be screwed up as easily as pour-over or espresso.

My philosophy is always function over fancy. I think if you can start to give yourself the best coffee every day, you're opening the door to giving yourself an upgrade in other parts of your life. And that is the real deal my friend.