I started drinking specialty coffee more regularly in 2021, when I started dating my wife Anja. I mainly drank cappuccinos, but have now graduated to drinking more coffee-forward drinks sometimes. I make espresso and aeropress most frequently. Since my tea page has been useful for remembering what I’ve liked, I’ll record the same for coffee here.

Rating scale follows my tea page: 0-3: really bad, actively disliked drinking it. 3-5: disliked it, but was able to get through part of it. 5-7: okay, enjoyable for the most part, but not worth buying again. 8: pleasant, potentially worth buying again. 9-10: plan to buy more, or cherish what I have.

Current recipes

Espresso

I’m using 6 bar with a concave brew basket. Generally shooting for a Linea-style shot with this, which I’ve found to be really tasty. Sometimes turbo-shots instead for really light roasts.

Aeropress

I have been following the Zuppa recipe that Lance Hedrick highlighted (original community member video here).

Purchase Year

2023

October

  • Linea Ethiopia Suke Natural: 7/10 (pour-over)

I want to try this again and see if my rating increases, as I was learning pourover with this. It tastes really fruity, quite acidic.

  • Walla Walla Roastery Guatemala Los Volcanes: 7/10 (pour-over)

I really like this coffee, but it lacks some of the depth of the other options. It really tastes quite hazelnutty, which is interesting, and also like dark chocolate. I think this would be a better espresso.

December

  • St. Frank Colombia Pioneers: 9/10 (pour-over)

My favorite decaf coffee so far. I originally bought this from a grocery store and it was mediocre (probably 3 weeks on the shelf), and then I bought a freshly roasted batch. What a game changer. Tastes quite deep, and has both the lighter, fruitier flavors as well as some deeper body.

2026

October

  • Walla Walla Roastery Ethiopia Washed Yirgacheffe: 8/10 (espresso)

Really nice return to some Walla Walla Roastery coffee. I hadn’t had their coffee for a while, but visited again recently. Relatively floral for the style of roast!