Coffee With Friends – ep.01

A conversation about coffee with coffee and friends at thinkwell. coffee.
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Video by Erik Elstran

[Music]
hey what’s up man Justin what’s up how
are you hey good man good how you doing
good nice to see you yeah finished class
just finished sweet sweet all right yeah
I’ve uh finished ship some stuff out but
I was going to brew up some coffee
that’d be great yeah yeah what do you
got
well I use the V60 I think but you
should pick out what we’re going to
drink I did just rast some should I the
Randa it’s up to you let’s do some like
super Super
Fresh
Rwanda so okay so uh all right let’s do
some Rwanda and uh I’m going to get
some
AWA smells really different from when
after you grind it yeah and it’s a
really it’s much different smell than
you’d well so check this check this up
this is going to this is where it gets
really
interesting totally different from what
we just did same beans same Bean roast
it to almost the same temperature like
open this up check this out ready all
right all
right oh it’s like flowers it’s like
it’s it is totally different it’s
completely insane do you got any opinion
on which one you want to drink we should
probably drink the one that’s this one I
will be honest this smells better let’s
do it yeah perfect that’s what I got to
weigh some stuff out over here okay when
I think now now knowing what the bloom
is I’m thinking of my French
Press M okay I’ve got the grounds at the
bottom of the French Press yeah I pour
the boiling water in yeah and boom the
way that it like the I don’t know how to
say this quite right the way that it
kind of expands in this organic sense it
kind of becomes bigger and you think oh
it’s filled up with water and it’s not
it’s actually the grounds have expanded
and they’re like swirling together yes
dude that’s the bloom the bloom dude you
got it you know yes dude that’s how
you’re the man Justin that’s exactly
what I’m talking about so like uh we’re
going to weigh out let’s have a cup of
coffee huh we’ll do 30 37 grams all
right
37 that seems not like pulled out of
thin air that seems like it’s specific
cuz there’s ratios you know so how full
of we’re going to each have a mug and
how full and we’re going to put beans
ratio to that water so I’m like all
right we’re going to have like a good
mug of coffee I’m not having a little
sipp you mean you mean not strong how
much liquid are we going to have Yeah in
our cups how strong is it is it brewed
extracted correctly so I’m just like how
much all right 37 that’s your starting
point 37 and then yeah that’s our
starting point and then we’re going to
think about like water and time and
grind and these are like the variables
that you I’m I’m at home not doing 37
gram yeah what do you do I’m not
weighing it at all oh yeah what do you
do you kidding no oh I just kind of a a
pour from the pre-ground bag that you
grind for me no no actually what I do is
I take I take the whole beans yeah put
them in the grinder myself okay yeah but
there’s never any I don’t know like it’s
always approximated how much is there I
love that dude throw it in you just
grind it you’re like cool sometimes I
notice there’s a little more than usual
yeah a little less I love
it like dude that just it man woo dude
now this is the check that out
man now that smells more like ground
coffee that you would expect which was
neither of those theb no not the tub but
like you know we got a good we got a
nice grind nice and
even and then okay so now I’m thinking
how much water and for how long is that
water yeah I’d say between I could do
500 gram or I could do 600 Gams of water
on top of this those are the limits for
acceptable range of the taste yeah okay
well you got a little
Freedom so I’m going to pull it off like
right before 200 all right so check out
this I’m going to just hit start on the
on the scale just so we’re looking at
time cuz that’s kind of part of it oh
let’s check this
out that’s less water than I would have
thought you’d start with just to get the
bloom and that’s
even I’m sure there’s some people who
say that was too much that was 49 gram
but see how like it is continue to
Exhale continue
to yeah it’s just it’s become its own
like
biosphere of go exactly dude it wouldn’t
be weird to wait a minute would be just
fine but there we go so I kind of wait
for there’s going to be one yeah yeah
one big exhale and then you’re like
there it is okay yeah so look how that
crust is broken
and so I’m going just kind
of not try to disturb the loaf in there
just like we’re going to add water let
it do its thing it’s still got plenty of
you know gases and we’re at about 100
grams so I’m going to just keep adding
water so that’s not just water that’s
not bubbles in water that’s gases from
the yeah that yeah from the coffee this
just Ro you know nothing special look at
all that so I’m going to let it drip
and that interior structure is still
holding I kind of thinking about
chocolate you know what’s the consist
consistency that if you’re you like make
chocolate what would you want it to look
like you know what this makes me think
of is like there’s a process for doing
my French Press right yeah I get out the
the the water the boiler Kettle yeah
Kettle right get that it’s like fun to
get that out set it up plug it in get
out the grinder it’s fun to set that up
okay got I get the beans which beans
pick out your beans so that ritual is
really fun but my little ritual is like
such an abbreviated form of what you’re
doing okay that this is almost like
being in a like if I had the time to be
in a monastery yes dude this is not what
I’m doing in the morning though I’ll
tell you that like this is a whole like
you have to be present can’t be kids
running around and but like the process
is like oh this is actually its own
experience yeah that you could I could
see really enjoying as part of the whole
coffee experience yeah like in the
morning being able to just have this
much like time to be able to do this and
like have this ritual every day or
anytime yeah yeah it’s very true I love
it man I tell you that’s like what
probably was the most pulled in by
everybody has their own real specific
you go to different places and it’s like
a really specific thing that these
people do around coffee here but a
ritual nonetheless man everybody’s into
coffee yeah yeah okay I’m going to do
everything wrong here I’m going to just
add coffee all right let’s look at Mugs
what do you uh um I got to do this one
can I get you a different mug here
yeah yeah can I heat it up for you
yep all right is it yeah we’re we’re
going like this 6 and A2 minutes 6 and
1/2 minutes totally spaced out in the
middle of the thing but I think it’s
going to be great okay
ready we going to add a little more okay
MH you’re starting with this and we’re
just going to there we go I feel like
there should be a ritual for the the
beginning of the drinking it too like
there’s this whole ritual for making it
but then you just you just kind of just
start drinking no you plink before you
drink plink before you drink
plink
yeah definitely caramel yeah but it’s
like caramel pinea Apple it’s like
caramelized pineapple with like
um
floral
notes okay for one thing I’ve never had
caramelized pineapple really oh you just
mean car like over the like a fire that
kind of caramel I thought I was thinking
caramel searing it yeah yeah okay it’s
caramelized has like
pineapple well it’s
enjoyable that’s that much is I will say
certain that thing is smooth yeah all
right let’s sit down man
okay dude so one thing that I uh think
is amazing is that you drink coffees
like all over the board you’ll drink
really low temperature coffees and like
really high temp me specifically or like
people in general you specifically
you’re like you’ll you’ll have all
different types of coffees it’s great
it’s terrific though I will say that
I definitely have my favorites like when
I come in it’s not like I’m I want to
try all the different I kind of like
like the Mexico 420 from like the first
time I had it I would just as soon have
that every single time but that’s how I
am with most things like once I get a
favorite that’s the one until I but then
I you know I get the Rwanda yeah and
it’s like wow well now this is kind of
be now that’s up there
too I know it’s like a
pretty drinking like a bunch of
different
expressions of what coffee can be is
sort of like the hunt that I’m on like I
really love that I love trying a high
temp Mexico and going to a low temp
Rwanda and then having all these
different types
of of like ways that I know what a 420
Mexico is you know like trying to bring
out those like whatever the essence is
of the 420 right but you have to get to
points where you you get you know like a
a different temp Mexico and not like it
as much yeah that has to be the case for
you right where you’re like actually I
don’t do you ever get to a point like I
don’t really like this coffee yeah
definitely yeah so when you when you go
through the so like I’ll look at a whole
lot I’ll purchase a lot right and then
I’m roasting through the coffee and
while I have the coffee I’m trying all
sorts of different roasts with it but
like at some point you know what the
bean is you tried exhausted the
possibilities for that bean and there
may be a range that you prefer but it
may not be your favorite Bean yeah
exactly or you come across your the best
and you’re just going I’m never going to
let you go like this is it is D I will
say when you crack open a bag of you
know like the sealed bags of coffee um
dude that smell is from the air of the
other side of the planet yeah you open
it and it say
like like I am in Guatemala I am in
Ethiopia that that first air cuz all
sealed up tight and then the smell those
beans I mean the smell of raw like those
those beans like the seeds they smell
like the soil it smells exactly like the
soil of the place now that’s what we
should have done we should have smelled
the green
beans yeah is that what you call you the
green the raw green be from even if I
didn’t get the first whiff of the
atmosphere of Rwanda we could have
smelled that oo then smelled the three
day you know 3 days ago then today’s
then the grounds then the pretty awesome
I mean because it’s really a pretty
Dynamic thing that you’re that’s awesome
all right all right next time we come
over for coffee we’ll do well okay it’s
gross oh man okay I’m half like halfway
done with this cup all right that’s
pretty
good all right here’s a question here’s
a question for you and it’s a kind of a
tricky question to like phrase because
is sort of like what can you
expect what’s fair or reasonable to
expect of other people you know in terms
of people would come in when we first
were just a coffee shop people would
come in and be like oh it’s you know
like too bad nobody’s in here you need
to have a drive-thru yeah oh okay I
should do a drive-thru and I would find
myself being
like I kind of want to like expect a
little bit more out of people then the
absolute lowest possible option and then
like grow things down there you know
what I mean yeah okay well I’m going to
make my customer the person who is
unwilling to get out of a car they have
to be on their phone to have an
interaction right it has to be as easy
you have to make it so easy that it’s
actually no work for them really at all
otherwise they aren’t going to come in
they’re already in their car on the way
to work and all they’re doing is making
a slight divver it’s so easy yeah dude
there’s so many coffee places where you
expect a drive-thru and you expect
things super fast you you expect you
have these expectations that you don’t
have at like uh a butcher you don’t
expect a drive-thru at a butcher you
expect a crafts person you go in you
experience the smells you see the blood
on there you know it’s like an
experience or the baker yeah there’s an
experience that you don’t expect at the
butcher or the grocery store that you’ve
come to expect with coffee and so that
dumbs down the coffee in your opinion
right it makes it like the lowest common
it’s like it’s just worth nothing
because it takes no effort to get it
yeah and what’s worse is this it’s that
it’s exactly that it’s that that’s the
mindset of the people who show up okay
and then how are you going to make money
from that mindset because what you have
to do is you have to pay your bills so
what are we going to do what kind of
interaction do I need to have with that
mentality and it’s been you and you’ve
clearly worked not to be there yeah okay
you feel that you’re aware well it’s
patently obvious
you know if you look at your space and
where you how you’ve grown like you have
definitely grown away from that model
yeah yeah yeah yes absolutely and it’s
been an active Choice I’m glad that you
can see it that actually is like all
right cool cuz
I I like actually believe in what people
can do and like what people can be and
what we are capable of and I want to
bring a thing that’s a reflection to
people of what people are are capable of
doing and it’s like a reflection that is
in the form of a drink in a cup that you
drink and you’re like wow it’s like dude
this is like the taste of people working
together this is what you’re tasting
people loving the Earth loving their job
being taken care of in a material
way caring about what they do and making
a product and you’re like okay yeah but
you have you have to you have to show
people you have to model it you have to
show people the way to that experience
yeah because they’re obviously not
predisposed to that kind of experience
with coffee they’re totally predisposed
to the opposite which is without
thinking about it having someone just
fill up a cup
that is made out of a product that’s
terrible for the Earth you know there’s
no thought whatsoever so you have to
bring people to um in order for them to
expect something different you kind of
have to show them what is different
about what you
do yeah I mean I’ve said it to you
before but like the Bedrock of the
people that we’re hanging out with with
coffee and who I’m selling to her
households regular it’s not like some
crazy like crew of like really insane
specialy coffee people it’s like the
opposite well and not only is it the
opposite of of that it’s like people who
are actually in Iowa and this is
somewhat a stereotype yeah but who are
actually more connected to the land in
tangible ways than people in the cities
you would expect maybe a population in a
rural area to to be more
um uh receptive to this idea that coffee
isn’t just something to be produced uh
consumed lazily but like it’s actually
pay attention to it pay attention to the
process because it good beef and bad
beef right there’s like good pigs and
bad right milk butter cheese like people
understand that yeah coffee is in that
things yes dude so to to be able
to explain to
people about what is going on here and
then share it with them and have them
say like wow this is great I totally I
receive this this is awesome I the thing
you know specialty coffee itself just
saying those two words yeah also brings
conjures up a certain kind of image
which is not necessarily positive yeah
even for someone like me who appreciates
specialty things yeah it’s like the
saying the word specialty coffee kind of
puts it into a class of something that’s
like well I’m not particularly
distinguished no I’m not like hutin yeah
and especially people around here oh
yeah I’m not fancy don’t give me that
fancy stuff I don’t need and I don’t
want to pay for fancy stuff either no no
there’s cheap stuff out there let’s just
get the cheap stuff why not get the
cheap stuff they’ll spend less money
that way and get more
coffee more cups of coffee for the
dollar you know they grind it too you
you don’t have to spend a second
grinding it they pour it for you don’t
even have to interact with someone in
the morning before you you just
literally go in and put your hand under
the thing and coffee appears now we’re
talking and that’s cheap you’re telling
me that’s cheap that’s
cheap so would would you say you you
have changed people’s perspectives on
processes or the product what can we
expect from people what can we expect I
know that there are people who drink our
coffee who did not drink special coffee
you know true coffee good coffee
anything like they just drank garbage
coffee and they are drinking good coffee
and it is like the greatest thing
because they’re not doing it out of some
place of pretentiousness or anything
that has anything to do with like ego
yeah it is just simply they’re like wow
okay great like I like how it tastes I
like what you’re doing with it I like
where you’re getting it from I like how
it doesn’t matter and and
like there’s all these ways to
experience good coffee with a person and
sometimes people do not care they don’t
care they don’t care it’s cheaper
whatever well I think the analog as a as
a teacher is that people are actually
cap what what what is possible for
people or what are people capable of
question you’ve asked a couple times
like you can expect massive change
actually from people over a relatively
short period of time wow so and it’s not
um like the teacher’s job in this case
in this analogy you know you’re you’re
the teacher like you’re showing people
something new you’re providing A New
Perspective and asking what they think
of it would you like to keep buying this
yeah do you like this would you you know
do you want to participate in this
experience that I’m showing you yeah or
do you want to go back to
Quickstar so I think there’s a total
analogy when it comes to like what
you’re doing and and what I do as a
teacher in terms of showing showing
people something different and hoping
that it changes their perspective yeah
something that you care about right yeah
I never thought about it like that like
if I have anything to say to anybody it
is not that we are the one single place
that roast in a special way MH it is
there is a way to do this work which
results in that product Y and there’s
many people doing it right now and that
group of people who do that work from
growing it to bringing it to our country
to roast it to drinking it there is a
group of people who are positively
making huge impacts yeah and when you
drink a product of this group of people
you look at your cup twice you’re just
like what is this why is this so good
what is going on here and that shouldn’t
be so surprising for people who have who
have tried different qualities of beer
right or wine or steak Yeah food things
like the steak they’re making at the
buffet at hi ve is different than a
steak that a chef has prepared from you
know so it’s like people ought to be
able to at least believe in the
possibility that there could be
something really different about coffee
it’s just they probably because they’
they’ve lived their whole life without
experiencing it think it’s probably
unlikely I’ve had lots of coffee over my
life yeah I’ve never really
distinguished from one from another so
I’m probably not going to with
this just totally closed yeah right and
then like I prefer a rare steak from a
steakhous than I would ground
beef that’s been frozen you know you
can’t go once you’ve had one you kind of
it’s like well yeah I have a preference
now yeah and that’s like is that okay
yeah that’s fine of course it’s okay
yeah it’s definitely fun you have to at
some point have a
line where you
just you just decide well I definitely
will say as I get to the end of this cup
it’s much sadder to to come to the end
of this well sweet man in all reality
thanks for being here yeah thanks for
the coffee man until next
time boom that was
about as nice a half hour of
conversation over coffee as I could have
expected dude