I BOUGHT A FAKE CHEMEX AND A BAG OF PRE-GROUND ‘DEATHWISH’ COFFEE.

COME ABOUT A YEAR LATER, AFTER FIRST MOVING TO UTAH, I’D BEEN HAVING COFFEE LIKE THIS EVERY MORNING. BUT THE OCCASIONAL VISIT TO A SPECIALTY COFFEE SHOP (IRONIC, CONSIDERING THE BLEAK OUTLOOK OUR MORMON BRETHREN HAVE ON THE HOT BEAN JUICE), LEFT ME FEELING LIKE MY COFFEE AT HOME WAS LACKING.

SO I WANTED TO START UNDERSTANDING COFFEE ON A DEEPER LEVEL.

I SAT ON THE FLOOR OF MY EMPTY APARTMENT (GETTING THIS STRAIGHT TOOK PRIORITY OVER GETTING A COUCH) AND WENT DOWN THE YOUTUBE RABBIT HOLE.

I LEARNED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF BUYING COFFEE BEANS FROM TRANSPARENT, LOCAL ROASTERS. ABOUT BUYING WHOLE BEAN. AND THAT DRINKING PRE-GROUND COFFEE STRAIGHT OFF THE GROCERY STORE SHELF IS AS GOOD AS MAKING YOUR SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE WITH TOILET WATER.

I LEARNED WHAT LIGHT, MEDIUM, AND DARK ROASTS ACTUALLY DID DIFFERENTLY TO THE PALETTE. I BOUGHT THE BOOK ‘CRAFT COFFEE’ BY JESSICA EASTO. AND MOST OF ALL, I LEARNED THAT I NEEDED SOME NICER EQUIPMENT TO START BREWING THAT BETTER CUP AT HOME.

SO THE COUCH REMAINED A DREAM AS I SCROLLED FELLOW’S COFFEE EQUIPMENT CATALOG, SALIVATING, AND EMBARKED ON WHAT’S NOW BEEN A 5+ YEAR JOURNEY INTO THE WORLD OF THIRD WAVE COFFEE.

A RITUAL THAT’S CHANGED MY LIFE, GETS ME OUT OF BED EVERY MORNING, AND MAKES ME THE MOST ANNOYING PERSON YOU COULD POSSIBLY TRAVEL WITH.