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It’s a new week, which means it is time to jumpstart it, especialllly after a holiday weekend. Or maybe you feel like it is groundhog’s day and you’re reliving the same day after day. Either way, chances are that you reach for a warm liquid to begin your day. Personally I start my day out with a warm mug of water along with a lemon and a lime wedge, followed by a cup of tea; however, most mornings lately, I also start my day with a small cup of coffee! You see, Nick is a coffee guy. Not that I’m not a coffee girl! It’s just different. Growing up, I loved cappuccino chunky chocolate ice cream and a white chocolate mocha from Starbucks, though I think it had to do with how I felt carrying the Starbucks label more so than how I enjoyed the taste. Point being, I never really drank coffee. In college I tried to drink it while pulling a handful of all-nighters, but that stopped when I mixed it with too many other forms of caffeine and threw it all up. When I worked retail, it was like a “must have” companion; however, it was too hot and often time the beans were burnt.

I remember my dad using percolators and french presses to make coffee. The scent of coffee and waffles on Saturday mornings are a strong scent of my childhood. HOWEVER, I didn’t realllly learn about coffee until I started dating Nick. Like I said. Nick is a coffee guy. I think it goes hand in hand with the fact that he is a wine guy too. Learning the brewing processes, tasting notes, and all that jazz are very similar. Fun fact - after college, he worked on the weekends at a local Dallas coffee shop. He had a weekday job, but he always loved serving at restaurants and didn’t know anyone, so he used it as a way to meet people in his neighborhood, occupy his time, and earn a little extra money. When you become friends with baristas and coffee shop owners, your coffee game definitely goes up a notch. Though coffee was very much a love of Nick’s, the exploration of good coffee has been something we enjoy doing together! We love finding and supporting good coffee shops around us, as well as seeking out excellent shops while traveling. We poll our barista friends, but Nick also utilizes Sprudge, which is basically a coffee nerd website.

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For a while, Nick would just buy coffee every morning and would also bring some to make at work. When I say he made coffee at work, I mean he had a whole barista set up - a burr grinder, a hot water kettle, and Chemex or V-60. Some people made fun of him for it. Others used him for it. Hah! When he realized what he was spending on morning coffee, he started making it at home most mornings too. Over the years our coffee product collection has expanded to where we actually have a “coffee cart” much like a bar cart.

Before I get into coffee specifics, I want to mention that we don’t use milk, cream, or sugar. We drink our coffee black. If Nick makes a cold brew, he does like to put fresh cream in it though! I truly think that most people who think they need added flavors in coffee, haven’t had truly well-roasted beans that aren’t burned. If you have well-rounded coffee, you won’t even care if the coffee gets cold, because the actual flavor is good! ALSO, we don’t currently have any typeof coffee machines. I totally get why people have them and there is no judgement at all for fancy machines, but because we enjoy tasting the beans / no add-ons, that is best done with one of the methods I list below.

FAVORITE METHODS

Most mornings, Nick uses a Chemex, though sometimes he uses a V-60 or the Fellow Single Cup Brewer. (He uses the later two interchangeably - honestly whichever one is closer at the time. Hah!) The main reason he might choose one over the other is volume. Chemex makes quite a bit, while V-60 and Fellow only brew one cup. The main technical difference is that the single cup brewers give you more control over variables when brewing. For example, how quickly the water meets the grounds, the temperature, and the weight (volume) of water during the brew process.

Regardless of the brew method, Nick ALWAYS uses his Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Kettle. I bought it for him several years ago and it was the first of his Fellow collection. What makes it different than just an electric kettle is that you can turn it to the exact temperature, which is key for coffee. Different temperatures can drastically change the taste of your cup! Temperature control isn’t a proprietary feature though. We love Fellow for their dedication to coffee, sleek designs, and temperature consistency! Another cool feature about the kettle is that Nick can turn it on from his phone, meaning that he could be in bed and start heating the water from the other room. Something that also isn’t necessary, but a really neat feature is the built in timer. When you are making pour-overs, you can obviously cont or use your phone, but it is really nice that the Fellow kettle includes this!

PRODUCTS / WHAT IS ON OUR COFFEE CART

It looks like this whole section is sponsored by Fellow, but it isn’t - though I wish it was though ;) We love it!

Also the “coffee cart” we use was originally a makeshift kitchen island in Nick’s loft. It’s old, but I found a couple similar ones here and here.

Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Kettle. I mentioned this above! Nick uses this everyday to make coffee.
Fellow EKG Tea Kettle . Nick bought this for me last year for my birthday. It’s an electric tea kettle, which I’ll touch on later in the post, as the majority of this post is on coffee.
Chemex 8 Cup and Lid. This is Nick’s most used method, as he drinks a lot of coffee and prefers to make a batch of this.
Chemex Filters. Used with the Chemex!
Fellow Single Cup Brewer. This is mentioned above as well. It’s the cutest little single pour-over set. Nick likes to travel with this, as it doesn’t take up a ton of space and guarantees he will have good coffee. I can’t find the single pour-over set anywhere / it appears to be sold out, so I actually linked the 20 oz instead of the 10 oz version Nick has.
Fellow Filters. Used with the Single Pour-Over Set!
V-60. Another one of Nick’s most used methods. You can do this over a mug or large container, but Nick usually does it over a large mason jar.
V-60 Filters. Used with the V-60!
Fellow Duo Coffee Steeper. This is basically a modern french press. Nick uses this sometimes when he doesn’t feel like doing a pour-over method, as it is an immersion style coffee maker. He prefers it with darker roasted coffee.
Percolator. I wanted to mention this, just because Nick has this, but doesn’t really use it. He says it is laziness.
French Press. Same with this. He has it, but hasn’t touched it in a long time.
Burr Grinder. Nick uses this everyday! A must have.
Espresso Grinder. I bought Nick this when I thought we were going to buy an espresso machine. We ended up buying something else, which is a very long story. Maybe one day we’ll buy an espresso machine, but for now this grinder doesn’t really get touched. Espresso requires beans to be ground more finely. You don’t want that for pour-overs.
Small Hand Grinder. Nick brings this to work or to travel.
Scale. You need this to measure out the beans and when brewing a pour over method! I also use this when measuring things for baking, but it lives on our coffee cart.
Brita Filter. This mainly to fill my tea kettle, but we also use it for coffee if we don’t have distilled water.
Small Trash Can. Not a must have, but convenient for filters!
Distilled Water. Nick prefers to make coffee with distilled water for taste reasons. You can buy distilled water right now or purchase a distiller. Those are often expensive and loud, but to each their own.
Third Wave Water. Nick uses these packets when making coffee with distilled water, for taste reasons.
Fellow Vacuum Sealed Containers small and large version. These are great to keep coffee in, as they keep the beans sealed and fresh as possible!
Fellow Big Jo Mugs. Double walled ceramic mugs that keep coffee warm, while keeping your hands cool.
Fellow Monty Milk Mugs. Same with these! They are like the Big Jo mugs, but a different shape.
Fellow Ceramic Travel Mug. Nick is obsessed with this. Think like a Yeti cup, so it keeps your coffee piping hot; however, the inside is ceramic, so you don’t get a metal taste. GENIUS.

MUST HAVES

I know these are a ton of products and you don’t need them all. Nick is just a serious coffee nerd and coffee gifts are really easy to buy him. To start making better coffee/ create your own coffee corner, here are the essentials in order of importance. I know buying everything at once can be pricey, so it can for sure be something you work up to.

Use filtered water to make coffee. This is a relatively cheap change, especially if you already have some sort of water filter. We use a Brita, but we bought a water filter for our kitchen sink that should get here in May and I’m so excited for it! Basically you just want to make sure there aren’t any flavors in your water that are taking away from the taste of the beans.
Buy a Burr Grinder. First buy a good grinder. This will make the most difference in your coffee’s taste. Even if you are still using a coffee pot, this is a step in the right direction. You obviously need to buy whole beans vs pre-ground for this. Just keep that in mind!
Freshly grind beans. This is an easy step to take also, once you already have your grinder. It is best to grind right before you make the coffee, for freshness and taste! Again, this will make your coffee better, even if you are just using a regular coffee pot and can’t buy a nicer method yet.
Buy Preferred Brew Method. You’re ready to upgrade! Pick your favorite. Maybe watch some YouTube videos and research them a little. If you’re looking for the cheapest option, try out the V-60! It’s only $20 and works great.
Buy a Kettle. Prior to a kettle, you can microwave water or use a kettle on the stove and monitor its temperature with a kitchen thermometer. Getting an electric kettle will make your life so much easier!!
Scale. This is pretty budget friendly and something you can use for other things besides coffee! It is great for cooking and baking as well.

MOST FREQUENTLY PURCHASED COFFEE BEANS

*If you want a fast craft cup, no one comes close to Cometeer’s coffee pods!

**Fellow has “coffee drops” that are really cool / introduce you to new shops and special roasts all the time. They send text messages to let you know when something cool drops and you can order it right then!

FAVORITE COFFEE SHOPS

based on coffee quality, not how cute they are

Communion Richardson, TX
Dichotomy Waco, TX
Merit Coffee Dallas, TX (started in San Antonio and has Dallas locations)
Onyx Coffee Lab Rogers, AR (we prefer the one in Bentonville Square, but we haven’t been to their new roastery yet! We have been to other locations and the one on the square has been our favorite.)
Sightglass San Francisco, CA
Good Boy Bob Santa Monica, CA
Low Pigeon Santa Barabara, CA
Lord Windsor Long Beach, CA

TIPS FOR ORDERING GOOD COFFEE

Buy whole beans. I said this above, but don’t forget! Coffee is best with freshly ground beans. You want to grind your coffee right before you brew.
Look for single origin. These are usually the best / what coffee nerds look for. Much like wine can be profiled by its grapes, Coffee is grown in varietals as well, so you can kind of learn what to expect!
Learn your coffee preference. Nick usually orders a shot of espresso and a cup of single origin pour-over coffee to-go at a coffee shop. I would say lean towards lighter roasts, because they is where you get the most actual flavor; however, I know some people are bent on drinking dark roasts, medium roasts, etc. Just try some out and see if your natural bent is actually true!
Learn your favorite brew method preference. There’s a ton of different methods coffee shops use to brew great coffee: Chemex, V-60, Hario, Cyphen, French Press, etc. Use coffee shops to find out which one of these makes your preferred cup of coffee, and this will influence how you want to brew at home. Different brew methods make wildly different cups of coffee.
Poll the barista. If you are ordering in shop and want an espresso, let them choose your shot, because they can tell you what is pulling best that day.
Resources. Use a site like Sprudge and their city guides to find good coffee in your area or where you are traveling. On that note, a lot of coffee shops out there like Onyx, Blue Bottle, etc have at home brew guides and recommendations! Nick’s favorite is Onyx. They have great YouTube videos with step-by-step brew guides for each of your preferred brew methods. Also Nick loves to keep track of coffee he buys. He has a spreadsheet with images, notes, country of origin, etc. He uses AirTable, but you can do it in excel, or even just a note on your phone! This can become one of your greatest resources too!

TEA

Okay so I drink tea probably 3-5 times a day, so I wanted to include it on this post; however, my products take up a lot less space and time, so my section is smaller. Hah! I got into tea because drinking coffee often made my stomach hurt. I think it was because I tried to do so on an empty stomach, so now when I drink coffee, I try to make sure I’ve eaten. Tea on the other hand, I can pretty much drink whenever I want, pending it isn’t black tea.

Last year Nick got me the Fellow EKG Tea Kettle for my birthday. Before that, I never really paid attention to how hot my water was. I would just heat some water up in the microwave and call it a day. Most of the tea I was consuming then didn’t have a specific temperature on the box either, but since then I’ve graduated to some higher end teas! I still drink the ones that don’t have temperature requirements, but also include some that do in my daily repertoire.

TEA I DRINK MOST OFTEN

Alfred Golden Fine Loose Leaf Tea
Alfred Peach Blossom Fine Loose Leaf Tea
Pique Ginger Digestion Elixir Tea (get 5% off with discount code ELLEMULENOS)
Fortnum and Mason Apple Tea (ginger is another one of my favorites)
T7 White Blooming Peach Tea
Stash Black Peach Tea
Lipton Orange Passion Jasmine
Tazo Zen Green Tea
Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea
Traditional Medicines Senna Chamomile

I really want to try the Pique Pu’er Fermented Tea, but haven’t been able to bring myself to pay $58 for 26 packets…about $2+ per packet, which isn’t a lot compared to buying tea or even coffee at a shop, but it feels like a lot of money!

FAVORITE TEA ROOMS (not the place you eat lunch with your grandmother lol)

Alfred Tea Room Los Angeles, CA

T7 Tea Addison, TX

TIPS FOR ORDERING TEA

Honestly, just trying teas helps you figure out your preferred flavor profile. I know that pomegranate teas are often too much for me and that I can drink black teas as long as it doesn’t steep too long and I add honey / lemon. When I buy tea out, I know that I prefer green or herbal teas and look for notes of jasmine and/or peach. If you aren’t sure, consider foods you like and start there. Tea is pretty inexpensive, so it is a pretty cheap hobby as far as drinks go.

We aren’t professional baristas / tea masters or anything like that, but are always looking to learn more. Any tips that we didn’t share? Do tell! I know we could all use coffee tips during this COVID-19 / Coronavirus time, when making coffee at home is more a necessity now than ever. Cheers! Here’s to good coffee (and tea) and even better memories!

ARTICLES ABOUT COFFEE

A Film about Coffee

Onyx Coffee Lab

Where to Get Coffee in Seattle

Where to get Coffee in San Francisco

Which Tea is Best for Every Season and Time