Try, for a moment, looking up. Right now, wherever you are reading this, simply shift your gaze up. Survey what’s above you, eyes moving Left then Right. What do you see? Are you inside or outside? Does this feel like relief to your eyes, perhaps to your neck? 

By far one of the most fun experiences during my tenure running Bar Nine was the “Odyssey” Home Subscription we launched. Originally called Bar Nine : Home and launching in 2016, Odyssey was a coffee experience that would feature a new coffee every two weeks, each carefully curated, profiled, and shared with our community - as well as often featured on bar for Pour Overs. I would write a card for each shipment, detailing either the story of the coffee or sharing fun educational content. I was so thrilled when Bill Addison at the LA Times featured this subscription in the LA Times 2021 Holiday Gift Guide that focused on supporting Local Businesses.

Here are a few of my favorite shipments from the past few years and their accompanying stories:

Of the many interesting elements in the journey of coffee from the seed all the way to our morning cup, perhaps the most interesting is the exploration of water in that journey. I'm not referring to water to "brew with" or a style of fermentation, I'm speaking specifically about the moisture content of the "bean" itself. Much like any other cooking process, the control of the specific water amount in the ingredient is key in each of the processes of growing, fermentation, and roasting. Without the right amount of moisture, coffee would not even be able to be ground in a conventional grinder! Here we will explore moisture at each stage of the Coffee’s Journey.

For those of us who love specialty coffee, there is a paper and plastic elephant in the room we all need to talk about. It’s one of the most intense causes of waste in our industry, filling landfills, decimating our planet - all for that devilishly desirable thing that our dopamine receptors fail to prevent us from falling into the trap of - convenience.

"Do you want to smell the coffee?"

I hear this question every morning from a particularly curious and precocious member of my household. She amazes me every day in her inquisitive nature, openness to experience, and how much she loves the aroma of coffee.

When we first learn coffee, one of the hardest things for many people to grasp is being able to make an accurate "call" on what we are tasting. Bags are noted with how a coffee "should taste," although repeating that in practice can be very difficult. I've seen many pro baristas "chase" tasting notes when dialing in a coffee, making adjustment after adjustment to try to achieve a given tasting note. And why not? They must be on that bag for a reason, right? Isn't that what defines a good palate?