Siphon Brewing

Last month, we described in depth the press pot (aka, French Press) brewing method, its ease of use resulting in a great cup of coffee. This exploration prompted us to change our format for a few upcoming public coffee tastings, or cuppings, (usually the third Sunday of each month). Instead of comparing different coffees from around the world, in March we will compare the same bean, using different brewing methods. Each brewing method brings out different characteristics in the coffee. We will examine a handful of brewing methods, such as drip coffee, press pot, Hario pour over method and siphon brewer.

Join us for this mad scientist’s experimentation and discover your favorite brewing method. Feel free to ask questions that will help you improve how you brew coffee at home!

Our March Cupping is Sunday, March 21, 1:30pm-2:30pm at thump.

Scenic Oregon landscape photographs and hand-built frames by Dave Kamperman are on display throughout March. A professional shooter for more than 30 years, Kamperman’s move to Bend from Pittsburgh in 1983 inspired a transition from formal wedding and portrait photographer to landscape and outdoor portraits.

“For me, the Northwest, and in particular Oregon, allows us to witness God’s creative power in all its diversity,” explains Kamperman. “Since we too are part of God’s creation, it seems right that the one should complement the other. My goal as a professional photographer is to portray each of His creations in all of their character and beauty by producing the highest possible quality images. In doing this, I believe that both the Creator and His creations are honored.”

For the last 5 years, Kamperman has created unique custom frames for his works, starting with a rough-cut piece of solid hardwood lumber. “No two frames are exactly alike, even if they come from the same board,” he says. “It is always exciting for me to see exactly what the wood has to reveal when it is combined with the appropriate matting and image. For this reason, I am beginning to enjoy the matting and framing aspect of my art – almost – as much as the photography itself.”

For more about Kamperman and his art, visit the Dave Kamperman Photography website.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters has worked for several years with Burundi coffee growers to bring their coffee to us, and we’re excited and grateful to share in the fruits of their labor! Here’s how Stumptown describes the Burundi Bwayi Direct Trade: “Violet and raisin aromatics open the flavor gates to perfectly clean notes of plum, black cherry and orange zest that are complimented by a syrupy body.”

Stumptown writes that “Bwayi is one of the pearls in our East African Direct Trade program. We’ve been working closely with this group of farmers over the past three years. In addition to improved cherry selection and a return to double fermentation, a la the Kenyan style, we’ve now installed a pre-drying stage to the Bwayi process. This addition has given the coffee’s mouth feel pronounced depth. Our quality control team cupped through each day of the harvest to construct this lot of coffee.”

If you ever wondered what goes into bringing you exceptional coffees through Direct Trade relationships between Stumptown and coffee growers around the world, check out Aleco Chigounis’s source trip notes. To read specifically about coffees from Burundi, scroll down to Burundi March 15, 2008, when Aleco was establishing Direct Trade relationships and sharing observations about life in Burundi.

Poet House & CADA/CASA (next door to Thump, above the Wine Shop): Slam poetry and the art of hip-hop, stencil graffiti, silk screening and t- shirt design, art movements and technique, and more are being offered to high school students across Central Oregon by CADA/CASA, a community education project. Currently, they have students interested in taking these classes who do not have the financial means. Please visit the CADA/CASA website to learn how you can become a sponsor.

Dudley’s Bookshop Café & The Nature of Words (135 NW Minnesota Ave.): The Storefront Project is a new program that provides free drop-in creative writing workshops and one-on-one writing and language arts tutoring for middle- and high-school students. It aims to appeal to all segments of young writers, including traditional and alternative school students, home schoolers, homeless students, and everyone who is interested in developing creative writing skills. Students can drop in any time and participate in a workshop on Mondays or Thursdays between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. Individual tutoring is available after the workshops.

For details and to make a donation, please visit the Nature of Words website.

The Bend Bulletin recently reported on the Storefront Project. (Note: You will need an online Bulletin subscription to read the full article).

Trad Cap Happy Hour – Every Friday from 2:30pm – Close
Join us every Friday for a celebration of the classic Italian espresso drink, the Traditional Cappuccino. During TradCap Happy Hour – or Cappy Hour, if you will – enjoy half-priced traditional espresso drinks, dopios, macchiatos, and traditional cappuccinos. Many people have never ventured to try these delightful little drinks. No syrup, no chocolate, just espresso and perhaps a small embrace of milk steamed to sweet, velvety perfection!

ART: Photography by Dave Kamperman
Scenic Oregon landscape photographs and hand-built frames by Dave Kamperman are on display throughout March. A professional shooter for more than 30 years, Kamperman’s move to Bend from Pittsburgh in 1983 inspired a transition from formal wedding and portrait photographer to landscape and outdoor portraits. READ THE REST

Seasonal Bites & Sips

Baked Treats
• Scrumptious Cupcakes
• Berry Poundcake
• Cocoa Banana Bread
• Apple Spice Bread
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
• Blackberry Bars
• Frankly Naturals Gluten Free Bars

Seasonal Drinks
• Burundi Bwayi Direct Trade
• Nutty Love Mocha
• Peppermint Mocha
• Organic /Fair Trade Loose Leaf Teas
• Kombucha Mamma, by the bottle
• Hot Lips Fruit Juice Sodas

Thump Travel Mugs & T-Shirts! We’re fully stocked – check out the display at the front of the shop!

Kombucha Mama is now available by the bottle at Thump! Look for them in the grab & go case.

Cupping: Sun. 2/21, 1:30-2:30pm

Trad Cap Happy Hour – Every Friday from 2:30pm – Close
Join us every Friday for a celebration of the classic Italian espresso drink, the Traditional Cappuccino. During Trad Cap Happy Hour – or Cappy Hour, if you will – enjoy half-priced traditional espresso drinks, dopios, macchiatos, and traditional cappuccinos. Many people have never ventured to try these delightful little drinks. No syrup, no chocolate, just espresso and perhaps a small embrace of milk steamed to sweet, velvety perfection!

Featured Cup: Kenya Gatomboya
Our Kenyan coffee lovefest continues this month as we introduce Kenya Gatomboya, grown across the valley from our beloved Gaturiri. Read more about our featured cup at Stumptown’s website.

Seasonal Bites & Sips

Baked Treats
• Shortbead Valentine cookies
• Scrumptious Cupcakes
• Cocoa Banana Bread
• Pecan Pie Bars
• Ginger Almond Crisps
• Apple Spice Bread
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
• Blackberry Bars
• Frankly Naturals Gluten Free Bars

Seasonal Drinks
• Kenya Gatomboya
• Nutty Love Mocha
• Cinnamon Kiss Latte
• Peppermint Mocha
• Organic /Fair Trade Loose Leaf Teas
• Kombucha Mamma, by the bottle
• Hot Lips Fruit Juice Sodas

Thump travel mugs are back! We sold out on Christmas Eve, but now we’re fully stocked. Come check them out!

Kombucha Mama is now available by the bottle at Thump! Look for them in the grab & go case.

Stumptown writes, “The Gatomboya Factory faces the Gaturiri Factory directly across the valley. Both washing stations are part of the Barichu Cooperative union. 700 small holder coffee farmers make up the membership of the Gatomboya Factory. Each farmer grows only SL28 and SL34 on their high altitude farms. Coffee cherries are selected for optimum ripeness then graded meticulously at the washing station before being accepted and processed with the utmost care in true Kenyan fashion.”

Read more about Kenya Gatomboya here.

Many home drip coffee brewers, regardless of their cost or bells and whistles, brew a disappointing cup of coffee because they are unable to maintain proper water temperature throughout the brewing cycle. They simply don’t get hot – and stay hot – enough for a proper extraction of enjoyable coffee flavors!

One of the easiest ways to brew a delicious cup of coffee at home is to use a press pot, aka, French Press. A pressed cup of coffee has a heavier body and mouth feel than drip coffee, allowing you to taste and feel in your mouth coffee characteristics that aren’t as apparent as when using a drip coffee brewer. We press new coffees all the time at thump to familiarize ourselves with them and to determine if their flavor profiles suit us. Kent and I don’t even own a drip brewer at home – we use a press pot almost exclusively.

Equipment Needed:
Tablespoon
Press Pot
Grinder
Water Kettle
Timer – set to 4 minutes

Quantity of Coffee Needed:
12 oz. Press Pot: 3 tablespoons of coffee
32 oz. Press Pot: 8 tablespoons of coffee
(Or, 1 tablespoon of coffee for every 4oz. of liquid your press pot holds. We use slightly more coffee at thump, but the 1:4 ratio of coffee-to-water, is a good starting point to help you determine your personal preference.)

How To Use a Press Pot:
•    As water is heating, coarsely grind the suggested amount of coffee and place it into a clean, dry, press pot.
•    About 20 seconds after the water has boiled, start your timer (set to 4 minutes). Evenly and quickly pour the water into the press pot, wetting all of the grounds. Once the water hits the grounds, they will look frothy (also called “blooming”) as they release CO2. Anticipate that the blooming action will take up as much as 1/2 of the space in the press pot, so don’t pour in too much water! (If you don’t see blooming, your beans are stale!)
•    Stir the bloom and grounds about 1 minute into the brewing cycle.
•    Add more hot water to right below the pour spout and gently place the lid on top of the press pot to help retain heat.
•    At 4 minutes, gently plunge the press and enjoy!

Using the right amount of beans for the size of the press pot, the proper grind, stirring the coffee mid-brew, and using a timer, are all key aspects to brewing a great cup of coffee with a press pot.

Other Pointers:
•    Pre-heat your coffee cup (hopefully ceramic or porcelain) with hot water, to prevent the coffee from rapidly cooling when being poured into the cup. Maintaining the coffee’s temperature helps preserve its flavor.
•    The coffee will extract harsh, bitter flavors if left in the press pot after 4 minutes. To avoid this, decant all of your coffee immediately into a preheated carafe or directly into preheated cups.
•    Hand wash your press pot with a fragrance free dish soap, as no one likes to drink a cup of coffee that hints of lemony fresh or grease cutting blue!
•    If you’re interested in learning more about the impact that coffee bean freshness and proper grind have on the quality of your sipping experience, please read previous Thumpology articles at the Thumpology Catagory.