Q & A W I T H D R . S C O T T

Here shall ye find the answers to all your burning questions about coffee. If you don't, then clearly you haven't asked. Please feel free to do so: email DoctorScott with any and all inquiries. He's a little slow, but he knows all kinds of smart people and coffee experts, and will post the question and answer ASAP.

What is your college degree in? Coffee?
What really happened to Eddie (Meatloaf)? Don't blow off this question. If you really are Dr. Scott, you would know this answer because you were there.
Why is coffee brown?
How should I store my coffee?
How much coffee should I use per cup?
How fine should I grind my coffee?
How long before my coffee gets stale?
Must I buy espresso to make espresso?
How come you don't use recyclable coffee bags? Don't you care about the world we live in?
Do I drink "some cappuccino" or do I drink cappuccinos?
Why do some roasters charge fourteen dollars per pound when they only pay a few bucks per pound for green coffee?
Is Starbucks evil?
Isn't all this Fair-Trade and Organic stuff just a bunch of hooey?
Scott, you're like a coffee God to me. May I have your autograph?

What is your college degree in? Coffee?

Yes! I have a Doctorate in Caffeinology with special emphasis on zero gravity pyrolytic conversion. In fact, I'm not ashamed to say I was the first human to roast coffee on the moon! As a side note, I also have a Bachelor's in English Literature and an MFA in Creative Writing. I have more degrees than my son's latest fever.

Back to Top

What really happened to Eddie (Meatloaf)? Don't blow off this question. If you really are Dr. Scott, you would know this answer because you were there.

All I asked was that any questions be coffee-related! People, this is what happens when a person consumes too much caffeine over too short a period: Concretion and Surreality begin to mix in a haunting blend of real-life vs. dramatis personae, weakening the psycho-continuum. But since you ask, Michael Lee Aday (AKA Marvin Lee Aday, AKA Meatloaf) is alive and well and touring as we speak. He is still unintelligible. Hot patootie bless my soul.

Back to Top

Why is coffee brown?

The same reason toast is brown. Keep in mind coffee is green and not readily consumable until roasted. Toast, on the other hand, is perfectly edible as bread.

Back to Top

How should I store my coffee?

You shouldn't! You should drink it as quickly as possible and buy more from us. If you must store it, keep it out of the refrigerator, which will infuse your beans with all kinds of undesirable flavors, as well as cause damage due to moisture. Put your beans in an airtight container on the counter. For long term storage, the freezer is better than open air, but not by much. Freezers may also impart strange flavors. At all costs, avoid the freeze/thaw/freeze pattern.

Back to Top

How much coffee should I use per cup?

As much as you want to use. Most "experts" recommend two tablespoons of ground coffee per six ounces of water. Feel free to experiment; after all, you're the one who bought it. Too much coffee and the water sits on the coffee too long and produces something vile and overextracted. Way too little coffee and your brew will be vile and overextracted, but also hopelessly weak and watery like your grandmother's tea. NOTE: most coffeemakers use six ounces as the standard cup, rather than eight ounces. No one really knows why.

Back to Top

How fine should I grind my coffee?

Again, as fine as you want to. The longer the water sits on the coffee, the coarser the grind should be. So, grind chunkiest for french press and cowboy coffee, and finest for espresso. Grind coffee for melitta style makers finer than flat-bottom makers. Grind finer for paper filters than permanent filters. Too fine a grind for the brewing process means overextraction (see above), and too coarse a grind means underextraction--that is, not allowing the best flavors of the coffee to leach out into your pot or cup. Think of it as a balancing point.

Back to Top

How long before my coffee gets stale?

This is another personal taste issue, in that some folks can taste the difference after three or four days, and others seem to be able to make their beans last all year. "Stale? These aren't stale! They're aged!" In our opinion, coffee begins the staling process just as soon as it's roasted. However, freshly roasted coffee does need to sit a few hours before consumption; this initial "aging" process allows the beans to develop the characteristics inherent to that specific varietal, or blend of varietals. We think coffee tastes best between 24 and 72 hours after roasting, but remains eminently drinkable for a week or so, if kept in an airtight container.

Back to Top

Must I buy espresso to make espresso?

Not at all. Technically, "espresso" refers to concentrated coffee extracted under nine atmospheres of pressure through specially designed machines. The term "espresso" has also become attached to blends of varietals a particular establishment or roaster purchases or develops specifically for extracting said concentrated coffee. While much American espresso blends are roasted darker than average, this doesn't mean the flavor is better, or more traditional. Dark or not so dark, espresso blend recipes are some of the most closely guarded secrets in the coffee industry. They might consist of two or three varietals, or as many as six or eight. In point of fact, you can use any coffee in your latte, including individual varietals.

Back to Top

How come you don't use recyclable coffee bags? Don't you care about the world we live in?

As it turns out, there are no recyclable coffee bags. Those cool plain brown paper bags with the glassine lining are not recyclable, due to the adhesive used to attach the lining to the bag. And yes, it does seem odd focusing on fair-trade, organic issues when we (and all coffee roasters) contribute to landfills everywhere. Do us a favor and invent something recyclable. You'll get rich and feel good doing it.

Back to Top

Do I drink "some cappuccino" or do I drink cappuccinos?

Americans have a way of butchering the rest of the world's languages. One doesn't drink some "cappuccino", as in "let's go out for cappuccino!" One consumes a cappuccino, or some cappuccinos. In Italian, the plural is cappuccini, but you might sound somewhat affected unless you actually speak Italian. Also, "cappuccino" is not a general term for all espresso drinks. Stop it.

Back to Top

Why do some roasters charge fourteen dollars per pound when they only pay a few bucks per pound for green coffee?

Beats me. A few greens cost a good deal more than two dollars a pound, but not that many. No doubt some companies need to cover much higher overhead, and some have such a loyal and addicted clientele that price is no object. In the end, the market will bear what the market will bear. It's your choice.

Back to Top

Is Starbucks evil?

A complicated question. Without Starbucks, most of us in the specialty coffee industry wouldn't be. Starbucks raised public knowledge about gourmet coffee and espresso beverages, paving the way for many others to follow. On the other hand, they roast a gazillion pounds per batch and use computers to do so, which kinda takes the personal touch away. On the other hand, they treat their employees well and offer benefits to part-timers. On the other hand, Howard Schultz sold the Sonics to investors that plan to move the team to some God-forsaken town on the Great Plains. On the other hand, they are finally beginning to focus more on the issues of Fair-Trade and Organic. On the other hand, they put my espresso cart out of business. On the other hand, I met my lovely wife at one of the first Starbucks. Remember: "evil" spelled backwards is "live". (I put that in there so I don't get sued.)

Back to Top

Isn't all this Fair-Trade and Organic stuff just a bunch of hooey?

Don't be an idiot. Refer to our discussion on the page entitled "Why Fair-Trade/Organic?"

Back to Top

Scott, you're like a coffee God to me. May I have your autograph?

No.

Back to Top