Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Hair Bender

I don’t just need coffee, I also crave it. 

I bet you know what I mean. 

I love the flavors, complexities and aroma of freshly roasted and brewed coffee. Since I struggle to drink less of it (alas), I try to wisely choose the coffee I do drink.

It is a treat to have good coffee at home. Stumptown Hair Bender coffee is a blend with a variety of tastes. The aroma is full and the coffee has a deep flavor (without the dark burnt taste of others.)

Stumptown Coffee has a number of locations in Portland, Oregon, Seattle and New York City. And while I announced in 2010 that I looked forward to visiting their east coast shop, I somehow haven’t made that happen yet.

I hope to make good on my promise soon.

Full Disclosure: I received the coffee for review from Stumptown Coffee (thank you!); I was not compensated for this post. All opinions here are entirely my own.

Moka Express: Italian espresso coffee at home

Every morning, I prepare Italian coffee (what we can “espresso” in America and the Italians call “caffe”) in my Bialetti Moka Express. I think I’m as addicted to the ritual as I am to the coffee itself.

My mokas last a few years each. And a new one is reason for celebration! It feels good to start even fresher than usual in the morning.

There is a certain art to making coffee in this pot. Fill the basket with espresso ground coffee (coffee that is ground much thinner will clog the machine.) Do not pack coffee down in order to squeeze in more coffee (this will make it harder for the pressurized water to push through the grinds.) On the stovetop, the flame shouldn’t be larger than the base. (At least two friends I know have melted the plastic handle with a much stronger flame. That’s always disappointing. And a mess.) For more details on how to prepare the prefect tazza (cup) and other Italian stovetop coffee pots, see this Under the Tuscan Gun video. 

After you’ve finished your coffee, be sure to let your pot cool off before opening it. You can run cold water over the pot while holding it by the handle. After making the coffee, the earlier pressure might make it hard to open the pot. The bottom container has flat sides. In the sink, balance the machine on one side in order to open it more easily.

The moka, a simple metal construction, requires easy cleaning. That is to say, cleaning without soap. Never put your moka in the dishwasher or use dish soap on the metal. A thorough rinse with hot water will clean your moka. Be sure to let it stand open in order to fully air dry after cleaning it.

To help eliminate any buildup or polish the surface, soak your moka in baking soda and use a clean sponge to wash the pot down. To help make yours last even longer, you can also buy the necessary replacement parts.


Help support this blog and buy your moka through our Amazon store. 

What kind of Italian coffee pot do you use? Do you have a favorite coffee roaster?

Swing's Coffee Roasters

My husband and I were addicted to Mighty Good Coffee – freshly roasted and delivered to our door the next day – in Ann Arbor. I loved Espresso #46 while my husband preferred the Black Diamond Dark Roast. Yes, we are two picky coffee drinkers with his and her coffee makers: mine an Italian moka and his a Cuisinart drip machine.

When we moved to Washington, D.C., I wasn’t convinced that we’d find freshly roasted coffee that we liked. Happily, I was proven wrong by Swing’s Coffee.

I stopped by the coffee house recently and was overwhelmed by the aroma of the coffee. It was almost hard to imagine that they weren’t roasting on-site. As a surprise for my husband’s birthday, I bought the darkest roast (French Roast) and the blend with the best name (Rock Creek, named after the creek and city park close to our apartment.) We’ve been brewing the coffee at home for the last week and we love the rich, nutty flavors. Even though I usually prefer an Italian caffe’ to American drip coffee, these two coffees are rich enough that I enjoy them almost as much as my usual espresso.

The historic M. E. Swing Co. began roasting coffee in 1916. Today, coffee drinkers can go to the roasting facility in Alexandria or their coffee house by the White House in the District (1702 G Street N.W.). Sure, Swing’s coffee costs more than Mighty Good’s, and won’t be delivered in town free of charge, but it is something to try and enjoy on special occasions. A continued happy birthday to my husband!

Issimo

I hate to be persuaded or even pursued by advertisements, but I was curious when I saw that World Market was having an eat, pray, love sale. I wanted to see their Italian treats.

And that’s how I found Illy coffee’s canned drink “Issimo,” (cappuccino, caffé or latte macchiato.) I know, coffee in a can sounds gross, un-Italian, American at its worst, and silly when I can just buy Illy’s coffee and prepare my own cappuccino in a moka on the stovetop in just a few minutes.

But yet, at the risk of losing my Italian citizenship, I will admit that I quite like it. It is tasty without being as sweet or burnt-tasting as a Starbucks coffee drink. Chilled, it is refreshing on a hot August day.

While the website suggests it isn’t available within fifty miles of our home in DC, it is at World Market and according to a friend, at CostCo, too. I’d be curious to know where you find the best price. I’ll be waiting here slowly getting wired on the caffeine I probably shouldn’t drink.

I promise this is not an advertisement.

Café Bonaparte, Georgetown, D.C.

When my husband and I were dating and he lived near Georgetown University, we would go to Café Bonaparte for brunch. We’d order savory crepes followed by sweet ones. The coffee, cappuccino or café macchiato, was always as good as it would have been if we were eating in Italy or France. With an international crowd, small tables, red wall and aluminum ceiling, we felt like we were in Western Europe.

Visiting D.C. recently, we ate lunch here. I was afraid that it might have changed over the last two years, but it was just as we’d remembered it. This time, I tried the cold calamari salad and ended with a café macchiato. I returned the next day – I couldn’t resist! – and ordered a brie, avocado and sundried tomato sandwich on a baguette. Delicious.

Does life get any better? The service is perfect, the black and white images of Paris on the walls are beautiful to look at, and when I was sitting alone, I enjoyed the scene on Wisconsin Avenue out of the large window.

I’m sure we’ll be returning regularly when we return. They have another site, which we look forward to trying, too.

Petite Provence in Portland, Oregon

If there is a choice, I’ll choose something savory over sweet. When I saw my husband’s “savory French Toast,” at Petite Provence Alberta in Portland, Oregon, I was smitten with a breakfast idea I hadn’t encountered before. I tend to put salt on my French toast or pancakes instead of maple syrup. I know, weird, right? But if there is already asparagus, ham and cheese and on your French toast, it seems justified.

I ordered an arugula omelet with avocado on top. My side potato pancake had some other vegetables mixed in (carrots and leeks.) I’m a purist on some things and I didn’t like it as much as my husband’s order. (Good thing he is open to sharing.)

We drove by this very French Boulangerie and Patisserie on Alberta Street and decided to try it for brunch. It was bustling with business, breads and pastries. With wood panels, cappuccino foam that matched the décor, it was simply adorable. Sometimes you can tell a book from its cover.

Stumptown Coffee

Ever since living in Florence, Italy, I crave the perfect coffee. It isn’t an easy craving to satisfy.

My husband suggested that we go to Stumptown Coffee in Portland, Oregon. He’d read about it and thought it sounded like something I’d appreciate. He knows that a happy marriage includes good eats and drinks!

I used to regularly drink a “macchiato” when I was in Italy, but it can be hard to find stateside. The word means “stained” and a macchiato is just that: an espresso stained with frothy milk. You know you are somewhere special when the barista can pour the milk so it combines with the coffee below to form a lovely design. Take that, Starbucks!

My husband had a French Roast, which he enjoyed. If you are interested in recreating the perfect French Roast experience at home, they have a Brewing Guide on their website.

They also have a location in NYC. I look forward to visiting the next time I’m in town.