Other

Here is a little about my hobbies and interests:

 

Coffee

I am obbessive about my coffee consumption. After undergrad I got my hands on a quality burr grinder and chemex brewer. But I couldn't stop there. I started roasting green beans with a popcorn air popper I found at a thrift store. Eventually, I upgraded to a Fresh Roast SR 500. I don't know how valuable my opion about coffee is, but here's what I'd recommend for sourcing, roasting grinding, and brewing:

Green Bean Sourcing:

  • Sweet Maria's is one of the most popular places to get high quality beans. They have very detailed cupping notes about everything they sell. I always grab some of their ones from Guatemala and Rwanda.

  • Whenever I am close to South Bend I try to pick up some beans from Theta Ridge Coffee. They do wholesale, but they will ship coffee to home roasters or let you pick it up at their warehouse. They have some exceptional offerings from Daterra Estate, a speciality farm in Brazil.

Roasting:

  • First, try a popcorn poper. Sweet Marias has a good explanation of what to look for.

  • Then, get one of the Fresh Roast machines.

Grinding:

  • I started with the Bodum Bistro grinder. I eventually had to replace it, but I suspect the motor wore out from my negligence in cleaning it. I replaced it with a Capresso Infinity, which I have liked so far. I would also trust WireCutter's recommendations.

Brewing:

  • As mentioned, I like the Chemex system and their bleached filters. In particular I like their large brewer with a handle.
  • Additionally, I think you should use a gooseneck kettle. In particular, I like the variable temperature one made by Bonavita. If you get an oven kettle, I wouldn't use their's because mine broke. Instead I'd get this one by Fino from Japan.

Drinking:

  • My go-to thermoses are Contigo's West Loops. Specifically, they make a 24oz one that's my favorite. It's an insane amount of coffee to be walking around with and it stays hot for most of the day.

 

Soccer

I started following soccer intently when I moved to Columbus. Because I finally lived in a city with a professional soccer team, I started watching the Columbus Crew. I am also a fan of the Brazilian and American national teams. These allegiances only present a conflict for watching the womens teams. When Jurgen Klopp moved to Liverpool, I became a fan of that club as well.

 

Formula One

I was never much of a racing fan growing up, but Netflix's Drive to Survive made me a fan of F1. Americans can watch the races on ESPN (usually the lesser channels). Below I recommend some podcasts if you want to get into the sport.

 

Podcasts

I listen to a lot of podcasts while commutting or washing the dishes. Here's some that I like:

Comedy

Soccer

Formula One

Note, these are genuine recommendations. I don't get anything from these links, other than the satisfaction of sharing some of my interests.