Jason's last day at DoubleShot is this Thursday (10/12). He'll be working the machine from 730a-3p, if you want to come by and wish him well. He and Sarah are headed off for another great adventure around the world.

Jason, you've been a great help to me and I'm sure going to miss you. Thanks for all your help and hard work. Good luck and have fun on your trip. Keep us posted.

Brian

Today, boys and girls, we are going to learn about permeability and membrane walls as they relate to coffee. There is a lot of misconception about the basic laws of science where this is concerned, probably because of the constant misinformation disseminated by roasters or marketers who don't really care about coffee quality as much as they do the flow of moola through the one-way valve, into their bank account.

Coffee beans are a protective shell for the precious oils and sugars inside, which give the coffee its unique and delicious flavor. The oil and sugar inside the coffee bean IS the coffee (this is the stuff I'm paying for). These are stored in tiny pockets inside the bean, and the walls of the coffee bean are a barrier to gases.

Also inside these pockets is carbon dioxide, which helps preserve the oil and gives the coffee aroma. As soon as the coffee has been roasted, the CO2 begins to escape (in coffee, it's termed "degassing"), and is replaced by oxygen. Oxygen is the enemy of oil, and causes it to go rancid. Rancid coffee oil equals stale coffee. This is a continuous process of degassing (staling), and after a period of time, the coffee loses it's unique aroma and tastes noticeably stale in the cup. I don't like to drink coffee over one week old- that's my personal preference.

The shell of the coffee bean is what's known as a semipermeable membrane. It slowly lets CO2 out, and slowly lets O2 in. Nothing can stop this from happening. Well, maybe something can, but probably nothing that wouldn't alter that taste and composition of the coffee. (For instance, I have a theory that using liquid nitrogen to freeze the CO2 inside the bean- dry ice- might halt degassing, but would probably cause the coffee beans to explode). That's why putting them in the freezer doesn't do any good- it has to be REALLY cold to freeze CO2 (-108.4 degrees Fahrenheit).

Putting coffee beans in a heat-sealed bag with a one-way valve on it may keep off-tastes out of the coffee (like when you cook onions or put it in the cupboard with your raw garlic), but it won't even slow down the degassing process. If they're roasted, they're degassing, brother.

Buy it fresh. Use it quick.
That's all I have to say about that.

My best friend, Brad, sent me this picture of his crappy coffeemaker. He's in the United States Army, and is currently stationed in Baghdad. Brad is a medic. He worked as a paramedic here in Tulsa with EMSA for a few years before he heard duty calling. This guy is a hero, and he's my friend.

When people talk about what's going on in Iraq, I try not to listen. I listen to Brad. When people criticize the war effort, I try to tune them out and listen to Brad. When DoubleShot is full of politicians, I try to tune them out and listen to Brad:
"This tour sucks, I have seen much horrible trauma....you dont want to know my view on politicians right now."
Oh, but he's wrong. I do want to know his view on politicians.
Brad is fighting in a war that no one gives a shit about. There is such hypocrisy. I sit here day after day listening to rich hippies talk about peace and stopping the violence and their ecological concerns. And I hear them criticize the war and the President's environmental policies and Tulsa's need for community.
But the things I hear them proposing are "community" programs that put money in their pockets. Forget about ecology or environment, they want what Jenks has. They want economic development on the Arkansas River. And they don't really want us to go stop dicatators from mass murder, they want us to TALK to the mass murderers.

Let's talk about the River for a minute. Economic development? That's what downtown is for. What? We've finally decided that buiding, constructing, changing, re-changing, re-zoning, re-positioning, re... we can't make downtown a viable economic center? So now we'll go try it on the River. I live on Riverside Drive. Down on the quiet part, where people slow down. I sit on my front porch and relax. I watch people jog by or ride their bikes or take a stroll. There are big, old trees and foxes at night. And sometimes I think about the "economic development" they want to start on the River. Is that improvement? Advancement? I hardly think so. Preservation! People go to the river to get away. They want to jog and relax. To be by the river and see the geese and ducks waddling around. It's even more serene on the west side of the river trail, where there are no cars driving by.
But I imagine... they wouldn't cut down ALL the trees, just the ones that were in the way. We'd make parking lots and build an island (an island? I'm sorry, but that's retarded) so rich people could have their condos paid for by my tax dollars and we can move Utica Square out there in the middle of the Arkansas River. Maybe they'll make it a gated community. Or maybe because one group of jackasses can get taxpayer dollars to build their money-making project, someone else will decide they want an island too. And then we can just dam up the River altogether and make it into a waterpark. They'll build tall buildings where there used to be trees outside my window. And what we really need on the River is a Starbucks. This town won't even be put on the map until there's a Starbucks in the middle of the Arkansas River. Isn't that what they're talking about when they say "economic development?"
I have an idea. Let's let Jenks ruin the river. Tulsa can use downtown for businesses (what a novel idea) and keep the River for its natural resources.

Anyway, back to Brad.
I don't think we necessarily need to be unified as One World- that's why there are different countries. If you don't like the one you're in, there are other options. But we can at least be unified as The United States of America. All this public dissent only goes to encourage our enemies and discourage our soldiers. Politicians be damned. I know what their shtick is- do whatever it takes to get re-elected so they can live off taxpayer dollars and fund all of their friends' projects. It's bullshit, and I'm sick of it. Vote NO for all new taxes. Vote NO to fund rich guys' private commercial projects. They have enough of our money- they should use what they have more wisely.
But seriously, back to Brad.
I'm about to start selling the g.i. joe blend again. G.I. Joe II, the Baghdad Blend. Some of the proceeds from the sale of it are used to send coffee and other stuff to Brad, who gets popular with they guys by distributing it around the base. Cool. Thanks to Brad and all the soldiers serving around the world. You are fighting for me.
I want to put up pictures in the store of my customers and friends who are in the armed forces. So if you have pics (especially ones with DoubleShot Coffee), send them to me!

This reminds me of a song...

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,
With a pink hotel, a boutique,
And a swinging hot spot.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum.
And they charged all the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

The DoubleShot Duathlon is finally over. It was a success by my standards. You can read all about it and see many photos at DoubleShotDuathlon.com

New happenings here at coffee central. Looks like New Guy (famous blues man Robert Johnson) has what it takes to stick it out here at DoubleShot. He's our new barista- so far he seems a little wordy and not quite angry enough, but hopefully I'll rub off on him. :)
Jason (chief surfer dude) is pulling shots on his last day here on the 12th of October. He's off to travel the world again- Hello India.
Josh has found a new calling and decided to move on to greener pastures, putting in day number "last" on Saturday Oct7.
We're hoping Jared will step up to the portafilter and take on more responsibility. Jared looks like a barista, and I hope he becomes what we need him to be.
We're still looking for one more person to fill the white flip-flops of Josh and Jason. Apply within.

On another front, I have taken my first steps into the future of DSCC. I'm pretty excited about it, because I know that where we're headed is the future of the coffee industry. I recently became a member of the Cup of Excellence. Cup of Excellence is a program in which cuppers go to various countries in Central and South America, farmers from all over the country bring in their best lot of coffee, and they are rated to find the very best coffees in the region. Once they are rated and samples are sent to members, there is a one-day online auction in which I can bid on a lot, and hope to come away with a new, extraordinary coffee. The best parts of this program are that I have the opportunity to buy a new coffee that is unique and delicious, the farmers are rewarded for producing exceptional coffees, and the farmers also become known to the world and renowned for their coffees- providing opportunity for roasters like me to begin a relationship with the farmer and buy that farmers coffee directly from him. Giving the farmer his due.
No B.S. about "fair" certifications with no oversight and false price floors disrupting the market. No marketing crap that supposedly benefits the workers. It's direct buying. The organization takes only 10% of the sale. And I get the entire lot.

I love it. Will keep you posted.
It's Colombian coffee, and the auction is October 26.