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Bud Ward's avatar

Great insights about take out coffee, culture, and efficiency!

I got into pour over coffee and using a hand grinder 6 years ago. I studied everything about it - the process, the variables that affect taste, and the equipment.

The way grind size, water temp, pouring speed, and bloom time affect taste intrigued the chemistry minor part of my brain. Too cold, too hot, too fast, too small, too large - small variations can ruin your cup. It requires attention to detail.

The process takes longer and makes fewer cups, but the quality is so much better. Making coffee is part of my morning mindfulness ritual. If forces me to slow down and sets the tone for my day.

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Baxter Blackwood's avatar

Hey Bud thank you for reading! Those details are really cool. Would love to see your write about the process of coffee itself :)

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Bud Ward's avatar

Funny that you mention that. I wrote a partial draft of that a couple of years ago.

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Libby Fosters's avatar

Loved seeing this come together! "It was fascinating to see a world that didn’t revolve around work. It felt lazy to me, but it was normal to them. They worked to live, not the reverse." <3

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Baxter Blackwood's avatar

Thanks Libby! You had incredible edits. I definitely needed to hear the part about not telling other people how to feel and just showing it through stories. Thank YOU!!

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Catherine Werner's avatar

Baxter, writing to you from my kitchen table with an empty coffee mug beside me. I processed your article like a call to action to call a friend and roll down to the local coffee shop. The sky is blue. The fall leaves are falling in a yellow orange blanket in the backyard--need to get out and enjoy this day. Is that too much of an American goal for the outing? Said with a smile. Love your contrasting cultures through coffee.

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Baxter Blackwood's avatar

Those leaves sound Amazing Catherine! Haha thank you for reading!

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Jack Dixon's avatar

Amazing essay, Baxter! This one really resonated with me. So many salient observations here but the shift in focusing on process over outcome is something I’m thinking about a lot lately. This essay reinforced the importance of focusing on process and placing life above busy work (rushing to get stuff done).

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Baxter Blackwood's avatar

Thank you Jack! I can't stop thinking about this idea haha.

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Karena's avatar

What an amazing observation earned through travel. I like the various vignettes in different countries

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Nov 2, 2023
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Baxter Blackwood's avatar

Thank you so much for your encouragement Anthony!! I never realized how much travel would teach me. As for the coined title, that just came out in the essay when I tried an alliteration too! Fun stuff.

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