Surprise coffee cupping result
It was my birthday this week. At this stage in life I prefer experiences over presents, so I asked for a coffee cupping with the family to try out some different coffee brewing methods. Traditionally, for the last 19 years, we've always had automatic drip coffee makers, but this year we're challenging that and considering offering coffee presses or Keurig coffee makers.
Actually, we are tea drinkers ourselves, so we're a bit behind on what's happening out there in the coffee brewing world. We've always provided amazing organic, fair trade, locally roasted and award winning KBay Coffee... and will continue to do that, obviously... but wanted to know if we're giving guests the best brewing experience that we could.
Our youngest daughter is an avid coffee fan and, when she isn't getting her coffee directly from a KBay barista, she always prefers using a French press. My husband has been enamored with the new technology out there... what guy isn't?... and has been campaigning that we go to Keurig coffee makers. The result has been that we did some research and ordered a Keurig to try ourselves. And since I'm committed to serving locally crafted coffees, and also wanting a low environmental impact, we ordered reusable filters to make sure we could continue providing KBay Coffee for a true Homer experience. Birthday evening after dinner we conducted our own blind tasting...
We used identical cups, numbered on the bottom so we could match them to the brewing style, and had our coffee snob daughter be honorary barista for us. After some minor technical challenges, we got our system down and did multiple tastings to make sure our results were consistent. We were not surprised to find that the automatic drip was our least favorite, but we were very shocked that the coffee that had the most fragrant aroma and best flavor was not the French press but was, in fact, coffee brewed in the Keurig! Therefore, this year we are proud to announce that you can expect Keurig coffee makers to in each of the guest rooms and units.
P.S. To all the 'pour-over' coffee purists who may object... pour-over is just way too much of an art to subject our guests to have to perfect. But we're excited to continue providing KBay Coffee... dare we say the world's best? We invite you to come check it out for yourselves. And for that top experience, getting a cup brewed on site by a KBay Caffe barista is a must!
KBay Caffe & Roasting Company, 378 E Pioneer Ave, Homer, Alaska 99603
Open 6:30am - 6pm Daily
Check them out online at www.kbaycoffee.com