Archives For coffee

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Why Your Church Will Never Be a Good “Third Place”

Chris —  January 15, 2015

The term “Third Place” caught on after Ray Oldenburg’s 1989 book The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community. Like many books since, Oldenburg outlined how American individualism was starting to take a social toll.

“The course of urban development in America is pushing the individual toward that line separating proud independence from pitiable isolation.”

This isolation has led to our need for a “third place.” If the home is your first place and work is your second place, then the third place is the place where socializing can authentically take place. For many, the need for such places was immediately recognizable. It resulted in a number of social experiments, most notably, the explosion of Starbucks.

It didn’t take long for thought leaders in churchworld to grab on to this. Churches started building in coffee kiosks and books about how churches can be more like Starbucks started showing up. Continue Reading…

In Church, Life , ,
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Wednesday Spotlight

Wednesday Spotlight: Japanese Iced Coffee

Chris —  July 17, 2013

I love starting my morning with a hot cup of coffee. But we’re having 108° days here in Austin!

Last summer, I made a sound investment in an Iced Toddy brewer, which has allowed me to make about a gallon of lovely, life-changing cold brew coffee to keep in the fridge. Cold brew takes between 12-24 hours, meaning I don’t always have it on hand. It’s also intense, almost bourbon like. Sometimes you just want something refreshing.

Houndstooth Coffee, Austin’s cutting edge coffee house, introduced me to Japanese Iced Coffee. The big idea is that by brewing directly on to ice, you trap in all the aromatics that generally get lost in cold brew. The result is a light tea-like drink, with all the flavors of a fresh cup of coffee. Continue Reading…

In Culture, Life
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Wednesday Spotlight

Wednesday Spotlight: Mason Jar French Press

Chris —  June 5, 2013

I can’t justify yet another coffee gadget in my house. (Not to mention, my next purchase will be a quality grinder.) But if I could, this would be it.

In Life
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Wednesday Spotlight

How to Cold Brew Life Changing Coffee in 5 Steps

Chris —  August 29, 2012

I was spending so much money buying myself iced coffee, I ended up investing in a Toddy Cold Brew Coffee Maker.

After asking around at a few of my favorite coffee shops, I landed on the Meritage, which local roaster Cuvee calls the “the soul of Cuvée Coffee Roasting Company.”  They describe it as “sweet red fruit with a creamy body, malted chocolate & a spicy zinfandel finish.”  I think of it as all the flavor of carmel, without all the sugar.

Here’s how I make it.

You will need:

  1. Mix filtered water and course ground coffee at a ratio of 4 cups of water for ever 6 ounces.
  2. Cover and brew for 24 hours.
  3. Pop out the cork and let it filter.
  4. Cut it with water, at a minimum of a 1 to 1 ratio.
  5. Serve over ice on a hot afternoon.
If it’s already gotten cold where you’re at, try mixing the concentrate with hot water for the smoothest americano you’ve had in awhile.
In Life , ,
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