Search Results for: Chris Heiniger

Chris Heiniger Wins 2015 Eastern Aeropress Championship

February 1, 2015 By Michael Leave a Comment

Chris Heiniger of Louisville, Kentucky is the 2015 Eastern Aeropress Champion. The regional competition was hosted on January 31st by Louisville micro-roaster Quills Coffee in partnership with Prima Coffee. Eighteen baristas and coffee enthusiasts from as far as Toledo, Ohio to Washington D.C. participated in the bracket style competition. Heiniger, who competed representing Misc. Goods Co., defeated Dmitriy Zhigunov of Williamsburg, Virginia in the final round. Coffee blogger Brian Beyke took home the prize for third place. Heiniger, Zhigunov, and Beyke all earned a spot at the national championship, which will happen contemporaneously with the US Barista Championship in Long Beach, California. …

Street Smart: Chicago’s Caffe Streets Sets Bar in Wicker Park

November 10, 2015 By Guest Leave a Comment

Caffe Streets

If someone walked into your kitchen right now, how clean would it be on a scale of one to ten? As of this writing, my own kitchen is a six. A couple hours ago it was a four and before I go to bed I’ll try to get it to an eight. So it gets messy sometimes, but if you asked me about it I would be comfortable describing my kitchen generally as “clean” or even “really clean.”

I think the fluctuating cleanliness of my kitchen serves as an apt metaphor for the experience of visiting a far-away coffee shop. There are plenty of shops that are good, or even really good, on the balance that still can’t lay a claim to consistency. So, if you’re visiting a new shop (even one that is highly recommended by locals) there is a chance you’ll be less than impressed with your one-off visit. That’s why there is something special about Caffe Streets,…

Five Amazing Must-Try Aeropress Recipes

March 2, 2015 By Michael 2 Comments

Home coffee enthusiast Chris Heiniger lifted the Gold Aeropress at the 2015 Eastern Aeropress Championship, but the competition featured too many creative Aeropress recipes not to share a few of our favorites. Warning: you probably won’t be able to get through this post without grabbing your brewing kit and giving a few of these killer Aeropress recipes a try.

Erika Moore, Bonlife Coffee

15 g. Ringer Blend from Bonlife Coffee: 50% Ethiopia natural process Tswana, 50% Granja La Esperanza Geisha Peaberry
240 ml. of water poured over 25 seconds
Steep for 20 seconds
Stir back and forth
1:20 plunge
Aerate and pour awesomeness

…

The Innovative Home Barista That Shocked the World

December 18, 2014 By Michael 5 Comments

Field of barista dreams

For career baristas, coffee competitions are where dreams are made and hearts are broken. To the winners belong respect, accolades, and some really cool swag. To the losers, disappointment and the agonizing wait until next year. Amidst a highly competitive regional competition circuit, one home barista defied the odds and qualified for the US Brewers Cup Championship. It’s exceedingly rare for an independent home barista to compete. For someone with no professional experience to place in the top six is unheard of. But then again, Mikey Rinaldo is no ordinary person….

Double, Double, Coil and Trouble: An Interview with Tyler Deeb of Misc. Goods Co.

December 16, 2014 By Michael 1 Comment

With more than a week left, designer Tyler Deeb has already successfully funded his second Kickstarter project. Coil is a device that flash chills coffee without diluting the brew. Tyler enlisted the Coffee Compass to beta test his prototype, and we were very impressed. Our brews featured a depth of flavor and a balance of acidity and sweetness we had yet to experience in an iced coffee. Needless to say, we’re excited to see this device go into production. We met with Tyler and asked him a few questions about …

The Top Ten Coffee Gifts for the Home Barista in Your Life

December 1, 2014 By Michael 1 Comment

The holiday season is upon us, and you need relevant gift ideas. Whether you’re looking to find something special for the caffeine-addict in your life or a hint to drop around your rich relatives- we’ve got the coffee gift guide to meet all of your consumerist needs.

1. The World Atlas of Coffee by James Hoffmann

Coffee professionals have long lamented the absence of an authoritative, single-volume introduction to coffee. Coffee luminary James Hoffmann’s The World Atlas of Coffee aims to change that. Hoffmann is a former world barista champion and the founder of one of England’s most esteemed coffee companies, and he claims writing the book was his most challenging endeavor yet. After reading it, we understand why. The World Atlas offers concise, clear explanation about coffee varieties, farming practices, brew methods, and history. Perhaps most impressively it has a profile of every major coffee producing country, from America to Zambia. This book belongs in every coffee drinker’s library….

Coil: A Misc. Goods Co. Coffee Brew Method

November 25, 2014 By Darren 1 Comment

Any entrepreneur will agree that steady growth in innovating new products is hard to maintain. Tyler Deeb could have easily walked away from one of the most successful playing cards Kickstarters of all time to return to a safe desk job. But he decided he was all in, and has returned to Kickstarter with an innovative coffee brew method. SAY WHAT?!? That’s right. Misc Goods Co. has partnered with Quills Coffee consultant, home roaster extraordinaire, and Coffee Compass guest blogger Chris Heiniger to bring you Coil, a cold brew coffee maker.

Misc. Goods Co. Coil Cold Brew

Coil is the first brew method of its kind, and can cool freshly brewed coffee from essentially boiling temperatures to near 48° in under 4 minutes without ever touching ice. Deeb explains…

In Support of Home Roasting

January 1, 2014 By Guest 20 Comments

Recently, Serious Eats published an article by Nick Cho that advocated against roasting coffee at home. I am a big fan of Serious Eats. Content from that website has encouraged me to take on all manner of ambitious food projects; pizza-making, prime-rib-roasting and layer-cake-baking have all come home to my kitchen because Serious Eats offered first-class instructions for these endeavors. I am sad to say that the same attitude was not embraced regarding coffee-roasting. It is a shame because home roasted coffee can be excellent. I have been roasting at home for five years, and it has been a richly rewarding experience, with all of the pros and cons considered. I’d like to share my perspective on this issue.

Why Not Roast?

I can think of only one major downside for roasting coffee: It …