4 days without coffee

Between going through Klatch's Belle much more quickly than I intended and USPS fumbling a bit, I ended up going without coffee at home for four days.

I know, talk about first world problems.

I made it through the first three days just fine, but the fourth was too much. I caved and stopped by Peet's on my ride home from school. I ordered a double espresso and braced myself for what could very well be a sink shot. My fears were unfounded and I was pleasantly surprised by the espresso. I have been let down by Peet's in the past but this shot was pure milk chocolate comfort. Plus I think that I might have unintentionally converted another customer to the dark side. The lady standing behind me in line told the barista that she was going to order a vanilla latte, but after seeing the espresso, she said that she would like to try one of those instead. 

The nice thing about the postal service delay was that three awesome packages arrived on the same day: 

Ethiopian Sidamo from West Bean, Out of Africa from Klatch, and a Hario Buono.

Sidamo: Good, but not the greatest Ehtiopian that I have tried.

Buono: Nice kettle, it definitely made using the V60 easier. My old Asian grocery store bargain kettle was adequate but the Buono is a step up in terms of aesthetics and usability.

Out of Africa: This was the standout. Out of Africa is by far the most unique and complex bean that I have pulled at home. I was afraid that it would be too bright but it was nicely balanced. Right now I'm tasting clove with a little bit of berry and chocolate in the background.  Klatch's Heather Perry describes it as "pure awesomeness" and I'm inclined to agree. Plus, I only started in on this blend yesterday at six days post roast, and Klatch claims that peak flavor is reached at 10 days post roast. I must have ended up with one of the last batches because Klatch is now listing it as unavailable. I'm really hoping that they can offer this again someday.