Pressed Joe

Here’s the thing, I bitched and moaned about how terrible K-Cups are for the world, but I didn’t rightfully give you instructions on how to live without.  So, without further ado, here’s how you make a perfectly great cup of coffee (even at work).

First, go buy yourself one of these: Bodum Chambord 4-CupFrench Press Coffee Maker.  This thing makes coffee magic!  The proverbial coffee money shot.  And, with a little hot water, some freshly coarsely ground coffee and 4 minutes, PRESTO, you’ve got a steaming cuppa joe!

Second, coffee.  For all French Presses you’ll need a coarse grind so as to not clog the metal filter as you press it.  Can you press coffee with store-bought, ground beans?  Yes, but with greater degree of frustration (and slightly harder to clean).  That said, I prefer a medium to dark roasted bean.  There are many options about how to get them from bean to grind.  Personally, I prefer to grind my own using the KitchenAid BCG111OB Blade Coffee Grinder.  Using a pulse technique, it allows for all the beans to get down to the blades and get the correct particle size on the grinds.  An alternative to that is to store grind it when purchased.  This is getting increasingly harder to do as some ShopRite’s I’ve been in don’t even offer beans.  Therefore, hit the Trader Joes for some affordable and environmentally friendly beans, and use the grinder in store to get that coarse grind going.  In a pinch, you can get over to any StarBucks and they’ll do it for you when asked. 

Third, take two heaping scoops (approx. 3-4 tablespoons) and drop that into the bottom of the carafe.  You need hot, but not boiling water for this.  At a properly adjusted water cooler, you can get steaming, I’m-going-to-burn-myself water…but in this modern age, you can just as easily nuke a cup for about 3 minutes.  Make sure you nuke slightly more water than coffee you want to drink as some of that will be absorbed by the grinds.

Then, slowly add the water, carefully stirring to ensure that all the grinds are soaked.  Let it sit for no less than 4 minutes, and press. Ta Dah! You’ve made yourself a fantastic cup of coffee.  Treat it kindly with a drop of full fat half & half.  DO NOT put any of that International Delight crap in it…you’ll ruin a perfectly good cup of coffee!  If you’re going to shorten your life, make sure you do it with natural ingredients and not chemicals. 

Why is it better?  It’s richer, and creamier.  In fact, there’s a slightly lighter brown foam that forms at the top while it’s brewing.  It’s referred to as the crema, and it’s a combination of gas being released from fresh beans and natural coffee oils which contribute to the persistence of flavor and texture of a brew.  Now, to be honest, while delicious, this is the part that will kill you.  Literally.  The crema, and brewing coffee like this, tends to allow the drinker to ingest more natural coffee oils which have the bad LDL cholesterol.  But, in the name of a great cup of coffee, is it worth it?  I think so.

Video Dead

Still on a high from the Fare Thee Well shows.  I don’t really know how exactly to describe it, but, in short, it was awesome.  It was 70,000+ people per night all getting along and there for the music.  That’s not counting the innumerable who hit theaters for the simulcast or went the pay-per-view/YouTube route.  Right, Google, for pay, allowed you to stream it from YouTube.  Cool stuff. 

Naturally, like any person who follows a jam band, I wanted the music ASAP, so that I could hear it again.  I like to think that Phish was the first to really get that right.  Initially, you could buy the show you just saw from a site called www.livephish.com.  There was a guy from www.Nugs.net, who was a fan, who brought the music you saw in a live show to your desktop in a week.  Now it’s closer to within a couple of hours from when the show ended.  Amazing.  The Nugs dude also had quite a collection of Dead music you could sample for free.  Thanks, man.

Would something similar be set up for these Dead shows?  Having Trey involved raised my expectations.  However, news is that both audio and video won’t be commercially available until November in time for the Christmas rush.  OK, that’s fine…but I want it now.  Oh, gods of Google, reward me for being a decent (not perfect) human being, and provide me with the entertainment I so desire!  And the gods listened…and they were pleased, and low, a Torrent was made available around a week after the shows, containing not one, not two, but all three nights, in HD, ripped from a Verizon pay-per-view feed.

And it was good.

But, there’s a ton of ethical questions that come up when these “finds” are “found.”  Is it stealing?  Yes…not only from the Dead who plan to monetize these shows, but also, likely, from Verizon who broadcast it.  Will having the video feed from these shows impact my intent on buying a copy for myself?  No.  This feed is a placeholder for a better version that comes in true Blu-ray HD and 5.1 or 7.1 surround-sound audio and added features/interviews, etc.  It will be purchased by either myself or my family, and then, from those disks, I can rip myself a copy using Handbreak or something similar (use Google my friends).  Isn’t that also stealing?  That’s a gray area.  I would guess that legally, the Dead would prefer you to buy two copies.  Is it theft when you take a DVD and make a back-up, or run-copy for yourself?  Gray.  Why?  Because you’re clearly circumventing the protections put on those disks to prevent precisely that (see: Better mousetrap).  But, in my mind, and this may not hold up in a court of law, I’ve already bought it, and damned if I will be restricted to what device I want to watch it on, be it DVD/TV, laptop, or tablet computer. 

I don’t condone theft.  But, at the same time, I think that, as technology changes, and people’s consumption of art changes, the industries which make that art also need to change.  It’s imbecilic to have a business model which says “we’ve always done it that way, and so, instead of changing to meet our consumer’s needs, let’s sue the ones who bring about change.”  Digital media is here to stay.  And, like iTunes proved, if you make things more easily accessible and affordable (easier to buy than steal; see: HBO Go/HBO Now), you might be able to wring out some coin in a system where trading intellectual property is fairly easy, and isn’t going away.  To paraphrase Frank Zappa, “Media recordings aren’t dead, they just smell funny.”

Please, Be Kind

First and foremost, thank you Chicago.  This city seemed to be built to cater to the Dead Head masses that descended upon it starting the middle of last week.  For a holiday weekend, the hotels were full, the river walk was being, well, walked, and the tie-dye freak flag was flying.  You couldn’t turn your head without seeing “Heads” in different shirts, all dedicated to the remembrance of a band that has 50 years of history. 

The vibe was one of universal acceptance.  In the most crowded of spaces, people were courteous and apologetic lest they impact negatively on your trip.  Getting into and out of the venue, at times, felt like a hippie cattle-call, with the various and sundry compilation of competing aromas.  A side note: the best was when a traditionally dressed Indian family exited the Field Museum that is adjacent to Soldier Field, they were holding their noses.  Still, when was the last time that you bumped into someone, and THEY apologized? 

As per usual, in addition to the concert goers, there were the traditional support crew of Shakedown Heads, hawking their wares, selling everything from wearables to edibles.  Beers were had, mysterious transactions were made, and smiles were wide and pervasive.  We got many compliments on our unique T-shirts, some I designed, some I wore, and some I bought.  And, the scene was good.  Let’s go to a show.

As anyone who has heard the crooning of the Grateful Dead, you realize that you’re not really there for the refined vocals…but the music on the whole.  True to form, and even with Trey Anastasio belting out some of Jerry’s tunes, the singing left much to be desired.  However, the playing was off the charts.  The three subs: Trey, Jeff Chimenti and Bruce Hornsby (yes, that Bruce Hornsby), added what was missing from the “Core Four” remaining members of the Grateful Dead to make a truly authentic show come to life.  And, without the benefit of hundreds of shows to perfect aspects of each song, the 7 musicians absolutely killed it.  Of the 5 shows (including those out in California), only two songs were repeated, which means that the 3 dudes “new” to the group, had to learn about 100 songs (lyrics, music, changes, etc.) in relatively short order considering the legacy that lay before them. 

Did I have a good time?  I don’t know how I couldn’t.  I was surrounded with 3 awesome traveling companions: FIL, Emkay and Eekay.  And, as an avid listener to years and years of previous shows (I’m partial to the late 70’s early 80’s shows without Donna, but with a more musically-abled Garcia), I felt that this version of the band absolutely nailed the feel of the music…honoring what has been a 50-year American tradition, and on the 4^th of July no less.  While, due to my age, I’m fairly new to the scene, I think that, based on the lack of Chicago news about drug-fueled arrests and injuries, we carried ourselves (the Deadheads) really well…respected each other, and respected the intent of the message of the music over the course of 3-days.  It made me wonder why we can’t do this all the time.  From the band:  “The feeling we have here — remember it, take it home and do some good with it,” Mickey Hart said in closing. “I’ll leave you with this: Please, be kind.”  And we will.