Brewing at Home and on the Road with Justin Pierce

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Justin Pierce

The Color of Coffee Collective Symposium Returns for Its Second Year

The collective and the nonprofit Koffee with Keith will hold their second annual symposium in Houston on March 10-12. BY J. MARIE CARLANBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Photos courtesy of the Color of Coffee Collective The Color of Coffee Collective (COCC) is an organization that seeks to promote equity and opportunity for people of color in the […]


The Slingshot Chalice Puts a New Spin on Espresso Dosing

Hong Kong and Australia-based coffee equipment maker Slingshot Technology recently launched the Chalice Distributor Cup, a multipurpose espresso preparation tool for baristas. Displayed in its…


Don’t Skip the Budding Specialty-Café Culture in Quito, Ecuador

Introducing the specialty cafés of Quito, a city worth exploring on your coffee quest. BY JORDAN BUCHANANSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE Featured photo courtesy of Stratto When traveling across South America, Ecuador can be forgotten between the high profiles of Colombia and Peru. Similarly, coffee from Ecuador may be overlooked due to its giant neighbors, including […]


What I Learned from My First Tea Ceremony

After taking in a brief moment of a tea ceremony in Thailand, I finally had the chance to participate in the full experience recently in Malaysia. BY TANYA NANETTI SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos by Tanya Nanetti In the years that I worked as a barista in a café, tea always played a marginal role in […]

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Justin Pierce

A Look at Digital Coffee Future’s Digital Origin Education Program

The new program connects coffee producers to one another, provides them with educational resources, and more. BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of the Cocaerol, Comal & Amprocal cooperatives in Honduras Since 2021, Digital Coffee Future (DCF) has been working on a digital training program to address the needs of coffee producers. In September […]


Brewing at Home and On the Road with Darrin Daniel

Serving Coffee in the Epicenter

The Turkish specialty-coffee community is coming together to support earthquake relief. BY MICHAEL BUTTERWORTHSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE When Niji Coffee went live on Instagram, it felt as though the entire Turkish specialty-coffee community was watching with bated breath. Niji Coffee made a name for itself in the Turkish specialty-coffee scene when, as a relatively […]


Three Questions with IWCA Executive Director Blanca Castro

When International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) Executive Director began her job years ago at the Guatemalan coffee association Anacafé, she knew next to nothing about coffee.  “I just pretended that…

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Justin Pierce

5 Cool Cafés Worth a Try in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai, one of Thailand’s most fascinating cities, is home to a vibrant specialty-coffee scene, with many cafés and roasteriess often offering locally grown coffee. BY TANYA NANETTI SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo by Tim Durgan via Unsplash With a population of 3 million, Chiang Mai is a little (by Asian standards) gem in northern […]


Brewing at Home and on the Road With Diego Campos

We talk to the first Colombian World Barista Champion and Diamante Coffee Farm founder Diego Campos about his brewing habits. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Diego Campos The focal point of a coffee worker’s professional life is, obviously, coffee. Whether for a customer, to check a specific production batch, or to verify the […]


Coffee News Recap, 20 Jan: Last chance to apply for PRF El Salvador Mayorga Scholarship and volunteer positions, World of Coffee Dubai attracts more than 12,000 visitors & other stories

Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the previous week. Here are this week’s stories. Mon, 16 Jan World of Coffee Dubai 2023 attracts more than 12,000 visitors from 48 countries. The event, which was held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, also included over 180 exhibitors and 36 […]


Brewing at Home and On the Road with Darrin Daniel

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Justin Pierce

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Justin Pierce

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Justin Pierce

In this series, we ask coffee professionals how they like to drink their coffee while at home and when traveling.

BY TANYA NANETTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT

Feature photo courtesy of Justin Pierce

Coffee professionals tend to spend most of their days brewing coffee. Baristas brew coffee behind the bar for their customers. Roasters brew it to check the roast profile; bloggers brew it to share a new recipe with the world. But what happens when they’re not at work? What are their coffee habits when they’re relaxing at home? How do these habits change when they travel? 

Meet Justin Pierce, aka Daddy Got Coffee

Justin Pierce is a 36-year-old coffee blogger who lives a little north of Toronto with his wife and three kids. In addition to his main occupation in digital marketing, he runs his coffee channel: Daddy Got Coffee. He loves “helping people discover their own breakthroughs in coffee,” as he puts it.

So what are Justin’s coffee habits when he’s chilling at home? What is his favorite brewing method?

Justin and his three kids watch while he pours water from a white gooseneck kettle into an AeroPress. They are at the kitchen table with an overhead lamp. A couple of houseplants are visible, and a gray door and chandelier are in the background.
Justin and his wife, Sarah, keep the coffee flowing while at home, from Americanos to batch brew. Photo courtesy of Justin Pierce.

“Oh man, I really change it up,” Justin says, “but Sarah and I always start the day with a round of Americanos. After that, we usually crank out a couple pourovers, maybe a batch brew. And often we’ll have some decaf espresso or drip later in the day!”

Out and About Near Toronto

Justin’s days are typically full of caffeine, but does he also go out for coffee at specialty-coffee shops in his town? And what is his go-to order?

“I live near a couple of small towns with a very small number of shops. If I’m in a hurry I’ll get an Americano to go. But I also love a good pourover, and if I feel like sitting down for a sec, I love getting a single-origin espresso and water. So good!”

The interior of a bustling Toronto cafe. The space is large and industrial looking, with exposed brick, hanging lamps, and tall windows and a glass door. The tables are wood and metal, with plain chairs and a shiny espresso bar. An assortment of people sit at the bar and at tables for two.
When Justin visits a coffee shop while traveling, he likes to ask the barista for recommendations. Photo by Nick Hillier via Unsplash.

For Justin, however, coffee outside is the exception. He almost always drinks it at home, frequently taking it with him if he has to go out. He has even set up a little coffee bar at his office, to make coffee there as good as the coffee he has at home. “When I visit a café,” he says, “it’s because I love connecting with the people there.”

Coffee with Friends

Things obviously change a lot when Justin isn’t home: a visit to friends or family can be somewhat tricky when you’re a coffee pro. Will their coffee be “good enough”? Will they feel the pressure?

“Because of my Instagram account and YouTube channel, when we’re visiting friends and family, comments are usually made about them being nervous to make coffee!” Justin shares. “But the reality is, when we’re visiting someone, we’re there for the company, not the café-quality coffee. We always drink whatever is served, and even if it might not be what we would make at home, we enjoy it just as much if not more!”

The Pierces On the Road

When Justin travels somewhere else, perhaps visiting a new city, he always tries to hit a couple of great local cafés with his family. His favorite way to order at a new spot is always the same: “I’ll take one of whatever you would have.” Wherever possible, he loves to try a barista’s recommendation.  

Justin brews coffee with his three small children in tow. They are in the kitchen, using an AeroPress at the table. The smallest child is trying to put a red toy on Justin's head.
Justin and his wife have three kids, who also get into the coffee-brewing process! Photo courtesy of Justin Pierce.

The ’Essential’ Travel Kit

For Justin, traveling means visiting new cafés and sticking to specialty-coffee shops as much as possible. But for someone so used to brewing at home, it also means traveling with a “small” brewing kit. 

“Don’t ask my wife if I’m traveling with a simple brewing kit, because she might give you a different answer—ha! In my mind, I’m a minimalist, but it always seems to balloon to a little beyond what may be considered … appropriate. If I had to pick three essential coffee tools, I would say a great hand grinder (currently a TIMEMORE Xlite), an AeroPress Go, and a scale. Maybe a small kettle, in case there isn’t one there. And while I’m at it, I may as well bring a Kalita Wave. And water-additive pouches don’t take up much space. … Let’s just say I haven’t packed up an electric espresso machine, yet. But sometimes I pack a manual machine and an electric grinder. I should stop before I incriminate myself further; I think you get the picture!” 

Justin has one final suggestion regarding the best way to drink and brew coffee while traveling. “It’s really hard to beat the hand grinder/AeroPress combo. At a hotel, I’ll even use the junk coffee maker to heat up water for the AeroPress! Such a forgiving and lightweight setup, even if you just eyeball it!”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tanya Nanetti (she/her) is a specialty-coffee barista, a traveler, and a dreamer. When she’s not behind the coffee machine (or visiting some hidden corner of the world), she’s busy writing for Coffee Insurrection, a website about specialty coffee that she’s creating along with her boyfriend.

The post Brewing at Home and on the Road with Justin Pierce appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Justin Pierce

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Justin Pierce

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