Gregory Zschomler
A sign congratulates visitors for roasting their own unique coff ee blend.
Continued from Page 4
instruction, customizing the coff ee bag and
enjoying a 12-ounce pour-over as well as a
photo opportunity.
Burly and the Bean opened a stand two
years ago, but their booming coff eehouse
along U.S. Highway 101 is only six months
old and is about to expand.
For co-owner Justin Boone, who roasts
the shop’s coff ees in-house, it’s a passion.
“We’re trying to give people more avail-
ability and knowledge about their coff ee,”
Boone said. He notes that about half of the
coff eehouse’s sales are prepared in a way
other than by using an espresso machine.
It only takes a minute for a barista to
prepare and pull an espresso shot. While
other processes can take a little longer,
Boone is confi dent that they are worth the
wait, creating a smoother, less acidic brew.
Espresso coff ee is made by forcing hot
water through a fi ne, tightly-packed, pow-
dered grind. It produces an intense, high-
ly-caff einated and concentrated beverage that
is frequently blended with additional water
or milk. The grind for the other methods is
coarser, allowing for better absorption.
A typical AeroPress has a chamber that
holds both the grounds and 200-degree Fahr-
enheit water. The brew is produced by push-
ing down on a plunger, forcing the brew
out of the chamber and leaving the grounds
behind.
The device makes one cup of coff ee per
minute and makes a darker, richer, smoother
and less acidic drink. Some people fi nd it
less intense or more delicate tasting than
espresso.
In a French press, the grounds are steeped
in 200-degree Fahrenheit water in a pitch-
er-like vessel for 2 to 3 minutes. The grounds
are then pressed away from the brew with a
screen-type fi lter. Several cups of coff ee are
produced. The result is a little more acidic
than the AeroPress and allows more of the
coff ee’s oils and sediment to remain sus-
pended in the brew, contributing to a cream-
ier feel.
Pour-over coff ee takes the longest and
requires the most attention, but it “creates a
more sophisticated cup (and) allows you to
enjoy the coff ee without any cream or sugar,”
Boone said.
In this process, the ground beans are
placed in a fi lter over a glass vessel. The hot
water is slowly poured into the paper cone
from a kettle with a thin, curved neck. The
slow process creates a bloom that allows for
the gases to aerate bringing out the fl avor
nuances of the coff ee. The consumer controls
the time, temperature and texture of the fi n-
ished product.
Burly and the Bean also makes cold brew
and nitro brew coff ee as well as preparing
teas and Lotus drinks. The establishment is
somewhat of a throwback to the coff eehouses
of the 1950s and 1960s in that they off er live
music in the evening hours.
Though the shop is open from 7 a.m. to
4 p.m. daily, it frequently reopens on Fridays
and Saturday evenings for jam sessions and
concerts. According to Boone, the evening’s
music off erings began three months ago.
Boone said of today’s coff ee culture, “I
think that there’s a more popular interest in
it… more like a winery.” Thus, Burly and
the Bean is embracing the arrival of coff ee
afi cionados.
Gregory Zschomler is an author and art-
ist living in Ocean Park, Washington, with
his wife Ruth and their former bookstore
cat, Dorian Gray. He enjoys travel, coff ee
and catching some sunshine.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 // 5