Everyday Beans Podcast - Mostly About Coffee and Other Stuff

Coffee Philosophy: We're All Problem Solvers

• Oaks, the coffee guy • Season 1 • Episode 164

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In this episode, I explore the fascinating concept that regardless of our professions or coffee preferences, we are all fundamentally problem solvers. I dive into how this applies specifically to coffee brewing - whether you prefer dark roast, light roast, or medium roast, we're all on a journey to solve the "problem" of creating our perfect cup. I share insights from my engineering background and draw parallels to other professions, highlighting how we all use our unique toolboxes of knowledge and creativity to achieve similar goals.

By listening to this episode, you'll gain a fresh perspective on coffee brewing as a form of creative problem-solving rather than tribal preferences. I share practical insights about how understanding variables like grind size can be universally beneficial, regardless of your brewing method. This episode bridges the gap between coffee enthusiasts of all levels, helping you develop a more thoughtful approach to your daily brew.

For good tasty coffee, check us out at: everydaybeans.com

For tips, tricks and still trying to figure it out: https://www.youtube.com/@everyday-beans

[00:00] We live! Today is February 15th, 2025. It's early in the morning. And we're doing pretty good right now. I hope you're doing pretty good. This is another podcast, another talk.

[00:18] So, what are we going to be talking about today? This one's kind of interesting. I'm going to read the quote and then I'll tell you the reason why I thought about this. Here's some coffee made from the Mr. Coffee and it didn't turn out too well. But whatever. That's besides the point. Well, that could be the point. We'll find out.

[00:41] Here's an interesting concept. We all do different types of jobs. But we all do the same line of work. The thing that we all do is problem solve. So what does that mean with coffee brewing?

[00:55] I was watching this show on Netflix with my wife. Things called "Missing You" or something like that. Short series. I like short series. But I was watching this series and this lady, she's a detective and everything. And she's trying to figure out the case.

[01:12] And my old line of work, I used to be an engineer. And I was tasked to get jobs done. Just to get them done. I have a project. I have to see it from point A to point B. There's all these things that happen in between. But at the end of the day, it's about problem solving. It's about getting things done. It's about figuring things out.

[01:35] And no matter what type of line of work that you're doing. If you're a nurse you're trying to figure something out for your patients. If you're a cop, you're trying to find somebody. You're trying to find their movements. You're investigating. You're going on this journey to figure something out.

[01:55] So even though we may do different things in our lives, we're still kind of doing the same thing. We have our own expertise. We have our own insights. Even though the job may be different. It is still the same.

[02:10] So what am I getting at right now? What am I really talking about right here? I think the biggest thing that I'm really trying to get at is that, what are the things that we're trying to solve with coffee?

[02:25] We got a beverage right here that we're drinking, that we're trying to enjoy. We have our own purposes. We have our own things that we like about coffee. Things that we don't like about coffee.

[02:40] Some people like dark roast coffee. Some people care about more of the bitter taste of coffee. Some of us like light roast. Some of us like medium roast. We like the complexity that medium roast brings to us. We like different brewers.

[02:57] So what are we doing here really? What are we doing here as I drink this cup of coffee? We are all on this own journey individually. We're trying to figure things out.

[03:15] And as I sit here and try to think about other ways to make videos, to entice you or to give you some curiosity of things that I kind of mostly care about, I wonder about the problem solving. The part of the journey that I really enjoy now is finding those little type of moments where I can find a place that's beneficial universally.

[03:40] For instance, we all brew coffee right? No matter what we may use. But if I give a tip and trick about grind size, and why it matters and how you can manipulate the coffee and still get what you want, I believe that's more universal than the actual way or the favorite way that you usually make coffee.

[04:05] Because it gives you a different perspective of what we are going through. Because at the end of the day again we are problem solvers. We're just trying to figure things out. And we're going to have to make our toolbox as big and as vast as we want it to be.

[04:20] We have to understand our grinders. Not my grinder, probably the philosophy or the way that I go about actually dialing in a coffee. But then you can take that and apply it to the things that you're doing.

[04:35] At times when we're talking about coffee or anything in general, we have so many different tribes within that thing. And those things tend to divide us quite a bit. But if we come into here with an even playing field, we come into this arena of just filling up our toolbox, understanding what we're really trying to do here when it comes to coffee, I think we're going to be in a better place.

[05:05] Because no matter what we may do or like, we can make something magical. That's where the creativity comes from. That's where we can pour our heart and soul into all of this. Because now we truly really understand.

[05:20] The type of coffee that we have. The type of grind size. The brewer. How it draws down. Using different paper filters. Using no paper filters. Using a metal filter or whatever, it doesn't really matter.

[05:35] At the end of the day, we are really getting to the point where we are understanding each other because we're going through the same thing. And I think that's pretty cool. We're going through the same thing. We may like different things. But we're going through the same thing.

[05:50] I made the coffee out of Mr. Coffee Machine. Guess who else made some coffee out of Mr. Coffee Machine or a type of dripper like that? Millions of people around the world. Now. Before. After. Sometimes they care. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes they care about precision. Sometimes they just trying to get a cup of coffee and get out the house.

[06:15] But we're going through the exact same thing. At the end of the day, our goal is to have a decently tasty coffee no matter which way we go about it, right? And I think that's more so the situation that we're in right now. We're going to understand coffee even more so because now we're in a better place where we are challenging ourselves with the tools and the knowledge and the creativity that we do have in order to make something magical. Or just a cup of coffee.

[06:55] So yeah, I thought that was pretty cool. The concept is always out there for us. And that's how we can be on the same playing field. We may have different knowledge and understanding of what we're trying to do. And what we're trying to understand. But that's totally okay. As long as we keep learning on our own individual journeys together. Or not. Or whatever it may be.

[07:20] But those are some of the things that I think about constantly. And it's interesting that even though we may like different things, care about different things, we are in a place where we can truly grow this thing into the amount of knowledge and expertise that we can get at.

[07:40] I'll give you one last quick example before we head up. You know I still use my trusty Refractometer. Here it is right here. It's awesome. Love it. It has taught me a lot about coffee. Tons about coffee.

[08:05] But I would say lately I haven't been using it. Not because I don't like it or I think it's nonsense. Or think that I'm over the top with a lot of things that I do with coffee. I'm not saying that. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm doing more of things that you do. You don't have this. Right? Which is perfectly fine.

[08:30] I think there is a cheaper alternative that you can probably get if you want to get it. You don't have to spend $800, $900 for this particular brand. That's a discussion for another day.

[08:45] But the reason why I bring up the Refractometer is because it is an amazing device. It can be crippling. So what I've been doing lately is that I've been brewing a cup of coffee, tasting it, analyzing it, seeing what I like and don't like about it, adjusting one or two variables, and being spot on with what I like to get out of this particular coffee, this application.

[09:10] I say that to say this. I can dial in coffee really well. And that's mainly going off taste, flavor, what I think that this coffee can be, what I'm tasting initially.

[09:25] For instance, this coffee right here is lacking quite a bit. It's a dark roast. I brewed it. I probably didn't have enough beans in there. But that's fine. So I am going to brew it again. But since I already ground the coffee, I'm going to have to play around with that.

[09:45] And if I'm using the Mr. Coffee Machine, how am I going to manipulate the coffee in order to get the cup of coffee that I like? Those are some of the things that I'm going to do. I'm going to probably even try to play around with third way water in the Mr. Coffee Machine, which I don't know who has done that.

[10:05] I guess what I'm saying here is that I'm able to manipulate or get to the place where the coffee will taste the way that I want it to taste because of me changing one or two variables. That's with the knowledge. That's with the understanding. Not just with me, of course. I've learned from you guys. I've learned from other things and other books along the way.

[10:35] But it's pretty cool, though, that now we are in a place where no matter which coffee we may use, whatever we may like, we are getting to a place where we're problem solving. We're figuring things out. We're analyzing it for what it is. We can take it for whatever it is.

[10:55] And then every mood and situation is totally different. And that's cool because those are some of the things that we have to realize that we are in a better place because we're given this opportunity to really, truly explore and enjoy coffee for whatever it may be, for whatever our goals of it are. And that's where we're at with all of this.

[11:20] So I'm going to dial this coffee in and we'll see what happens. I did it offline. And if it works, it works. I'm sure it will. But if it doesn't, that's fine. This is just fun. Just enjoy coffee. Drink it. See for what it is. And then go on and do something else for the rest of the day.

[11:40] I hope that you do that, too. I hope that this was helpful for you, realizing that even though we may be doing professionally different things, we're still solving for essentially a problem. It can be as critical and life-saving as it can be, or it can just be as simple as this is as we do recreationally. We're making a cup of coffee.

[12:10] So this is Okey at Everyday Beans signing off. Let me know what you think about that because we're different. We're all different. We do different things. But I guess in our case, if you're listening this far, you like drinking a cup of coffee.

[12:30] So let's figure it out together and we can leave all the light roast versus medium roast versus dark roast, which I'm still going to do for another day. And we'll go from there. So I'll talk to you later. This is Okey at Everyday Beans signing off. Bye.