tl:dr – When life is hectic, your coffee brew shouldn’t be a source of stress. I’m sharing four coffee personas that balance the comfort of your favourite beans with the excitement of new flavours. Whether you’re an Explorer or Devoted to your classic, I define the rotations that fit your current season of life.
Following on from my post about “The Bag You Know” I have been figuring out a good balance for my coffee purchase for the next few months.
The Bag You Know – that regular coffee in your cupboards. A constant in circulation and one that you get to know over time and experience.
I want to balance the number of these regular bags with new beans I may buy on my coffee adventures. I want the security and familiarity of making a good cup of coffee with beans that I know very well, particularly as life is very turbulant the moment (I’m at risk for redundency and career planning). My coffee routine is an important grounding experience every morning and I have found it stressful when I have had to dial in beans and throw away 4 or 6 shots of espresso. However, I do enjoy finding new beans at new stores and exploring different flavours.
I think our relationship with coffee isn’t static and it changes like seasons. In some moments, you want adventure, the freedom to something new every chance you get. Other times we just want a coffee that we know and love – a hug in a mug that doesn’t require you to adjust the grinder settings. I’ve landed on four coffee personas based on my three-bag a month rotation (I usually need about 750g of coffee a month which is usually 2 x 750g).
Which one are you right now?
- The Explorer – all bags are random
- The Tethered – less than half your bags ar regular
- The Anchored – over half your bags are regular
- The Devoted – all bags are regular
1. The Explorer
(0 regular : 3 random)
Vibe: High risk, all experiences.
This is for the person who has mastered their workflow and thrives in the chaos of trying and dialing in new beans each week. You want to try and chase as many different flavours as you can.
2. The Tethered
(1 regular : 2 random)
Vibe: Curious, but cautious.
You have your safety net bag for those rushed Monday mornings, but you’re still spending the majority of your time pushing your palate and exploring new roasters.
3. The Anchored
(2 regular : 1 random)
Vibe: Grounded and relaxed.
You spend most of the month enjoying a perfected, predictable cup, and one week trying something new. It’s a good way to reduce workflow and coffee making stress.
4. The Devoted
(3 regular : 0 random)
Vibe: Master of One
You’ve found the bean that you know love. The one you can click your grinder on to the perfect setting straight away. You could pull a shot in your sleep. This is about the pure consistency – perfection through repetition.
My Current State
Right now, I’m feeling more drawn to being Anchored. I have two bags of my regular Origins Coffee Stronghold ready to go which means I can actually enjoy the process of learning my Gaggia Classic Pro. The third is the wildcard bag that I experiment with as a pour over or espresso. It’s to avoid my morning latte becoming an exploration that could go wrong (and ruin my day).
I’m wondering though, if you were ordering next month’s bags today, which persona would you be?
Until the next blog,
Coffee Log 
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