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 totally Devoted to your classic, I define the rotations that fit your current season of life. Which one are you?
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 when I return to coffee.
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 my regular bags with beans I buy on my coffee adventures. I want a balance of security and familiarity when making a good cup of coffee with beans that I know very well, particularly as life is very turbulent the moment (I’m at risk for redundancy and planning what my future career may look like). 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.
On the flip side, I do enjoy finding new beans at new stores and exploring different flavours. I want to be able to explore these different flavours and support speciality coffee industries and coffee shops.
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 you know and love – a hug in a mug. Something that doesn’t require you to adjust the grinder settings. With that in mind, I’ve landed on four coffee personas based on my three-bag a month rotation (I usually need about 750g of coffee an bags are usually 200 to 250g in speciality coffee shops).
- The Explorer – all bags are random
- The Tethered – most of your bags are random
- The Anchored – most of are your regular bean
- The Devoted – all bags are your regular bean
Which coffee persona are you right now?
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 dialling in new beans each week. You want to try and chase as many different flavours as you can and each bag is an opportunity to unlock something new.
2. The Tethered
(1 regular : 2 random)
Vibe: Curious, but cautious.
You have your safety net; your regular bag for those rushed mornings when time slips by you. However, you’re still spending the majority of your time pushing your palate and exploring new roasters, flavours and beans.
3. The Anchored
(2 regular : 1 random)
Vibe: Grounded and relaxed.
You spend most of the month enjoying a perfected, predictable cup, and one in a while, you want to try something new. You find that this is a good way to reduce workflow stress and give you a smooth coffee making moment.
4. The Devoted
(3 regular : 0 random)
Vibe: Master of One
You’ve found the bean that you love. The one you can click your grinder on to the perfect setting straight away. You could pull a shot in your sleep you are that well rehearsed. This is about the pure consistency – perfection through repetition.
My Current State
Right now, I’m feeling more drawn to being The Devoted. I will be heading back to making coffee within the next month and I want to have a stress free and predictable time. I need to relearn my beautiful yellow Gaggia Classic Pro (Bumblebeed). The real question is – what espresso coffee is worth my devotion?
Question – if you were ordering next month’s bags today, which coffee persona would you be?
Until the next blog,
Coffee Log 
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