Making a Good Cup of Coffee

Something as simple as a good cup of coffee can make the difference between a good day and a bad. But as with many seemingly simple things, there are many layers of preparation necessary to get to that level of simplicity – even with a good cup of joe.

For Todd Christy, owner of , making a good cup of coffee is part of the goal, but there are other goals to - like keeping focused on quality and not quantity, of being part of a larger Island and global community and always making sure to have fun making coffee.

“I still remember the smell of the Folgers can being opened in our kitchen as a kid; deep, dark and almost skunky. I can still hear the sound and see the bubble of the coffee in the glass top of the percolator. It looked like motor oil when my mom and dad would drink it black! I bet its taste wasn't too far from motor oil either. We have come a long way in our appreciation and desire for better coffee. That is where the story starts for me. I wanted better coffee and I wanted to take control of a fun process that brought coffee drinking pleasure to my friends.”

The Chilmark Coffee Company website defines the company as, “A collaboration between farmers and fisherman; summer intellectuals and world economic leaders; photographers and painters; poets and stone masons; tradesmen and master craftsmen; elderly and young - All working closely to continue the values and slow pace established generations ago on this glacial murrain in the Atlantic Ocean. People here make things slowly and well.  They understand and live as part of this unique environment.”

Christy worked at Marianne’s for 14 years. He races bikes and competes in triathlons. Until recently, he worked for the Town of Chilmark – a position he left to devote himself full time to roasting coffee.

“Coffee is grown in many parts of the world, but arguably the best coffees come from Central and South America, East Africa and Indonesia. I focus on purchasing and roasting coffees from those regions. I buy organic and premium estate coffee; some are fair-trade and Rainforest Alliance certified; some are shade grown.”

From there, the process begins. The coffee is shipped to Christy via pallet in grainpro bags or burlap, which he stores under prescribed conditions until he weighs out a batch and drops it into the roaster. Christy keeps in mind the altitude in which the coffee is grown since this often dictates the hardness of the bean.

“Different beans can be roasted shorter or longer and higher or lower initial heat depending on the flavor and desired taste. This is where the mad-science takes over and I spend hours playing with coffees trying to eke out the best of that coffee through the roast.”

Roasted coffee is then put into 12-ounce bags, which according to Christy is about a week's worth of coffee.

“Having 12-ounce bags means you don't need to store your coffee anywhere other than the counter. If you do plan to store coffee for a long time, the freezer will work, but try not to take coffee out and then put it back in the freezer with every pot. Condensation in the bag will spoil the coffee quicker.”

Once you’ve got that 12-ounce bag, it’s time to make the coffee. Here’s how Christy makes a cup of coffee for himself:

• I brew my coffee at home one of either two ways. I use a Chemex glass pot a lot. Beautiful, simple and produces a fantastic cup of coffee. I usually measure out about two tablespoons of freshly ground coffee to about 6-7 ounces of water. I usually pre-rinse the paper filters to get whatever paper taste is in the filter, out.
• I add enough rolling boiling water to completely immerse the ground coffee and count to 45, allowing the coffee to 'bloom.' Fresh coffee will release CO2 when hot water is added; this is called the bloom.
• I then slowly add (in a counter clockwise motion) water to the grounds until I have the right amount of coffee.
• The other method I use at home is a pour-over, which is essentially the same method using a single ceramic filter holder to brew a single cup. (Both the Chemex and the ceramic 'dripper' can be purchased easily on Island)
• For espresso, I have a very beautiful, but rather expensive espresso machine which is more on the commercial side of espresso machines and you need not spend a lot of money to get a consumer machine that will do a great job of making a wonderful espresso, effortlessly. A great espresso involves lots of factors, mostly practice. Steaming milk and making fun latte art is also practice and having a good barista teach you!

Chisty roasts three different espressos; Single Speed, 29er and The Rouleur. “All my espresso names are bicycle related...can't help that,” said Christy.

Another wonderful product coming out of the Chilmark Coffee Company is a cold brewed coffee, which currently comes from a Sulawesi bean using a medium course grind.

“I have a ratio of coffee to water (my secret) and I add that coffee into a 10 gallon stainless fermentation tank with cold Chilmark water and let it sit for 24 hours. I stir it a couple of times to get a good steep. Then I let the mixture settle and filter through a mesh screen filter; then once again I filter through a paper filter. After all this, I bottle this coffee and sell it.”

One thing Christy doesn’t do is dark roast his beans. For him, most dark roasted coffee – though it is supposed to be dark and rich, is bitter and like “licking an ashtray.” He explained that often times, dark roasted beans are actually low quality beans that have been dark roasted to hide their poor flavor. He is working on making a light roasted bean that tastes like a dark roast.

“Dark roasting kills all the subtle nuances in excellent premium coffees like the ones I buy. It also roasts out the caffeine and I happen to like the buzz,” he said.

Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind oil. Of that coffee, only 10% is actually considered excellent.

“I think the lighter roasts I do show my confidence in the quality of the beans I'm buying and my effort at understanding what can be experienced in a wonderful cup of excellent coffee.”

Currently, Chilmark Coffee Company coffee is sold on Island at and . This summer you’ll also be able to find it at , , and . It will be served at , and you’ll find the cold brew at 7a, Jim’s, and the Chilmark Store. You can also order beans through the Chilmark Coffee Company website.