How coffee made me over $200K ☕

Coffee is more than just a drink for me, but a big hobby and something that’s been part of significant events in my life!

Not Hating Coffee

For the entirety of my life, I was completely indifferent towards coffee. I thought it was bitter, and I didn’t understand the appeal. Living in the bay area, though, I’ve come to realize the popular coffee culture that has taken root here. There are all types of cafes, festivals, and tastings all around, all the time. Being in this environment led me to try my first sip of “Aromatic Arabic” from Philz, an SF native, by a recommendation from a friend. This was the moment when I thought that there was more to this drink than meets the eye - it can taste differently.

Coffee as a Work Buddy

Afterwards, I started hanging out and getting work done at Philz religiously. There were times where I would prepare for interviews between 6 am and 10 am, and the coffee would be a warm companion throughout.

Since I was exposed so little to coffee back then, each shot of espresso would profoundly spike my energy levels. After observing this on myself, I kicked off an experiment where I would drink a cup 15 mins before first sets of interviews and after lunch anther cup before the next sets. Anyone who’s been through onsite interviews with 4-5 back to back rounds, knows the particular feeling of fatigue by the end of 4th one. Anticipating this, I worked around this energy crash and made it through to the end. Afterwards though, I needed a whole evening and night to recover post spike.

I discovered later that the interviews went really well. Hearing back the good news, frankly, I still attribute a not so insignificant part in that to the coffee that sustained my energy levels all the way to the end. Hence, the title of the blog post.

Coffee Burning Money

At one point I was curious to see how much expenses were going towards these religious coffeeshop visits. I was shocked to see that it was in the thousands per year.

In addition, for a period of time I was able to get my hands on a friends Breville machine, which grinds coffee and pulls espresso shots all in one. Using it, I was able to practice making lattes by myself and get to experience having control over all the factors that goes into making the drink.

In that process, I developed an interest in an aspect of coffee making - latte art. It added another dimension to the hobby for me to obsess about. Nailing latte art hits just right the feeling of perfectionism, kind of like watching an oddly satisfying video on the internet.

With all these factors in consideration, I realized I needed to put together a personal coffee station. I went deep into the rabbit hole of researching espresso machines, grinders, accessories, scales, etc. This setup works for me. Feel free to just copy and save yourself the time!

Already at year 3, the estimated savings are over $15k. If you drink coffee regularly, it’s worth to treat yourself in the long run!

Copy my Coffee Station Setup

• Rocket Appartamento Espresso Machine
• Eurika Mgnon Silenzio Grinder
• NEXT-SHINE Gram Scale, Digital Pocket Scale
• Bottomless Portafilter from Rocket
• Tamper from Rocket
• Distributor
• Stirrer
• Knock Box
• Pitcher
• Cups
• Fellow Beans Storage

Random Tips that No One Tells You that Instantly Improves Your Coffee

• When pulling shots, put in 18g and extract 30g of espresso.
• The darker the roast, the coarser the setting should be on the grinder, the lighter the roast, the finer the setting should be.
• When adjusting the grind setting, do so while the grinder is working if there are beans in the hopper. Otherwise, a bean can get stuck between the burrrs.
• Pulling a shot should take 20-30 sec in time, or based on observation. It should look like caramel going out, not a waterfall.
• Eventually work your way to using a bottomless portafilter. It punishes you for all the small imperfections when preparing your coffee puck, like any tilt, and uneven distribution. It does so by spraying the espresso all over the place. The more you can get it to flow uniformly, the better your preparation of espresso, objectively.
• Seal your beans in a vacuum, so they don’t go stale. The more stale the beans, the more minor adjustment you need to make to grind finer.
• When steaming milk in your pitcher, you can tell if it’s done by holding the pitcher and as soon as the heat becomes unbearable i.e. stings, it’s done.
• Taking a latte art course at a local coffee shop was the best boost for me to start nailing latte art.
• A big factor in preparing milk suitable for latte art is pressure of the wand. If this is important to you, you need to get a machine that has a strong enough pressure.

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Cheers! ☕

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