Mind Grind Coffee

Today I will talk about a hidden gem right in Riverhead New York. Sarikopa. This is less of a coffee shop and more like a coffee and tea Cafe. They even call themselves Organic Coffee plus Tea House. I started going there about 2 years ago in 2020. That's when I found out they were around for almost 5 years. Since my podcast focuses on coffee I will start there. First I want to say that they do not roast their own coffee, but you can pick up some whole bean blends while visiting. They prepare the usual coffees both hot and iced. I like the taste of the house blend and the fact that they are consistent in their prep. You will usually find one or both of the owners working behind the counter. They are friendly and efficient. My most memorable visit was when I ordered coffee by the French Press method. I was brought a large full Plunger and they poured the first cup. Three cups later I was caffeinated enough for the week. I do not drink tea often and I don't know the first thing about it. Sarikopa does tea right though. They have 53 varieties to choose from whether you're having one brewed on the spot or taking some home. Also available is a decent assortment of healthy organic smoothies. I love a place that has something for everyone. So who doesn't like great cafe food? Grab and go and made to order food are both available at Sarikopa. Most of the food is organic with plenty of vegan and/or gluten free options. I love the wraps, salads and the pistachio pie. I get the pistachio pie every time I visit with the worry they won't have it when I get there. The cafe at 226 Riverleigh Avenue in Riverhead New York is highly recommended. Both the exterior and interior make you feel relaxed. Add the friendly staff and quick service and I'm sure you'll recommended this place to your friends and family. I hope you enjoy it. Sarikopa.com

In this episode of the Mind Grind Coffee podcast I will be talking about the Chemex coffee brewing method that I recently started using. I picked up a beautiful glass "work of art" 10 cup Chemex coffeemaker at yard sale. I then purchase some Chemex proprietary filters on sale at Williams-Sonoma and had one of the best coffees of my life. The Chemex's most notable feature to me is that it produces a smooth clean drink. The extra thick proprietary bonded filter filters out any bitterness in the coffee by removing many if the oils. The Chemex coffeemaker was invented in 1941 by Peter Schlumbohm. The design is considered one of the best and it's featured in the museum of modern art in New York City. The coffee maker is a pour over, where the the hot water is poured over the grinds situated in the filter at the top of an hourglass shaped, usually glass, Chemex coffeemaker. It is best to use a goose neck pot. Initially pour just enough water to get a nice bloom and then continue to pour over the grinds slowly until you have the correct coffee to water ratio. I use a 1 to 15 ratio. I put a prepped Chemex with filter on my kitchen scale and Tare the scale, bring it to zero. I add the desired amount of medium course fresh ground coffee to the filter and zero out the scale again. When my water is at 205 degrees I pour about 130 grams of water over 20 grams of coffee. 30 seconds after bloom I add the rest of the water, in this case 170 grams. Just before all the water passes through the filter I toss it or save it for my tomatoe garden. I pour and enjoy! A couple of notes: I use a square filter folded with 3 side on the pouring spout. I prep the coffeemaker by running hot water through the empty filter and then pouring it out. This warms the Chemex and allows the filter to stick in place. There are plenty of additional resources on the web, it may sound complicated, but it is very easy, I would say the easiest way to make coffee. In a rush you can get away with not prepping or measuring once you've done it a few times. I hope you enjoyed this and go out and buy a Chemex. I think I will go make a coffe now.

Welcome to my 1st Podcast. In this Podcast I will talk about my favorite coffee shop, Coffee Booths located at 226 Middle Country Rd, Selden, NY. This is not a "traditional" coffee shop in the sense that they do not roast their own beans. They do not sell beans. And they have no coffee supplies. What they do have is a large assortment of perfected, what I call, dessert coffees. Examples include the Strawberry Shortcake ice cream bar latte, the Iced double stuff oreo latte, the Nutella latte, the iced Kit Kat latte, and the black and white cookie latte. The base of all these coffees or dessert coffees is coffee that is freshly roasted from Aldo's coffee roasters out of Greenport New York. You can of course get the traditional espresso's cappuccino's Americanos iced or hot. If you're looking for some food they have amazing stuffed pockets stuffed biscuits and homemade muffins. They are a cash only business so make sure you bring cash. They also have a reward card where you get a free coffee after about 7 punches on the card. Voted best coffee house on Long Island 6 years in a row, this is one not to miss. Find them on Instagram at coffee_booths. Be sure to visit this owner operator coffee shop once a month to try their flavor of the month.