"Viva la Mexico!" and thoughts about the herd...

I've chastised myself over and over for waiting so many years to try coffee from Mexico. The only excuse is the opportunity never dropped into my lap. Of course about 12 seconds with Google could have resolved that issue but I just had no idea what I was missing.

Granted not all coffee from Mexico is as good as this Organic Chiapas greens I've been buying from Coffee Bean Corral. I tried something they call La Laja Honey Process from Veracruz and it just isn't as good. The Chiapas Turquesa sample I bought is pretty good but doesn't yield the same great cup.

So this love affair with this coffee from Chiapas, Mexico continues. It's a dark roast but not so dark it bleeds oil when the beans are dropped into the cooling tray. A few oily spots is all I see. After perhaps 10 days of rest the oil starts to appear on the surface of the roasted beans. That's when the good stuff happens in the brew.

I found that it's best to follow my own dictum of keeping the second pour just in the middle of the wetted grinds then just walk away to avoid the urge to stir. Stirring or trying to pour in a way to re-wet everything produces a less sweet cup. Being a pig for the sweet flavors of this Chiapas coffee is just enough to keep my impulses in check!

Happily the four folks I roast for are as enthused about the Chiapas as I am. As I recall I'm on the third 25# bag of greens and starting to think about when I might order more.

... and on the health front ...

The Admiral and I have gone 2 of the required 4 weeks till we (should!) receive our booster shot of COVID-19 Moderna vaccine at Benson Regional Hospital. We feel fine and other than C feeling a few minor symptoms as we left the hospital I would say we essentially had no discomfort beyond a sore shoulder for a day or so.

But having had this first dose doesn't mean we're good to go. According to our local medical-info source the first shot doesn't give you the protection you need... gotta have #2 (plus some time) for that to happen. And it doesn't absolve us of responsibility to continue with mask/distancing/washing hands/etc as we can still be asymptomatic spreaders of the virus. 

So life continues in pandemic mode cuz we won't have herd immunity till the whole herd catches up...

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