Daily Grind

Enjoying a monster size cup on a rainy Sunday

Daily Grind turned 3 today! Upcoming summer travels--road trip from Ohio to Florida.

Night photo on bridge at South Coast Plaza

It takes a certain type of person to live on the road. You have to genuinely love the act of travel.

For unroasted coffee beans and home roasting resources http://www.sweetmarias.com/store/

Fresh roast Costa Rica coffee

Mammoth Lakes, California - Thanksgiving Day Winter is coming

We've come a long way from Melita drip and Mr. Coffee. This is my new does-everything Krups coffee machine, thanks to my employer on my 15 year anniversary with Wertz & Co. It grinds, froths, makes coffee and coffee drinks, hot milk, hot water and cleans itself.

Sampled coffees of Europe from Poland to Paris.  Coffee usually means a cup of espresso, cappuccino is fairly universal though the French add chocolate and cinnamon powder on top (possibly because they think Americans like that). I often got an espresso with a tiny pitcher of hot milk or Cafe Americano if I wanted a large cup.  My daughter who is not normally a coffee drinker found she liked Espresso with hot milk and Nutella or a “choco-banana” machiatto (sp?).

Cafe Americano in Amsterdam

Coffeehouse in Warsaw Poland

Inserting my dad's key in an electrical outlet around age 3.

I am starting to pack (light) and get ready for my travels to Europe for a 4 week sabbatical. Thank you Wertz & Company. Half the trip with a group of friends touring eastern Europe (Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic) and half with my 22 year old daughter Leah (Prague-Czech Republic to Paris-France via Budapest-Hungary, Michalovce-Slovakia, Vienna, Lucerne-Switzerland and Amsterdam). Follow me on my photo blog trankstertravelseu.tumblr.com . Needless to say, I will be enjoying the coffee along with the journey, and leave a few tasty comments here from time to time.

Fresh green beans. Mexican Altura today.  I roast small batches, a little less than a cup of green beans at a time. Two batches usually lasts me a week.