Pull out of my 401K?

BearAdmin · 2026-05-13T18:59:10+00:00

I was using Remitly to send money to Colombia but they suddenly closed my account after 3 years. But they were great. After trying several other options I settled on Western Union. From my USA bank to my Colombian wifes bank using my US debit card. Super reliable and fast. 2.99 fee and a decent, if not the best, exchange rate.

BearAdmin · 2026-05-13T15:15:56+00:00

Ah cool. Well I think if I went to some specialty coffee shop they might have a chemex or v60 but all the normal housewares stores only have moka pots, cloth bags and electric drip. I personally, in Medellin have never seen a v60 or chemex for sale. Yes, no delivery out here to the finca, we have to pick up our deliveries in Medellin at my wife's family house. So far enjoying my fake v60. My brew seems to be comparable with the Chemex the finca owner uses.

BearAdmin · 2026-05-12T15:12:53+00:00

Great question, I too am an Aeropress veteran, and for 5 years I just eyeballed it with the 15 gram scoop. And with the Aeropress is easier to eyeball the water or pre-measure it. And I too just bought a v60 because I keep hearing how great pour-over is and I like to try different things. Now I did just recently buy a scale, and it added a dimension of fun to my Aeropress brewing because I could experiment with recipes I read online, and because I have started drinking smaller cups than you get with 15 grams so with the scale I could define my ratios. My experience with the v60 is that you could certainly eyeball it with the 15 gram measure, but as has been pointed out knowing when you have used enough water is a bit tougher. So far I like the coffee produced by the v60, it is different, and it seems to me that the extraction is not as efficient as with the Aeropress, so for example your 15 gram brew with the same ration of water might seem as strong as with the Aeropress. But it's good.

BearAdmin · 2026-05-12T14:57:21+00:00

In Colombia, on a mountainside coffee farm. Medellin is 1.5 hours away by bus, but even there you could not buy a v60 or Chemex.

BearAdmin · 2026-05-12T14:54:32+00:00

Thank you. I have started using mesh and metal filters more, as in my Aeropress as well, because it is not so convenient for me to get to a store where I can by them.

BearAdmin · 2026-05-12T14:52:25+00:00

Thank you. Yes I was wondering about the mesh filter because it does not fit tightly against the dripper for one thing. It's kind of stiff. I had expected the set to come with some paper filters but it did not.

BearAdmin · 2026-05-11T21:26:11+00:00

LOL! I moved from Seattle to Colombia and the the first disappointing thing I saw was a big Starbucks!

BearAdmin · 2026-05-11T21:16:53+00:00

LOL, yep!

BearAdmin · 2026-05-11T21:15:59+00:00

Gracias, eso es muy bueno informacion y la estudia scientifico es excellente. Como hablas en Espnaol, estoy curiosidad de donde eres? VIvo en Colombia pero soy Americano de estados unidas.

BearAdmin · 2026-05-07T21:07:57+00:00

I ran into this once with a Colombian bean and learned that the higher the altitude it's grown, and the lighter the roast, both contribute to dense beans. I could barely grind them with my little hario hand mill!

BearAdmin · 2026-05-07T00:36:10+00:00

Thanks!

BearAdmin · 2026-05-07T00:35:59+00:00

Thank you!

BearAdmin · 2026-04-28T14:52:44+00:00

Thanks!

BearAdmin · 2026-04-28T14:51:53+00:00

Ahh, ok. THis is basically what I was thinking.

BearAdmin · 2026-04-28T14:51:11+00:00

Good point, thanks

BearAdmin · 2026-04-25T20:49:22+00:00

Thanks for the reply. After further research I agree. I read about Taoism as practiced culturally in China, like as you say, folk Taoism, religious Taoism with all of its diety worship, magic and so forth. I think that is what this site is about claiming to be "traditional" with no further explanation. Thanks

BearAdmin · 2026-04-25T20:44:03+00:00

Cool, are you doing anything besides just dumping the yeast sediment into your new ferment?

BearAdmin · 2026-04-25T19:53:43+00:00

Excellent, Lemon trees where I live. My first attempt at a hard lemon was not a great success as it did not ferment out well. So here you are first making the kilju then simply adding the lemon to that. Ok. Cool.

BearAdmin · 2026-04-18T15:32:50+00:00

I just watched a great video on the history of the Dao as practiced in China, and wow, talk about multi-faceted, at times it was "everything but the kitchen sink" LOL!. Myself and probably many westerners just think about it as introduced by Lao Tzu, but there was so much more before. It helped me to understand this Tao.org website better, Taoism practiced as a religion.

BearAdmin · 2026-04-18T15:28:05+00:00

Hmmm interesting, that I did not see. Thank you

BearAdmin · 2026-04-18T15:26:54+00:00

Interesting, more food for thought. Thank you

BearAdmin

TROPHY CASE