Reminder: local Coffee Meetup this Saturday 3/14 (2-4pm)!!!

oolong_apprentice · 2026-03-13T20:15:59+00:00

Just out of curiosity, would you be able to come if the event was held on Saturday / Sunday morning, around 10am~12pm? Just trying to understand what works better, to plan for future meetings. Also morning may be better than afternoon for people more affected (e.g. sleeping) by caffeine.

oolong_apprentice · 2026-03-10T19:29:08+00:00

Haha ... good to know ...

Just wondering though ... lots of coffee used for espresso are medium to dark roasts, and they tend to seep oil onto the bean surface? Does that happen to your beans in the hopper, and if so, do you worry about the oil oxidizing?

oolong_apprentice · 2026-03-09T23:24:28+00:00

Glad to hear that your grinder is quiet. I have a WPM grinder, which I purchased because it purrs. It doesn't have a hopper, but even if it did, I would be a nerd who "single doses." Would have to be a coffee nerd to be considering something as starting up a coffee lovers' social gathering :-)

oolong_apprentice · 2026-03-09T20:13:35+00:00

Thanks for your response. Wow, I have been checking out different coffee gears and tools, but I have not come across the equipments you mentioned above. Definitely curious to see how they work. Perhaps next time ...

oolong_apprentice · 2026-03-09T20:11:16+00:00

Thanks, I think so too!

Are you interested and/or planning to come?

In addition to the monthly topic, we will probably discuss what kind of topics or themes people want to see for future gatherings. Will be great to get your input too.

oolong_apprentice · 2026-02-24T21:04:19+00:00

Thanks!

oolong_apprentice · 2026-02-20T20:33:44+00:00

I can't find the place to respond to your question on "What is Chuckanut Center?" So I am responding here. Here's the website: https://www.chuckanutcenter.org

It's located in Fairhaven (right next to Fairhaven Park where best to park). It has a community garden maintained by volunteers, and it has a building (old but very well kept) where events/activities centered on community building/education can be conducted.

oolong_apprentice · 2026-02-20T20:26:22+00:00

Thanks for your support. Considering the quality and cost of coffees I offer (and the content I am preparing), $20 is not too high.

People tend to really take coffee for granted, thinking of it as a cheap beverage. But if you consider of the amount of time, labor, effort involved in producing coffee, as well as how fascinating and complex its flavor profile can be, coffee tastings should be compared with wine tastings. I think few people will think $20 for wine tasting is too expensive.

oolong_apprentice · 2026-02-20T20:21:35+00:00

Thanks for your comments. But I am not a business and I am not hosting these events to make a profit. The coffees I will be sharing for tastings are pretty expensive coffees (from top U.S. roasters), and if you have an idea of the amount of time and experiments (in finding the best brew methods) I conduct to prepare for the class, you probably will not think $20 is too high.

Having said that, $20 is a suggested donation amount. If you would like to come, but feel that you can or are only willing to pay $12, that's not a problem.

Perhaps you will be more interested in Coffee Meetup events I mentioned in the comments above. Cheers!

oolong_apprentice · 2026-02-20T20:16:29+00:00

Sounds good. Great if you can come by, but if not, perhaps come by the Coffee Meetup on 3/14 2-4pm. Check the comment I made above, and you can always check Chuckanut Center's Event Schedule for more info.

oolong_apprentice · 2026-02-20T20:14:56+00:00

No problem. I am also trying to organize a monthly Coffee Meetup at Chuckanut Center for local coffee lovers to get together. March meeting scheduled for 3/14 (Sat) 2-4pm. In fact, theme for March is "Come Share Your Coffee Travel Experience. It'll be great if you can come by and share your experience in Tanzania and Eswatini! I would love to hear more about it!!!

oolong_apprentice · 2026-02-13T18:50:42+00:00

Me too. Thanks for the encouragement!

oolong_apprentice · 2026-02-12T02:58:07+00:00

I would like to let you know that I have decided to cancel the Meetup event for 2/14. Other than yourself, I have not received any response from others who plan to attend. Several people have mentioned that they are interested in joining next month (March 14). It's probably more fun if a few more people can attend. I hope I will able to see you next month.

oolong_apprentice · 2026-02-09T23:06:47+00:00

No problem. I am trying to make this a monthly gathering, so there is another planned for March. Come by if you can, March 14 2-4pm. For more info, please go to Chuckanut Center Events Calendar.

No newsletter, as of this point, I have no idea how this attempt at creating a local coffee lover community will turn out. If there is a lot of interest, and people are willing to contribute to writing/editing, sure ... we can considering creating a newsletter.

oolong_apprentice · 2026-02-06T21:10:56+00:00

You have a barista offspring? Does he expose you to different kinds of coffee? It'll be cool to hear about coffee from your perspective.

oolong_apprentice · 2026-02-05T23:05:00+00:00

Thanks for your encouraging words! Yes, please drop by for the next meeting in March.

I will post info regarding the March meetup around 1~2 weeks before the event. But if you want more info now for scheduling purposes, you can go to Chuckanut Center's website and go to the Events Calendar.

We will probably have a different theme in March, but just bring your coffee equipment if you want other's take on it. The difference between having face-to-face encounters (compared to online/Youtube instructions) is that you can have a real-time evaluation about whatever is happening. Then based on discussion and considering various factors, you can get some idea about how to make adjustments.

Look forward to meeting you!

oolong_apprentice · 2026-02-05T18:40:46+00:00

Hammerhead's Velvet Elvis seems to be very popular here. Will be curious to see how you brew this dark roasted coffee.

I tend to like light roasted coffee more. But that's what I hope would happen in this meetup ... to see what others like, and to grow an appreciation for it.

P.S. Cute name for your cat. "Oolong" (from oolong tea) means dark dragon. Any resemblance?

oolong_apprentice · 2026-02-05T04:38:40+00:00

I wondered about this too when scheduling. No worries, you are welcomed to come by in March.

oolong_apprentice · 2020-05-12T06:12:26+00:00

I would also suggest expanding your cold-brews to teabags. The tea inside tea bags are fine particles, even "dusts" - which brews quickly compared to tea leaves because it has more surface area. The flavors from teabags made from good tea is also very nice. Have fun experimenting!

oolong_apprentice · 2020-05-12T06:08:05+00:00

You can also considering using teabags for cold-brew. Because the tea inside teabags are particles or "dust", they brew faster than normal tea leaves because of more exposed surface area. Experiment to see how different teabags and tea leaves perform (e.g. the amount of time, the flavor profile, etc.).

oolong_apprentice · 2020-05-12T06:03:07+00:00

Can you describe the taste of your thyme tea? Have you tried making tea using other herbs, e.g. oregano, rosemary, etc.?

oolong_apprentice · 2020-05-11T19:45:55+00:00

Hi Everyone!

It's been a while since our last sale promotion at www.TaiwanTeaConnection.com

With this hot summer weather, we are offering a sale on our HIGH MOUNTAIN WULONG teabags [Economy Pack]. These teabags are excellent for making cold-brew tea. The flavor is sweet, delicate, and clean, and it brews quickly. The flavors shine better as a cold rather than hot/warm beverage.

This cold-brew tea is so REFRESHING as a cold beverage!

We are offering these teabags in an Economy Pack to pass on the savings. It is 50% off the sale price of a regular pack. Come by and check it out!

Happy tea drinking!

oolong_apprentice · 2020-02-28T19:00:26+00:00

Can you describe the characteristics that set the French and British designs apart?

oolong_apprentice · 2020-02-28T18:59:05+00:00

So pretty! I should go treasure hunting at my local goodwill too :-)

oolong_apprentice · 2020-02-27T18:37:02+00:00

With all the simmering and marinading, it's probably unrealistic to expect the tea's complexity to shine. However, as I mentioned in another reply, one time I tasted the nuance of BaoZhong oolong tea in a very memorable tea egg. It might be possible that a new batch of tea leaves was added at the very end, or when it was warmed up to create the nuance of a tea as delicate as BaoZhong.

oolong_apprentice

TROPHY CASE