In each CoreDogs Experience article, my goal is twofold: (1) to look in-depth at a single feature of the site or its content (this will likely be analysis or commentary of a CoreDogs feature that is present in multiple places as opposed to a single section) and (2) to take a look at what went on in a given section of the course.

CoreDogs Feature: Organization

So far we’ve taken a look at several of CoreDogs’ differentiating features.  Now, let’s take a look at the way the site is organized.  There are three “books” of instruction; Foundations, ClientCore, and ServerCore.  Within each of these books are 5-10 lessons.  Each lesson contains a number of “sub-lessons” or explanations.  There is a definite and obvious hierarchal structure to the entire site.

Another element of organization that I really like is the Wikipedia-style table of contents at the beginning of each sub-lesson.  Here is the table of contents for the Creating a database lesson:

[image here]

Each item on the table of contents is clickable and takes the user to a hash tagged location on the page.  I love seeing this simplistic table of contents at the beginning of each sub-lesson because it lets me know (along with the “Where are we?” and “Lesson Goals” sections) what exactly I’m in for and how much content there is.  Additionally it gives me an instant picture in my mind of the shape of the lesson.  By “shape of the lesson” I mean something like the story arc of a book or movie.  It’s a sort of Cliff Notes to what I’m going to be learning.

Course Content So Far

The Basic database applications section focuses on creating an application (in the form of a website) that displays information (from a database) for users.  Furthermore, the application allows administrators to add, edit, or delete records in the database.  As noted in a previous article I found the sections regarding forms to be tough and a little hazy in instruction, but this database section was a home run.

The way that this section teaches the concepts should be imitated as much as possible in today’s textbooks.  The first three sub-lessons (of 17 total) focus on providing the goals of and necessary background information for creating a basic database application.  Then, two separate Sample applications are introduced; a website called DogToys (that stores products in its database) and a website called DogRock (which stores articles about dog rock music).  As new concepts are introduced throughout the section, it is explained how the concept would be implemented on each site.

Furthermore, the student is instructed to build a third sample throughout the section; a website that stores jokes in its database.  So for each concept that is taught, the student not only sees it implemented in two different samples, but then is charged with implementing it themselves in their own, slightly different sample.  When done this way, CoreDogs does not teach the student how to replicate an action; it actually causes them to be able to apply what is learned in a real world situation.  If one is able to create a basic database application revolving around jokes, why wouldn’t they be able to create one revolving around books?

On top of these praises, I have to add that creating the database was fun.  I actually enjoyed myself as I worked through each sub-lesson, crafting my application to make it better, bit by bit.  The way that the entire Basic database applications section is broken up is masterful; at no point did I feel bogged down or confused.  This is what the Form lessons should ideally be like as well.

There are a few ways that this section of the ServerCore book could be even better.  First of all, when MySQL injection attacks are discussed, it may be helpful to provide a little further explanation as to what the “escape_string” method actually does to the data.  I also found myself wondering if phpMyAdmin is only for use in PHP applications, or can be used otherwise as well.

Finally, the exercises page could use some help.  It seems that there are three large projects offered here, but each one is broken into three smaller exercises.  I understand that this helps break down the work, but it can also be disorienting to fish through nine different exercise wondering “Which one should I do?”.  Simply dividing up each group of exercises would probably do the trick.

All in all, this was an excellent section of CoreDogs.  The “learning” itself was at the seemingly perfect steepness so that this student was never frustrated and actually enjoyed creating the application.  Seriously, all textbook should try teaching their concepts in this fashion; it could change the way that we learn.

In each CoreDogs Experience article, my goal is twofold: (1) to look in-depth at a single feature of the site or its content (this will likely be analysis or commentary of a CoreDogs feature that is present in multiple places as opposed to a single section) and (2) to take a look at what went on in a given section of the course.

CoreDogs Feature: Humor

In addition to the minimalist writing style and Socratic dialogue methods, a fair share of humor is interspersed throughout the content.  Humor is a very personal thing, (preferences can greatly vary between individuals) and my first concern would be that the creator’s humor style would be an annoying hindrance throughout the course.  Let’s look at an example of CoreDogs’ humor:

 [image here]

Most of the humor revolves around the idea that the “speaker” of the content may or may not be a dog.  It’s funny, yet neutral.  It never pokes fun at any potentially controversial topics/debates/issues.  Another common example of this is that whenever the student sees the results of a “productivity win”, they are treated to a resounding W00f!

I’ll let readers decide for themselves, but I don’t mind the humor at all.  It always seems to be brief, entertaining, and not detracting from the educational value of the content.  Though, it’s not hard for me to imagine that those who are less inclined to humor may have trouble picking up on the whole dog shtick and in a grievous error reduce all hints of humor to an inadequate word like “stupid”.  You win some and you lose some I guess, but in my opinion the humor works.

Course Content So Far

The Fundamental forms section focused on the basics of creating forms for web pages.  It began with the HTML basics, and then moved onto some pieces of form creation that involve PHP.  In usual CoreDogs style, all the usual factors that make the learning beneficial (the humor, writing style, and dogs) are all still being used.

At the beginning of this section though, the instruction seemed a bit hazy.  Many new ideas were introduced successively, some that seemingly contradicted things I have learned previously.  Specifically, it was hard to grasp the idea of “sending form data to a page”.  Is this like sending data to a PHP script or program that resides on the server?  Consistent use and explanation of these terms would take some burden off the student.

Furthermore, the concept of HTTP GET requests and included headers are also introduced in this section but I found myself wondering “Why?”.  After completing the majority of the sections regarding forms I was able to understand that pages/programs need to receive this data in so that they can process or check it in some way.

Another area that could use clarification is the distinction between a method and a function in PHP programming.  In the Doing Computations lesson when I would see the term “shipping method” mentioned, I kept wondering where the corresponded method was located in the code.  I later realized that this one was my own brain’s fault – the course content was simply referring to the method with which a purchased product was to be shipped, not an actual method used in programming.  Furthermore, this distinction is briefly mentioned in the Checking form data section.

There were also some very helpful parts in this section, particularly on the Magic quotes and strings page.  I had always wondered why on some web pages, data output would seem corrupted, with all of these weird backslashes in the middle of the words.  Right after I read the content that explained this occurrence I wondered “WHY?!?!” and sure enough, the dogs were right there, asking and answering the same question.

The Saving form data section includes lessons on sending form data by email, or saving the data to a file.  These were both quite helpful.  After learning PHP, I can imagine one of the first things a student might want to do is to create a contact form on their website that allows visitors to ask a question or send a comment.  This lesson shows how to do that.

Also, in the sending form data by email lesson, the concept of “arguments” within a PHP function is mentioned, but not really introduced.  For someone who is new to PHP and programming as whole (which is likely the target audience for the content) it would be helpful to explain what an argument is and what it does within a function.  A graphic of a function with arrows pointing the arguments might be nice[1].

The saving form data to a file lesson was equally as helpful.  I particularly like figure 9, a table that shows the step by step interaction between the browser, apache web server, and PHP interpreter.  Seeing this really helped to solidify what was actually going.  A few more of these in other areas may be helpful (There is also one in the Complete validation lesson).  Also, the variety of exercises in this section is a good thing.  I especially like the fact that the “Transaction log” exercise was directly applicable to use in a small business.  This is something that has the potential to be immediately useful to students.

The Checking form data section ended up being very complex.  It revolved mainly around validating user input, but eventually this included using JavaScript on the browser side, PHP on the server side, and then getting them to work with each other and appear seamless to the user.  Despite this complexity it was possible to understand the lesson; one just needs a firm foundation of understanding before putting all the pieces together.  The section culminates in a mega-example in the Complete validation lesson.  HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP are all in play here.

One question that I kept asking myself was “Why do we need server side validation if the data is being checked by JavaScript in the client side?”.  There were three reasons listed in Basic server-side validation lesson that aimed to answer this!  Once again the content seems to anticipate the questions that the student may ask.

PHP Function Libraries are mentioned in both the PHP Functions and PHP Validation Function lessons.  I found myself wondering why these files use the “.inc” extension.  This may be a good question for the dogs to explain.

On the whole, this section required some very hefty thinking.  In fact, the complexity of the final example was almost a little too much.  This may be because the example used a lot of JavaScript which is taught in the ClientCore book.  It’s been a while since I had personally been through that book, so I’m sure that contributed to the difficulty.  I found that I was removing myself from the flow of the lesson more often than usual in order look something up or look back to another lesson for clarification.  Moving in and out of the lesson became disorienting after a while, especially because of the longer lesson length.  This could be combated in a few ways: (1) break down the information into smaller bits.  It makes sense for all the content in the Complete Validation page to remain together but maybe the use of H3 tags could be employed even more. (H3 tags are put to good use in the Code Changes section)  Breaking the content up graphically like this may help to keep students brains from launching into the stratosphere. (2) since a lot of the complexity comes from the fact that we are dealing with both JavaScript and PHP it would be helpful if each time focus is shifted to a bit of code, it would be announced if it was PHP or JavaScript.  This is done sometimes, but for example below figure 8 in the Complete validation lesson, instead of saying:

If the submit() function returns true, the browser goes ahead and…

You could say:

If the JavaScript submit() function returns true, the browser goes ahead and…

Clarifying the language being used as much as possible should help to keep students’ heads on straight.

Finally, I love the “name dropping” of useful webber resources whenever applicable.  Specifically, mentioning the FAMFAMFAM Silk Icon set.  Sometimes searching for the best (free) resources can consume just as much time as the actual coding.  Sharing these resources is highly beneficial.

All in all, these sections were another great chunk of instruction.  For the first time things started feeling really tough (In the Complete validation lesson) but given the complexity of what is being taught, this is probably excusable.

In each CoreDogs Experience article, my goal is twofold: (1) to look in-depth at a single feature of the site or its content (this will likely be analysis or commentary a CoreDogs feature that is present in multiple places as opposed to a single section) and (2) to take a look at what went on in a given section of the course.

CoreDogs Feature: The Dogs

Another recurring theme within CoreDogs is the presence of some dog characters.  Some of the commonly appearing ones are named “CC”, “Renata”, and “Kieran”.  They are employed as characters who contribute a sort of Socratic debate method that aim to answer common questions.  For example, after a given amount of explanatory/instructional content either CC or Renata will make a comment like “Hey wait a minute, this seems awfully complex.  Is it worth the effort?”, and then the Kieran character will affirm their question by saying something like “Good point.  Let’s talk about that a bit”.  After this hypothetical dialogue, the course then gives a detailed answer to the dog’s questions.  The screen shot to right is placed near the end of Web site templates section.  The conversation that follows is very helpful in making an argument for the added productivity that the seemingly complex PHP dynamic web template creates.  It serves as a great summation of the usefulness that should be grasped from this section.

This method aims to answer questions that students would commonly ask at a given point in the lesson.  I love this.  (I was immediately reminded of the way the Apostle Paul lists hypothetical questions and then answers them for readers of his letter to the Romans)  As a student, thinking that I could read detailed explanations to my questions would greatly decrease any worry that I might have about taking an online course.  In my opinion, it would be great to see this used in all of the text books that I’m required to use at school.

Course Content So Far

The Web site Templates section focuses on the PHP require command as well as variables to create a dynamic template for a website.  The advantages of this sort of template come from being able to edit the header or footer of a website in one spot, and have the changes be immediate on every page of the site.  You could almost call this sort of template a content management system.

This section felt quite a bit longer and more exercise laden than the previous sections, but this is understandable because it is introducing the actual use of PHP for the first time in the ServerCore book.  To get the student familiar with PHP, a combination of near-transfer and far-transfer exercises are used.  While I was going through these exercises, one question kept popping up in my mind:

Earlier in the ServerCore book, I was instructed to set up a development server on my PC using XAMMP.  This was very easy to set up and has worked seamlessly so far.  BUT, after completing each exercise, the user is instructed to submit the URL of the completed exercise.  This is so the instructor can check my work and make comments on it if necessary.  The problem is that if I submit the “localhost” URL from XAMMP, the instructor won’t be able to access my work.  This shouldn’t surprise anyone, but I think it should be clarified that to submit an exercise, it needs to be first uploaded to an actual web server.[1]  In fact, differentiating between the student’s Development and Production server could be useful in that it will familiarize students with this real-world concept that may be used in the workplace.  A comment at the end of an exercise like “Upload the completed exercise to your production server and submit the URL” should be enough once this concept is explained.

Another minor snafu related to the use of XAMMP was that in the Show IP Addresses exercise, IP addresses were displayed as “::1”.  This was mentioned by another student in the discussion section of the exercise (which proved helpful in this case).  If the use of XAMMP is encouraged throughout ServerCore, it may help to mention this in the main body of the content as well.

One more XAMMP related remark was that in the Web server time exercise, the time was displayed was not the same time as my PC’s clock.  This doesn’t bother me much, but I can imagine some students getting frustrated by this (thinking they did something wrong).

The quality of the instructional content is still top-notch, as mentioned in my previous article.  Though, something to be careful about is the use of the HTML <code> tag when referring to file names that are in examples or diagrams.  In the image below (taken from the Complete template system page) I thought there was a CSS file named “library.dogsite.css” being referred to.  This is a tiny quibble but may be worth keeping an eye on.

All in all, this section was rewarding especially because I’m already able to use PHP to create a sort of dynamic web site template.  Many of the images and diagrams work very well and are great at visualizing what is being explained.  I particularly liked this color-coded one.  See the table below for a summary of my thoughts on this section.

In each CoreDogs Experience article, my goal is twofold: (1) to look in-depth at a single feature of the site or its content (this will likely be analysis or commentary a CoreDogs feature that is present in multiple places as opposed to a single section) and (2) to take a look at what went on in a given section of the course.

CoreDogs Feature: Writing Style

The first thing that jumped out at me was the style and methods of writing that are employed on CoreDogs.  The writing style is clean, factual, and minimal.  Never wordy, every sentence is very clear in the point that it wants to make.  Take for example the two opening paragraphs of the ServerCore book:

Paragraphs often begin with a simple statement like:

ServerCore helps you write programs that run on Web servers.

There is a constant sense of purpose present in the content.  It is always aware of what is coming next and is always getting the student ready for it.  The writing is always very quick to explain what will be discussed in the upcoming book/section/lesson.  This is very helpful because the student is never lost in the material.  He/she is constantly reminded of what has been taught, what is being taught, and what will be taught.  Without having to worry about how a particular section fits in with the big picture, the student can focus on the material at hand.

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the way that CoreDogs’ content is written reminds me of the way that Google’s documentation is sometimes written.  They are both always easy to understand and extremely concise in the way that they communicate.  I’m a big fan of this.

Course Content So Far

The first section in the ServerCore book is called “Why learn PHP with CoreDogs?”  It begins by explaining how PHP is a core web technology and gives extended examples of why learning PHP can be beneficial to someone.  After the case is made, it is further explained how CoreDogs aims to teach PHP in the ServerCore book and how CoreDogs’ core beliefs differentiate it from other textbooks or online courses.

After establishing the case for learning PHP, the next section “The PHP Ecosystem” gives a quick overview of how PHP pages operate on the web.  I was impressed with how brief and comparatively non-technical this overview was.  In no way does this content make the reader a master at understanding PHP architecture (and that is by no means the point here) but it lays a great foundation for understanding what the heck the purpose of PHP code in the big picture.  I can imagine that in a normal PHP textbook the first chapter might explain how to write something like an “if statement”, but as CoreDogs employs its learning science best practices, we get to see the big picture first.

During the “Tools for writing PHP programs lesson” I was able to install an Apache development server on my Windows 7 PC in minutes.  It felt great to get something like that installed and working right away.  I did notice that there were no Mac-specific instructions for the install or links to a Mac version of the development server package.  From my limited experience, it seems like the majority of student tend to purchase MacBooks before going off to school, so it may be advantageous to at least provide a link to XAMPP for Mac.  I did appreciate the recommendations for both paid and free options for code editors on Mac and Windows.

These first two sections although succinct, served as a great introduction to PHP as a core web technology and actually got me excited to continue through the course.  In conclusion, a summary of what I liked and what I thought could use some re-tooling.

A gorgeous album cover that you can stare at existentially while you listen to the music.

Preface/Disclaimer: I am not intensely informed on the genre that this album falls into (Indie Folk is my best estimation).  Jazz, Funk, Rock, and Blues are the primary genres in which I carry the most listening preference and performing experience (I’m not trying to boast here because my actual performing experience is nothing everything to sneeze at.)  But with that being said, I do enjoy meaningful music made by talented people in any genre.  It seems to me that Fleet Foxes’ Helplessness Blues fall perfectly in that category.  So this is less a review about the impact and change that Helplessness Blues brings to the Indie Folk movement and more a review that focuses on what this album means to me — what I like about it and what I don’t like about it.

Helplessness Blues is Fleet Foxes’ second full length album. (The first was self-titled Fleet Foxes) Legend has it that the band had a hard time arriving at the final cut of this album.  Initial recordings of most of these tracks were scrapped as Robin Pecknold (lead singer/songwriter) and the band listened to the demos, sighed mournfully, then exclaimed “DO OVER!”.  In my opinion the band can finally enjoy a sigh of relief because in my opinion, Helplessness Blues turned out to be a meaningful and high-quality record.  This album is filled with all-around beautiful music — tight and pleasing harmonies,  a smorgasbord of instruments, healthy reverb (more on this below) and powerful lyrics that shed an interesting light on my generation of Americans.

Instrumentally: Helplessness Blues is a beautiful depiction of the twentysomething, vintage-is-beyond-cool, dare I say slightly hipster aesthetic.  Taking influences from Americana Folk on their self titled debut, and now (some reviewers say) leaning toward a more British folk vibe, the album is filled with the sounds of the 60s and 70s.  I myself can hear the Beach Boys and Crosby, Stills, and Nash, but I’m sure more studied Folk fans would be able to pick up much more.  One friend of mine called the overall vibe of the album “minimalist” and I don’t believe that would be stretching it.  While harmonies seem well practiced and splendidly executed, I wouldn’t say these guys are virtuosos.  The way they play their instruments is beautiful and it gets the job done.  They are very good at molding a mood within a song by controlling when the harmonies sound and when the lead singer is alone.  In fact, the times when Robin Pecknold is the only member singing lyrics serve as a sort of spotlight, meant to pull your attention to what he is saying while minding how he is saying it.

Songs are built episodically as opposed to the chorus-verse format.  The album sounds skillfully recorded, with that healthy reverb sound applied without drowning the music itself (this is something that many of albums like these suffer from these days) and the arrangements are dynamic, inviting, and swirling without being intrusive to what the singer is saying.

Lyrically: The words and the proclamations behind them are what makes Helplessness Blues great music as opposed to good music.  Robin Pecknold writes from a very introspective point of few, such that he tends to make a statement about himself and then ask questions like “What does that say about me?”.  The album opens with the following lines (Montezuma, Track 01):

So now I am older,
Than my mother and father,
When they had their daughter,
Now what does that say about me?

Then he ponders on a failed relationship (Sim Sala Bim, Track 03):

What makes me love you despite the reservations?
What do I see in your eyes
Besides my reflection hanging high?

In perhaps the most powerful track on the album he makes proclamations about what he wishes his life would be like (Helplessness Blues, Track 05):

I was raised up believing I was somehow unique,
Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes, unique in each way you can see.
And now after some thinking, I’d say I’d rather be
A functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me.

….[Later in the song]….

If I had an orchard I’d work till I’m raw
If I had an orchard I’d work till I’m sore,
And you would wait tables and soon run the store.

Wow.  This is something I can get behind, this is something that resonates with me.  And what shocks me is how fundamentally different this pining is compared to the usual postmodern, meander-through-life philosophy.  Postmodern thought likes to think about what it means to exist, what the purpose of life is.  This is all great stuff to do but the problem is that the postmodern narrative ends ambiguously, eventually leaving an entire generation of Americans still searching for the meaning of life in their twenties instead of producing, creating, and living out that life.  Living at home with Mom and Dad, partying all the time, living paycheck to paycheck, and never coming close to producing or being useful.  That is how I’ve seen postmodernism influence young people’s lives (including mine).  We grow up in an environment that gives us quite nearly everything we could want, yet twenty years later we have nothing to show for it.

Yes, I’m reading into this a LOT.  But I think this is significant.  Here is a guy who’s band hit it big, selling critically acclaimed music all over the country — and what he yearns for is to work so hard that his body can’t physically take it anymore?  Maybe this marks a turning point, or foreshadows post-postmodernism.  If so, I welcome it.  This is the power of music, and Fleet Foxes’ lyrics in particular.

The Big Picture: If you couldn’t tell already, I really like Helplessness Blues.  The music beautifully carries that “vintage’ aesthetic that has become so popular, but thankfully goes deeper.  Robin Pecknold’s lyrics are incredibly introspective, yet are so well crafted that they ultimately cause the listener to shed light on his/her own life experiences.  Should you buy Helplessness Blues?  At very least check out the 1 min 30 sec samples on iTunes.  But, if any topic in this review has piqued your interest, GO BUY THIS ALBUM.

In early February, all coffees were starting to taste the same to me.  I wanted more from the coffee; more flavor, more excitement, just more — but the opposite was happening.  I was progressively brewing my coffee stronger and stronger and it was becoming more bitter, and my palette was being coming extremely “turned off” and disinterested.  But everything changed for me at the end of February.  I traveled to Chicago to check out the CoffeeFest 2011 at the Navy Pier.  It was basically a trade show for the coffee industry where suppliers of coffee related products set up booths and people in the coffee business could check out what they had to offer.  Overall it was a fun time, but the revelation came when I visited a coffee shop in the Chicago area called Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea.  I could write pages about my first 45 minute experience at their coffee bar, but right now I’ll give you the keep-your-attention-blog-style version:

I walked into the coffee shop and immediately saw about six Hario V60 brewing cones set up on the counter, with multiple barristas carefully tending to each one.  It was immediately after this that I realized that at Intelligentsia, each cup of coffee is individually brewed using various single cup brewing methods.  No automatic Bunn machines, no air-pots, no waste.  I had three single origin coffees to choose from; one of which would be brewed using a Eva Cafe Solo (a intriguing brewing device which deserves it’s own blog post), another would be brewed in a Hario V60, and yet another prepared in a Chemex.  I ended up going with a Perivuan coffee brewed in the Eva Cafe Solo paired with the most delicious cranberry-orange peel-bran muffin that I’ve had in my life.  This is what it all looked like when the coffee was ready:

Intelligentsia Coffee Service

That’s right.  Every customer is served their coffee in a preheated mug and Hario range server.  I couldn’t believe it.  This place preheated my mug for me and very carefully and lovingly brewed my coffee using a V60.  This idea was a revelation in itself because all of the coffee establishments within an hour of my house serve coffee the way Starbucks does — in a paper cup, from an autodrip machine.

The revelation didn’t stop there.  When I sipped the coffee I could NOT BELIEVE what I was tasting.  The coffee tasted like a chocolate brownie.  Literally.  Then my Dad let me taste his coffee and it I immediately exclaimed “That tastes like toasted almonds!”.  As soon as I turned to Intelligentsia’s description of that particular coffee I saw that they explicitly said that the coffee tastes like toasted almonds.

Preheated mug.  Single cup brewing methods.  Coffee that tastes exactly like its mouth watering description.  Pairings to die for.  At that moment I was questioning if I was still living in the same dimension or I had had been transported into coffee euphoria. (Yes there is a dimension titled “Coffee Euphoria”)

So basically, this experience enthralled me on every level that my senses had the ability to detect.  What surprised me even more is that Intelligentsia tends to roast their coffee WAY lighter than what I was used to.  I always knew Starbucks tended to roast dark but this was something else.  The style of roast that Intelligentsia used was bringing new flavors to the surface that I didn’t even know about before.

This is the new perspective that I’m talking about.  I am now very much biased towards lighter roasts.  I have come to understand that a lighter roast shows off the characteristics of a coffee’s origin much more, and that dark roasts tend to homogenize the taste and hide defects.  Of course I had understood these principles for a long time, but now I was tasting the beauty of it.

In summation, this is what’s different in my approach to coffee:

• I don’t like to drink Starbucks anymore.  I think my previous Starbucks reviews still stand on their own as genuine, relevant content, but I’m going to be taking a new direction now in the reviews that I choose to do.
• The method in which coffee is brewed is very important.  Goodbye Cuisinart, hello _____ (insert controllable brewing methods here)
• I prefer lighter roasts.  In focusing on lighter roasted coffees my palette has learned a lot of new things, and at the same time my  options when buying coffee has greatly decreased. (You’d be shocked at how much of a dark roast bias the majority of coffee retailers have.)
• I roast more at home.  Now that my choice in coffee selection locally has decreased, I have focused more on roasting at home in my Behmor roaster.  One of the conundrums I’m now facing is if these micro lot coffees are worth reviewing because 1.) they aren’t widely available to my potential readership and 2.) by the time I order the coffee, roast it, and review it it may not be available to purchase anymore.

Stay tuned for more articles and reviews — many of which will highlight my new perspective of coffee in greater detail.  Until then, thanks for reading.

Starbucks Guatemala Casi Cielo

Do you remember the first coffee that you loved?  Maybe you’ve been drinking coffee for most of your life, but there was a specific blend or single-origin offering that flipped your coffee-fanatic switch.  For me, I’m not ashamed to say it was Starbucks Guatemala Casi Cielo.  I’ll be the first to admit that Starbucks’ offerings can be far from perfect for the educated coffee intelligentsia, but as someone who was used to grocery grade coffee compost, this whole bean selection blew me away.

The Facts: Starbucks Guatemala Casi Cielo sells for $12.95 per pound at your local Starbucks store.  It’s available during the months of January and February.  Starbucks creates the blend from several single origin farm in the Antigua Region of Guatemala and roasts the coffee into 2nd crack.  It’s definitely not among their darkest roasts, but remember this is Starbucks, so the roast remains in the dark spectrum.  The term “Casi Cielo” means “almost heaven” in English.  A Chef at the Canlis restaurant in Seattle worked with Starbucks to develop this coffee to be served with fine dining desserts.  I believe it’s available year round at the restaurant, but Starbucks offers it to the general public in the first months of each year.  On their website Starbucks mentions the collaboration and explains:

Together, we created a remarkable coffee with a depth and versatility perfect for a variety of gourmet entrees and desserts – particularly those with savory herbs or cheeses, rich chocolate or berries.

So let’s find out for ourselves; is Casi Cielo really as great as Starbucks says it is?

What my nose said: Sweet and cedary.  Medium to heavy in body (this is just an estimate by scent of course) with a smoky, chocolate vibe dominating.  A very faint hint of brightness is detectable as tones of banana, but is barely there.

Take a close look at the beans; this isn't the darkest of Starbucks' roasts, but it's up there.

What my mouth said: A roast-y medium bodied coffee will smooth tendencies. All flavors here are tenor and bass notes, nothing really in the upper ranges. A very dainty acidity first touches the tongue, and right as you notice it, it’s gone. Then this tenor toned zesty roast flavor comes through, it’s not necessarily burnt tasting, but close to it. Imagine making toast and stopping right before it would considered “burned”. That’s what this is like. The body is silky with medium weight. As the coffee flows off the palette a nutty milk chocolate flavor is left behind, like a Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar with Almonds.

The Big Picture: I really like Starbucks Guatemalan Casi Cielo this year.  As usual with Starbucks, if the coffee tastes good, then the $12.95 per pound price is worth it.  Since this is a blend of many farms in Guatemala’s Antigua region, I would wager that not every bag of Casi Cielo will taste the same.  I know for a fact that this offering changes in quality from year to year.  In 2009 it blew my away, and in 2010 it was a major disappointment.  Fortunately it seems that this year Starbucks was able to get a hold of several great coffee lots for the blend.  That being said, let’s remember what we are reviewing here: a widely available dark roasted blend or Guatemalan coffees.  Sure, compared to Tim Horton’s coffee this stuff is elegant, but it’s no single origin Guatemalan specialty fit for a cupping table.

I’m a huge fan of Guatemalan coffees because they usually flaunt the best of both worlds: tangy, lively acidity, and a muscular, full body.  They tend to please almost any sort of coffee drinker, and can work at a wide range of roast levels.  This year Casi Cielo tastes good enough as a dark roast blend that I wish we could try it roasted to the Full City level, because it would probably be exceptional.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Kenya AA from Coffee Kiss Company

“Kenya AA” seems to be one of those coffees that is known to many people along with Columbia, Sumatra, and Kona.  Despite this fact, I haven’t had very many Kenyan coffees.  I’ve had Starbucks’ version (which didn’t wow me) and an over extracted french press serving from Roast & Toast, a cafe/roaster in northern Michigan.  So naturally, when given the chance to try a Kenya AA from a company with a great track record I was excited.  As for pricing, this Kenya AA is reasonable for a specialty coffee.

Info: The beans appeared to be roasted at the light end of “medium” and smelled extremely fresh when I opened the bag.  The label states that the coffee delivers “…snap, spiciness, and lemony brightness.”

Nose: At first when I smelled this coffee I was immediately (in my mind) transported to the brick patio in my backyard, and I had a plate of freshly sliced, juicy cantaloupe on my lap.  To some this may seem exaggerated but the melon component is there.  The coffee smells bright and happy right away, screaming “SUMMER!” into my nostrils.  Under closer examination there is a complex middle layer that smells like figs and tobacco.  Rounding out the lower end of the scent spectrum is a roasty sweetness that one would only expect to find in a much darker roasted coffee.

Mouth: Right away I taste possibly the sweetest acidity I have ever had in a coffee.  The acidity has the tartness of a lemon but manages to be as sweet as juicy cantaloupe at the same time.  It somehow manages to be smooth and slightly abrasive.  The acidity has body to it in and of itself and it’s a glorious thing.  On it’s way it leaves behind the tiniest hint of coriander.  Remnants of seared brown sugar hang around on my palette until I take the next sip.

The Big Picture: This is an absolutely exceptional coffee.  It ranks in my top 5 favorite coffee experiences of all time.  It is elegant enough to be one of those coffees that you sit around and savor into the late hours of the night but it just doesn’t last that long.  It’s too tasty.  I can’t sit and savor for more than a few minutes because suddenly I’m gulping it and jumping up and down with joy (literally).  If you buy this coffee be sure to try it with some of your favorite dark chocolate (not too dark, maybe 60% cacao) or a sweet and fruity pastry, (maybe a banana muffin?).  Due to the brightness of this coffee it would also be a solid choice for those that like to enjoy iced coffee in the summertime.  I don’t want to keep going on and on about it, but if you are serious enough about your coffee to be reading a coffee review blog then you should probably try this.  It’s really, really good.

A half pound of the latest Starbucks Reserve offering.

Starbucks Reserve El Salvador Montecarlos Estate.  Wow, that’s a big name for a coffee so let’s break it down.  This coffee is one of four coffees to be released this October as part of Starbucks’ Reserve line.  It’s from the country of El Salvador, grown on the Montecarlos Estate farm.  Grown in mineral rich soil at very high elevation, this coffee is out to make a name for itself.  All of the beans in this lot are of the Pacamara varietal.

What the heck is a Pacamara varietal and what is it doing in my coffee?

Coffee plants come in several different varieties.  Think of dog species; cocker spaniel, golden retriever, etc… They are all dogs (or coffee) but there are different types.  Pacamara is one of these “species”.  It is actually a combination of two other species that has been cultivated over the years.  Enough of this coffee geek stuff.

This Montecarlos Estate coffee is grown at 6,000 ft. above sea level on the top of a dormant volcano.  Starbucks says the coffee has herbal chocolate notes with a medium body and some acidity.

Beans: Fresh, and slightly nutty smelling compared to most coffees.  It’s roasted on the darker side, with spotted oils showing on the outside of the beans.  You can tell it’s quite fresh, and I’m sure the one way valve on the bag helps this.

A close look at these Pacamara beans from El Salvador

Nose: The herbal and chocolate notes are present.  I’m not saying this just because it’s on the label; there are definite cinnamon and milk chocolate characteristics to smell here.  There is also a bit of a buttery nuance.  On the whole it smells like a warm and buttery chocolate filled croissant with cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Mouth: Wow. Wow. Wow.  Right when I sipped the coffee all I could think of was a liquefied Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar with Almonds.  It tastes just like it.  Very smooth through the entire palette, with a slight spicy herb character in the background.  Starbucks says there is a “delightfully assertive brightness” but I disagree.  I would say there is an orange acidity character with a moderate case of stage fright.  It’s not very prominent, but that’s alright because this coffee is delightfully smooth.  It has a medium body (bordering on heavy) that wraps up in a rather clean finish.

Pairing: Edy’s Grand Rocky Road Ice Cream –> My favorite ice cream with creamy milk chocolate, bits of almond, and fluffy marshmallows.  What a perfect pairing!  The coffee mellows out when paired with the ice cream, which oddly enough makes the acidity easier to find.

The Big Picture: Another great offering from Starbucks Reserve line of coffees.  Starbucks’ description of the acidity is a little misleading, so don’t think you are getting a big bright coffee.  Smooth balance is what is going here (similar to their Galapagos Coffee).  I’m now curious to see if Starbucks will differentiate with brighter or bolder coffees in this new Reserve categories later on.

If you like smooth, medium bodied coffees from Middle and South America, then you will definitely like El Salvador Montecarlos Estate Pacamara.  Be sure to look for the buttery note in this coffee, it’s great!