Whoa.  My first blog post as a dad.  It’s been tough.  As Wes sleeps (or doesn’t), we sleep (or don’t).  These past few weeks have been rough, so to combat the morning … and day … and night … exhaustion, we’ve dialed up the coffee intake quite a bit.  And in the Texas summer, iced coffee is really the only option.

In an act of extreme generosity, Jeff got us a little “welcome to parenthood” gift.  I actually don’t know where we’d be right now without it.  He found the Bruer on Kickstarter a few months ago, and after getting one for himself, determined it was up to his standards to get one for us.

It’s quite simple really: grind up coffee beans, assemble everything, and pour in water and ice.  After 8-10 hours, your fresh, cold-brewed coffee will be ready and waiting for you!  For us it makes just the right amount for two people per batch.

When I had made cold-brew coffee in the past it required a full 12oz bag of beans to create a large quantity of coffee “concentrate”.  Although delicious, at times it felt like I was drinking it out of obligation before it went bad.  One of the best parts of the Bruer is that it only needs 2oz of coffee beans at a time, so you are really only beholden to the next day’s coffee, rather than committing to two weeks’ worth.  It also lets you vary it up from day to day with different kinds of beans if you so choose.

We’ve already tried a handful of different coffees in it and have found huge differences in each flavor profile.  Some are smooth and chocolate-y (our favorites), some are bright and acidic (less preferred), and some just… taste like coffee.  Mostly for my own benefit I’ll try to keep track of which coffees we like and dislike.

First up was Huckleberry Roasters Phantom Limb Blend sent to us from a friend in Colorado.  This is super fruity and pretty acidic.  The label on the bag hits it right on the head: “Jammy and sweet, berries and citrus, with pleasant, tangy brightness, a seasonally-rotating blend”.  I like it as a change of pace, but it’s too acidic for everyday enjoyment.

Then we tried local Cuvee Coffee Fazenda Pantano.  This is much more in our wheelhouse with rounder, more balanced flavor.  The bag says “Malt chocolate body leads into roasted hazelnut. Maple and cedar wrapped in a creamy soft acidity”, which is pretty spot on.  It’s hard to explain, but I tasted a little “hot coffee put on ice”, but maybe that’s what cedar tastes like?  Anyway, comparing the two, this is much more drinkable every day.

I’ll report back with more coffee varieties we try as we get to them.  By the way, I have no affiliation with Bruer or any mentioned coffee companies, and wrote this on my own, because coffee!