I like to try a lot of whole-bean coffees. However, I don’t want to buy too much just to throw some away. So when visiting SF last year, upon discovering the Rainbow Grocery Cooperative sold whole-bean coffee from named roasters by weight rather than by bag, I made a day of it! I happily brought the haul (of mostly light-roast Ethiopian beans) all the way back to my office desk in NYC.

This year, I re-discovered the haul among the multiple bins beneath my overstuffed office desk. And with some guilt, I resolved to get through the pouches of beans before getting any new whole-bean coffees.

I ended up making a lot of French press coffee to get through those stale beans. Temporarily, a responsibility to prevent waste overshadowed the usual joyful comfort of brewing coffee. However, I finally got through those stale beans. So now I can procure whole beans to start the cycle again (hopefully with less excess this time)!