Hello?
It has been quite a few years since I’ve made a post. I knew you all would still be out there brewing, talking about and drinking good coffee so I went and checked on the situation.
I fired up Instagram, talked to some coffee friends, and read some coffee articles.
Wow…
Things have changed a bit since I last wrote about coffee.
Where Have I Been?
I started Brewing Coffee Manually a few months after my son was born. (He turns 12 in June). My boy was my second child and his arrival coincided with household coffee consumption increasing dramatically. It was also at a time in my life where I felt like writing and creating something. I was already very interested in manual coffee brewing processes and seemed to be discussing it with friends constantly. A coffee blog is where I ended up.
Over the years, I had a lot of fun running the blog. I liked researching, writing and taking pictures of coffee apparatuses. I liked meeting people and talking about coffee. Some really cool people reached out and introduced themselves to me, some even sent me coffee and gear. The coffee scene developed and changed around me and I enjoyed and rode the wave. Then life got a little wild.
My wife and I welcomed two more daughters to our family. We remodeled our house, built an addition and then moved. We then remodeled the new house. Work got busy. Life got busy. I had to set some things to the side and I gave up writing about coffee.
Right around the time I decided to put my coffee adventures on the back burner, my blog started gaining a little traction. I was getting more visitors than ever and I didn’t have the capacity to contribute to it. I also didn’t have the heart to shut it down.
I tried to revive it once or twice when I got a little margin, but the margin did not last long. I also had a few other hobbies and interests sneak in and vie for my attention. Eventually, I left the coffee blog to gather dust on the shelf and moved on to other things.
I haven’t posted or written a thing about coffee in five years.
Still…
Every couple weeks someone will ask me my opinion about something coffee related or want to discuss some coffee topics.
Every November it is time to pay my hosting and website fees.
Every time I reached a decision point for the blog, I can not bring myself to scuttle it all and let it sink into the abyss of things internet past.
This year I had finally resolved to let it die on its November anniversary. A couple weeks ago a changed my mind.
Why Come Back Now?
What changed?
It wasn’t anything big, it was just some smaller pieces subtly moving together.
A company reached out about a product review. A friend got a new roaster and shared his excitement (and coffee) with me. A co worker asked my advice about a brewing set up. I became a little nostalgic for that caffeine-fueled, creative time in my life.
I realized that I wouldn’t mind reviewing a few new products, I have never written much about roasting coffee and I’ve never written a post that would help my particular co worker navigate his current coffee conundrum.
I also have a little margin in my life again.
Coffee remains a major part of my daily rhythm and there are some new and really cool things I would like to write about in coffee. I think I can contribute a little of my opinion to the scene and I think my voice and thoughts have changed a bit.
I never stopped brewing, enjoying or experimenting with coffee. I never stopped discussing it with people. I think it is time to start writing about it again.
What to Expect
At one point, I was trying to write posts weekly or at least a couple posts a month. I was active on Twitter (or the app formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram. This time it is probably going to be a slower pace.
I have some old posts that I would like to augment. There are a few products I would like to review and discuss. My list of ideas is much larger than my margin. Mostly, I’d like to have some fun, create and get back to writing about coffee. We will see what comes out the other side this time.
I am going to start with a couple product reviews and then I think I’d like to talk about some of the new things that are happening with coffee beans (I’m looking at you co-fermented coffees). I would also like to write a brewing guide and product review for the Hario V60 (my everyday brewer). Aeropress also has a new (to me) design, the Aeropress Go, which is more portable and looks pretty slick.
How about my long lost (or new) readers?
Do you have any ideas for posts? I wouldn’t mind a little guidance. What do manual brewing enthusiasts want to read about in 2026? Are there equipment, trends or techniques you would like to know more about? Send me an email or comment below with ideas or thoughts.
Welcome back to the Brewing Coffee Manually blog, time to brew a fresh cup.
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