Crafting Coffee

Crafting Coffee

Steve Kim
Steve Kim

September 12, 2011

At 8th Light, we brew coffee like we brew code - with passion, enthusiasm and dedication.

You could call it a daily ritual. Every morning, we measure coffee beans, place them in the hopper, pour the right amount of water into our handcrafted Moccamaster and wait for the wonderful, fresh carafe of coffee.

Technivorm Moccamaster in action
Technivorm Moccamaster in action.

Coffee is invigorating and some will say it makes us better craftsmen, so it’s important we have the freshest cup everyday. Which is why we’re happy and excited to have Handsome Roasters deliver fresh roasted coffee to our 8th Light offices.

Handsome Roasters is fairly new in town, but do not be fooled by their youth. They have many years of experience as baristas and roasters and a deep profound knowledge of all that is coffee. They are craftsmen in their own right, practicing their craft by continuously learning about different coffees and achieve the perfect roast.

Warming the 8th Light cup
Warming the 8th Light cup.

Crafting a perfect cup means no shortcuts. We buy our coffee whole bean and grind right before we’re about to make coffee. We also make sure we buy just enough pounds of coffee, so that the beans do not become older than three weeks at any point in time. The scoop measurement was determined by taste test trials and will be further refined once we get a scale. Also, Stephanie, our design apprentice, made wonderful instructions on how brew coffee using our Moccamaster, so we will consistently produce quality carafes of coffee.

Technivorm Moccamaster coffee instructions by Stephanie Briones
Technivorm Moccamaster coffee instructions by Stephanie Briones. Click to download.

This is just the beginning of our quest to craft the perfect cup. There are plans to expand our coffee station at the office by introducing some V60s, Chemex, an espresso machine to name a few things. Our in-house barista, Eric Meyer, will soon be able to pull you a shot of espresso.

So come by for a visit at the Chicago office on Fridays at noon and have a fresh cup with us! As part of our open door policy, we also serve lunch during our 8LU session, and afterwards there are opportunities to pair on open source projects. Just let us know if you’re coming by!