Advice needed!

[UK KEN]

Hello All! :D

I have just returned from an excellent holiday in Lanzarote with my wife and two young’uns. :D The holiday was very relaxed, at least as far as it could be with a boy of seven and a girl of almost three to keep entertained. Sitting on the beach or by the pool in the sun I had plenty of time to think and now that I’m home I intend to put my plans into action.

Apart from my obvious continued involvement with improving my Spyderco collection, I am in need of losing some weight and getting fit! So today I joined the local gym. My PC was in need of some attention, I have now got it sorted out! My penultimate goal is to set up my own web site so any tips would be gratefully received. ;)

Finally, having sampled some remarkable coffee whilst in the Canaries, I would like some advice from one of you coffee aficionados on how to begin my exploration. This is new territory for me! What equipment and type of coffee do I need for that ultimate experience! :confused:


Regards, Ken

[Hannibal Lecter]

My penultimate goal is to set up my own web site so any tips would be gratefully received. ;)

You might want to check out http://www.50megs.com as a possibility for free hosting. They allegedly run banner ads and the like, but with Spybot, a firewall, and a pop-up blocker I have never encountered any on my own personal site. Their tools are fairly user-friendly, and you can edit the HTML directly if you so choose. I think they charge a nominal fee of about $5.99 per month if you would like the convenience of HTML upload from Frontpage and such.


Finally, having sampled some remarkable coffee whilst in the Canaries, I would like some advice from one of you coffee aficionados on how to begin my exploration. This is new territory for me! What equipment and type of coffee do I need for that ultimate experience! :confused:

As a start, purchase a Bodum French Press (from $4.99 on eBay) and grind your choice of coffee a bit on the coarse side. You will be completely amazed. I don't normally drink coffee, and even I like it done in a French press.

---
Ta,

H

[vampyrewolf]

Harass Chad(daywalker) for some Kona, direct from the source. Forget the pre-packed store stuff.

I took about a month off of kona and sampled some stuff from the local roaster, not bad but not as smooth as 100% kona.

get a Burr Mill (easier to conrol the grind, I'm still waiting on mine to get up here) and a Bodum. Might not make a pot at a time, but 5min from hot water to ambrosia is worth it. Rough grind unless you like straining coffee through your teeth(or leave the last 1/2" in the cup).

[UK KEN]

Chad!


What is this Kona I'm hearing about? Is it as good as vampyrewolf says?

Regards, Ken

[Jimmy_Dean]

Speaking of coffee, I brought my sister to cafe the other day. She made a pit-stop in montreal in her trip so I thought we'd go chat a little.

we had the thing called "Blue Montain" from Jamaica, labeled as "the world's best coffee". I'm always a bit skeptical of those things, plus it was three times the price of their second best coffee. It came in a two-cup bodum and MAN! Was that ever good! I don't know about the whole world but the best coffee I had ever tasted.

I'm telling you right away, it's not cheap, but you can find coffee beans of the Blue Montain in a good coffee place. Take some home and enjoy a smuch as possible. Thans what I did!

Good luck
-Dean

[Simon G]

Losing weight and getting fit! Good on yer! :D

In short firstly, and hopefully not sounding too flipant, do more and eat less.

Break habits as well. Use the stairs instead of lifts. Walk where ever possible. Drop dairy products initially. Stick to four well balanced small meals. Don't snack with a sweet tooth :D , be prepared for the long haul. Drop the weight slowly. Rapid weight loss equals rapid weight gain if you slip.

The most important thing psychologically, ignore the scales!! By this I mean don't use pounds as your indicator, especially if using a gym and working out. Muscle wieghs 2.5 times that of fat. As you work out you will build lean muscle tissue. Lean muscle actually helps burn fat as well. Judge your progress by how you look and feel, not by how much you weigh. Enjoy it!

A word of warning, replacing clothes that become too big after weight loss, can damage Spyderco buying ability!!

[UK KEN]

Simon

Thanks for the advice and support! I am now 46 and unless I do something about my state of health things aren't going to get any better.

I ruptured my Achiles tendon some years ago and put on about two stone. I have been going up and down ever since! I aim to lose three stone which would take me down to 15. At that weight (toned) I'd be more than happy.

I know there is no quick fix but I intend to give it a good shot!

Ken

[CKE]

Good Luck Ken!!!!!! Can't remember what is the pound to stone ratio??? Take Care!!!

[DAYWALKER]

Aloha UK KEN!!!

Right on my friend! ;) Uh...and like Craig asked, What IS the stone to pound ratio?

As for the Kona Coffee, YES...it is as good as VW said. I will email you about this... :p

God bless and GO 4 IT!!! :cool:

[UK KEN]

Chad

I'll need all the help I can get! I just enjoy good food too much! :eek: Or should that be too much good food? :(

There are 14 pounds in a stone.......so I am aiming at losing 42 lbs. With a combination of more exercise and a better diet I hope to manage it by the end of this year and stay at or bellow 210 lbs.

I haven't been below 230lbs for more years than I care to remember so it's a real challenge.

Regards, Ken :D

[Simon G]

Ken,

I sincerely you are stood up and moving "on the spot" whilst you post :D

Change the culture me laddo, change the culture!! :p

Best wishes,

Simon.

[hanswurst]

ken
some of the best coffee i've ever had is available at www.greenwellfarms.com . i love their medium roast.
marco

[BOK]

Coffee *Blech*

Don't you people know that drugs are bad for you? :)

[DAYWALKER]

No way BOK...if this was the case, Vampyrewolf woulda OD'd a LONG time ago...but then again, he is one tuff hombre! ;)

God bless :cool:


Ken...you can do it!!! :cool:

[clovisc]

i work as a professional coffee snob, and have a personal stash of about twenty different varieties of beans in my freezer at the moment.

what you need:

GRINDER -- nearly any will do... just find one that lets you decide as specifically as possible how coarse or fine to grind your beans. i use a turkish grind... an ULTRA fine grind (finer than an espresso grind, even) for maximum surface area and flavor. i also usually use TWICE as many beans as the instructions instruct me to. that makes for a SERIOUS cup of coffee.

A COFFEE MACHINE -- the most exacting coffee snobs i've ever met all use regular old mr. coffee machines, strangely enough.

BEANS -- ah... here's where the important decisions begin...

i get all my beans from "kaffee magnum opus." can't think of the website off the top of my head, but it's out there.

in my opinion, kona -- specifically greenwell farms 100% extra fancy kona, which is the variety of kona in my coffee stash right now -- is vastly overrated. it's one of the first coffees people interested in "trying good coffee" gravitate towards, because it's pretty expensive and smooth. but if you brew a cup of costa rican terrazu ($9 a pound instead of $36) properly, i SWEAR that most people WILL NOT be able to notice the difference! i actually like terrazu MORE than kona. even buying kona "at cost" through my work, i feel like it's just throwing money away.

i've always thought kona to be kinda wussy. it doesn't seem to fair well when you brew it to be stronger, and it doesn't really taste like "coffee" to me... generally, the only people who ever purchase it are rich little old ladies who buy it one time, and then never buy it again.

personally, i like REALLY dark, REALLY strong cups of coffees that curl hair and knock the hats off of cowboys... i want my steaming coffee cup to be as close to a smoking crack pipe as possible!!!!

my favorite coffees...:

SUMATRAN TRIPLE-PICKED ISKANDAR -- the most amazing stuff i've ever tasted. really dark, really intense... almost like a VERY dark chocolate, with a very weird, almost marijuana-like flavor in there. the labor it takes to make this stuff is SO intensive that only 1,000 bags are produced PER YEAR. (!!!!!). costs about $17 a pound, i think. usually it's in stock only during the fall... i think kaffe magnum opus might still have some.

ETHIOPIAN YRGACHEFFE -- a really dark, deep-tasting coffee with a serious bite, but also weird floral notes... about $10-11 a pound

TANZANIAN PEABERRY -- smaller cotyledon-sized beans... sweeter and more potent than other coffees. you don't have to make it very strong for it to kick your you-know-what all over the place! $10 a pound or so

GUATAMALAN ANTIGUA -- the best of the south american coffees... dark, rich, nutty, sparkling, INTENSE. i LOVE me a good guatamalan! absolutely essential! $10 a pound or so

KENYAN AA -- a taste you can't get anywhere else. a really smooth, powerful, easy-to-drink coffee with an almost blueberry aftertaste. $10 a pound or so

YEMEN MOCCA MATARI #9 -- a middle eastern coffee... really robust, powerful, full... can't think of any other coffee quite like it. $15-16 a pound

whatever you do -- steer clear of artificially "flavored" coffees, and anything "decaf." there's no such thing as "decaf" coffee -- and the processes used to "decaffinate" beans all RUIN them. they sort-of take everything out of the beans, then try to force the "flavor" back in -- BLEGH!!!

man -- bet you're sorry you asked now!

[vampyrewolf]

http://coffeefaq.com/index.html

Toxic dose
The LD_50 of caffeine (that is the lethal dosage reported to kill 50% of the population) is estimated at 10 grams for oral administration. As it is usually the case, lethal dosage varies from individual to individual according to weight. Ingestion of 150mg/kg of caffeine seems to be the LD_50 for all people. That is, people weighting 50 kilos have an LD_50 of approx. 7.5 grams, people weighting 80 kilos have an LD_50 of about 12 grams.

In cups of coffee the LD_50 varies from 50 to 200 cups of coffee or about 50 vivarins (200mg each).

One exceptional case documents survival after ingesting 24 grams. The minimum lethal dose ever reported was 3.2 grams intravenously, this does not represent the oral MLD (minimum lethal dose).

In small children ingestion of 35 mg/kg can lead to moderate toxicity. The amount of caffeine in an average cup of coffee is 50 - 200 mg. Infants metabolize caffeine very slowly.

VARIETALS/STRAIGHTS
Brazil Bourbons 1.20%
Celebes Kalossi 1.22
Colombia Excelso 1.37
Colombia Supremo 1.37
Ethiopian Harrar-Moka 1.13
Guatemala Antigua 1.32
Indian Mysore 1.37
Jamaican Blue Mtn/Wallensford Estate 1.24
Java Estate Kuyumas 1.20
Kenya AA 1.36
Kona Extra Prime 1.32
Mexico Pluma Altura 1.17
Mocha Mattari (Yemen) 1.01
New Guinea 1.30
Panama Organic 1.34
Sumatra Mandheling-Lintong 1.30
Tanzania Peaberry 1.42
Zimbabwe 1.10

SO..., at 1.32% caffine, and 88.5kg x 150mg/kg= 13.275g of caffine... 1050g of kona = 13.86g... 1050g=33.75oz... 34 pots of coffee you have to ingest to OD on it(not counting absortion rate or expulsion rate...



One exceptional case documents survival after ingesting 24 grams. The minimum lethal dose ever reported was 3.2 grams intravenously, this does not represent the oral MLD (minimum lethal dose).


250grams of kona yeilds 3.3grams... 8.04oz of kona or 8 pots intravenously

Now... do I have too much time on my hands? :D Who said you never use math outside of school and work.

[clovisc]

whoa! GREAT numbers!!!!

i KNEW tanzanian peaberry HAD to be REALLY caffeinated! i seriously can't brew it the way i normally brew coffee, because i get instant caffeine aches and pains! it's a beast! it's gotta be because of the smaller size of the beans. weirdly, its not as deep tasting... it's really sweet...

i'm a big fan of mixing half kenyan and half tanzanian... coffee damascus! so fine!

any numbers for sumatran iskandar?

jimmy dean -- if you tweak how you grind and brew REAL, high quality columbian supremo beans enough, i swear that it'll taste almost indistinguishable from blue mountain. at $9 a pound instead of $50, that's a big difference!

[vampyrewolf]

can't find any numbers right now for the iskandar... give me a couple days though.

check your PM too.

[clovisc]

gotcha back... had to split the message into two parts, though, because it only let me use 1000 characters per message! what's with that?!

[vampyrewolf]

I've had that prob a few times, but I guess it prevents us loading the forum buffer up with messages in the 2-3K character range.

[UK KEN]

Thank you all for the advice! :D

I have found a supplier in the UK and I have ordered some coffee that you have suggested.

I'll let you know how I do! ;)

Ken

[clovisc]

good luck! let us know what you picked, and how you like it!

coffee -- my "other" passion...!

[UK KEN]

good luck! let us know what you picked, and how you like it!

coffee -- my "other" passion...!


I have ordered some Costa Rican Terrozu and some Kenyan Peaberry :D I am looking forward to giving them a try. I'll have to be very careful not to become to sophisticated! ;) People who know me will be rolling about on the floor right now :D

Regards, Ken

[dialex]

The most important thing psychologically, ignore the scales!! By this I mean don't use pounds as your indicator, especially if using a gym and working out. Muscle wieghs 2.5 times that of fat. As you work out you will build lean muscle tissue. Lean muscle actually helps burn fat as well. Judge your progress by how you look and feel, not by how much you weigh.
Couldn't agree more. I recently decided it's time to lose some weight, as my pants became a bit "tight" :mad: And in about a month, the pants fit like they used to, but the darn thing (scales) was showing me the same 160 pounds :confused:
Just a last note. It took me about a month to get back in shape, but this is merely because I was always in a fair condition. Don't let your morale go down because you don't have Arnold's biceps in a couple weeks. Give yourself a year, but respect your schedule. You'll look better and you'll feel fantastic.

[UK KEN]

It came today! Now to give it a try!

Regards, Ken

Oh yes, I couldn't resust letting you see some of my other knives! :D

[UK KEN]

I have ordered some Costa Rican Terrozu and some Kenyan Peaberry :D I am looking forward to giving them a try. I'll have to be very careful not to become to sophisticated! ;) People who know me will be rolling about on the floor right now :D

Regards, Ken

Make that Colombian Supremo insted of Kenyan Peaberry! :D

Ken

[DAYWALKER]

:cool: Aloha Ken!

Yes, Alexandru the Great is right...once you get started, just continue...the starting is usually the hardest part! LOL! I just recently started the weights thing again, and I thank God for something we all have: Muscle memory!!!

Also my friend, try this to lose weight:

Place ALL your knives i one room of your home. Transport a knife ONE at a time to another room preferably far "enough" from the knife room! (Or downstairs if you have a multi-level home!) :D Do this at a brisk pace and preferably when only you are home alone...don't want ya to give me your addy and it's to a looney bin!!! LOL! I just figured with ALL the knives you have well...you get the picture! :p

BTW, do check your email please!

God bless and thank you! :cool: