Another Porch Culture Coffee + bike updates

Blended coffee (coffees with a mixture of beans) are not my go-to roast and readers have noticed that I tend to drink single origin coffees.

I've become something of a purist when it comes to food stuff as I tend to buy items with ingredients I can (mostly) identify and/or not processed.

With blended coffees, I want to savor the source beans as they are presented. I acknowledge that a good mélange of beans can result in something special, but I'm currently going through a puritanical phase when it comes to coffee.

Today's post is a great example of why I don't like blends because this bag of beans is quite special.

I was given a bag of Porch Culture's Finca La Amada Yellow Honey Microlot from a friend who was traveling in the north Texas area.  And since I have reviewed a couple of excellent bags of beans by Porch Culture in previous posts (here and here) - I was keen to try out this new batch.

After my first cup, I made the following notes:

Man, what's going on here?!  This coffee does a lot at once: sweet, bitter, then sweet.  I'm tasting dark, ripe cherries in the front.... then something with spice, like... black tea or bourbon?  And then... I'm tasting honeycomb.  What is this magical elixir?

If I sound pleasantly confused, it's because I am!  There's a lot to take in with this coffee which is why I wouldn't want to have it mixed with anything else.  

This coffee makes an excellent morning brew with its sweet / baking-spices notes.  I certainly wouldn't add anything to the cup as these flavor profiles should be enjoyed straight up.  

Here's a link to more details about the farm and the processing.  This coffee is another outstanding offering from Porch Culture - I recommend picking up a bag of La Amada Yellow Honey Microlot from either Porch Culture or your favorite local roaster.

Bike Stuff

This past weekend, I rode about 30+ miles in the Clear Lake (Texas) area.  I had to start around 7:30 in the morning due to the heatwave but also, I wanted to avoid vehicle traffic as much as possible since part of my planned route would involve major roads.

I had made a few small adjustments to my rear derailleur and even took out the jockey wheels to clean and... well... just to check them out. Turns out they are non-branded, barrel-style jockey wheels (no bearings).  I also adjusted my saddle (Oval Concepts 344) a bit before hitting the road.

Here's the video I watched to adjust my derailleur as I was experiencing exactly what this guy talked about with the chain jumping back and forth on the rear cogs.

After completing my ride, I decided the Oval Concepts saddle has got to go.  It just wasn't comfortable after a while as I kept having to adjust my seating position to get comfortable.  My State bike has a WTB Volt saddle that I have used for over two years - including two MS150 rides.  It's a saddle I don't think about, which is exactly how it should be!

Next update: I'm replacing the jockey wheels on the derailleur with a set of bearing-style wheels and I'm taking the seat from the State to test out on the Fuji.  I have been considering a Brooks C17, but since I have the WTB (and I know I like it) I'm going to go with what I have before spending $130 on a saddle.

[EDIT: I adjusted the saddle a little more, so I'm going to give it one more try]