Hi everyone!
I feel that quite a few people struggle to find a good hobby.
Now a days, with YouTube, Netflix, Games, etc… there are countless easy and enjoyable ways to pass your time. So that probably isn’t the problem for most.
But for these more passive content consuming types of hobbies, they do help you pass time and it is no doubt enjoyable, but I feel that for most they do not enter the level of a passion. I say this from personal experience. Before I got into coffee brewing about an year ago, I was exactly this person.
For me, I had this vague feeling that I wasn’t enjoying life as much as I could, and always wanted a hobby that I could be truly passionate about.
It’s a minor thing but, being asked what my hobby was at places like work, always was a dreaded question. It felt like I was a hollow un-interesting person to say I didi not have a hobby. (this may just be me…)
I don’t exactly remember how I got into coffee brewing. But I remember having that idea one day and starting to watch a lot of YouTube videos about coffee brewing. And before I knew it I knew this was the right thing for me and was buying coffee beans and brewers.
Luckily enough, coffee was indeed a best match for me and I am still enjoying it everyday. To be honest I never though I will get passionate enough to start a blog, but here we are.
So I would like to recommend coffee brewing as a potential hobby to you.
Recommended for these types of people
This is a completely personal opinion but, I feel that coffee brewing will be a best match for people with some of these characteristics
- Indoor type
- Don’t have a lot of time to spend on a hobby
- Like tweaking and adjusting things
- Like coffee (Obviously…)
Indoor Type
My blogs concept is to brew great coffee “at home”. So as you might have guessed I am a very indoor kind of person. Actually, I am an at home kind of person.
It takes me quite a lot of energy to leave the house. I would happily stay at home for days.
Coffee brewing can be enjoyed at home with out any problems. You can purchase coffee beans and tools all through online-shopping. And of course, you can brew this coffee at home. It is bound to make your time at home even better.
Don’t have a lot of time to spend on a hobby
Coffee brewing doesn’t require a big chunk of time. I feel that this was a key part of why I could continue coffee brewing as a hobby up to now.
For hobbies like fishing or sports, you need to go to a specific location and that would limit you to enjoying your hobby on weekends.
On the contrary, you can brew coffee in well under 15mins. You can easily fit it in to your schedule everyday.
By the way, in cases where you have a big chunk of time, you could try out some involved coffee recipes, or venture out to cafes or roasters to find new aspects of coffee.
Like tweaking and adjusting things
A big part of coffee brewing is adjusting a variety of parameters to get to your desired coffee. Some people might dislike this, but for others this will be the most enjoyable part of coffee brewing.
What I personally find most interesting is that, since everyone has a different preference on the taste of their coffee, there is no single best way to brew coffee. There are general guidelines, but in the end you do what ever you feel and like the best.
The fact that origin of the beans and their state will impact your brew, adds an extra layer of challenge to getting your perfect cup. Which in my opinion, makes brewing even more interesting.
Like coffee
This is quite obvious. But I just like to point out that even if you don’t like coffee now, it may be that you have never had good coffee or the right type of coffee. Most would imagine coffee to be this bitter drink, but trying out some bright and aromatic lightly roasted speciality coffee may completely change your mind.
Benefits and Joys
- Can always have great coffee at home
- Doesn’t cost too much
- Good for your health (apparently)
- Great way to take a break while working from home
Can always have great coffee at home
The primary joy of having coffee brewing as a hobby is that you get to have great coffee when ever you like in the comfort of your home. I think its awesome when your hobby has a practical benefit, sort of like baking bread for hobby.
You may not know yet, but the aromas from freshly roasted coffee beans is just perfect. Personally I like the dry aromas of coffee more than their wet aromas. The best moments are when you open a fresh bag of coffee beans and when you grind your beans yourself. This is a perk of brewing coffee yourself.
If you are a collector type, there are so many different grinders, brewers, cups, etc… which is bound to tickle your interest.
Doesn’t cost too much
I believe that the cost of a hobby is a critical factor deciding if you can have it as a long term hobby.
When you buy good quality beans, it will cost around $15 for 200g. 200g will get you roughly 20 cups of coffee. If you are like me and drink one or two cups a day, a bag of 200g of coffee beans will last you half a month. (By the way, its best to consume your beans in about 2 weeks anyway).
This means that this hobby will cost about $30 ~ $40 per month. Of course there are hobbies you can do for free, so I wont say coffee brewing is the lowest cost hobby, but its definitely not on the expensive end.
And if you are someone who regularly orders a coffee at a cafe, it will easily cost a few dollars a cup. If you brew yourself, you can get an equivalent or probably even better cup of coffee for less than a dollar. If you think about it this way, you may even end up saving some money as a whole.
Good for your health (apparently)
I am no expert so I cannot write any details here, but apparently coffee is rich in anti-oxidants and is pretty good for you, if consumed at reasonable quantities. And it seems that this effect is more pronounced with fresh coffee, compared to instant ones.
If you are interested in this aspect, I recommend that you conduct your own research.
Great way to take a break while working from home
Recently in the midst of the COVID pandemic, a lot of people are working from home, I being one of them. Brewing coffee is a great way to take your mind off work for a short time and refresh.
Brewing a cup usually takes less than 15min, so it is a perfect quick break. And of course the caffeine from the cup of coffee may get you a little boost.
Drawbacks(?)
I really don’t think there are any major drawbacks, but you may want to consider these before starting.
- Takes up some kitchen space
- Normal store bought coffee starts to taste bad
Takes up some kitchen space
Coffee brewing does require some tools, such as brewers, paper filters, cups, scales, etc… You will need some storage space for your coffee stuff in the kitchen.
This may not be a problem if you live alone, or if you live with people who like coffee. But if you are like me with a wife who does not drink coffee, I strongly recommend you clean up straight away after brewing your coffee.
Normal store bought coffee starts to taste bad
This does sound a bit snobby, but I started to brew coffee around the same time as I started working from home. So I exclusively was drinking self-brewed coffee for about a year. Recently as the COVID situation started to calm down, I started going to the office more often.
So one day I bought a bottle of coffee from the vending machine at the office. (I do not know about where you live, but in Japan coffee in bottles and cans are a very big thing. You will find them everywhere) I took a sip and was shocked about how bad it tasted.
I used to drink the exact same coffee regularly, before I started brewing my own. So I am pretty sure I used to like this bottle of coffee. But now it did not taste like coffee, but just some bitter and slightly burnt drink.
I do remember having good “real” cups fo coffee occasionally before starting my hobby, but that did not change my sense of taste. But I think drinking “real” coffee everyday does change your taste.
For me, I just started drinking tea at the office so no harm was done, and the benefits far out weigh this minor draw back. But it might be a little something to watch out for.
That wraps up my recommendation for starting coffee brewing as a hobby. If you are interested, I have explained exactly what you need to start in this post. Hope you find a great hobby!
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