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Tag: coffee

March 2, 2025

Wake Up on your Cruise before Sunrise to Snap your Best Photos

Independence of the Seas deck 12 at sunrise in the Caribbean after the rain

Some of the prime photo opportunities on a cruise happen while everyone else is sleeping. Here are 5 reasons to wake up early.

Why would anyone intentionally get up early on a cruise? It’s dark out, everything is closed, and nothing is seemingly happening onboard. You should probably catch up on your z’s and sleep in along with the other thousands of guests. But you’d be missing the opportunity greet the dawn’s light.

And that’s exactly what I did each morning on our Royal Caribbean cruise to Nassau out of Miami on the Independence of the Seas. It’s totally worth it for five big reasons.

#1
Your Moment of Zen
As the sky glows orange and the sun prepares for its entrance shortly after 5:30am, it’s just you and maybe a couple dozen other people on the massive deck. There are no crowds or music. No splashing or lines of people.

It’s just you, the vessel, the vast ocean and the refreshing breeze that centers you in this stunning ‘waterworld.’ It’s such an amazing feeling. You’ve effectively got the entire deck to yourself.

Sure, you can take some great pictures, but it’s much more than that.

#2
Perfect View of the Sunrise
So, the wind blows. If you’re like me, you’ve got your cup of Joe with you. And then the sky comes to life. And if you’ve got some cloud action, you’re really in for a treat. It’s absolutely time to take out your phone or camera and start snapping away!
View of sunrise from the Independence of the SeasGolden Caribbean sunrise from the Independence of the Seas

But capturing a great sunrise is just the beginning.

#3
It’s Also About your Ship
So, you’d be missing half the story if you just snapped a few shots of the sunrise. Your cruise is not only about the sunrise. It’s about where you are in that moment of the sunrise and revealing your larger location.
It’s all about your gigantic ship. That’s really the visual story here. It’s incredible, right? So, include it in your shots and show your vessel!
Independence of the Seas deck 12 at sunrise in the Caribbean
#4
Docking at Dawn
On the first two mornings, our ship’s itinerary got us to our Caribbean islands as the morning sun appeared. For me, entering port is its own photo opportunity. Docking as the sun rises makes it especially magical.
Independence of the Seas docks in NassauHere, we’re docking in Nassau.

Vision of the Seas at sunrise docked at CocoCayAs we docked at CocoCay, I was fortunate that Royal Caribbean’s smaller Vision of the Seas was already there, perfectly positioned for my sunrise photo.

#5
Sunrise Silhouettes
There’s also the opportunity to captures cool silhouettes of the few folks who have also journeyed on deck to greet the sunrise. So, now you’ve got the sunrise, your ship and a little humanity to pull it all together. That composition will make for a great photo.
Woman in silhouette watches sunrise from Independence of the Seas aftMan in silhouette watches sunrise from Independence of the SeasWoman in silhouette on Independence of the SeasWoman in silhouette watches sunrise on Independence of the SeasWoman and man watch sunrise from the Independence of the Seas

Don’t Sleep In
Yes, if you don’t get up early on your cruise, you’ll miss some of your best photo opportunities for the entire day. I also discovered it’s one of the top ways to experience drinking your first cup of coffee in the morning.
Cup of coffee on Independence of the Seas near MiamiHere, we’ve returned to Miami to (sadly) end our cruise, but my joy continues.

So, don’t forget to set your wake-up alarm early, and I assure you…
You won’t regret it.

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July 8, 2018

In Search of the Perfect Coffee Maker

If you’ve been doing your research to find the ‘best’ coffee maker, join the quest! Here we go…

My old Krups coffee maker finally gave out. I knew this disruptive day would eventually arrive. So, I’d already been considering a replacement.

Originally, my big requirement was to identify a unit that didn’t project one of those annoying beeps at the end of the brewing cycle. I didn’t want to risk waking up my son, as I’m the first to rise every morning…
(He’s eight years old now. When do you think this blogger has found the time to write a new post every week?!)

But then, I had this crazy thought… What about getting a better coffee maker?
I do drink my java every single morning…

No, I wouldn’t consider myself a coffee snob, but I do enjoy a good cup of joe.
(My current go-to brand is Caribou Coffee, which Amazon Prime delivers to me every month, thank you very much.)

It was time to explore the larger landscape of home-brewed drip coffee makers.
And that’s when I fell face-first down the rabbit hole…

At Home with Coffee
Here’s my wish list for the perfect coffee maker:

  • No unnecessary sounds and NO beeping- So my family continues to sleep undisturbed
  • Programmable- So a freshly brewed pot is ready for me when I walk bleary-eyed down the stairs in the morning
  • Warming plate auto-off feature- So I don’t have to worry about accidentally leaving it on all day and burning down the house
  • Filter basket temporary shut-off mode- So I can steal a cup before the brew cycle completes
  • Pour-over feature- So my coffee grounds get an even shower of water in the filter basket to improve flavor extraction

I didn’t really covet a thermal carafe. Glass is just fine, as I typically drink my joe before I head off to work.
(I don’t have the need to retain hot coffee for hours…)

Certified SCA Home Brewers
There are dozens of coffee makers out there at different price points ranging from $40 to well over $300. It’s absolutely mind boggling.

I eventually developed a short list of coffee makers that are certified SCA home brewers. The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is a nonprofit that “works to make coffee better by raising standards worldwide.”

SCA certification ensures that an in-home coffee maker satisfies certain requirements, including being able to brew at wicked-high temperatures to extract the nuanced flavors from your coffee beans and thus create the perfect brew.

There are currently 14 certified SCA home brewers, but here’s the catch:
I have not found one review that gives an unequivocal thumbs up to any of them!

What the Experts Say…
That said, many reviewers loved the Bonavita Coffee Maker BV1901TS. However, it comes with a thermal carafe that has a design limitation…
You have to brew with the lid off and then screw it back on before pouring. At 5:30am, that’s sure to feel like an entirely unnecessary step. Plus, this model doesn’t have a timer.

The Bonavita BV1900TD has a timer, but doesn’t feature a slide-in hanging filter basket. You have to balance it on top of the carafe.
(That also feels unnecessarily clunky, because you’ve got to deal with unmounting the filter basket before you get to pour…)

The OXO On 9-Cup is well regarded, and The Wirecutter put it on the top of its own list of the best. Unfortunately, the OXO is really big and wouldn’t fit well on my kitchen counter.

The Technivorm Moccamaster is essentially the champion-emeritus of the SCA-certified group, but Technivorms also have a large footprint. Plus, they cost over $300!

Bunn Heat N’ Brew
Then, I came across floor9.com, a coffee blog written by Dave Sheranko.

Dave gushed over the Bunn Heat N’ Brew.
So, I decided to take a closer look…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bunn HB has a somewhat unique brewing process… It heats its water first to the perfect temperature while holding onto it. (That takes about 6 minutes.)

And then, it releases the water through your coffee grounds (another 3-4 minutes).

Unfortunately, you can’t steal any coffee until it’s all done. So, if you’re looking for the fastest unit around, the Heat N’ Brew isn’t for you (but it only lags by a few minutes).

The Bunn didn’t take the top prize on any other sites I found other than Floor9, but most of the Amazon reviews were glowing.

Amazon’s got the Heat N’ Brew for $129.99 (same price as on Bunn’s website).

I was originally drawn to the Bunn brand, because of its solid reputation in the restaurant arena.

Okay… Bunn and done!
Click.

Now, let’s see what actually happened after I plugged it in…

Superior Experience
I’ve been using my new Bunn for over a week, and here’s my take:

  • The Bunn’s easy-to-use design is a joy to operate
  • It’s really quiet! (NO BEEP!)
  • Plus, there’s no burping or gurgling or coughing at the end of the brewing process
    Just the sound of a stream of coffee entering the glass carafe
  • The water does ‘shower’ over the coffee grounds
  • The ‘no-drip’ carafe pours perfectly… very nice
  • The overall ‘experience’ of using this machine is superior

Uninspired Results
And how does the coffee taste?

Well, the resulting brew… is somewhat weaker than I’m used to. To compensate, I’ve needed to add an extra scoop or two…or three. (There’s no ‘bold’ button to press.)

Have I been able to get to the intense taste I prefer?
Truthfully?

Well, I’ve gone through 10 brewing cycles… using the coffee I normally use.
…Actually using a lot of the coffee.

And I haven’t created a truly strong cup yet.
It’s a good cup of coffee, to be sure… Just not a terribly powerful cup.

Yesterday, I bought a pound of ‘Brooklyn Blend’ beans from the Kobrick Coffee Company. I ground them up right before the brew. And I cut the amount of water I normally use to try to juice the intensity of flavor.

It was my best cup yet… but it still didn’t blow me away.

Would continuing to search for really dark-roast beans make a difference? Perhaps, but my baseline comparisons have been troubling.

Some online reviews complained that the Bunn’s coffee wasn’t hot enough. That wasn’t a problem for me. Scalding coffee isn’t my idea of how to enjoy your first sips.

The Bunn’s coffee is plenty hot.

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
Bunn and done?
Well, now… I’m not so sure.

 

 

 

 

 

There’s certainly a lot to like about the Bunn Heat N’ Brew:

  • Cool overall look
  • Simple programming
  • Super quiet brew process (no beep at the end)
  • The no-drip glass carafe design is ingenious
  • The warmer plate shuts off after two hours. (You can also manually turn it off.)

But I haven’t been able to create my golden cup of coffee yet. (Maybe the Bunn’s design is a little too simple.)

The Bunn Heat N’ Brew isn’t the most expensive unit you can buy, but it’s not exactly cheap either.

To Be Continued…?
If you’re looking to find a clear consensus out there for the best coffee maker, I certainly couldn’t find it.

And my Bunn HB selection has left me somewhat lukewarm.

If you have a suggestion for a coffee maker that can brew up some serious rocket fuel, please let me know!

I must make a strong cup of joe… every morning!

5 Comments
June 17, 2012

Are You at Home without Tech?

Imagine if I were still figuring out a way to use my old Palm Pilot (shudder). Don’t try too hard….

A while back, I had a great catch-up coffee with a friend and former colleague. We reminisced about the good old days and compared some parenting notes. Then, I told him about this little blog. And how I was so focused lately about how to keep all the technology in my home life just working from one day to the next.

He said, “Oh, so it’s really “At Home without Tech.”

I sat there for a moment, dumbfounded.
Come to think of it, I’m talking precisely about that.
The fear of my tech not operating properly.
The frustration when I can’t figure it all out.
The embarrassment when my modest home of the future doesn’t have the latest and greatest.

While I sat there pondering the veracity of his suggestion, he started plotting his own theoretical counter blog with its suddenly very clever and relevant name.

At Home without Tech
How did I miss this?
“At Home without Tech” is really catchy.

It strikes both an ominous cord in your soul as well as a rebellious one. It taunts you every so often to throw your smartphone into the pond and hook up the horse and buggy lurking deep in your soul’s garage.

I could be writing about how I had failed to maintain my PalmOne Tungsten E2 organizer from the late ‘90s, forcing me to use my old pocket address book from the previous century.
(My father still swears by his.)

And then I realized I was still okay.

This blog isn’t for luddites. It’s for everyone who knows they can’t do without tech.
If you’re at home without tech, it’s a bad scene.
You need tech! You want tech!!

I write about everything it takes to NOT be at home without tech.
My blog ‘s branding is still on target.
Phew…

But I think my friend was actually on to something.
Deep down, we all have fears.
Fear of the unknown. Fear of death. Fear of bad sushi. Fear of no tech.

Whatever.

Digital Sisyphus
These fears are great motivators. They force us to take action to avoid bad juju.
And that’s oh-so-true when technology you rely on goes kerflooey.
Or when you’re too darn lazy to perform a software update on your wife’s computer.

Progress waits for no tech blogger.
I’d better keep up.

Because what would there be to write about if you’re at home without tech?

 

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