New member of the family!

Well, the Powells are excited to welcome a new member to the family!!!

What? You were disappointed to find out that it's not another baby??   

Awwww, c'mon! You know us better than that. 

What, in our minds, is ALMOST as good as another baby?  

ANOTHER COFFEE MAKER, our course!!

The Powells now have FIVE (count 'em 1-2-3-4-FIVE!) ways to brew coffee.  (Ok, Brendon insists that I say we have SIX, actually. If you count the brewing set-up we use when we go backpacking, then yes- we have six.)

Let me reacquaint you with our coffee family:

(Starting from the left)
1. French Press. Perfect for a rainy weekend day. (Of course, we get those less often now in the South.)
2. Espresso Machine. She was our go-to coffee maker nearly everyday in Portland- a couple of shots and some hot water and.... poof! Americano heaven. Gets a little less use now, as the water here in Nashville makes the shots taste funny.
3. Bialetti Moka Express Stovetop Espresso Maker. We were introduced to this way of making coffee a few years back... while the shots are very strong, when coupled with the right amount of water, a little sugary sweetness and a dash of cream, it can be the perfect treat.
4. Standard Electric Coffee Pot. This old gal (this particular machine is nearly 10 years old now!) has become our stand-by in Nashville.  For some reason the water here doesn't seem to bother her as much as the espresso.
5. (drum roll, please.....)  THE TODDY COLD BREW SYSTEM!!!  Born out of an absolute need for cold coffee once the normal daily temps were hitting 90 by 10am, Brendon did some research and found this little gem. She arrived today (thanks, Dr. Amazon.com for a quick delivery) and we set up our first cold brew.

The Toddy is a cold slow-drip system wherein you combine your grounds with cold water and let it steep for 12 hours, and then allow it to pass through a filter, generating a cold concentrate that you can add to cold water, milk, soy... whatever.  Basically a nice way to do iced coffee without getting the acidic effect you get if you just let your hot, drip coffee get cold and poured it over ice.  Want hot coffee instead? Not to worry! You can combo your concentrate with hot water and wah-lah! Hot coffee.

Also, how can you not immediately trust something that quotes "independent lab tests."   This is MY kind of coffee maker!!  WOOOO!!!

Of course, the jury's still out on the flavor and versatility of our new family member, but we will keep you updated.