Fruddled Gruntbugglies

Enthralling readers since 2005

Blog

  • New Tires

    My trusty Surly Disc Trucker had been out of commission for about a month due to a flat rear tire. Normally, a flat wouldn’t result in that much downtime, but I was out of patches, and didn’t have any spare tubes to fit. The two tubes I had that were the correct size had Schrader valves, and I’m thinking I must have bought them by mistake, since I don’t have any bikes with 700C wheels that use Schrader valves. (I forgot that those tubes fit Cathy’s bike!) On top of that, I needed new tires, as my trusty Continental Ride Tours were worn down and starting to dry rot. After initially ordering the wrong size tires by mistake, I finally got the bike road-worthy again for this morning’s commute. The new tires are Schwalbe Marathons. I’ve been really happy with the now 14-year-old Marathon Winter studded tires on my 26″ winter bike, so I have high hopes that these will be just as good. They’re a tiny bit beefier than the Contis, and I had to slightly adjust my front fender to keep it from rubbing (the issue was the studs that attach the fender to the strut). The tires seem to ride pretty well, and it’s possible they’ll be a little smoother on gravel than the Contis, due to the extra width. I’ll be mainly riding them on pavement, though. Now, I need to go online somewhere and order a whole bunch of patches, as I have a huge pile of leaky tubes waiting to be patched.

  • Gracefully Clumsy Girl

    • Beans: Clumsy Girl
      • Roaster: Gracefully Coffee Roasters (Baltimore, MD)
      • Roast level: Medium
      • Origin: Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Costa RIca
      • Roast date: 02/06/2025
      • Purchase date: 02/21/2025 at Gracefully Curbside Cafe (2601 N Rolling Rd Ste 104, Windsor Mill, MD)
    • V60:

    This was my first time visiting this small local roaster. I first had their coffee at Evergrain Bread Co. in Chestertown, and enjoyed it. I think it was this one, but there’s a small chance it was Jamberry, one of their other popular roasts. They don’t classify this in terms of “light, medium, or dark roast”, but visually, the beans look like what I would call a medium roast. This is a really good everyday kind of coffee- not overly complex, but with a lot of interesting character. There is a noticeable fruity twang to go along with a decent amount of body. Grind setting 4 worked well, for the most part. Finer than that brought out a touch of bitterness. My cups were pretty consistent up until the end of the bag, for some reason. My third-to-last cup was a little bit subpar, with a little less body to balance out the acidity. I brewed the penultimate cup with more water (about 425g), still at 1:15, and it was really excellent- maybe the best of all of them, actually. The final cup, though (back to 300g/1:15), really fell flat. It had a weak, dishwatery kind of taste. I suspect that I messed something up. It had been about 48 hours since I last used the grinder, so maybe there were enough stale grounds in there to foul things up? I’m not sure, but it’s not going to stop me from buying this again at some point. I’ll probably alternate between Gracefully and Brewing Good in Savage for a while, at least until I’ve tried several roasts from each.

  • HV6395 ANNAPOLIS NAVAL ACAD CHAPEL

    PROGRAM = datasheet95, VERSION = 8.12.5.19
    Starting Datasheet Retrieval...
    1    National Geodetic Survey, Retrieval Date = MAY 10, 2025 16:55:49 EDT
     HV6395 ***********************************************************************
     HV6395  DESIGNATION -  ANNAPOLIS NAVAL ACAD CHAPEL
     HV6395  PID         -  HV6395
     HV6395  STATE/COUNTY-  MD/ANNE ARUNDEL
     HV6395  COUNTRY     -  US
     HV6395  USGS QUAD   -  ANNAPOLIS (2016)
     HV6395
     HV6395                         *CURRENT SURVEY CONTROL
     HV6395  ______________________________________________________________________
     HV6395* NAD 83(1991) POSITION- 38 58 53.61912(N) 076 29 10.98204(W)   ADJUSTED
     HV6395  ______________________________________________________________________
     HV6395  GEOID HEIGHT    -        -33.347 (meters)                     GEOID18
     HV6395  LAPLACE CORR    -         -3.79  (seconds)                    DEFLEC18
     HV6395  HORZ ORDER      -  THIRD
     HV6395
     HV6395.The horizontal coordinates were established by classical geodetic methods
     HV6395.and adjusted by the National Geodetic Survey in January 1992.
     HV6395
     HV6395.Significant digits in the geoid height do not necessarily reflect accuracy.
     HV6395.GEOID18 height accuracy estimate available here.
     HV6395
     HV6395.Click photographs - Photos may exist for this station.
     HV6395
     HV6395.The Laplace correction was computed from DEFLEC18 derived deflections.
     HV6395
     HV6395. The following values were computed from the NAD 83(1991) position.
     HV6395
     HV6395;                    North         East     Units Scale Factor Converg.
     HV6395;SPC MD       -   146,084.471   444,501.870   MT  0.99995155   +0 19 20.5
     HV6395;SPC MD       -   479,278.80  1,458,336.55   sFT  0.99995155   +0 19 20.5
     HV6395;UTM  18      - 4,315,781.036   371,254.966   MT  0.99980410   -0 56 06.6
     HV6395
     HV6395_U.S. NATIONAL GRID SPATIAL ADDRESS: 18SUJ7125415781(NAD 83)
     HV6395
     HV6395                          SUPERSEDED SURVEY CONTROL
     HV6395
     HV6395  NAD 83(1986)-  38 58 53.61531(N)    076 29 10.99339(W) AD(       ) 3
     HV6395  NAD 27      -  38 58 53.21168(N)    076 29 12.13255(W) AD(       ) 3
     HV6395  USSD        -  38 58 53.57800(N)    076 29 11.96500(W) AD(       ) 3
     HV6395
     HV6395.Superseded values are not recommended for survey control.
     HV6395
     HV6395.NGS no longer adjusts projects to the NAD 27 or NGVD 29 datums.
     HV6395.See file dsdata.pdf to determine how the superseded data were derived.
     HV6395
     HV6395_MARKER: 87 = DOME
     HV6395_MAGNETIC: N = NO MAGNETIC MATERIAL
     HV6395_SATELLITE: THE SITE LOCATION WAS REPORTED AS SUITABLE FOR
     HV6395+SATELLITE: SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS - March 14, 2010
     HV6395
     HV6395  HISTORY     - Date     Condition        Report By
     HV6395  HISTORY     - 1933     FIRST OBSERVED   CGS
     HV6395  HISTORY     - 1956     GOOD             CGS
     HV6395  HISTORY     - 1960     GOOD             CGS
     HV6395  HISTORY     - 1965     GOOD             CGS
     HV6395  HISTORY     - 1981     GOOD             NOS
     HV6395  HISTORY     - 20010331 GOOD             NGS
     HV6395  HISTORY     - 20050720 GOOD             USPSQD
     HV6395  HISTORY     - 20100314 GOOD             GEOCAC
     HV6395
     HV6395                          STATION DESCRIPTION
     HV6395
     HV6395'DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1956 (ELJ)
     HV6395'THE POINT RECOVERED WAS THE CENTER OF THE TOP OF THE NAVAL
     HV6395'ACADEMY CHAPEL DOME.  THIS DOME IS THE LARGEST AND MOST PROMINENT
     HV6395'ONE IN THE VICINITY.
     HV6395
     HV6395                          STATION RECOVERY (1960)
     HV6395
     HV6395'RECOVERY NOTE BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1960 (GFW)
     HV6395'THE STATION WAS RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION.  THE PREVIOUS
     HV6395'DESCRIPTION BY E.L.J. IN 1956 IS COMPLETE AND ADEQUATE WITH THE
     HV6395'FOLLOWING EXCEPTION.  THE SPINDLE ON TOP OF THE DOME IS NOW
     HV6395'PAINTED GOLD.
     HV6395
     HV6395                          STATION RECOVERY (1965)
     HV6395
     HV6395'RECOVERY NOTE BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1965 (JKW)
     HV6395'STATION RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION.  THE RECOVERY BY E.L.J. IN
     HV6395'1956 AND BY G.F.W. IN 1960 ARE ADEQUATE FOR RECOVERY.
     HV6395
     HV6395                          STATION RECOVERY (1981)
     HV6395
     HV6395'RECOVERY NOTE BY NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE 1981 (RHH)
     HV6395'THE STATION WAS RECOVERED AS DESCRIBED.
     HV6395
     HV6395                          STATION RECOVERY (2001)
     HV6395
     HV6395'RECOVERY NOTE BY NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY 2001 (DB)
     HV6395'THIS REPORT WAS SUBMITTED BY THE US POWER SQUADRONS.
     HV6395
     HV6395                          STATION RECOVERY (2005)
     HV6395
     HV6395'RECOVERY NOTE BY US POWER SQUADRON 2005 (FM)
     HV6395'RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION.
     HV6395
     HV6395                          STATION RECOVERY (2010)
     HV6395
     HV6395'RECOVERY NOTE BY GEOCACHING 2010 (LPC)
     HV6395'RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION.

    Log: Recovered in good condition while walking around the Naval Academy grounds, before heading home after a short getaway in Annapolis. I don’t think I’ve visited the USNA grounds since I was a teen, when I vaguely remember taking a couple of extracurricular G/T classes here. Today, we took a leisurely stroll through the visitor center before exploring the grounds around the chapel and the officers’ residences. People were arriving for a wedding while we were here.

  • HV6394 ANNAPOLIS ST MARYS RC CH SPIRE

    PROGRAM = datasheet95, VERSION = 8.12.5.19
    Starting Datasheet Retrieval...
    1    National Geodetic Survey, Retrieval Date = MAY 10, 2025 16:11:13 EDT
     HV6394 ***********************************************************************
     HV6394  DESIGNATION -  ANNAPOLIS ST MARYS RC CH SPIRE
     HV6394  PID         -  HV6394
     HV6394  STATE/COUNTY-  MD/ANNE ARUNDEL
     HV6394  COUNTRY     -  US
     HV6394  USGS QUAD   -  ANNAPOLIS (2016)
     HV6394
     HV6394                         *CURRENT SURVEY CONTROL
     HV6394  ______________________________________________________________________
     HV6394* NAD 83(1991) POSITION- 38 58 30.39813(N) 076 29 16.11324(W)   ADJUSTED
     HV6394  ______________________________________________________________________
     HV6394  GEOID HEIGHT    -        -33.353 (meters)                     GEOID18
     HV6394  LAPLACE CORR    -         -3.84  (seconds)                    DEFLEC18
     HV6394  HORZ ORDER      -  THIRD
     HV6394
     HV6394.The horizontal coordinates were established by classical geodetic methods
     HV6394.and adjusted by the National Geodetic Survey in January 1992.
     HV6394
     HV6394.Significant digits in the geoid height do not necessarily reflect accuracy.
     HV6394.GEOID18 height accuracy estimate available here.
     HV6394
     HV6394.Click photographs - Photos may exist for this station.
     HV6394
     HV6394.The Laplace correction was computed from DEFLEC18 derived deflections.
     HV6394
     HV6394. The following values were computed from the NAD 83(1991) position.
     HV6394
     HV6394;                    North         East     Units Scale Factor Converg.
     HV6394;SPC MD       -   145,367.746   444,382.392   MT  0.99995134   +0 19 17.3
     HV6394;SPC MD       -   476,927.35  1,457,944.56   sFT  0.99995134   +0 19 17.3
     HV6394;UTM  18      - 4,315,067.210   371,119.808   MT  0.99980453   -0 56 09.4
     HV6394
     HV6394_U.S. NATIONAL GRID SPATIAL ADDRESS: 18SUJ7111915067(NAD 83)
     HV6394
     HV6394                          SUPERSEDED SURVEY CONTROL
     HV6394
     HV6394  NAD 83(1986)-  38 58 30.39439(N)    076 29 16.12455(W) AD(       ) 3
     HV6394  NAD 27      -  38 58 29.99486(N)    076 29 17.26570(W) AD(       ) 3
     HV6394  USSD        -  38 58 30.35300(N)    076 29 17.07800(W) AD(       ) 3
     HV6394
     HV6394.Superseded values are not recommended for survey control.
     HV6394
     HV6394.NGS no longer adjusts projects to the NAD 27 or NGVD 29 datums.
     HV6394.See file dsdata.pdf to determine how the superseded data were derived.
     HV6394
     HV6394_MARKER: 90 = CHURCH SPIRE
     HV6394_SATELLITE: THE SITE LOCATION WAS REPORTED AS SUITABLE FOR
     HV6394+SATELLITE: SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS - March 14, 2010
     HV6394
     HV6394  HISTORY     - Date     Condition        Report By
     HV6394  HISTORY     - 1933     FIRST OBSERVED   CGS
     HV6394  HISTORY     - 1956     GOOD             CGS
     HV6394  HISTORY     - 1960     GOOD             CGS
     HV6394  HISTORY     - 20010331 GOOD             NGS
     HV6394  HISTORY     - 20031230 GOOD             GEOCAC
     HV6394  HISTORY     - 20050718 GOOD             USPSQD
     HV6394  HISTORY     - 20100314 GOOD             GEOCAC
     HV6394
     HV6394                          STATION DESCRIPTION
     HV6394
     HV6394'DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1956 (ELJ)
     HV6394'THE POINT RECOVERED WAS A TALL, PROMINENT, CHURCH SPIRE, ABOUT
     HV6394'0.3 MILE SOUTHEAST OF THE STATE CAPITOL DOME AT ANNAPOLIS,
     HV6394'MARYLAND.  THIS IS THE MOST PROMINENT SPIRE IN THE VICINITY AND
     HV6394'IS CHARTED AS A LANDMARK.
     HV6394
     HV6394                          STATION RECOVERY (1960)
     HV6394
     HV6394'RECOVERY NOTE BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1960 (GFW)
     HV6394'STATION RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION.
     HV6394'
     HV6394'THE RECOVERY NOTE BY E.L.J. IN 1956 IS COMPLETE AND ADEQUATE.
     HV6394
     HV6394                          STATION RECOVERY (2001)
     HV6394
     HV6394'RECOVERY NOTE BY NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY 2001 (DB)
     HV6394'THIS REPORT WAS SUBMITTED BY THE US POWER SQUADRONS.
     HV6394
     HV6394                          STATION RECOVERY (2003)
     HV6394
     HV6394'RECOVERY NOTE BY GEOCACHING 2003 (APC)
     HV6394'RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION.
     HV6394
     HV6394                          STATION RECOVERY (2005)
     HV6394
     HV6394'RECOVERY NOTE BY US POWER SQUADRON 2005 (FM)
     HV6394'RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION.
     HV6394
     HV6394                          STATION RECOVERY (2010)
     HV6394
     HV6394'RECOVERY NOTE BY GEOCACHING 2010 (LPC)
     HV6394'RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION.

    Log: Recovered in good condition during a quick 2-night getaway to Annapolis. I’ve walked by St. Mary’s a couple of times during our stay, and I decided to snap a photo, as I’ve been trying to get back into benchmarking after geocaching.com dropped support for it, and I’ve finally settled on a way to log my benchmark recoveries going forward. I had logged a couple of other prominent benchmarks in town (the capitol dome and the St Ann’s spire) back in 2018. Great to be back.

  • Winter Biking Update

    It has been a very slow winter for biking. Sub-optimal trail conditions kept me off the MTB for most of January and February. I tried to ride last week after about 48 hours of above-freezing temperatures, but the trails were still extremely muddy from the freeze-thaw cycle — about the worst I had ever seen them, actually. That ride ended up being more of a hike-a-bike, as I tried to sidestep the muddy sections to avoid creating ruts. After slogging through PVSP Avalon on the Howard County side, I bailed out and rode the rest of the way to work on pavement. This morning, however, was a different story. We are in the midst of an early-March cold snap, and the past two nights have bottomed out in the low to mid 20s. The trails were nicely frozen, and I had a very nice 10.5-mile ride. There were lots of areas of frozen mud, with deep ruts from people who had ridden/hiked the trails while they were muddy, and it was easy to see the problem areas based on where the sun was starting to hit them. The window stayed open for my entire commute to work, though. I’ll have to ride home on pavement, which is not much fun on a full-suspension mountain bike, but I’m willing to pay that price for a nice morning trail ride.

    I’ve been commuting to work about once a week, mainly on roads, and mainly with my old 1993 Specialized Rockhopper, which has seen (relatively speaking) a lot of use this winter. My Surly has been out of commission for a month or so with a flat rear tire, because I didn’t have the right size tubes for it, nor did I have any patches. I’ve got tubes now, but I decided it was time to replace the tires as well, so those are on order. I’m probably going to order a sheet of 40 or 50 patches online somewhere, which seems like it should be more cost-effective than ordering those small patch kits. I don’t think I’ve ever patched a tire on the road (I typically either carry a spare tube or call for a ride), but even if I decided to start, I could just use the bulk patches to refill one of my patch kits.

    I ordered a bunch of new bike-specific water bottles last month. The Camelbak Podiums I had been were pushing 15 years old, and getting really beat-up and grungy. I went with Bivo water bottles, and ordered 4 of them in a mix of large, small, insulated, non-insulated, silicone-coated, and bare metal finish. I’m hoping that the insulated bottles, as well as keeping water cool in the summer, will keep it from freezing when it’s in the teens and low 20s. I do really like how the valve works with them. I found out rather quickly that the bare metal bottles do not work well with metal water bottle cages, though. I’m likely going to end up replacing some of my metal cages with plastic. The bottles do fit nicely in my waist-belt water bottle holder (one of my better impulse purchases) as well as the side pocket of my Osprey Manta, which I often use for MTB commuting in the winter. Overall, I like the bottles, and I’m hoping they’ll work out well.

  • Late Winter Running Notes

    Winter is almost over, but you wouldn’t know it this year. 2024-2025 has been one of the longest, coldest winters in recent memory. We’ve also had more snow than usual by recent standards, although compared to years like 2010 and 2016, it hasn’t been too much. All told, I’m not going to complain. We’ve got what figures to be the final cold snap of the winter hitting us over the next day or 2, with morning temperatures predicted to be in the low 20s. I’m hoping to take advantage of it and get out for a couple more hikes up at Loch Raven Reservoir, which has been my go-to winter hiking destination for the past couple of years.

    Running has been steady this winter. I haven’t missed a run in several weeks. I’m running around 25 miles per week: 7 to 8 miles on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 10 to 13 miles on Saturdays (days subject to change due to weather conditions, etc). I’ve gotten conditioned to the point where I can run 10 miles and not feel it the next day. I try to go 13.1 about once per month, but I definitely do still feel that distance the next day. This week, my weekday runs went really well. I typically leave the house at 8:30 to avoid school traffic, but Thursday, I had to leave at 6:30 due to a morning dentist appointment. Fortunately, by late February, it’s no longer pitch dark at 6:30 (at least until the time change in March). Today (Saturday), I had some issues with low energy. I made it 10 miles, but I was really dragging through the middle part of the run. I ate a protein bar at around 7 miles, which gave me enough energy to finish the run. I suspect it might have been a hydration issue. There isn’t really a quick fix for dehydration: you can’t just slam 32-48oz of water right before a run, because the body can’t absorb it fast enough, and most of it comes out the other end. It takes a lot of discipline to remember to stay hydrated over the course of the day. Sometimes I’m good about it, and other times I’m not. One encouraging thing is that I have learned to pace myself so that I don’t struggle during runs, even when I am not feeling 100%. Also, I have found that singing songs is a great strategy for willing myself to finish difficult runs. Sometimes, I’ll run through an entire album. Today’s selection was “Rubber Soul” by the Beatles, which I chose because I know the lyrics to most of the songs, and most of them have a tempo that goes well with my 180 steps-per-minute running cadence. Singing takes my mind off the physical act of running, and it also forces me to take it a little easy, as I have to save my breath a little bit more.

  • Brewing Good Decaf Ethiopia

    • Beans: Decaf Ethiopia,Sidama
      • Roaster: Brewing Good Coffee Company (Savage, MD)
      • Origin: Ethiopia (Arroresa, Sidama)
      • Roast level: Medium
      • Roast date: 1/26/2025
      • Purchase date: 2/9/2025 at BGCC in Savage Mill
      • Process: Washed; Varietals: Heirloom; Grade: 2; Elevation: 1850-2200 MASL
      • Tasting notes: Gentle brightness, medium body and sweetness, notes of spiced plum, crisp apple, almond, vanilla, and caramel
    • V60:
      • 20g coffee / 300g water (1:15)
      • Ode: 2+2
      • Water at 95°C
      • Recipe: Single Cup V60 Pourover with 36-40g bloom water – finishes 04:00-04:05

    This is very different from the Ethiopian light roast that I bought at BG at the same time. It is a smooth medium roast with no hint of acidity. Definitely not as complex as the light roast, but nice body and overall a very drinkable decaf. The beans have one of the slowest draw-down times of anything I’ve brewed with the V60, but none of the cups have tasted bitter or over-extracted. The recipe also works well doubled, but with the slow draw-down, I had to be careful not to overflow the size 2 V60. I’m sure I’ll eventually buy more of these.

  • Brewing Good Ethiopia Tega & Tula

    • Beans: Ethiopia (Tega & Tula Specialty Coffee Estate)
      • Roaster: Brewing Good Coffee Company (Savage, MD)
      • Origin: Ethiopia (Kaffa Zone, Limmu, Oromia)
      • Roast level: Light
      • Roast date: 1/22/2025
      • Purchase date: 2/9/2025 at BGCC in Savage Mill
      • Process: Washed; Varietal: Ethiopian heirloom; Elevation: 1500-2000 MASL
      • Tasting notes: Cocoa, spice, citrus notes with medium body and moderate acidity
    • V60:
      • 20g coffee / 300g water (1:15)
      • Ode: 1+2
      • Water at 100°C
      • Recipe: Single Cup V60 Pourover with 36-40g bloom water – finishes 02:50-03:00

    I’m finally getting around to checking out some of the smaller roasters around home. Savage Mill is only around 10 minutes away by car, and I occasionally bike right past it on my Sunday morning rides. Going forward, I’m going to try to put a few of these places into my rotation and return every few months or so. This place was busy on Sunday morning, and parking was a little hard to come by. The coffee here is definitely “top shelf” (and priced accordingly), but sometimes you get what you pay for. This was a complex light roast with a good bit of acidity and a lot of interesting flavors. This kind of coffee is almost like wine- not so much a “daily drinker”, but rather something to be savored. That being said, I got slightly better extraction when I brewed larger cups of it (450g vs 300g). I never strayed far from 1:15, but I’m wondering if maybe I should have tried brewing a couple of smaller cups at 1:16 to 1:18, just to see if it turned out differently. Something to keep in mind for next time.

  • PJ’s Maple Street Blend

    • Beans: Maple Street Blend
      • Roaster: PJ’s Coffee (New Orleans, LA)
      • Roast level: Medium (3/5)
      • Origin: Brazil/Honduras
      • Roast date: unknown
    • V60:

    PJ’s apparently started out in NOLA in the late ’70s, but has evolved into a large chain (not on the scale of Starbucks, but they have multiple locations in several states). I’m not sure where or when the beans were roasted. The bag had a lot of husks and bean fragments in it — I don’t know if it was a handling issue during transit, or a Q.C. issue during bagging. It didn’t seem to affect the taste of the coffee until I got down to the end of the bag. My second-to-last cup was a little bitter. For the last cup, I spent several minutes picking out the whole beans, and composted about 3.5 grams of husks and fragments.

    The beans worked well with a fine grind, but I really felt the caffeine, more than most other beans I’ve brewed to date. Not sure why that is. I brewed most of my cups at 1:16 or thereabouts. Taste-wise, it didn’t knock my socks off, but was perfectly drinkable. The web site describes it as “nutty/floral”, which I mostly agree with. No fruitiness or acidity at all, and no burnt/roasty taste, either. I have a sneaking suspicion that the beans were a little past their prime, but have no way to back that up. It’d be interesting to get my hands on a bag that I know was freshly roasted, just to compare, but with chain coffee, that’s easier said than done.

  • Orinoco Old Man Winter

    • Beans: Old Man Winter
      • Roaster: Orinoco Coffee and Tea (Jessup, MD)
      • Roast level: Light
      • Purchase date: 12/24/2024 at Martha’s Café in Arbutus, MD
    • V60:

    I bought a bag of this on a whim, not realizing that it was flavored. I got the best cups at grind setting 3 after initially starting at 5. This was OK black, but the maple/butter/cinnamon flavoring didn’t really work for me. It would probably be better with sweetener and/or creamer, but that’s not how I roll (except on very rare occasions). Oh, well, live and learn.