Samantha K Schmidt

The most important thing to know about coffee grounds is it's best to do it at home. Grinding coffee releases all of the wonderful flavors in the bean. The longer it sits the less fresh it will be. A coffee grinder is a pretty inexpensive tool that every coffee snob should own. Now on to the grinds and how to use them. Extra Course Grinds - best for cold brew systems Course Grind - french press Medium-Course Grind - large pour over brewing methods such as Chemex Medium Grind - Drip pots such as your home coffee maker Medium-Fine Grind - pour over cones (this is a single serve pour over method) and vacuum pots Fine Grind - espresso Extra Fine Grind - Turkish coffee (creates an almost muddy consistency) Source: https://ineedcoffee.com/coffee-grind-chart/

Whenever you're around coffee snobs you may notice that they seem to speak another language, or perhaps you've tried to order your favorite Starbucks drink at a non-chain coffee shop only to find that your idea of macchiato was completely different than theirs. The Coffee Snob Dictionary is here to help. The following lingo is just a starter guide to the kinds of words you will likely hear in your local coffee shop. There is a plethora of language that you may never need, but are welcome to google to find more information. aeropress - a form of brewing coffee that uses a plunger type device. Hot water is poured over the grounds, stirred for 10 seconds then pressed through a microfilter. body - the feeling that the coffee has on the tongue (i.e. oily, grainy, watery, etc.) cappucino - 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, and 1/3 frothed milk chai - spiced tea and milk crema  - lighter colored foam layer on top of espresso drip - a traditional form of brewing coffe

Over the next few weeks I will be starting a series about one of my most favorite things on the planet... coffee. I love coffee, but I've never been the super hipster gal that knows all the lingo and what to order. However I have a few friends who I almost seem to offend when I talk about coffee. They are coffee aficionados and the perfect coffee snobs. I love them, but let's be honest I kind of envy them. I mean what coffee lover doesn't want to find a way to get the perfect cup every time? But how can you possibly order or make the perfect cup of coffee when you don't know the lingo? That's what this series is all about! I'll teach you the basics of coffee snobbery so that you can stop offending the coffee gurus and start soaking up the deliciousness. I'll be posting every Monday for the next 6 weeks so that you can become a pro. Schedule:  August 22nd - The Coffee Snob Dictionary  All the coffee lingo you need to know August 29th - Get You

If you don't already know one of my many passions is YouTube. I love that today's technology allows anyone and everyone to have a platform for good. If you've visited my YouTube channel at all you may be used to simple beauty/fashion/lifestyle videos, however, not too long ago I branched out and started a new channel. Last week, I worked with a friend of mine to create a better edited version of the things I had already been doing. The video is a highlight reel from our youth group's time at a camp called CIY Move. It's an awesome experience where students get to experience God in a whole new way. If your a Christian or you are interested in Biblical content be sure to check out my YouTube channel Girl Meets God . Also, check out my friend Livy's Vimeo.

For us, it took a long time to decide where we wanted to go on our honeymoon. We toyed with the idea of going abroad, but realized that was a little out of budget for us. The next thought was Hawaii. So many people go to Hawaii on their honeymoon, and I definitely liked the idea of being by the beach, but the reality was neither one of us would be able to relax and do close to nothing for an entire week. We are the kind of people who are always moving. Finally, we decided that we both love California, we love road trips, and we've always wanted to visit what we call "hipster cities" like Portland and Seattle. We boarded a flight from Orlando to LAX and spent our first two nights in beautiful Santa Monica.  The second night of our trip we decided to head over to Venice and try a restaurant suggested to us by the founder of Toms shoes. We ran into him on our flight and Eddie asked for some suggestions. It turned out his taste was a little too outside the box. We