^{Who is Maple Brew Chronicles For?}

This newsletter and site is being written to share my coffee journey with individuals who may want to follow along for the ride. The first several posts have been about coffee history and coffee beans to build a foundation for the countless topics I intend to dive into. Commentary on equipment, brewing methods, roasts, sensory evaluation, and more.

Without a doubt, it’ll change and evolve as I learn more. At this point, March 2024, I’ve spent 18 months on and off consuming coffee related information. There’s a ton of subject matter expertise on each facet of coffee, from beans, to brewing, to style, to strength, to ratios, and to preferences. You’ll find blogs, websites and other avenues for going deep into any one of these subjects. For me, and Maple Brew Chronicles, we’ll be touching it all while not delving so far that you’ll come out with a Ph.D in said subject.

I hope people will use this site and information as a launching point to their own discovery of the facets that interest them most. My broad sense of learning and curiosity is fed with comprehensive knowledge.

^{Who is Larry Leung?}

I’m an individual with insatiable curiosity that occasionally results in learning burnout. It’s better managed now. 😁 I live and work in the suburbs of Toronto, Canada. I’m privileged to be happily married with two young boys and navigating the sea of life, like everyone else.

My experience and expertise in this coffee journey DOES NOT come from being in the coffee industry. I am NOT a professional barista, roaster, importer, marketer or related activity that deals with coffee on a day-to-day professional basis.

While I’ve been drinking ‘coffee’ for 20+ years, that doesn’t make me an expert. Learning anything from coding, wood-working, change management, etc. only comes when you apply yourself to the task. A year and a half ago, a coffee video was likely suggested by the YouTube algorithm and thus interested continued to grow in understanding more and more. This site is documenting the journey and hopefully a place where more knowledgeable people can correct, clarify and further my understanding.

They say when you can teach or share information, that’s when the knowledge solidifies. The same is true for doing, the more you do something, the better you get at it.

I love coffee equipment probably more than coffee itself (at this point as I’m still very early on in my coffee adventure). Luckily I’m able to stop myself from buying everything (for budgetary and space related reasons) but the variety of products available in the coffee space is amazing and extensive.

So far I have NOT invested a huge amount into equipment and gadgets yet but that’ll continue to iterate as I journey through this venture.

Current Equipment (March 2024)

• AeroPress Clear (Acquired November 2023)

• Hario V60 Switch (Acquired May 2023)

• Breville Ground Control Automatic (Acquired 8+ years ago)

• French Press (Very rarely used)

• Normcore V2 Grinder (July 2023)

• Breville Bambino Plus (Acquired February 2024)

• Crema Distribution + Tamper (March 2024)

• Generic Magnetic Dosing Ring (March 2024)

• Generic WDT tool (March 2024)

• Coffee Scale (November 2023)

• Regular Kitchen Scale (Ancient)

• Generic 54mm Naked Portafilter (March 2024)

• IMS Precision 18-22g filter basket

Lastly, I’m a coffee enthusiast, not a coffee snob. If you love instant Folgers coffee, that’s awesome, if you love Hacienda La Esmeralda Natural Geisha Coffee from Panama, that’s awesome, if you love Starbucks coffee, McDonalds coffee, also fantastic! I am not here to judge anyone on their tasting preferences, coffee spend, equipment purchases, or anything. I am here to share what I’ve learned and what I’m trying out that makes sense for my wallet and my palette.

“Perfection is the enemy of progress” - Winston Churchill