My Morning Routine

Our Test Kitchen Assistant Chris Morocco has a bit of an obsession

February 28, 2012

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Welcome to My Morning Routine, where we take a look at how people kick-start their days

Today, we look into the morning routine of Chris Morocco, a Kitchen Assistant in the BA Test Kitchen and more than a little bit of a coffee nerd.

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I get in to work around 8:45 on mornings when I am not shopping for the Test Kitchen, via subway. Every morning I have to choose if I want to walk up to Church Ave where I can take the B or Q, or I can walk to closer Beverley Rd, where it is just the Q, but it is a lovely outdoor platform that makes you feel like an extra in a British suburban drama.

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I drink coffee. Coffee coffee coffee. Can't live without it. I fire up my MACAP M5 grinder and make a single cup of pour-over coffee. I now only use my Pavoni to steam milk for my wife's chai lattes. I love being able to really taste the beans in drip coffee--espresso is amazing but I like spreading out the experience. Just enough to get going.

The heavy drinking begins when I get to the office. It doesn't matter where the beans are from as long as they are freshly roasted. I love 9th Street Espresso, Stumptown, Gimme. All roasts all styles. As soon as I get into the office it is more coffee, which I share with the food team--I use Hario's pourover system when I have time--otherwise it is just a blade grinder but still with the Hario v60 filter system.

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I have to eat every few hours or I get super cranky. I like to start with granola or oatmeal at home and then make toast when I get to the office. (I love Bread Alone's sliced whole wheat sour dough.) My wife loads it up with fruit and nuts and dried fruit whereas I just keep things pretty plain. Maple syrup on steel cut oats is heaven.

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I listen to NPR and think about how old that makes me sound. I usually have a picture-heavy food book open on the table to flip through--Ottolenghi and Food and Drink in Britain are the latest.