I’m a simple man with a simple palate. I brew my coffee in an old Hamilton Beach drip pot, twelve cups at a time, starting at 0500.
Why 0500?
Is it because I’m an old crusty sergeant? Is it the PTSD? Is it because I work early?
Nah. That’s not why. I start work at 0900 and the commute from my bedroom to my office is about twelve steps.
I get up early because my wife is a teacher who has to be at school before 0700, and because somebody has to wake three kids up for school.
The routine
I grind organic whole bean in my Fellow Opus, setting 8, about sixty seconds. While that’s running I fill the pot to twelve cups and pour it into the back of the machine. Filter in, dump the grinder cup into the filter, close the lid, hit the power button, and wait.
Once I see that sweet, sweet elixir hit the four cup line, I grab my BRCC handmade mug and fill it up.
Am I done? No I am not.
Then I ruin it
Oat milk. Two or three sugars.
I know, I know. My BRCC coffee snobs are having a full meltdown right about now.

There’s a reason Evan Hafer gave me the nickname Sweet Pete. I like my sweets. Some might say I have a problem. I’d say I have a preference, and it’s mine, and I’m keeping it.
And the other eight cups?
They go in the same mug, a refill at a time, while I work from the home office. That’s right. I drink a whole pot a day. One of the perks of being a BRCC employee.
Twelve cups, 0500, oat milk and sugar. Every morning. If that offends you, I’ll be over here enjoying my coffee.
My daily setup
The three things from Black Rifle that are actually on my counter. Same links as above, in one place.
- The coffee: BRCC organic whole bean. Ground fresh every morning, setting 8.
- The grinder: Fellow Opus conical burr grinder. About sixty seconds for a twelve-cup pot.
- The mug: BRCC handcrafted mug. Where all twelve cups end up, a refill at a time.
Not pictured, not sold by Black Rifle, and not going anywhere: the Hamilton Beach drip pot, the oat milk, and the sugar.
Disclosure
The coffee, the grinder, and the mug linked above are all sold by Black Rifle Coffee Company, where I work. Nobody pays me for the links and I earn no commission on them. It’s just what’s actually on my counter. See the disclosure page.



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