I love your newsletter and I'm a paid subscriber, so I already love what you're doing. I agree that it's really difficult to differentiate between content that's free and content that should be paid for.
I wonder if doing deep dives on niche subjects might be a draw for paid subscribers? Very generally speaking, I tend to think of free content as "for everyone" in the sense that it's meant to be digestible to the general public. But if someone is really a fan of your work and wants to support it monetarily, then maybe they'd enjoy reading additional fun tangents. Or maybe sharing a roundup of the things that you've read lately that you enjoyed!
I am in the same thought group as Eden in that what you're writing for free subscribers is already worth supporting as a paid subscriber. I hope other people chime in here with ideas, as I've also wondered if paid subscribers need something "more" than what you already give them. But I've seen this work for others (I know it would also be extra time for you): discussion threads, BTS, and "bonus" essays/transcripts/extra interview quotes that you've done before.
Do you about cold brew(ing) tea? It’s delicious! As with cold brew coffee, cold brewing makes a sweeter, smoother tasting tea since the tannins aren’t steeped out of the tea in cold water the way they are in hot water. This means no more bitter iced tea!
And it may be the case that the origins of cold brewing tea in Japan, some time before 1600, may have influenced the development of cold brew coffee.
Here’s the story: In the 17th century the Dutch made coffee as a boiled-down concentrate that traders and sailors could bring aboard ships in vats. This coffee didn’t need dangerous fire to enjoy and it could be bottled and sold at port.
And then around 1640, after the Dutch bring their concentrate over to Japan and coffee then gains popularity, the Japanese develop their own brewing methods. In Kyoto, they used their cold tea brewing techniques for their coffee and presto: cold brew coffee!
But there were developments with coffee in other parts of the world - North Africa, Cuba - where coffee making/brewing techniques were utilising cold water, and then brought to America. But I am guessing you know about all that!
I completely resonate with feeling like a buzzkill all the time! Are you familiar with Sara Ahmed's work? She's reclaimed the term "feminist killjoy" and uses it to celebrate the kind of "buzzkill" analysis that opens the door to change.
Secondly, I love the reflection on cold brew. My years in coffee were back in the mid-aughts, working for Borders when they switched to Seattle's Best Coffee. I think we were the only cold brew in town at that point! And I can also remember being completely confounded by people who drank iced drinks... but I was just a coffee baby and didn't understand how wonderful cold coffee could be!
Anyhow, if you're ever interested in coming on my podcast, What Works, to talk about coffee & labor, I'd love to have you and introduce you to my audience!
I love your newsletter and I'm a paid subscriber, so I already love what you're doing. I agree that it's really difficult to differentiate between content that's free and content that should be paid for.
I wonder if doing deep dives on niche subjects might be a draw for paid subscribers? Very generally speaking, I tend to think of free content as "for everyone" in the sense that it's meant to be digestible to the general public. But if someone is really a fan of your work and wants to support it monetarily, then maybe they'd enjoy reading additional fun tangents. Or maybe sharing a roundup of the things that you've read lately that you enjoyed!
I am in the same thought group as Eden in that what you're writing for free subscribers is already worth supporting as a paid subscriber. I hope other people chime in here with ideas, as I've also wondered if paid subscribers need something "more" than what you already give them. But I've seen this work for others (I know it would also be extra time for you): discussion threads, BTS, and "bonus" essays/transcripts/extra interview quotes that you've done before.
This was great as always, Ashley!
‘...it’s going to happen in coffee’
Do you about cold brew(ing) tea? It’s delicious! As with cold brew coffee, cold brewing makes a sweeter, smoother tasting tea since the tannins aren’t steeped out of the tea in cold water the way they are in hot water. This means no more bitter iced tea!
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Fss1358Ws_c
And it may be the case that the origins of cold brewing tea in Japan, some time before 1600, may have influenced the development of cold brew coffee.
Here’s the story: In the 17th century the Dutch made coffee as a boiled-down concentrate that traders and sailors could bring aboard ships in vats. This coffee didn’t need dangerous fire to enjoy and it could be bottled and sold at port.
And then around 1640, after the Dutch bring their concentrate over to Japan and coffee then gains popularity, the Japanese develop their own brewing methods. In Kyoto, they used their cold tea brewing techniques for their coffee and presto: cold brew coffee!
But there were developments with coffee in other parts of the world - North Africa, Cuba - where coffee making/brewing techniques were utilising cold water, and then brought to America. But I am guessing you know about all that!
I completely resonate with feeling like a buzzkill all the time! Are you familiar with Sara Ahmed's work? She's reclaimed the term "feminist killjoy" and uses it to celebrate the kind of "buzzkill" analysis that opens the door to change.
Secondly, I love the reflection on cold brew. My years in coffee were back in the mid-aughts, working for Borders when they switched to Seattle's Best Coffee. I think we were the only cold brew in town at that point! And I can also remember being completely confounded by people who drank iced drinks... but I was just a coffee baby and didn't understand how wonderful cold coffee could be!
Anyhow, if you're ever interested in coming on my podcast, What Works, to talk about coffee & labor, I'd love to have you and introduce you to my audience!