If you’re anything like me, dedicating time to a proper clan night is a little harder these days. What with work and life rudely getting in the way.
When we do get that dedicated time, though, I always make sure I can squeeze the most out of it. Especially if we’re going for a completion, and not just runs to learn encounters.
Whether you’re a hardcore raider in World of Warcraft, or a Vault of Glass veteran. Getting the most out of those precious hours is important.
I know that we all have our own ways to prep, both physically and mentally. In fact, I have two tactics. If we’re learning and doing test runs, it’s a glass of wine or a couple of beers to steady the nerves and just chill.
But when it’s go-time, coffee is my weapon of choice.
This is likely no surprise, because over at ninjarefinery.com I write about both gaming, and coffee. The best of both worlds tend to meet when it’s raid time.
I literally have to grind both the game and the coffee.
The prep
The idea here is to make sure you have good coffee, that’s quick to make, but not instant (dirty!). Better still, you can look at some high-caffeine options, which we’ll come to later on.
For now, we look at keeping things simple.
Good coffee doesn’t have to be expensive, and it doesn’t require an espresso machine, three years of barista training and a knowledge of the Blue Mountain region of Jamaica.
Save your focus and planning for the raid.
Straight out of the gates I’d recommend getting a hold of a Hario V60 or something similar. For a few quid, you’ve got yourself a decent little coffee maker that isn’t made up of millions of little pieces. Your raid might be complicated, but making a good cup of coffee isn’t.
V60 in-hand, get yourself a bag of ground coffee (unless you want to get beans and grind them yourself). The beauty of the V60 is that it required a medium/medium-fine grind, which is exactly what you’ll get from pre-ground coffee.
Don’t get too caught-up in the “strength” numbers on bags of coffee. That generally relates to how dark they’ve been roasted, as opposed to caffeine intensity. It’s a little bit redundant to be honest. If you like it dark and bitter, go for the higher numbers. But if you want flavour, look for those medium roasts.
So, coffee and V60 in-hand. All you need is the ability to boil some water, and a cup.
Not too bad, eh?
Raid-ready
That’s it, you’re good to go.
If you’re looking to have a late one or a long one, you’re looking at multiple cups, to keep you going. Using the V60 means you can get a cup (mug) made in minutes.
With your coffee already ground, and some filters that come with the maker. You’ll just need to boil the kettle from time to time, and add new coffee.
I often find myself taking a few minutes if we’re constantly wiping in a section. We all know the stress of slipping up on a raid encounter several times in a row. You need to breathe and take a minute.
Use this time to pop the kettle on and get another coffee brewed.
Quick tip: For the best flavour, boil the kettle then wait 15 seconds before your pour. Only cover the grounds on the first pour, and leave it to “bloom” for 30 seconds. Then pour the rest of the water steadily, in a clockwise motion.
All told, you can have a cup of good coffee made in 3 minutes flat. Sure, the coffee-elite may tell you to weigh the coffee, and weigh the water. But they haven’t got a raid to get to, have they?
This will be better than a cup of instant, and give you that much needed caffeine hit. Without all the sugar and chemicals of energy drinks.
Trust me when I say that this is a nicer way to get the caffeine. I used to be an energy drink fiend, and it wasn’t a pretty sight.
Extra XP
If you really want that caffeine hit mid-raid. You could look into high-caffeine coffees, something to give that little extra kick.
There are a lot of products on the market, and you’ll be able to find plenty of choice. If I may be so bold, though, I’d highly recommend Cannonball Coffee (check out my review).
Of course, you can go with whatever you like. The world of coffee is full of blends and roasts, and there’s no way I can tell you what you like.
I just want to help steer you in the right direction.
Get a couple of basic bits to start and you’re good to go. You can smash that caffeine and keep sharp when tackling a puzzle or boss encounter. Or you can take-up a new hobby with low entry cost (next stop Aeropress!!).
Either way, hopefully after reading this, you’re good to go.
Get that completion, stay sharp for your clan and keep those raid-night going for as long as you can. Those nights are something special, nothing compares to a clan completion after hours and hours of working it out.
If you want to learn more about coffee, catch me over at ninjarefinery.com and if you want to read my takes on games, catch me there or over at fullsync.co.uk.
Disclosure:
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