Product Review - Planet Bike Superflash Micro

Welcome to the cycling side of the blog. Where, instead of what coffee I'm drinking, you are subjected to me talking about bikes, and bike related things. So let's begin.

Up for review today is the Planet Bike Superflash Micro rear bike light, pictured below.

Wait, what? A product review of a disassembled product? Mhm. That's exactly what's happening here. This is going to end up being a mix of review and teardown.

This light was purchased for my girlfriend's bike about a year ago. It was used occasionally, and as far as lights go, put out adequate light for letting people know you were in front of them.

But then, it died. I've not disassembled it and looked far enough to determine if it was because of a bad lithium ion battery, or a lack of adequate charging protection, but either way, the battery now reads 0V from positive to ground. There's burn marks between the two where the battery leads were soldered to the board, so it looks like it overcharged, then arced across, killing the battery, and potentially other parts of the circuit.

Build

So, now that we know it's dead, let's talk about how they built it.

The lens and body of the light were glued together, requiring the use of a knife to get in and pry the two apart. It certainly was not designed to be disassembled.

The circuit and battery assembly are held in the body by a rubber gasket, which also serves as a cover for the USB charging port. It's possibly designed like this to help limit the circuit board from being vibrated apart. A very real possibility if it's attached to the frame of a bicycle.

The on/off switch sits in the middle of the lens, attached to a spring. There is not a rubber seal or anything around it, so I wouldn't try submerging this light in water, since that is just about the only entry point (unless you left the USB port cover open.)

Final Thoughts

Would I buy this light again? Maybe. It's one of the least expensive rechargeable rear lights on the market, and I can't guarantee any of the other ones have better overcharging protection. Instead, I'll stick with a warning about charging batteries. Don't leave them plugged in overnight and unattended, because you never know if there's nothing there to prevent them from frying themselves.

Spella Caffè - Ethiopia Guji Kercha

When my brother saw this bag of coffee on the counter, he got all excited, thinking that I was in the know about Spella Caffè. The truth is, I wasn't. I'm not sure what it means to be in the know, other than the fact a friend told him the place reminded him of an Italian Caffè, and now he wants to go visit.

Anyways, now I'm in on the secret too. Accidentally. And only because I forgot to buy coffee at Tailored over the weekend, and then worked too late on Monday to make it to Coffee Plant Roasters before they closed. So, now, a desire to buy something I hadn't had before, as I stood before the coffee choices in the aisle of the local grocery store led me to this.

The coffee itself is a dark roast, darker than I normally drink, and darker than most seem to roast these days. It makes sense though, if they are Italian. As for taste, I still know nothing, other than the fact that I think it tastes good. But I've also yet to find a coffee from Ethiopia that I didn't like.

Tailored Coffee Roasters - Colombia La Chorrera

Tailored Coffee Roasters is another roaster local to me, and, like Coffee Plant Roasters, is also surprisingly easy to reach by bicycle on the way home from work. They aren't exactly new, I just never bothered stopping there and picking up a bag from them before now. That's not to say I haven't had their coffee before. There's a coffee shop a short walk from my house that uses them for their beans.

So, now that the coffee shop introduction is out of the way, on to the beans. These come from Nariño, Colombia, but I couldn't tell you if that means the department or the city within it.

Like the last coffee on the site, I apologize that, to my taste buds, coffee is usually just coffee, and tastes as such. That being said, I do have something resembling notes for this one. Most importantly, is that this is a fairly light roast, and because of this, it threw off my brewing slightly.

My usual routine can be best summed as 4 mins in a french press, but the first few times I brewed it, I was left with the distinctly mild sour taste of under extracted coffee. It's a problem I hadn't really had with the french press before. Not unless I was tired and accidentally added water to whole beans. Adjusting the grind a few notches tighter has now helped, but it wasn't something I was expecting. I'll probably forget the change and end up over extracting the first cup of whatever's next.

Making Coffee Outside

Ever so often, the need to make coffee outside of the home arises. This could be a backpacking trip, bicycle tour, a regular camping trip, or a quick morning adventure to the top of a mountain or similar.

It's important then, to have something easily packed and light weight to take with you. In my case, that includes the following items:

• A titanium backpacking pot
• Alcohol stove - made from an aluminum can
• Kalita Wave dripper and filter
• Mug
• Coffee

My brewing setup, on it's maiden voyage in the backyard.

This combination has now seen two Sub-24 Hour Overnight bike trips and a backpacking trip. It works well. The stove nests in the mug, and the mug in the pot. From there, an aluminum foil windscreen, and lighter also get added to the pot.

As for the coffee, I usually try and pre-grind enough before the trip, especially if the trip will be short or if you'll be backpacking and trying to minimize the weight. For a long bike trip, and fresher coffee, a hand grinder can be packed as well.

Coffee Plant Roasters - Guatemala La Esperanza

This coffee should win an award. For what, you might ask? For the prize of being the first coffee to be posted to this blog while I'm still consuming it. Yay, give it a round of applause, it's earned it.

Anyways, this is another one from CPR, and the fourth from Guatemala. It comes from La Esperanza, in the Quetzaltenango department. I've got no facts about it. It's wikipedia pages are sparse, and most searches just bring up coffee roasters selling their wares. Though that does mean other people also consider it worth drinking.

Now, since I'm currently working my way through this bag of coffee, it'd be safe to say I have tasting notes of it. And...I don't. If nothing crazy stands out, it gets listed as "tastes like coffee." It also doesn't help that it is consumed at work, where my priorities are not detailed tasting notes, but, rather, work. Maybe I'll remedy this, maybe I won't. If I do, it'll end up being an edit at the end of the post.

Coffee Plant Roasters - Light Vienna

After a short break, we're back, and with stuff that, while still being consumed in the past, is certainly being consumed in a much more recent past.

The coffee here comes from Coffee Plant Roasters, still just as accessible by bike as it was before. However, as a bit of a changeup, this marks the first blend I've purchased from there. It's origins are listed as "Sumatra and our favorite Latin." Whether that means a blend of Latin's too, or a single favorite, that's up for debate.

Also up for debate, is their name and description. They've named it after a level of roasting, but then tell you it is only barely in that category. As a follow-up, it then gets described as a "medium to dark roast." So it's a light, medium, dark roast. Got it.

Since it's recent, and I remember something about the taste, I'll actually speak to that here. One flavor description CPR gave was earth. The first few days of drinking this, that earth tasted like dirt. That's not hyperbole. I guess I should just remember that earth = dirt, and shouldn't expect the flavor to be different. That being said, that flavor mellowed out (or became ignored) the further into the bag I drunk.

Stumptown - Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Chelbessa

I saved this Ethiopian Yirgacheffe from Stumptown for last. Until I drink more coffee.

Chelbessa is a washing station, but if you read the back of the card, you already knew that.

This is quite possibly the first Yirgacheffe I knowingly consumed as a Yirgacheffe. The one to start the obsession, apparently. I wish I had more to write about it, but I don't. It's been so long ago since I drunk this.

Wandering Goat - Abyssinia

Abyssinia is a blend from Wandering Goat. Its name is the historical name for Ethiopia, the region where the beans come from.

There have been some changes to the description on this packaging. As of a month ago, it now reads, "A unique fruity and floral blend of our washed and natural Ethiopians produces a wonderfully complex flavor."

Coffee Plant Roasters - Kenya Nyeri Peaberry

This is the 3rd Kenyan coffee I've shown on this blog, and the last of my stockpile of roasts from Coffee Plant Roasters.

For those that don't know, the peaberry label means that this coffee comes from cherries that only contained one seed. Normally, a cherry would contain two seeds.

Wandering Goat - Guatemala Huehuetenango

This coffee from Wandering Goat was grown near the Guatemalan city of Huehuetenango. With a name like that, I wish I knew how to pronounce it correctly, because my probably bastardized way of saying it is entertaining to me. 

While it sounds partially like laughing, Huehuetenango actually means place of the ancients in the Aztec language.

Sisters Coffee - Uganda Kabum Co-op

In an alphabetical list, this roast from Sisters Coffee comes in last for roasts I've tried. That's not necessarily indicative of my taste ranking of this coffee from Uganda though. It also helps that I don't have much of a taste ranking. It was probably good. It certainly wasn't bad.

For an interesting tidbit about this coffee, the Kabum Co-op has only been around since 2011. I also don't know, as far as co-ops go, if that is young or old. This coffee here was consumed sometime in early 2017 though, so don't go thinking that I found out about a coffee earlier than you.

Stumptown - Burundi Kayanza

After a short hiatus (of two weeks when I decided Imgur was more exciting,) here's more records (honestly just for me) of what coffee I have consumed.

This is another Stumptown roast, coming from the African country of Burundi. I'm fairly confident in saying this is the only coffee from Burundi I've ever consumed. Unless some was hiding in a blend. Sneaky.

Wandering Goat - Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Tumticha

After the last coffee being a Yirgacheffe, it's time for more Yirgacheffe! This Wandering Goat roast comes from the Tumticha Co-op.

It's not the first Yirgacheffe I'd ever had, and it certainly wasn't the last.

Coffee Plant Roasters - Ethiopia Yirgacheffe

Here's another Yirgacheffe, this time from Coffee Plant Roasters. It's marked as single origin, but doesn't differentiate any further by region or co-op.

That doesn't really matter in my book, because Yirgacheffe is still probably my favorite coffee region.

Stumptown - Ecuador Cariamanga

Stumptown trading cards are back! I mean, they've never actually left, but after a short break of one other roast, here's another Stumptown. This one comes from Ecuador.

I've got no other anecdote about this one, other than that it was apparently good enough for me to end up with two cards of it.

Coffee Plant Roasters - El Salvador Apaneca

Here's a Coffee Plant Roasters roast from El Salvador. I had something more to write here, then I got distracted trying to remember what I had written on the previous coffee from El Salvador.

Both coffees from El Salvador have tasting notes that include sugar. That must mean that there's something sweet hiding in them. Next time I drink coffee from El Salvador, I'll have to pay attention to that.

Stumptown - Guatemala Bella Vista

Stumptown's trading cards are back after a short break. This one comes to us from the country of Guatemala. It's grown in a land full of volcanoes, but certainly doesn't sound like it tasted fiery.

Sisters Coffee - High Desert Sunrise

Here's a blend, coming from the town of Sisters, Oregon. They describe it as their brightest blend. That's about all I know about it. They give no further information about it.

It's weird to think how the meanings of words can be co-opted, for brightness, a measure of luminance, to become a taste descriptor.

Wandering Goat - Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Aylele

Surprise! It's more Yirgacheffe. This one just so happens to be Wandering Goat. The best I can tell is that Aylele is a grower within Yirgacheffe. It brings up a lot of results in Google for Ayele too. I have no idea if those are one and the same, similar to the several possible variations on Yirgacheffe.

Coffee Plant Roasters - Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Adame Gorbota

It's time to break up that string of trading cards. Here we have a Coffee Plant Roasters roast from Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. This specific one came from the Adame Gorbota Co-op.

I know nothing about the co-op, from whence this came, but I do know that I like coffees from Yirgacheffe. Part of that might be because Yirgacheffe is so much fun to say. Part of that might be because they are tasty.

Stumptown - Indonesia Sulawesi Toarco Toraja

Here's more Stumptown roasts. The name of it certainly is long though, so, through the power of the internet, lets break it down. Sulawesi is an island in Indonesia. Toarco Toraja is a Japanese company that helps the growers grow, process, and sell their beans. The Toraja part of the name comes from the Toraja region from the previously mentioned island of Sulawesi. I don't know the meaning behind Toarco.

That was a lot of words, just about the name of a coffee. It's starting to look like a research project in here.

Stumptown - Bolivia Buenavista

I've got a lot of these Stumptown trading cards. I wonder how they would sound when attached to the spokes of a bicycle.

As per usual, it's been so long ago that I drank this coffee, that I remember nothing about it. Judging by the two smilie faces drawn upon the front of the card, I, or someone in my household apparently like it a lot though.

Stumptown - Peru Cecovasa

Here's another Stumptown roast. Intrigued by the note about it, I ended up researching this coffee a bit more. CECOVASA is a co-op, and this coffee, was used in the 2014 US AeroPress Championships. Not this bag though, because I drank this one myself.

It's weird to me that I use a loosely scientific 4 minutes in a French Press to brew most of my coffee, and there are people out there, working to perfect their brewing, to make the most perfect cup of coffee. Here I am, banging rocks together, trying to create fire.

Wandering Goat - Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gedeo Harfusa

This is a Wandering Goat Yirgacheffe. I'm not entirely sure who or what Gedeo Harfusa is. I've never spent time researching. Anyways, if there is a coffee region I seem to keep coming back to, it certainly seems to be Yirgacheffe, for this is one of many varieties of Yirgacheffe I have consumed.

I was even so considerate in writing the date I opened the bag of coffee for this one. April 2014. Almost 3 and a half years ago. That'll give you, the reader, an idea of just how long some of these coffee labels were sitting in a drawer.

Stumptown - Holler Mountain

Here's more Stumptown. I'm beginning to think I drank a lot of Stumptown. Thanks friend who worked at a Stumptown serving coffee shop. Though if I remember correctly, I actually purchased this one myself.

Sorry, no tasting notes from me.

Stumptown - Colombia El Jordan

Here's another Stumptown roast. With it, comes a realization that the label color is a secret code. And here I thought the only special color was the brown for their regular blends.

Stumptown - Guatemala Santa Clara

Here's another Stumptown coffee, with it's Stumptown trading card. From Guatemala, another country I've visited, but not specifically for its coffee.

Reading the description on this one makes me realize just how much effort Stumptown puts into meeting who they buy their beans from. I wonder how much effort they still put into that after being bought out. Sounds like something to look into.

An additional note. I've apparently liked this one enough to end up with multiple bags of it at different times.

*** 10/7/2017 - Update ***

This is embarrassing. I took two sets of photos of different Santa Clara cards. My sister gave this coffee a thumbs up.

As an additional note, who is Luis Pedro, and why am I expected to know him?

Badbeard's - Kenya AA Lot 117

I probably purchased this coffee because Badbeard sounded like a cool name for a roaster. Also, a pirate coffee bean? Pretty cool, right? What is even more interesting is how much information about the beans they provide. Not just a region, but who grew it, what type of beans they were, what they did with it, and where it was washed.

I can neither confirm, nor deny, it's ability to chase away Holiday Blahs.

All I know really know about it now however, is that it's been a few years since I bought this bag of coffee, and I've not yet purchased more.

Stumptown - Costa Rica Montes de Oro

Here's another Stumptown trading card, this time, hailing from the country of Costa Rica.

I brought coffee from this region back with me from a trip to Central America, however, that was long before this bag of coffee was even beans on a shrub.

Stumptown - El Salvador Kilimanjaro

Once again, here's another Stumptown trading card.

 

In college, I took a trip to Central America, and spent a few days in El Salvador as part of it. I don't remember much about their coffee. I do remember that their official currency is the US Dollar. That was weird to go back to after spending so much time with other currencies.

Coffee Plant Roasters - Java Taman Dadar

Coffee Plant Roasters, and the shortened CPR, a fitting acronym to the feeling of coming back to life upon it's consumption, is a relatively new roaster. I started buying their coffee after I discovered they were easy to get to by bike on the way home from work. At the time, you'd pick what coffee you wanted, and they would go scoop it out of a larger container in the back. Eventually, they started pre-bagging coffee.

Notes of fresh mint and butterscotch

 Sometimes, I leave work too late, and they're closed before I can get there. I end up drinking whatever comes out of the pot at work on those days. Work coffee definitely sat in the roaster too long. Leaving work early because you need better coffee is a good excuse in my book.

Stumptown - Hair Bender

Here's another hairy selection, with another Stumptown coffee trading card. It's their hair bender blend.

Wandering Goat - Hair of the Goat

I started buying Wandering Goat's coffee sometime after I decided I should prioritize buying from local coffee roasters. They certainly have good coffee.

I don't remember if this coffee actually got my goat. I'm not sure if it is the GOAT. It did taste better than actual goat hair though.

Stumptown - Kenya Gachatha

Most of the saving of coffee labels came from the cards on a bag of beans from Stumptown Coffee Roasters. They were and are, in a way, a sort of trading card fact sheet on the coffee you're consuming.

I must have really enjoyed this one, because there were 3 cards for it in the pile. Either that, or my friend from a Stumptown serving coffee shop liked making me drink it.

The French Press Grounds at the Bottom of the Cup

Time consumes a lot of coffee. Once upon a time, I began keeping track of what I drank, by saving the labels from the various bags of coffee I purchased. Eventually I stopped, but still kept on to the old labels. They will end up archived here.

Don't expect tasting notes. I know what sorts of flavors I like, but can't describe them myself. If you ask, I'll say it tastes like coffee. And wine tastes like wine. And beer like beer. You drink one, you've drunk them all. Except for coffee in a tea bag. That stuff is bad.