Strong enough to raise the dead. That's the power of the awesome Deadrise Blend coffee from Mobjack Bay Coffee Roasters that we're honored to featured here in our web store.

But getting the power from that perfect cup of coffee starts with the brew and our friends at Mobjack were kind enough to share some brewing tips with us!

The perfect cup is a cool blend of water, temperature, grind size, quality of the coffee and roaster (and you can count on that with Mobjack Bay Coffee Roasters!) and the brewer itself!

Here's what you need to know!

Water: Filtered or spring water will make the best coffee. Tap water tends to have fluoride and chlorine added that can foul the taste. Distilled water is not recommended.

Temperature: Coffee should be brewed with 200-degree water, most home brewers do not reach that temperature, but you can still have a great cup at home. It is possible to burn your coffee. Make sure if you are heating the water on the stove that it isn’t boiling, this scorches the grounds and results in a burnt flavor. Catching the water just before the boil, or allowing the water to cool off of a rolling boil is best.

Grind Size: For home brewers it is best to use the “Drip” grind, for Espresso use “Fine or Espresso Grind” and for French Press use “Course Grind”. The faster the brewing method, the finer the grind. Burr grinders will grind the beans evenly; blade grinders chop up the beans making an inconsistent grind. This means the water can over extract from some of the grounds and under extract from others, making an inconsistent tasting cup of coffee that can also be bitter. If your coffee tastes bitter, add MORE coffee, and make sure your grind level isn’t too fine.

Quality of the Coffee: A good cup of coffee requires using the finest roasted beans. Premium, Arabica beans will provide the best cup of coffee for you. Mobjack Bay Coffee Roasters use only top quality, premium, Certified Rainforest Alliance beans from the finest estates in the world. Many of their coffees are Source Certified Organic.

The Roaster: Some coffee houses roast many of their coffees to the darkest roast level, French Roast. This hides the lack of flavor from lower quality beans and creates a dark, roasted flavor with little dimension. Also, if you put a handful in your hand and you will see dark beans with bits and pieces of beans. (A telltale sign of low quality beans.) Mobjack Bay coffee is roasted by a Master Roaster, carefully timed and documented which insures consistent roasts week after week. No guessing is involved. No throwing the beans in the roaster and ignoring them. They create roast profiles to bring out the most desirable flavors in the coffee. Very rarely do they bring coffees to a French Roast level. Much like over cooking an expensive steak, their beans are so high quality, they do not over roast them.

Brewers: Keep your brewer and pot clean. Soak pots overnight with a few scoops of baking soda and hot water, rinse well. Periodically clean the brewer by brewing a mixture of vinegar and water a couple times. This will keep them clean and running smoothly.

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Story By Ethan Sabo, Guest Blogger

Photos By Kelly Marderosian, Consociate Media

The bright sun peeks through a cloudy sky on a warm spring day. The salty, marsh scent of the Chesapeake Bay fills the air. And then, cutting through the water, a short distance from the Marker Nine channel marker in Sarah Creek off of the York River, a faint image appears. Smoothly cutting through the waves, it becomes clear. It’s a Deadrise.

It's no secret Marker Nine loves the water - especially the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, which inspired Marker Nine to begin with. But even more so, Marker Nine loves all that the water provides. A home. A playground. A farm.

Yes, a farm.

In honor of the very men and women who harvest the crabs, the oysters, the fish that make the Chesapeake Bay so unique, Marker Nine recently launched its newest design - the Deadrise.

The Deadrise. It’s part art. Part engineering feat. All awesome.

Where did it come from?

In 1607, English settlers sailing upon the Susan, Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery landed in the Chesapeake Bay and founded Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in Virginia. Along with their optimistic hopes and dreams, the 104 original Jamestown settlers brought with them the term “waterman.” Originally, the English used this term simply to mean a man who worked in the fishing industry; but over the past 400 years, the term waterman has come to mean so much more. A waterman is not just an occupation; the term encapsulates the purpose, ideals, and very being of the Chesapeake fisherman. For centuries the waterman has been the backbone and identity of the Chesapeake economy. The waterman rises early in the morning and works strenuous manual labor all day, sometimes traveling dozens of miles on the water in search of a good harvest, before finally returning to harbor late in the evening. He often works nights, crabs and oysters when he can, and only gets paid when he has something to sell. It’s an occupation not for the faint of heart. Why then does he do it? Because he loves being on the water and he loves the Chesapeake Bay. Many watermen are multiple generations into the industry and from their very beginning the term waterman has been a major piece of who they are. It’s home.

Over the years, the watermen’s boat has evolved from dugout canoes to bugeyes, to the official boat of the Commonwealth of Virginia—the Deadrise. The term “deadrise” refers to the angle in the hull design, rising upward horizontally from the bottom of the keel rabbet to the sideboards. This angle creates a sharp V shape in the hull of the boat that flattens moving aft along the bottom of the hull. This V shape design allows the boat to glide over the waves at faster speeds while minimizing the pounding from the waves. The Deadrise, therefore, allows watermen to travel farther distances safely and efficiently as they search for better harvests.

Just as the waterman has come to be a symbol for the Chesapeake Bay, so too, the Deadrise has become a symbol for the waterman. It’s memory of how we’ve come, a reminder of where we are, and an image of our Beloved Bay. The Deadrise, it’s who we are.

Research Sources:

http://www.marinersmuseum.org/sites/micro/cbhf/waterman/wat000.html

https://watermens.org/fishing-boats-evolve/

http://www.boatingmag.com/all-aboard-boats-whats-deal-deadrise

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Do you know that feeling when you fire up the grill…toss a dozen or so oysters on and anxiously wait for them to pop open? At Marker Nine, we know that feeling well!

Living in a coastal community, fresh oysters are plentiful and we can assure you we take full advantage.

We hope you do, too, wherever you are. And if you do, we'd love for you to try a few of our favorite oyster recipes from some of our favorite people and places!

From the Waypoint Seafood and Grill kitchen to yours...try this Virginia Scalloped Oyster recipe this season (or any season, for that matter) in your home! It’s the perfect compliment to any meal! Heck...you could even eat it all by itself if you wanted.

http://www.waypointgrill.com/news/virginia-scalloped-oysters-recipe/

What do you get when you combine Tommy Leggett’s York River oysters, Virginia ham, cabot cheddar cheese, spinach, crab and bernaise sauce? The “Waypoint” Oyster. You can easily make this on your own at home.

http://www.waypointgrill.com/news/a-visual-recipe-tommy-leggetts-oysters-the-waypoint-way/

Although best served during the holidays, this Oyster and Cornbread Dressing recipe, courtesy of Waypoint Seafood and Grill, is a great cold weather comfort food dish. Fact: it's served every Thanksgiving at Marker Nine co-founders' Rudy Heinatz and Mike Silberhorn's homes!

http://www.waypointgrill.com/news/oyster-and-cornbread-dressing-recipe/

Who doesn’t love being snuggled up on the couch with a warm cup of soup…especially when that soup is Oyster Stew? Count us in! The best part of this recipe? You probably already have all of the ingredients, minus the fresh oysters!

http://www.yorkriveroysters.com/oyster-stew

Aw shucks, can you handle the heat? This recipe features grilled oyster with a spicy garlic, compliments of Tommy Leggett!

http://www.yorkriveroysters.com/recipes/item/21-grilled-oysters-w-spicy-garlic-butter

Do calories count when you fry oysters? We don’t think so. And neither do the Natural Lights you drink while eating these up.

http://www.yorkriveroysters.com/fried-oysters

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"Give me the smell of low tide, marsh grass and a two-stroke and I'm in heaven."
-Mike Silberhorn, Marker Nine Co-Founder

We've said it time and time again - because we love the story! - when asked about the inspiration for Marker Nine.

You crawl down the creek, enjoying the calm of No Wake. Then you see her. Bright and green.

It's Channel Marker Nine on Sarah Creek along the Chesapeake Bay's York River and just after pulling past her, the open water awaits.

Just being here, in this space, fills your senses. The salt. The wind. The hum of the motor.

This is life. Coastal life. This is Marker Nine.

Well this - these pictures below - is the real Channel Marker Nine that inspired it all. It stands tall in Sarah Creek just outside the waters of the York River Yacht Haven, at the mouth of the York River in Virginia's famed Chesapeake Bay.

It's where the families who founded Marker Nine have spent countless hours in the salty waters. It's a happy place, a fun place, a place that's formative in the young lives of the next generation of Marker Nine.

Meet our Marker Nine. And then head over to our Facebook page and show us yours. Don't forget to use the hashtag #MYMARKERNINE.

If you know Marker Nine co-founder Mike Silberhorn, you know where there's a boat and a Marker Nine coozie, a Fatty Natty (Natural Light) isn't far behind.

See that? Love for the water. Love for Marker Nine. Love for family. That's co-founder Mike Silberhorn's boys hugging it out!

Does this even really need a caption? Boat + summer days + the waters outside Marker Nine = best childhood memories ever.

It isn't a beach party or a boat party without some of our favorite pooches.

There she is. Bright and green. #MyMarkerNine

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A celebration of Chesapeake Bay ingredients that includes items grown at local farms and caught in regional waters. Casual elegance. Pure flavors and rich ingredients presented in seasonally changing entrees. Modern American cuisine built on classical culinary roots. And friends to Marker Nine.

That is Waypoint Seafood & Grill in Williamsburg, Virginia. And earlier this year, they were the gracious hosts of the Marker Nine launch party, where we gathered to celebrate the first collection of Marker Nine with friends and family who helped get this new casual, coastal apparel line off the ground.

Here's a peek inside Waypoint and a look at our launch party! The best is yet to come!

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