It’s been a heck of a year so far! I’ve taken a few breaks from the roasting drum to attend some of the amazing coffee events that happen around the country! My first stop was Kansas City, for the US Coffee Championships. My keenest interest was in the roasting championships, as I was very curious […]
Americans are such innovators. If we don’t invent it, we improve it and make it our own. Nothing can be more illustrative than with the example of espresso. This liquor of potent coffee extraction is a quintessentially Italian beverage made possible by early 20th century invention. Names like Bezzera, Pavoni, Gaggia and Arduino—popular today because […]
I’ve been fascinated by the coffees of Indonesia. It first started with a Sumatra Mandheling that, when seeing and smelling the green beans, I thought was going to be terrible. Then I roasted it and shared a few bags of the spicy, earthy, complex roast. It wasn’t long after that customers were asking for more. […]
When I started roasting coffee, I became more concerned than ever with a mountain of details related to brewing. After all, how could I judge the quality of my roasts if I couldn’t be assured that I was brewing coffee under optimum conditions? This wasn’t a question for me previously, since I was only brewing […]
I suppose it’s no surprise that when I travel, I tend to incorporate visits to other coffee roasters on my itinerary. This spring, a trip to Philadelphia, PA gave me a great opportunity to visit 3 roasters, spend some time getting to know their people and their product, talk shop, and soak up some of […]
As I talk with more restaurant owners, I am learning that coffee is often a required menu item that does not get much forethought. In the old days, it was typical to have a simple “Bunn” style coffee brewer and glass carafe pots warmed on a heating element and refilled as needed. This has led […]
You’re a barista. Maybe at home, or maybe you’ve been working in a shop, and you hear all sorts of theories about how to tamp your espresso, ultimately deciding that how you tamp, doesn’t really matter that much. I’m here to tell you, that it matters a great deal, and the reason is not among […]
Your coffee-loving friends have already told you that it’s a bad idea to buy ground coffee. They say it’s not as fresh, that ground coffee goes stale quickly. But hey, you’ve been drinking coffee for years, buying it already ground, and you’ve been perfectly happy with it, right?
I often have people ask me for coffee recommendations and they tend to say one of two things, either “I like dark roasts” or “I like coffee that doesn’t have acidity”. As a roaster, I find this really interesting because the current trend of “Third Wave” coffee is all about emphasizing the uniqueness of coffee […]
In coffee roasting, there isn’t a single formula or method that you can call “tried and true”. The variables are numerous, and knowing how to address each variety of coffee is what makes a roastmaster. In How Roasting Style Changes the Flavor of Coffee, I discussed how a faster application of heat can lead to sweeter […]