The coffee industry, like so many, has evolved and changed greatly, especially during the past twenty years. You walk into basically any coffee shop now and you see more than simply “Drip Coffee” followed by three prices for three sizes. There are standard drip coffees for immediate service and then the, sometimes daunting, pour-over menu, with words like V60, Kalita Wave 185, Aeropress, Chemex….wait, isn’t a Chemex how the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. brewed coffee? It’s true, in countless episodes you’ll see a Chemex in Rachel and Monica’s kitchen, and you’re also likely to see it in a coffee bar being prepared by someone who wasn’t even alive when Friends was airing! Why would you go with a pour-over instead of drip coffee? Is there a difference? Is one superior to the other? To explore this we are going to break it down into three parts: Various pour-overs and what they do/basic recipes, Automatic…

During the last few days in February coffee people from across the United States flew to Costa Mesa, CA for a weekend of coffee competitions. Every year, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) hosts competitions for coffee professionals testing their skills in making espresso, brewing coffee, roasting green coffee, crafting coffee cocktails, or a cup tasting competition. If you’ve ever wondered what the coffee equivalent of Chopped or The Amazing Race is, read on! From top left to bottom right…The newly crowned US Barista Champion, Andrea Allen from Onyx Coffee Labs in Arkansas. She has been serving judges 4 espressos, 4 milk drinks, and 4 signature beverages for seven years and has officially claimed the title as champion! She will be representing the US at the World Barista Championships in Melbourne, AUS May 4-7, 2020. First time competitor and national Brewers Cup qualifier, Kristina Jackson, an educator for Inteligentisa Coffee. Kristina…

The perfect espresso: a lifelong pursuit for us coffee nerds. At it’s best, espresso is a harmonious balance of acidity, bitterness, and sweetness. At its worst, it can be aggressively sour or bitter. So how do you avoid these pitfalls? One of the first steps is to look for the “three phases” a shot goes through while it’s pulling. Each phase brings something different to the table. Coffee experts talk a lot about extraction, and that’s essentially what we’re looking at here. Different compounds in the espresso extract at different times. Too much of one phase will throw the shot out of balance. Part One: The Heart This is the most concentrated part of the shot. It’s heavy in body, and often it shows itself as deep, rich brown drips. This phases carries most of the bright, vibrant flavors of the espresso such as citrus and other fruit notes, but can be…

When it comes to choosing the best manual coffee grinder, where do you start? Should you get one with a blade or burr? What’s the difference? And what about if you’re looking for an electric grinder? How do you narrow down all of your options? You’re not the only one wondering. In fact, we’ve put together this guide because we know that most people don’t know where to even begin. And not only can we help you navigate the maze of searching for the best coffee grinders, but we think it will also help you know to more about coffee grinding in general. All of this can be overwhelming especially when you’ve never owned a coffee grinder or you’ve never ground coffee before. We get it. Why Get a Coffee Grinder? Here’s the thing: Coffee grinding is not just about pouring coffee beans into a grinder, brewing the coffee and…

When people think about where to buy the best coffee beans, their minds narrow in on a package or a label. But there are different factors to look for when it comes to choosing the best whole bean coffee. A lot it also depends on where coffee beans grow, how they are roasted, for how long they’ve been roasted before being brewed, how they are ground and finally how they are brewed. All of these elements together give coffee beans their unique flavors. A lot of that depends on you too. You have your own unique taste palate and certain coffee flavor preferences. For example, do you prefer light, medium or dark coffee? And what flavors would you most likely go for? Fruity, nutty, or a citrus taste? At the same time, you may not have a favorite yet, or you’re open to trying new flavors. The best way to…

Isn’t pour over coffee so much better than machine brewed coffee? The rich taste that highlights all the flavorful notes. The wonderful aroma that fills the room. There is something special about the pour over method that makes truly makes a difference. Yet, many still opt for brewing coffee using a normal coffee machine. Why bother if you can just push a button? Who needs a pour over coffee when you have the convenience of using your coffee maker? Yes, it may seem like brewing pour over coffee is more labor-intensive. But the process is not that complex at all. Pour over coffee easier to make than you realize. What’s involved? Only a few basic things: Freshly ground coffee, a filter, hot water, and a brewer — a pour over coffee maker. That’s it. What You’ll Need to Make Pour Over Coffee: 1. Pour over coffee maker (We’ll get into…

Learning how to make French press cold brew will not only result in creating a delicious and refreshing cup, but it will also help you cut back on excessive trips to your favorite coffee shop. No matter your reasons, learning to how to make cold brew coffee from the comfort of your home just makes sense. We’ll teach you a simple way to make French press cold brew. You only need a few tools. You do not have to be an experienced coffee barista to make this successfully. So give it a try. It’s easy, we promise! Cold Brew, Iced Coffee, What’s the Difference? First, we want to clear up some of the confusion around how cold brew is different from iced coffee. Are they both cold? Yes. Are they prepared similarly? No. They are two completely different drinks. If you’re not familiar with the difference between cold brew and…

Have you ever been at a coffee shop, went up to the counter, and instead of ordering something different — you opted for the same drink because you didn’t know what to get? Maybe if you knew how all those drinks were made you’d have a better idea about to get the next time. Let’s start with this: While all those drinks are unique, they all start out as one thing: espresso. But don’t confuse espresso with coffee. They are not the same. Espresso isn’t just a simple cup of black coffee. Espresso takes a lot of work to make. Read on to find out more about what espresso is, the difference between espresso and coffee, and what the difference between coffee and espresso is — that way — you’ll be more confident about what to order the next time you visit your local coffee shop. A Brief History of…

Once you’ve tried espresso, it’s hard to go back to regular coffee. But most people think that an espresso drink is only available at a coffee shop, with barista training, or by buying an expensive espresso machine. We are going to let you in on a little secret: You can make espresso without an espresso machine at home. In fact there are several ways to accomplish this, and without the need to use a fancy machine. How To Make Espresso Without an Espresso Machine Let us show you three ways you can make espresso from home with just a few simple supplies. Supplies: AeroPress A Burr grinder Espresso beans Thermometer Tamp Scale Kettle (or regular stove pot) for boiling water Make Espresso with an AeroPress An AeroPress is a plastic, easily portable device used for coffee and espresso making. It’s a manual device that uses air pressure to push the…

Are you always making or ordering the same coffee drink? Perhaps you’d like to try different types of coffee, but you don’t know where to start. That’s why we’ve compiled a coffee guide with all the types of coffee drinks — some a bit more rare than others,  but others that may be available at your local coffee shop. Here is Every Type of Coffee That Exists on the Planet. Ever. (Okay, not EVERY type of coffee that exists, but it’s a lot of them). But, before jumping in, let’s first look at a brief description of the different varieties of coffee beans out there so that the next time you take a sip of java, you’ll have a newfound appreciation. Types of Coffee Beans There are four main coffee beans in the world, but only two of them – Arabica and Robusta are consumed in coffee shops everywhere. The…