The Reading Room

I'll try any kind of coffee anywhere (except that weird cevit-ingested coffee from Malaysia).  So I tried a supermarket coffee brand from the hispanic section.  Brand name Cafe Pilon.  Subbranded Cafe Molido. This stuff is pure gasoline and I don't...

If there was ever evidence that locally roasted coffee is making a comeback, it's this: In Seattle, Starbucks has quietly removed its name from a cafe that it planned originally to close and instead called it 15th Avenue Coffee &...

Why does espresso taste different in Italy than in the US?  Is it the scenic countryside, the renaissance artwork, the legacy of the Medicis.. um, no.  It's because Italians prefer a totally different taste in their espresso than do Americans. ...

We're glad to now carry coffee from Roast Magazine's Roaster of the Year for 2009, PT's Coffee Roasting Company!You have to try them. PT's has won more awards than Michael Phelps, and across the board too in many categories and regions....

After the country of origin and roast, what is the next most important characteristic of gourmet coffee? Whether the coffee beans off the tree were dry processed or wet processed. It impacts taste in a big way, and can make...

Do you have a favorite coffee? Mine is coffee from Indonesia and the surrounding islands. (Which isn't to say that I give preference to Indonesian coffee at ROASTe.com...like a parent, I love all my children) The reason I love Indonesian...

The Hawai‘i coffee industry is doing something right.  For the first time, a statewide cupping competition was held (July 9-12 at the Maui Tropical Plantation).  Sixty-nine farms, from 9 regions, submitted samples for the event. The Hawaii Coffee Association, host...

We're carrying a lot of blends including Breakfast Blends which begs the question "What are Breakfast Blends anyway?"If like me, you assume it's a higher caffeine coffee to help you wake up in the morning, then you're, well, wrong.  Breakfast...

A big round of applause please for Latitude 23.5 in Sarasota, FL. It's the newest gourmet coffee roaster to join ROASTe.com. I first tried owner Dimitry Erez's espresso at the Special Coffee Association of America trade show in Atlanta in...

Nothing makes the noses turn up of artisanal coffee roasters than the names of the large national private label coffee roasters.  It's companies like Royal Cup, Paramount Coffee, Dillano's, and Magnum Coffee, among others.They're usually invisible to you and me...

The hottest new thing in coffee is...chocolate. Here at the Fancy Food Show in New York, chocolatiers were as excited about ROASTe.com as are coffee roasters. The reason is that chocolatiers are increasingly pairing their chocolates with coffees. You've probably...

Hi from the Fancy Food Show in New York City! Mixed in among the hundreds of vendors of charcuterie, smoothie drinks, chocolate, and every manner of food and beverage at America's largest food show were many coffee & tea suppliers....

I just love the way this article makes coffee tasting as simple as possible. And really it should be. 25% of the population is defined as “supertasters” meaning they have the capability to easily distinguish between different tastes.For the lucky...

I attended a fascinating talk given by a green coffee expert at Dillano's Coffee.  (They're a large national wholesale and private label roaster). He said something amazing:  there are 150 different steps between sprouting a coffee plant and when it...

When we have over 100 -- and someday 500 -- coffees for sale on ROASTe.com, how do you choose the right coffee? I've tried over 125 different coffees and I'll explain how I choose. First, I think about the country...

It’s been almost two months since our stealth-mode beta went live and we are ready to go prime-time. So hopefully you will find us, starting this weekend, on our main internet address www.ROASTe.com. We have already had tens of orders...

What type of grind should you buy from ROASTe.com's roasters?They've definitely made many types of grinds available-- whole bean, drip grind, espresso grind, fine, medium, etc. Here's my suggestion based on drinking over 100 different coffees so far this year:Buy WHOLE...

      This content first appeared as a response letter to Hawai‘i State senators concerning a proposed bill (HB 931) to increase the blend content minimum of a Hawaiian blend from 10% to  51%.  The bill also stipulated that the origins...

Today is a special day for us at ROASTe.com. After brewing for many months we are finally bringing the site up. Yes, it’s only a beta, and yes we only invite a few of our friends to begin with, but...

A few months ago, I had a conversation with a friend about whether the Hawai‘i coffee industry was diverse and dynamic. I had mostly forgotten about it until this weekend when I was at the 2009 Specialty Coffee Association of...

 Launching ROASTe.com, I just got back from the annual SCAA show. For the coffeegentsia, that's the biggest annual trade show of the Specialty Coffee Association of America. They had the World Barista Championship going on.  Totally incredible.  Competitors from around the...