The Reading Room

Considering how much gourmet coffee I go through, I've calculated how inexpensive it is.Would you believe that you can brew at home the best coffees in America for over 85% less than a latte at Starbucks?  That's just 40 cents...

How do you describe that cup of coffee in your hand? What words? Wine connoissors have their own lingo, using crazy terms like apricot and plum. How about us, coffee drinkers? Well, there is the Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel distributed...

I’ve met a lot of coffee folk who are very concerned that a coffee from a certain region should fit a flavor profile for that region. I can see how this made sense even 10 years ago. However, much has...

Every once in a while a coffee grabs you by the palate and says "Notice me!"IronBrew's Gold is one of them.From the first sip of IronBrew's Brazilian coffee, it's strong, powerful, dark, and rich. It is kind of like what...

I'm always trying to reduce the amount of sugar in my diet. Maybe you are too. Coffee is one of the places where I use the most sugar. (That and the huge piece of pie that I have most nights...)....

This coffee from Paradise Roasters is AWESOME.It highlights exactly how gourmet coffee from a high quality coffee roaster from a single-origin farm differs from your corner Starbucks or supermarket Maxwell House. When I poured boiling water over the ground coffee...

You've got to see this new video on CNN about Latte Art.For those who don't know, latte art means creating designs on the top of a latte.And there is a whole segment of professional baristas that take tremendous pride in...

Did you know that a small farmer in rural Colombia might get paid $1 a pound for his coffee beans? By the time it reaches us it may sell for $12.00 a pound. Why the difference? Middlemen and powerful distributors....

Why does Starbucks serve 33 million customers a week but Folger's supermarket revenues have dropped 15% in the past decade?Because Gourmet Coffee rocks. The best part of waking up used to be Folger's in your cup. Or Chock Full O'Nuts. Or...

Scientists give out annual Nobel Prizes. Bankers give a Banker of the Year award. Sports leagues give an MVP award. Guess what Coffee Baristas give as an award for their best and brightest? Yes, it's the World Barista Championship. And...

Something tasted wrong in the espresso made at the European Commission's headquarters in Brussels. And an EU archivist found out why. Something tasted a little bit metallic in the espresso that Alexander Just, an EU archivist, was getting in his...

What do you get when an artist is inspired by coffee? You get Christoph Niemann's artwork, featured here in Abstract City in an online blog of the New York Times. Christoph Niemann is a professional illustrator whose work has appeared...

Are you a germophobe? Here's something to worry about with the coffee served on an airplane. It might even make you jump out of your airplane seat. Fasten your seatbelt before reading...! When flying in a commercial plane, bring coffee...

Here's an excellent taste test from Cook's Illustrated that shows how inexpensive drip coffee machines give you a taste that's... inexpensive and bitter. Cook's Illustrated has fabulous recipes and taste tests and they are very experienced in what they do....

Here are fascinating taste test results from Cook's Illustrated based on a survey of 8 premium coffees. A group of taste testers at Cook's Illustrated tried fresh brewed coffee when it was black, and again when the same coffees had...

The French have given us a couple of good things - wine, cheese, the Tour de France, funny berets, and the French Press method of making coffee. Let me explain why this is my favorite method of making coffee and...

Here's a hilarious song and video about the French approach to drinking coffee. It reminds me of the comment, maybe a myth, that the great French philosopher Voltaire used to drink 40 cups of French Coffee a day while writing...

Welcome to a column where you get to experience classic blog rambling! The difference about this coffee blog is that it will try to supply you with regular grounds of knowledge about Hawai‘i’s coffee industry- from seed to cup. Truth...

Red Barn serves a delightful lightly roasted coffee out of its store near the entryway to Faneuil Hall in Boston. I enjoyed the smoothness and light roast of a latte at Red Barn, and my wife’s cup of regular coffee...

Here's a great video by Malcolm Gladwell talking about spaghetti sauce but also mentioning coffee.Malcolm Gladwell, author of bestsellers Blink and Tipping Point, gave a talk at the TED annual conference about a revolution in marketing that came from realizing...

For my first breakout from Starbucks, I decided to try a coffee that is roasted near my home in Boston MA. /wp/wp-content/uploads/files/uploads/Jims_Organic_Coffee.jpg" alt="Jim's Organic Coffee " title="Jim's Organic Coffee " align="right" height="320" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="240" /> And I have to...