The Reading Room

Coffee storage matters because roasted coffee goes stale fast , not from bacteria, but from oxidation and off-gassing. Whole bean coffee stays fresh 2 to 4 weeks after roasting at room temperature in an airtight container. Ground coffee goes stale in hours. The 4 most common coffee storage mistakes are: keeping it in the original bag, storing it in the fridge, buying in bulk, and grinding in advance. This guide covers how to store coffee correctly and what actually shortens shelf life.

Coffee cookies are chocolate chip cookies made with finely ground espresso or instant coffee mixed directly into the dough. The coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor, adds a subtle bitter edge that balances sweetness, and makes the cookie taste more complex without tasting like coffee. This recipe uses 2 tablespoons of finely ground dark roast coffee in the dough and delivers a crisp edge with a chewy center in about 25 minutes.

If you travel South of Guatemala, your senses will be surprised with many and different experiences. Beginning with rare and strange aromas that if combined with pouring rain, become even more indescribable.  Processing rubber, sugar, banana leaves, wet soil are...

I'm confused about this, and I've been confused for a VERY long time.  What's with the little piece of lemon peel that gets dumped on the side of my cup of espresso in restaurants?  By the way, "espresso" is the...

Colombia coffee is the world's third-largest producer and the benchmark origin for balanced, approachable specialty coffee. Grown along the Andes at 3,000 to 6,500 feet, Colombian coffee is almost entirely washed arabica , producing the clean, bright, caramel-and-citrus profile that made Colombian coffee famous. This guide covers the 4 key growing regions, what makes Colombian coffee distinct, and how to brew it at home.

Coffee fudge cookies are a dark, dense, brownie-textured cookie built on melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and espresso. Unlike chocolate chip coffee cookies where the coffee amplifies chocolate in the background, coffee fudge puts the espresso front and center , bold, bitter, and intensely chocolatey. This recipe uses 2 tablespoons of finely ground dark roast or instant coffee and delivers a crackled top with a fudgy interior in about 20 minutes.

Coffee brownies are fudgy chocolate brownies with espresso dissolved into the batter , the coffee intensifies the chocolate and adds a bitter edge that makes each square taste more complex than a standard brownie. This recipe adds toasted hazelnuts for crunch and a Nutella-adjacent richness that pairs well with dark roast espresso. Ready in 35 minutes, cut into 16 squares.

Coffee zabaglione is a warm Italian egg-yolk custard made with espresso instead of the traditional Marsala wine. Egg yolks, sugar, and a double shot of espresso are whisked over a double boiler until thick, pale, and foamy , about 8 minutes. The result is a light, intensely flavored espresso dessert , served warm or chilled as a sauce.

It's taken nearly 6 months of negotiations and back-and-forth, and Espresso Vivace's world-famous Espressos are now available at ROASTe.com Espresso Vivace's owner David Schomer literally wrote the book on espresso.  Three books:  Espresso Coffee Professional Techniques, Caffe Latte Art, and...

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...

Mocha soup is a chilled dessert made by blending dark chocolate, espresso, heavy cream, and sugar into a smooth, pourable consistency served cold. It is thinner than ganache, richer than chocolate milk, and intensely flavored from the espresso. Ten minutes...

Mocha granita is a Sicilian semi-frozen dessert made by pouring a sweetened espresso-chocolate mixture into a shallow pan and scraping it with a fork every 30 minutes as it freezes. The result is a pile of dark, icy coffee-chocolate crystals served in a glass , lighter than gelato, more intense than a slushie, and ready in about 3 hours of mostly hands-off freezer time. No special equipment needed.

Mexican coffee , café de olla , is a traditional spiced coffee brewed with cinnamon sticks and piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar) directly in the pot. The cinnamon and brown sugar mellow the bitterness of the coffee and add warmth without dairy or flavored syrup. This guide covers the traditional café de olla recipe, the spice combination, substitutions for piloncillo, and 3 modern variations including an iced version and a mocha de olla.

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...