The Reading Room

Coffee inspires art
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...
Airplane Coffee - If the taste doesn't kill you, the germs might.
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...
Do You Need a Coffee Grinder? The Honest Answer

A coffee grinder only improves your cup if the other variables are right. Here is the honest answer to whether you need one, which type is worth buying, and when to skip it entirely.

French Press – Enter the World of Coffee
The French Press is a good entry point into the world of gourmet coffee. It costs only around $20, it is very simple to use, it gives consistently good results, and it doubles up as a milk frother as well....
Coffee Reviews - Will They Help You Buy Coffee Online?
When we buy coffee, we are often faced with too many choices that might lead to decision paralysis due to information overload. This is known as the Choice Paralysis. Searching for the word coffee in Amazon, under the Gourmet Food...
Coffee Health Benefits: What the Research Shows and 4 Key Findings

Coffee health benefits are well-documented in peer-reviewed research. Moderate coffee consumption , 3 to 5 cups per day , is associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, liver disease, and certain cancers. This guide covers 4 key research findings on coffee health benefits, what the FDA says about safe caffeine intake, and when coffee stops being beneficial.

Add milk or cream to your coffee? Buy dark and robust roasts first.
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...
French Press Coffee: Exact Ratio, Grind, and 5-Step Method

French press coffee at its best requires four locked parameters: 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, coarse grind, 200°F water, and a 4-minute steep. This guide covers the exact ratio, grind size, water temperature, and 5-step method for making French press coffee that tastes the same every time.

How the French like their coffee
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...
How Caffeine Works: What Coffee Does to Your Brain and Body

How caffeine works in your brain and body. Absorption timeline, half-life, tolerance, optimal timing, caffeine by coffee type, and how much is safe per day.

Coffee - Puddle Water or Panacea?
(This introduction is taken from the book Uncommon Grounds by Mark Pendergrast) O Coffee! Thou dost dispel all care, thou are the object of desire to the scholar. This is the beverage of the friends of God.--"In Praise of Coffee,"...
Aloha fellow coffee drinkers!
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 Roasters, Boston MA
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...
Malcolm Gladwell on spaghetti sauce and 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...
Jim's Organic Coffee - a good tasting local coffee
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...
Why is this cup different from all other cups?
Because it's my last club of Starbucks for hopefully a long, long time. Not that Starbucks is bad. It's pretty good. But I've gotten into a rut. Buying the same latte fom the same coffee shop in the same city,...
Milk Frothing – Getting Started
Any milk steaming or milk frothing mechanism you use should work fine as long as you use it correctly and know what your goals are. As a starting point, you can purchase one of the products offered in most coffee...
Mocha Roca: Coffee-Chocolate Toffee Recipe and 3 Variations

Mocha roca is a homemade coffee-chocolate toffee , butter toffee cooked to the hard crack stage, poured thin on a baking sheet, then topped with melted dark chocolate and crushed espresso-dusted almonds. The coffee comes from instant espresso dissolved into the toffee base. This recipe covers the full mocha roca method, the hard crack temperature, and 3 variations.

How to Store Coffee: 5 Rules for Keeping It Fresh

How to store coffee comes down to 5 rules: keep it airtight, away from light and heat, at room temperature, in whole bean form, and buy only what you'll use in 2 to 4 weeks.

Hawaiian Coffee - Introduction
Hawai‘i is known worldwide for its gourmet 100% Kona coffee, but true coffee lovers know that Kona is only part of the story. In the last century coffee has jumped across the island chain, breaking new ground in flavors and...
Mocha Rum Sauce: Warm Chocolate-Espresso Dessert Sauce and 3 Serving Ideas

Mocha rum sauce is a warm dessert sauce made from dark chocolate, espresso, heavy cream, and dark rum , ready in under 10 minutes on the stovetop. The rum adds a warm, slightly smoky depth that plain mocha sauce does not have. This recipe covers the base mocha rum sauce, how to adjust strength and sweetness, and 3 serving ideas including over ice cream, pound cake, and a rum affogato.