The Reading Room

Do baristas deserve tips? Baristas make much less in tips than say, a bartender (I know, a bartender is a barista but you know what I mean). The positions are often equivalent in terms of training and skills, yet a...

I find it interesting that there is such a strong representation of scientists, or at least scientific minded people, in the coffee world.  You have probably heard the phrase cooking is an art and baking is a science (which I...

So I finished this book a few day ago written by Mark Pendergrast (You can read the intro here). The main chord that struck me about the book was the fact that it mainly delt with the relationship between the...

“The music of pop singer Ricky Martin filled the air as customers ordered $4 shots of espresso and connected to the shop’s wireless Internet with their cell phones. Girls with long hair spilling out from under their obligatory Islamic head...

How honest should customers be with baristas in coffee shops? I have had a few experiences lately where I was left to ponder if I should tell the coffee shop that they were not measuring up.  Once I held my...

I recently was on a trip and went to a coffee shop where I got a shot of coffee that I quite liked.  It had come highly recommended and so I was not shocked (recommended by someone who has good...

Moka Pot is a nifty little brewer that makes really strong coffee. It is sometimes called a stovetop espresso maker. But espresso it is not, just strong coffee that is very close to espresso. When done right, it can give...

We’re excited to soon be offering the essential tools for a complete pourover brewing experience from Hario.  Why pourover?  Arguably the low-tech side of coffee brewing, and also the most interesting with the right coffee! The ubiquitous Melitta cone and...

A Willoughby Ohio coffee shop has come up with a novel idea for combining coffee, socializing and exercising every Saturday morning. We’ve read about biking coffee clubs, so now we have hiking coffee clubs - well, at least one. Chris...

A good coffee is a real treat when it's brewed correctly. However, to present the good coffee in its best form, do we need some kind of specific cup to go with it? Is the perfect cup important?I’ve seen people...

Is it really all about the grinder or is that an exaggeration? If you read any espresso obsessed message boards, blogs, or articles you will almost certainly hear someone say something along the lines of “It is all about the...

A lush experiment with coffee and water temperatures. One of the fascinating blog entries on Roaste is by Scott Lush and can be found herehttp://www.roaste.com/CoffeeBlogs/scott/2-Surprising-Finds-about-Coffee-... he does something, which is always worth doing and he challenges conventions of brewing and...

Just finishing up my day and well I've finished "Uncommon Grounds," pretty interesting read and there is a lot of information there. The book is pretty indepth history into the coffee industry of North America. However, I would like to...

Just like any coffee lovers here, I also have my own collection of coffee brewers. Ranging from Aeropress, Moka Pot, and French Press. Among all, French press is my all time favorite because it presents the coffee very well and...

The Sacramento coffee scene is rapidly evolving by riding the coattails of the bay area's coffee culture. Broadacre Coffee is located a few blocks away from the state capitol and it is the latest addition to the Sacramento coffee circuit. ...

So for the past couple weeks I have been reading through "Uncommon Grounds" by Mark Pendergrast. The book mainly revolves around the history of coffee through the eyes of the United States and it's relationship with the countries that provide...

What does the average Harvard student think about during mid-November? Exams, term papers, grades, beer……? From the looks of the school paper, it is occupying and protesting. Yet, in the midst of the protests, some students took time to learn...

Recently, I have acquired both decent grinders in each class of conical burrs( Pharos) and flat burrs(Major), this made me wondering about the differences between these two burrs. They might not be a representative of each class but they sure...

Lessons I learned through roasting I think there are some things I learned about coffee as a result of roasting that I might not have learned just buying other people’s coffee even though I am not a great roaster.  ...

Today’s brewed coffee experiment – does the grind convention (coarse vs fine) hold or is this something people do because it is what they do?   I really like James Hoffman’s blog and I find it especially interesting when this world...