The Reading Room

The coffee news analysts have been predicting for months that your cup of coffee is going up in price. Daily, reports come out about the crop here and there, whether it’s better or worse than previous years. Are the two...

I was thinking the other day, if I was an alien, what would be the one thing I'd come to earth for? Well, for me (and this is totally subjective…) the answer is clear - coffee!  Now I am not...

Some people read a Dr. Seuss book like "Green Eggs and Ham" and think well, isn't that cute and then forget about it.  Apparently others take this childhood story and make it their inner guide.  We all know about the...

After reading the exploits of another blog in which the owner celebrates the brazen brass and chrom nakedness of his portafilter (the bottom is chopped off so the filter basket is exposed) I decided to take a closer look at...

Bulk coffee , whole bean in 5-pound or larger bags , makes sense for high-consumption households, offices, and anyone tired of ordering every two weeks. The tradeoff is freshness: a 5-pound bag bought at the wrong time goes stale before you finish it. This guide covers who bulk coffee is right for, the cost math, how to store it correctly, and what to look for when buying fresh-roasted in bulk.

/files/u2500/blog_coffee_picker.jpg" title="coffee field workers get no Labor Day" alt="coffee field workers get no Labor Day" height="100" width="75" /> In the US we take our one day per year holiday dedicated to the worker for granted. Coffee growing countries have no...

Coming soon to an airline near you - someday, maybe - if other airlines follow the lead of Japan Air Lines (JAL). It’s happened: a major airline has now introduced a café for coffee connoisseurs which promises to serve gourmet...

I thought prices of coffee were rising because of a shortage of beans due to increased demand in new markets but that might not be the case. The real reason seems to be speculator greed - the same kind of...

Thanks to ROASTe's facebook page contest I took some time to think about my espresso and coffee consumption.  More to the point, the most I have consumed in one sitting that I can recall.  I did have a day in...

With coffee demand increasing at a steady rate, and some regions reporting smaller harvests, farmers are trying to find ways to increase yields. One of the most promising methods is that of bud transplants, the subject of experimentation in Vietnam....

/files/u33/Planking_for_Roaste2.jpg" height="299" width="448" /> Iron Brew Coffee's- Pumpkin Pie spiced up this weekend by discovering "planking!" This new internet game has players (all shapes, sizes, and now gourmet tastes!) engaging in an activity consisting of lying face down in unusual...

As the coffee culture in Britain becomes more widespread, some traditionalists may have a hard time accepting the changes. Writer John Walsh is one such coffee drinker, and this week he reviewed the history of coffee’s growth in popularity and...

ROASTe has reported many health claims for coffee in our news articles, because more and more research teams are investigating what coffee has to offer us nutritionally. At the same time, some researchers are reporting negative effects of coffee on...

Bonkers for Boneco you ask? Nope, more than likely you are asking yourself what is a Boneco that I should go bonkers for.  The Boneco is a unique compact self contained pout over coffee system. All you need is hot...

We've been deluged by new merchants in Indonesia trying to sell Kopi Luwak through ROASTe. So far we haven't taken one of them. And we've heard the scoop on the exposition in availability of Kopi Luwak. It isn't pretty. It...

Every day millions of Americans pull into 7-Eleven, Mobil Stations,  Wawa, McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's etc. and buy lousy coffee. Or at the supermaket they throw another can of Folger's, Maxwell House, Cafe Bustelo or other canned swill into their...

If you find yourself needing more and more coffee to get that “energy jolt”, you’ve developed a tolerance to your daily brew. If you want to reduce your tolerance and daily volume of coffee, you’ll want to read about strategic...

The mill I am posting about today shares similarities with mills already discussed before but it has been a while. This is the first time I pulled it off the shelf to clean and grease the inner workings so some...

I am not sure what this French sounding word translates into, but a recent visit to the espresso machine graveyard also known as my local Goodwill Outlet (where stuff that regular Goodwill stores can sell ends up) turned up this...

It goes to spraying water when I turn it on and hit the pump.  Let me back up for a moment.  This blog is a continuation of my experience with a second hand Nuova Simonelli Oscar espresso machine. The machine...

I have found coffee to be a demanding mistress. She does not arrive prepared; you have to prepare *her" with fastidious attention, lest she present you with off-putting astringency or straight-up blandness. And when she's gone, she's not--you still feel...