The Reading Room

Macy Halford dared to bring up the term “coffee’s fourth wave” this week in an article about coffee shop philosophy and mission. The discussion concerned the activities of the coffee shop in its neighborhood and in third world coffee producing...

Some coffee shops are inspiring for their ambiance and warmth; some for their quality and taste; some for their innovation. One special coffee shop in Australia is inspiring for a different reason: a loving purpose of helping the mentally ill...

THE RESULTS ARE IN AND WE HAVE A WINNER! Congratulations JILL24295 for taking home the 1st place!  The winners are as follows: 1st Place – Congratulations Jill! (JILL24292) 2nd Place – Congratulations Stephanie! (SSNOVA66) 3rd Place (tie) – Congratulations Shannon...

The newer top adjustment Zassenhaus grinders do not get (or earn) much love for anything beyond espresso. The plastic ring holding the burr in place wears and the centering is history with the chaos of burr wobble replacing the perfect...

July 4, 2011 In honor of Independence Day 2011, this news article is taking a different tack than usual. The article featured today actually appeared in March of this year, but it’s very apropos for July 4 due to its...

Remember when all you needed to know about brewing coffee was how many cups your percolator held? And the latest gadget was a timer so you could set the brewing to start before your alarm went off? Those were indeed...

USA Weekend ran a coffee making tip in this weekend’s edition which spoke to the problem of coffee grounds in the bottom of the brewed pot. To prevent this, they suggest saturating the filter after you put it in the...

Short answer: There’s no such thing as too much. I enjoy coffee and have, in fact, thrown myself into it to the point that “hobby” doesn’t quite capture the relationship. Embrace the geekery. Own it. You could certainly find riskier...

Very few objects fascinated me as much as the coffee grinder at a friend's summer cottage.  I couldn't have been more than six when I first encountered it. It was screwed into the kitchen door jamb and was nothing more...

Have you heard of the Toddy, an iced coffee that’s not your Grandma’s iced coffee drink? No indeed, this is the iced coffee that will cause you to “never order iced coffee again”. At least, that’s what Sydney Leonard wrote...

Obsessive attention to details and exactness, coffee formulas, coaxing out coffee’s nuances – these are all described in a recent article on two baristas by Polly Campbell. Though she never uses the term third wave, she has accurately described the...

Photo: Gordana Adamovic-Mladenovic  According to trends documented by the National Coffee Association (NCA) in their just-released 2011 National Coffee Drinking Trends, coffee drinking remains strong – resistant to the economical downturn. In fact, 10% more young people than last year...

7 ways to make coffee for someone who doesn't like coffee. Flavored coffee, cold brew, mochas, lattes, and gradual introduction methods that change minds.

Brewing coffee doesn't have to be especially fancy. A certain kind of minimalist might delight in mixing coffee and water and putting it on a stove, maybe--when the desire for luxury strikes-deciding to filter that concoction with something near at...

Another page has been written in the coffee recycling book, as a company in Taiwan has come up with a yarn using used coffee grounds. Lori Zimmer writes that this yarn is fabulous, as it not only resists odors but...

Coffee temperature affects three things: extraction quality during brewing, flavor perception during tasting, and safety during drinking. Brew water should be 195 to 205°F. Optimal serving temperature is 155 to 175°F. The flavor sweet spot for drinking is 130 to 150°F. This guide covers the correct temperature for every stage, why it matters, and 4 common temperature mistakes.

First there was the percolator.  It was a fixture in our house when I was small.  Coffee in the morning was the rule rather than the exception.  And in fact my mother, who was something of a practical joker, and...

Serious Eats just ran a story about Scandinavian coffee, or rather, the way a few Scandinavians view the roasting of coffee. Many in the coffee culture apparently consider Scandinavian coffee to be unique, superior, and/or in some cases extreme. What’s...

Reusable coffee pods let you fill your pod machine with the coffee you actually want. Here is an honest look at how they work, what they cost, the tradeoffs, and whether the cup quality is worth the effort.

Question to mull over as you enjoy your morning coffee: If Krispy Kreme serves specialty coffee, how will it differ from Dunkin’ Donuts? A piece of financial news this week on MSN reported that Krispy Kreme may change its products...

/files/u2500/blog_fireworks.jpg" width="180" height="240" /> The Chinese have used fireworks for at least two thousand years - at first to scare away evil spirits, then shooting them off at weddings and other celebrations. It’s not hard to imagine that they started...