The Reading Room

Coffee’s Third Wave Hits UK
The UK’s learning curve about coffee’s exploding growth in popularity brought on by the first and second wave moved exceptionally fast. In the last thirty years Britain’s coffee sophistication has developed such that they now realize they ride the third...
What Is Pour-Over Coffee? How It Works and How to Brew It

Pour-over coffee produces a cleaner, brighter cup than drip by giving you direct control over every brewing variable. Here is what it is, what you need, and how to brew it in 6 steps.

How to Remove Coffee Stains: A Simple Guide

How to remove coffee stains from clothes, carpet, and upholstery. Act fast, blot with cold water, and use simple household fixes for stubborn marks.

Coffee Grind Size Guide: 7 Methods, 7 Settings

Coffee grind size determines how fast water extracts flavor from your grounds. Get the right size for your brew method and the cup improves immediately. Here are the 7 settings you need to know.

Coffee Bloom: A Simple Guide for Fresher Brews

What coffee bloom is, why a big rise signals fresh beans, and how to bloom your coffee across pour over, drip, and French press.

Picking the Right Espresso Machine
/files/World-Barista-Championship-Espresso-Machine-20110516.jpg" alt="picking the right espresso machine" title="picking the right espresso machine" align="left" height="411" hspace="5" width="292" />Sure, without the baristas, there’s little point to even think about the World Barista Championship. This competition depends on additional major factors, such as the...
What Is Third Wave Coffee? 3 Things That Define the Movement

 Third wave coffee treats coffee as an artisanal product. Learn what defines the movement and how it differs from earlier coffee culture.

World Barista Championship Interview - John Gordon
/files/WorldBaristaChampionship.JG_.Teaser.jpg" alt="World Barista Championship contestant John Gordon" title="World Barista Championship contestant John Gordon" align="left" height="214" hspace="5" width="320" />As the World Barista Championship draws closer, I think it’s only fitting we take a moment to get to know John Gordon, who’ll...
Cold Brew Tutorial
Here are the Chazzano Coffee coffees that you can use for cold brewing:Ethiopia Washed Sidamo: Has luscious notes of chocolate and tart cherries. Even though it is against my coffee religion to put milk in coffee, with a splash of cream, the...
When’s a Coffeehouse Not a Coffeehouse?
When it’s the newest idea in churches. Just in time for your Sunday morning, the Grand Rapids Press reported on a new church which calls its Sunday meetings Café Re-Fresh, based on its meeting style and a verse from the...
A Simple Guide to Buying Coffee From Kona

What Kona coffee is, how to read a 100% Kona vs Kona blend label, why the price runs high, and whether Kona earns the cost.

Hawaiian Barista Wins US Championship
Last week, Pete Licata of Hawaii brewed his way to the title of #1 US Barista and will now represent the US coffee industry at next month’s World Barista Championships in Colombia. His story tells us some things about the...
Happy National Coffee Day!
Monday, May 16, is National Coffee Day in the US. On this day we celebrate coffee, and what's a better day of the week to celebrate our morning wakeup brew than a Monday!We have much to celebrate in coffee. This...
Mafia Learns Coffee Crime Doesn’t Pay
The Italian police just busted a mafia family – the Mallardos - that was controlling a coffee distribution sector in Italy worth almost $800 million. An Australian news service online just posted the story about the operation, code named “Caffe...
Coffee Time: The Stop-Motion Animation Movie
A few days ago, a commercial design graduate produced a stop-motion animation about coffee and coffee makers. The story about the video has been picked up by sites across the internet. Though it was artist Wan-tzu’s first attempt at the...
Forget Coffee When You Live Below the Line
This month volunteers from actor Hugh Jackman to unknown college students are willingly experiencing five days of living on a poverty level food budget. The price of a coffee shop espresso drink was used to put in perspective how little...
Bikini Baristas Stir Up aTempest in a Coffee Cup
With summer and warmer weather approaching, a coffee lover's mind turns to thoughts of……bikini baristas? Well, at least that’s the message being given by some state's controversies over the attire of female baristas at coffee stands. The custom is cropping...
The Coffee Phenomenon - Part 2
/files/CoffeePhenomenon2.Colombia.jpg" alt="The Coffee Phenomenon Part 2 - Colombian Coffee" title="The Coffee Phenomenon Part 2 - Colombian Coffee" align="left" height="212" hspace="10" width="320" />The World Barista Championship is fast approaching and we’re getting psyched for this major event! Part of what makes...
Etiquette for Coffee Shop Bullies
If you’re reading this, you have a computer, maybe a laptop. All laptop users who frequent Wi-Fi-equipped coffee shops to use the internet - or just the comfy surroundings – have probably considered the etiquette or protocols for avoiding laptop...
Coffee Storage: How to Keep Whole Bean Coffee Fresh

Coffee goes stale from four things: oxygen, light, heat, and moisture. Whole bean coffee stays freshest in an airtight, opaque container at room temperature away from the stove. This guide covers the best coffee storage containers, how long whole bean stays fresh, why the freezer debate is more nuanced than most people assume, and 4 storage mistakes that accelerate staleness.

Congrats to Rusty's Hawaiian on the 2011 US Barista Champion Pete Licata
A coffee used by one of our star coffee farmers Rusty's Hawaiian was used to win the US Barista Championship on Sunday in Houston TX.Pete Licata of Honolulu Coffee Company won the US Barista Championship.  /wp/wp-content/uploads/files/uploads/Screen_shot_2011-05-06_at_7_40_09_AM.jpg" width="150" height="150" border="20" align="left" />It's...