The Reading Room

John Muli grew up picking coffee cherries on his family's farm in Kenya. He went on to represent Kenya at the World Barista Championship in 2007 and 2008. Here is his story and what tree-to-cup expertise actually looks like.

AeroPress coffee uses air pressure to push water through coffee grounds in 1 to 2 minutes. It brews a clean, concentrated cup with less acidity than espresso and more body than pour over. This guide covers both the standard and inverted AeroPress methods, the correct ratio and grind, how to dial in your recipe, and 4 mistakes that produce a weak or bitter cup.

Energy drinks continue to attract consumers to down cans of the stuff increasingly, even with a less than good reputation. They have to be one of the most stocked items in stores across the world. Though they seem to be...

Jennifer Quasha endured a “skunking” incident this week and was able to maintain her sense of humor long enough to write up the incident for Fox News. She paints a hilarious picture of the aftermath and the attempt to restore...

Recently a friend gave me a few packages of instant coffee. I am normally not a big fan of drinking instant but have had good luck in cooking and baking with it. I came across a recipe that looked intriguing...

Yet another bot is being demonstrated in the media this week, as the Huffington Post rolls out Rollin Justin. Justin is a whiz at catching balls – he has an 80% success rate in that. But unlike the other robot...

The hot question on Jayne Clark’s mind yesterday was “Would you pay $46 for a cup of cat poo coffee?” shining the spotlight once again on that most delectable delicacy, aka Kopi Luwak coffee. It seems that the AYANA Resort...

Success stories are such day brighteners. When blended with coffee, it’s a perfect combination. When a bad situation is turned upside down and made into a success story, and blended with coffee, it doesn’t get much better. Katya Wachtel shared...

With Mother’s Day approaching on Sunday, we might pause to consider how our mothers affected us in terms of our important interests in life. There’s no question that for most of us, our moms, or other mother figures such as...

Brant Boersma from Dutch Bros. coffee chain is a self-proclaimed comic geek, if not a coffee geek. He recently fulfilled a dream of producing a comic book for the coffee chain co-founded by his father. It is now available free...

The World Barista Championship is the most competitive barista event on the planet. Here is how it works, who competes, and why it matters for your coffee.

There’s a lot of excitement down Australia way as Aussies have discovered a native coffee bean growing in its northernmost point, near Cape York, Queensland. Not that far from Papua New Guinea, a great coffee habitat, the area is in...

Coffee roasting transforms raw green beans into the flavorful coffee in your cup. Learn the three stages, what the Maillard reaction does, and how roast level changes flavor.

A Canadian news source just published an online article about a German university’s study of organic coffee production in Nicaragua. The University of Hohenheim researchers found that organic coffee farmers have become poorer when compared to conventional coffee growers over...

Remember when Mr. Coffee was king? Joltin' Joe DiMaggio told us it was “good to the last drop” so it had to be true, right?  Time moves forward and Joltin' Joe has left and gone away, Hey, Hey, Hey –...

Tea is in the news again this week, but not just any tea. Now it’s being called “designer tea”. Yesterday our news item focused on the development of tea salons and whether tea might catch up to coffee in popularity....

What’s brewing with tea? It’s clear coffee is soaring and riding a wave of intense interest, with more and more heavy consumption, even in cultures where tea was the uncontested champion. However, a new trend may be steeping that will...

It’s a tough neighborhood in the air between Hong Kong and mainland China. At least that’s one message that’s being given by a recent story “Cabin Crew Routine Now ‘coffee, tea and Bruce Lee”, about how a Hong Kong airline...

We understand “elevator music” and “brunch music”– music that’s so identified with a place, when you hear it, you know where you are. Though “coffee shop music” is more varied, it may be that your favorite café is identified with...

Mention imported artisanal foods in Kansas City Missouri and many locals will think of the Paris family. Known for their importing of specialty foods, they have one of the largest temperature-controlled green coffee storehouses in the US. Five years ago...

It seems the single serve coffee systems known as capsule or POD brewers have made fans in Korea as in the rest of the world. This relative newcomer to the coffee scene is the hottest item right now. Why do...