The Reading Room

Brian Jurgens and Renee Kloeblen are an inspiration as they daily demonstrate how to take hobbies and turn them into a career. They each took a life change and transformed it into gold – income - for both of them....

Kenyan coffee factories are battling a coffee theft ring which has stolen an estimated 10,000 metric tons of coffee beans, costing farmers millions of dollars and several security guards their lives. Last week it was reported than an agricultural economist...

It’s a new year and maybe you’d like to take up a new hobby. If you have some leftover coffee in your pot and feel artistic, grab a paintbrush and try painting. For inspiration, you could travel to England to...

“Savannah Now” ran a story this week about a driver losing control of his car and ending up in a Georgia pond. What did the twenty-something driver blame for the loss of control? The coffee did it! Again, another food...

If you haven’t finished your New Year’s toasting, you may consider making a toast in honor of the animals that have changed history. After all, it was a group of bears who discovered aspirin - and that is bear, not...

My Solofill adapter for Keurig brewers arrived today  - It is the eight hole "Octaflo System" model (missing the middle hole - a common manufacturing problem with these adapters). I will try it before deciding whether to convert to the "Octaflo-Plus...

Dried strawberries, notes of crushed rosemary, 61.5% cacao in the finish.I'm ambivalent about tasting notes. They're helpful for obvious commercial reasons. Whereas certain large-scale roasters may not be able to get away with anything more specific than "bold," a quality...

In a country where tea used to be so important that the afternoon High Tea has long been a tourist attraction, coffee is challenging the status quo. The coffee shop boom begun a few years ago continues to echo in...

/files/u3017/87_kenya.jpg" align="left" height="180" hspace="1" vspace="1" width="279" />Kenya has plenty to offer the traveler investigating historical colonial cities, discovering the beauty of Masai Mara, or trekking the winding paths of Mount Kenya. For the coffee enthusiast, the highlands and farmland surrounding...

In the true spirit of the season, a Tennessee barista has shared his expertise and specialty coffees with the homeless who spent the Christmas holiday at a Nashville shelter. Java Breeze, a coffee bar owned by a volunteer at the...

We’re a few days away from turning the page to 2011. As you practice writing the new date in your checkbooks, you might like to think of the new flavor trends predicted for the new year. At least, Comex, a...

There are quite a few ways that I make iced coffee, which I happen to think is delicious even in the middle of winter. The following is not my favorite method--might do a post on that later--but it can be...

Coffee for weight loss is often discussed as a possible tool for weight management. Learn what research suggests and where the evidence remains limited.

 

Though you might have missed it, there was an important meeting in Nuremburg Germany last month which generated a lot of interest in food flavorings. Döhler, a large European food flavoring manufacturer, discussed a wide range of ways to add...

Not all caffeine is the same. A recent article on healthmad.com discussed the findings that it is cola drinking that is related to high blood pressure in women, not coffee drinking. The article dealt with two studies which involved about...

For years the Coffee Berry Borer (CBB) has been plaguing Hawaiian coffee farmers. The Kona farmers had noticed that the dry years brought on the worst borer damage and now they know why. Turns out that a fungus has been...

Wood-roasted coffee offers a different approach to roasting. Explore how wood-fired heat can influence the aroma, body, acidity, and character of coffee.

A coffee break is more than time away from your desk. It can create space to reset, connect with coworkers, and return to work with a clearer mind.

 

Learn how to store coffee properly and protect the flavor of your beans. These simple storage habits can help keep your coffee fresher between brews.

 

Coffee grind size controls how fast water extracts flavor compounds from the grounds. Too fine and the cup is bitter and over-extracted. Too coarse and it is weak, sour, and under-extracted. This guide covers the correct grind size for every brew method , from extra fine for Turkish coffee to extra coarse for cold brew , what the grind spectrum looks like, and how to adjust when the cup is off.

Economics is a complicated field of study as it is, but when you are less than subjective because you enjoy the subject being analyzed, it becomes more so. David Kestenbaum recently reported on the dilemma faced by Tim Harford, the...