Once in a while, we receive complaints that our coffee has changed and now tastes bad. Since both Laura and I cup every roast for consistency and quality before we bag the beans, we know that it wasn't the beans.It is epidemic in our society to refuse to take blame. It is always someone else's fault. If you rob a liquor store it is the owner's fault for leaving cash in the till. If you lie to the …
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Where Have Your Coffee Beans Been?
When we buy food products in developed countries we assume that the food is safe to eat. However, almost all coffee comes from third world counties where there is no FDA and no Safe Food Practices Act. The saving grace for coffee is that it is roasted at temperatures that remove bacteria and viruses that could harm us. As far as we can tell, no one has gotten salmonella or botulism from roasted …
Coffee Makes You Better in Groups
There have been a lot of scientific and pseudo-scientific articles in the last ten years about the effect of coffee on our bodies. If you believe all of the articles coffee is only next to the fountain of youth in health benefits. Like any other miracle potion many of those claims should be viewed with suspicion. However, there are well researched studies which are valid and do indicate that …
What’s on Your Holiday List?
It is that time of the year when we try to find gifts that are useful and appreciated. You may have noticed that the older our family and friends get the harder it is to find good gifts. There is a point in life when accumulating things isn't that important anymore. So practical things are more appreciated. Our suggestion is to use our equipment checklist for brewing great coffee. Check off …
Coffee Research – Fact or Fake?
For the past several years, the news has been filled with reports about the health benefits of coffee. Personally, we are elated that we are selling a healthy drink However, we wonder how many of these claims are really "snake oil." The latest coffee health announcement comes from Canadian researchers who state that instant dark roast coffee tends to keep amyloid-beta and tau or …
Please Freeze Our Coffee Beans
For a number of years there has been a war among coffee gurus over the best way to store roasted coffee. There are pro-freezer proponents, pro- refrigerator proponents and dark cabinet proponents. The proponents are all dogmatic and have no respect for each other's opinion. Periodically, a new opinion appears and the war erupts again. Humans use two methods of decision making, intuition and …
Coffee By the Numbers
Walk into any wine store and there will be bottles of wine tagged with numbers from 80 to 100. The numbers reflect wine reviews either from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate or from Wine Spectator. Go into a coffee store and there will be coffees with some flavor descriptors but rarely are their review scores. However, higher end roasters are beginning to see the value in letting their customers see …
Grinding Changes Coffee Flavor
Brewing coffee is about extracting flavor from the beans. Extract too much and the coffee is bitter and acidic, extract too little and the coffee is thin and sour. Coffee extraction is a function of three things; the temperature, the brew time and the size of the grounds. "How to brew" coffee articles focus on temperature and brew time. So we know that brew water should be 200 +/- 5 F degrees. …
Where Did My Kona Coffee Come From?
When we brew a cup of Kona coffee it is the last step in a tale of theft, intrigue, and sex. All Arabica coffees originated from trees in Ethiopia. There are hundreds of varieties of coffee trees growing wild in Ethiopia but only two varieties make up almost all of today's Arabica coffee consumption. In the fifteenth century Arab traders purchased coffee beans from farmers in Abyssinia …
Why You Can’t Get a Good Cup of Coffee on an Airplane
Everyone knows that airplane coffee tastes bad, but few people ever ask why. Here are the reasons. Water You know that coffee is 98% water. At home you use high quality filtered water or bottled water to brew your beans. Airlines get their water from large mobile tanks that pull up to the plane and pump it into the plane's holding tanks. The holding tank water is used for all water on the …
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