What's Brewing

Did you know that the exact same bean will taste different depending on where it was grown? The flavor of coffee beans depends on the soil, altitude, and minerals in the ground. The differences are so acute that even inside one specific country there can be all sorts of variations. Some coffee connoisseur spend their life traveling and trying coffee, because no matter how much they’ve drank there surely is a type of coffee they have not tried.    Coffee is more similar to wine than you may initially think. Coffee regions play a similar role to wine regions, given...

Drip coffee is the most common way to brew coffee but it is a recent one considering the long history of coffee. It was only in the 50s when home-automation boomed world-wide and the markets were filled with home appliances promising practicality and technological innovation. Many of the products of this time are now extinguished, but the drip coffeemaker is still fairly common and popular. This invention has endured largely due to its practicality, but take into account that it never promised to offer the best coffee brew ever. Its promises are only a matter of practicality; not to mention...

  As discussed in a previous blog post, coffee farmers tend to be happy people. No one is immune to mental health struggles and bad days, but statistically, the mental health struggles at the farms are low compared to the developing world where loneliness, depression, and anxiety are high. Here are ten tips on how coffee farmers approach life: Count Your Blessings Is the glass half full or half empty? Either way, thank God there is a glass! Life is often about what we make of all the ups and downs, but through it all it is important to keep...

In 1992, Dr. Gary Chapman, a Christian couples therapist published his now most famous book -The Five Love Languages. It became a bestseller almost immediately, as his writings helped people love others better and reciprocatively feel more loved. The book is still popular, 30 years after it was first published, and there is a website where anyone can take the love quiz and find out what makes one feel the most loved.  I personally find a very strong bond between coffee and love. Whether it is romantic love, family love, or simply love for myself, I have very often felt...

As any other form of art, latte art requires skill, technique, and an abundance of creativity. Baristas across the world work hard to perfect designs and even come up with new ones. There are barista academies throughout the world preparing a whole workforce of talented coffee makers with steady hands and a creative mind. But as practice makes perfect, here are some basic things you need to know in order to start creating your own latte art at home.  Understanding Density The media for this art form are espresso, steamed milk, and foamed milk. The base is built with the...