In Latin American coffee cultivation, achieving an agricultural environment with ethical labor practices and sustainable farming is still a work in progress. However, the tide can flow away from structures like coffee plantations in Honduras, Costa Rica and Guatemala. Plantation-style farming dates back centuries. Historically speaking, plantation-style labor practices are exploitative. However, consumers worldwide are […]
How to Bring the Best of a Coffee Shop to Your Home The world over and throughout the centuries, people have gathered in coffee shops, coffee houses, cafés and other coffee-serving establishments. Coffee brings people together. It fuels thinking, new ideas and projects. After a long work week, a visit to the coffee shop can […]
From Heating Muffins to Finessing Rare, High-Altitude Coffee Drinks - A Day in the Life of a Barista Most adults and teenagers have seen a barista brew coffee delights at a coffee shop. Intrigued barista-watchers may wonder: is it worth it to learn to pull espresso at a break-neck pace and memorize the attributes of […]
When reading the front and back of a coffee bag while waiting for it to brew, or for the water to boil for your French press, you may wonder what the labels and stamps mean on the bag. If you’re not brewing your perfect cup, it may be in the coffee aisle at the grocery […]
Since coffee isn’t a thirst quencher or a nutritional beverage, people often wonder whether it’s good for you. Of course, it gets you up and moving, more ready to embrace the day. . . or just deal with it. It also warms us up in cold weather. Coffee gets us chatting and generally peps us […]
Decaffeinated coffee causes conversations among coffee lovers. “When did you switch to decaf?” is asked around office coffee pots and while waiting for baristas to whip up coffee at a shop. Decaf is also a cause for conversations among family members on vacations or during the holidays. Well, maybe those are mostly debates and arguments! […]
Are single-origin coffees really better than blends? While many coffee aficionados rave about single-origin, there are actually several priorities to balance. There is no quick answer to: is single-origin worth all the hype? After we present all the factors, you can weigh single-origin coffee based on your preferences. Your own curiosities about flavor and origin […]
Coffee grown at high elevations has earned a reputation as being superior. Why is coffee that hails from high up in the mountains better? Since “better” is a vague opinion, we’ll go through how coffee plants behave differently at different altitudes. Elevation does affect the quality of the resulting coffee beans. Of course, we’ll explain […]
As the world’s population consumes more and more coffee, the top-producing countries will play an interesting role in determining the varieties available and prices. And the world does increasingly love its coffee! Coffee growth is concentrated in the coffee belt. Coffee only grows well in a limited region along the equator, yet people from pole […]
