New Books about Coffee Roasting & Production
Two coffee books worth checking out – one recently released by Scott Rao, called ‘The Coffee Roaster’s Companion,’ and another coming soon by James Hoffmann, called ‘The World Atlas of Coffee: From Beans to Brewing — Coffees Explored, Explained and Enjoyed.’ The Coffee Roaster’s Companion A co-owner of Montreal’s Cafe Myriade, Scott Rao has published...
Find of the Day: Bonavita Variable Temperature Kettle
The Bonavita 1-Liter Variable Temperature Electric Kettle (that’s a mouthful) is on sale for $59.99 – a big savings over its usual $99 price. It might look like something out of a Sharper Image catalog, but it’s been designed for coffee connoisseurs. It allows you to set and hold your ideal temperature and pour from...
KeepCup Brew – Glass Coffee Tumbler Review
KeepCup was nice enough to send over a sample of their new glass tumbler to review recently (dubbed KeepCup Brew) and I’ve been giving it a spin at work and around the home. The older KeepCup model was made with plastic, and some complain that plastic retains odors and off flavors, making glass a significant...
Handsome Coffee signs off in switch to Blue Bottle
Handsome Coffee, which you may have heard was recently bought by Blue Bottle Coffee, has officially signed off on Tumblr. It’s nice to hear directly from the team, and it’s also a peak inside the past with an eye toward the future. I copied the bit below because it’s nice to know that Blue Bottle...
Italian astronaut to bring espresso machine into orbit
Naturally. It’s an interesting little article, actually (check out the machine diagram). Brewing science is complicated and finnicky enough on Earth, let alone in the microgravity environment on the International Space Station. Check out the article over on NPR’s blog. Snippet below: Of course, drinking coffee up in space still won’t be the same as...
Instant Coffee Past and Present
Smithsonian magazine started a recent article with the question, “is there a future for instant coffee?” For most of us reading this site, the answer is probably no (right?!) but this is an interesting point of departure for a tour of the current instant coffee market and its history. They point out that the instant...
Roastwatch – A coffee roast logging app for iOS
Check this out – fellow coffee blogger Darren Jennings over at The Coffee Compass has taken up coding and developed an app for home roasters. While many professional-grade coffee roasters come with the ability to use logging software coupled with temperature probes to help manage and re-create roasts batch to batch, home roasters are often...
A Look Back: Los Angeles Coffee Culture (Part 3)
Continuing from Part 1 and Part 2 of my look back at LA’s growing Coffee Culture, it’s time to look at what has changed over time: Handsome Coffee Roasters: recently acquired by Blue Bottle and in the midst of being assimilated, so it remains to be seen what happens here! In the mean time, here’s...
A Look Back: Los Angeles Coffee Culture (Part 2)
Here’s the second in a series of posts looking back at LA’s growing coffee culture (see Part 1 here). Below you’ll witness the proliferation of both multi-roaster shops, like Cognoscenti Coffee and Commissary Coffee), as well as home-grown roastery-cafes like Portola and Cafecito Organico. Proof Bakery / Cognoscenti Coffee, Atwater Village A perfect match...
Mid-Century Modern Coffee Grinder by Robert Welch
Is this the most beautiful hand grinder ever made? I came across this hand mill while doing my usual browse around eBay for good deals on unique coffee gear (keep an eye out for similar things tagged here as “find of the day“). It’s from the 1960’s, created for Victor Cast Ware by British...
Find of the Day: Braun KF20 Aromaster
I’ve posted about the beautiful, retro-futuristic, mid-century modern design of the Braun KF20 before, but now you can pick one up yourself! The piece below is going for $275 USD on Etsy, equipped with a European-style 220V plug. That price is about on par with what I’ve seen at design-centered galleries, though you may get...
FastCo profiles the inventor of the Aeropress
Fast Company has a nice interview with Aerobie AeroPress inventor, Alan Adler, covering his background briefly as well as some of the back story behind the development of the Aeropress. This is the coffee maker that spawned a legion of coffee geeks. Paired with a hand mill (like the $27 Hario Slim), it’s the cheapest...
