Patrik Rolf Karlsson – Roasting for Competition
All CoLab: Paris ‘coffeetalks’ – by speakers such as Klaus Thomsen, Katie Carguilo and Morten Münchow – were produced by our content partner Tamper Tantrum. We’ll be releasing the videos of these talks over the next months so we keep fuelling discussion and building an inventory of knowledge. Don’t hesitate to share your comments, thoughts or …
From Wrench to Cup: Coffee Technicians Guild
By Dave Merkin What happens that moment after you realize your coffee brewer is pouring cold water? How about the feeling of turning a steam knob and having nothing come out? Have you ever considered what to do when your grinder stops grinding? If you are lucky, you have a Coffee Technician that you trust. …
Emerging Markets: A Global Specialty Coffee Culture | Letter From the Editor
Every coffee roaster brings a unique and personal approach to their machine. Coffee people don’t always agree on extraction techniques or brew ratios. We can debate for hours on the most efficient or ethical way to trade coffee, or how the farming and processing method has impacted the quality of a coffee positively or negatively. …
The Blossoming Coffee Culture of Southeast Asia
By Bronwen Serna, The New Black I wake up every day in my new neighborhood and see myriad people begin their day. Like every morning all over the world, their day often begins in the common gathering place–the local cafe. What’s different for me now is that my days are currently spent in Southeast Asia, …
How to Re-Invent a Wheel: A Tale of Science and Industry
By Emma Sage, SCAA Coffee Science Manger With contributions by Molly Spencer, PhD Candidate, UC Davis Introduction The scientific story behind the new SCAA Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel is quite fascinating. This tale includes a star cast of characters, including World Coffee Research (WCR), Kansas State University (KSU), Texas A&M University (TX A&M), the University of …
Colombia’s Arc Over the Specialty Coffee Landscape (& Vice Versa)
By Timothy J. Castle From the beginning, perhaps before the term “specialty coffee” was coined, the specialty coffee industry and Colombian producers have had a special relationship. Each adds value to the other’s coffees, and each pushes the other toward incremental quality improvements and additions to the monetary value of Colombian coffee and specialty coffee …
Supply and Demand: Vastly Different Specialty Coffee Outlooks
By Ric Rhinehart As I sit here in the capital city of the birthplace of coffee (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), after attending the International Coffee Organization’s 4th World Coffee Conference, I am driven to reflect on the conversations at the conference, in the hallways, and over dinner. The state of the global coffee market and the …
Craft Coffee Culture in America’s Heartland
We recently asked SCAA President Tracy Allen how he thinks coffee culture is evolving in America’s Heartland. As a Kansas City native and long-time resident, his unique perspective on the region is enhanced by his frequent travels to major coffee cities, coffee farms, and of course coffeehouses around the world. From your perspective, how is …
Brazilian Specialty Coffee Culture
By Felipe Croce Although I spent my holidays on our coffee farm in Mococa, Brazil when I was growing up, I didn’t begin to enjoy drinking coffee until much later in life. I didn’t like the coffee that was served at the farm, as it was dark, bitter, and flat. It wasn’t until I interned …
Turning the Tables on a Coffee Journalist
Jimmy Sherfey is a journalist who writes for coffee industry trade journals such as Roast Magazine and culinary websites such as Eater.com. How long have you been writing about coffee and how did you get started? I’ve been writing about coffee for a little over two years now. I first started out when Jeff Taylor …
People of Specialty Coffee: An Interview With Sunalini Menon
What are the most obvious ways that coffee culture is changing in India in terms of big picture trends? India is a fairly important player in the global coffee market, providing approximately three-and-a-half percent of the world’s coffee. During this coffee season of 2015/2016, the post-monsoon production estimate of the Coffee Board of India is …
The U.S. Coffee Championships Arena
By Sarah Leslie, David Fasman, and Bronwen Serna At SCAA’s Annual Expo, some of the newest and most cutting edge coffee equipment is being shown. There are hundreds of exhibitors on the show floor – all with a clear dedication to better-ing the specialty coffee industry. Just next door there’s the U.S. Coffee Championships (USCC) …