IF I’M A HOME ROASTER

 ROASTING ISN’T ROCKET SCIENCE. IT IS MUCH, MUCH EASIER. IN FACT, IT IS SO EASY THAT ANYONE CAN DO IT, EVEN AT HOME. WHILE HOME ROASTING IS VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT TRANSPIRES IN...

A DARKER ROASTED COFFEE? DO DARKER ROASTS HAVE LESS CAFFEINE?

 The answer, unfortunately, is not clear. The available data are all over the place. Some research shows that the concentration of caffeine increases with darker roasts while...

HOW IS COFFEE DECAFFEINATED?

MORE THAN A FEW PEOPLE OUT THERE CAN’T FUNCTION WITHOUT A CUP OF COFFEE A DAY, IF NOT TWO OR THREE CUPS. MOST COFFEE DRINKERS NOT ONLY RELY ON THE CAFFEINE IN COFFEE BUT THEY RELISH...

HOW DO I KEEP MY COFFEE FRESH?

 YOU JUST PURCHASED A BAG OF COFFEE AND YOU NOTICE THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOVE THE MIDWAY POINT OF THE BAG THERE IS A SMALL HOLE! IF YOU SQUEEZE THE BAG, YOU HEAR GAS ESCAPE...

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY COFFEE FRESHNESS?

WE ALL WANT THE BEST POSSIBLE EXPERIENCE FROM OUR COFFEE. OBVIOUSLY, THIS MEANS IT OUGHT TO BE FRESH. THAT SOUNDS GOOD, OF COURSE, BUT WHAT EXACTLY DO WE MEAN BY FRESHNESS? The...

WHAT DO I CALL THIS ROAST LEVEL?

 AS WE FIND OURSELVES CARING MORE AND MORE ABOUT COFFEE, WE REALIZE THE ROAST LEVEL OF THE COFFEE IS IMPORTANT TO US. SO, WHEN WE GO TO BUY COFFEE, HOW DO WE TELL THE SELLER...

ARE YOU AFRAID OF DARK ROASTS?

 STRONG. BOLD. DEEP. HEAVY. DARK. THESE ALL TEND TO MEAN ONE THING IN RELATION TO COFFEE: A DARK ROAST. THEY ARE PART OF OUR MODERN COFFEE LEXICON AND, OFTENTIMES, ARE SYNONYMOUS...

WHY IS A COFFEE BEAN JUST A TINY TEST TUBE?

GREEN (UNROASTED) COFFEE IS NOTHING YOU’D EVER WANT TO CONSUME. IT IS HARD ENOUGH TO BREAK A TOOTH, AND ITS TASTE LEAVES AN AWFUL LOT TO BE DESIRED. IN ORDER FOR IT TO BECOME SOMETHING...

THAT COFFEE WAS EATEN BY AN ANIMAL?

THERE ARE TIMES IN LIFE WHEN YOU WANT CONFIRMATION THAT THE CONTENTS OF A PACKAGE REALLY MATCHES WHAT IS ADVERTISED ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE PACKAGE. IS THE OLIVE OIL REALLY FROM...

COFFEE CAN RUST?

 WHEN THINGS RUST, IT IS ALWAYS METAL THINGS—IRON, ACTUALLY. PLANTS CAN’T RUST AND COFFEE IS NO DIFFERENT. COFFEE LEAVES, HOWEVER, CAN TURN RUST COLORED AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS,...

WHY DOES A COFFEE PLANT PRODUCE CAFFEINE?

 Discovered in 1819, by German chemist Ferdinand Runge, the caffeine found in the coffee plant plays a useful role, just not a critical one. SO MANY OF US LOVE COFFEE BECAUSE...

CAN YOU TELL ME THE FLAVOR PROFILE OF THE COFFEE FROM LOCATION X?

 THIS IS A QUESTION THAT EVERYONE ASKS AT SOME POINT. THE WINE INDUSTRY, THE GRANDDADDY OF ALL SPECIALTY FOOD INDUSTRIES, HAS SPENT ITS LIFETIME BUILDING ON THE IDEA THAT WHERE...

WHY DOES MY ROASTER TALK ABOUT CHERRY PROCESSING?

 AS THE COFFEE SEED IS THE PART OF THE COFFEE CHERRY THAT INTERESTS US THE MOST, WE HAVE TO EXTRACT IT FROM THE FRUIT AND GET IT TO A POINT WHERE IT CAN BE ROASTED. ESSENTIALLY,...

IS ONE ROUND PEABERRY BETTER THAN TWO FLAT-FACED BEANS?

 BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER. AT LEAST, THAT’S HOW THE SAYING GOES. WHEN IT COMES TO PEABERRIES, THOUGH, IT JUST MIGHT BE TRUE. THE TRUTH IS, WE DON’T REALLY KNOW.Inside...