• Last updated 9/6/11 by KGraf88

“Coffee in styrofoam is against my religion.”  ~Betsy Cañas Garmon   The difference between your average cup o’ joe and the freshly roasted, ground, and brewed coffee you are about to see here is like night and day, black and white, right and wrong…you get the point.   Too often I hear people say things like, “I don’t like my coffee too strong, it tastes bitter” or “All coffee tastes the same to me.” Well, the truth is, over-extracting coffee grounds with too much water is more likely to give you a nasty, bitter taste. As for all brews being the same…well, I’ll give... read more

• Last updated 9/16/10 by Alejandro Foung

If you were asked to name a commodity of Hawaii, you might likely respond with pineapple, or maybe even cane sugar.  However, with few exceptions, pineapples and sugar cane have not been widely grown commercially on the islands for years.  There is one item, however, that is not only growing, but thriving on the Hawaiian islands—coffee.    Hawaiian coffees are nothing new.  In fact, Kona coffee has enjoyed such storied success that it is synonymous with “Hawaiian coffee.”  Unfortunately, this generalization leads many to conclude that Kona coffee... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by JackBlack

The Bean and the Hungry GoatHere's a question to ponder: what beverage, when consumed in moderation, intensifies a person's concentration, alertness, and increases their ability to process information? If you guessed a specific herbal tea, carrot juice, protein shake, or other "health food drink" (legal or illicit) you're wrong.  The beverage of course is none other than a good cup (or two, or six) of caffeine-laden coffee. Sometimes considered a "vice," coffee is reputed to do all these things and more; besides tasting good, researchers in recent years have done... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by pbrown

Dateline: March 1, 2001, San Jose, Costa Rica Following my interview with Norman Saurage the CEO of the Community Coffee Company, I couldn't wait to broaden my knowledge about coffee. The next stage of my development involved a coffee "cupping." Similar to a wine tasting, a "cupping" was arranged for me by Norman at one of his companies new Coffee Houses in Austin, Texas. I arrived at CC's Coffee House at North Lamar and 6th Street in Austin at 1:00 PM and was greeted by David Walsh, CC's District Manager and Melissa Piker-Purvis, the store manager. I was impressed... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by pbrown

Dateline: December 1, 2000, San Jose, Costa Rica Searching For The Perfect Cup of Coffee PART ONE One of the great advantages of working as Chef on board a luxury charter yacht, has always been meeting interesting people from around the World. This past Summer in Alaska, was no exception. I met one person particularly who's expertise, and knowledge about coffee has surely changed my life forever. It began quite innocently enough as the yacht M/V Explorer pulled from the dock in Juneau, Alaska for a week long charter to Sitka. Our six guests had just started... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by pbrown

Dateline: May 1, 2001, Eugene, Oregon SEARCHING FOR THE PERFECT CUP OF COFFEE - PART THREE - COSTA RICA Chef Patrick & Arnoldo Levia cupping in Costa RicaI arrived in Costa Rica in October just as the coffee cherries were beginning to ripen in the mountains near San Jose. I had missed an International Coffee Buyer Convention in the city by a couple of days and read with interest the news about the anticipated Costa Rica coffee harvest. Predictions were for a good harvest but low coffee prices again this year. Having previously spent two months in Costa Rica, I... read more