So, you’ve just walked into a new coffeeshop and see some espresso drinks in the menu that you’ve not seen, nor tasted, before. What do you do? Should you try the cortado or the Cubano coffee? How do you know which one you will like the taste of more? And most importantly, how do these … Read more
The main difference coffee drinkers notice when comparing light and dark roasts of coffee is the flavor. Even when made from the same bean, a lightly-roasted coffee tastes completely different than a darkly-roasted coffee. While the taste may be the most important and most notable difference between dark and light roasts, though, it’s not the … Read more
Kona coffee is named after the region where it’s grown – that is Kona, Hawaii, on the island of Hawaii, otherwise known as the Big Island. Like many coffees, Kona gets its distinctive flavor from the very delicate ecosystem in which it grows. It can literally not be grown anywhere else in the world. That’s … Read more
Nothing spoils a great cup of coffee more than a tepid temperature or a scald so hot it takes off half your mouth skin before you can swallow it. Coffee, like most hot drinks, is a straight-up Goldilocks situation. It simply tastes better when it’s “just right.” What is the right temperature for coffee, though? … Read more
A long black coffee is a virtually nonexistent offering in American (and many European) coffee shops, and there’s a reason for that. It has an almost exact twin – the americano – which is the better-known drink of the two and the one you’re more likely to find on the menu of an American coffee … Read more
When you order an espresso at most coffee shops, you’ll get a double shot. A double shot of espresso is a little more than 2 ounces of water passed through 14-20 grams of coffee in roughly 20-25 seconds. If you opt for a single shot, you’ll get roughly 1 ounce of water passed through 7 … Read more
A regular shot of espresso is roughly equivalent to 1 ounce of water passed through 7 grams of ground coffee. This is what is served standard in most coffee shops when you order a single shot of espresso. A long shot of espresso passes more water through the same grounds. Typically, a long shot uses … Read more
What’s on the drink menu at your local coffeeshop is only about a tenth of what a knowledgeable barista knows how to make. Being equally knowledgeable about your options can give you a far better experience. You might even find something you like better than the standard cappuccino or latte. Two often hidden coffeeshop menu … Read more
Coffee. Coffee! A drink that need not go by any other name. And yet… it does. Several, actually. While the official word for coffee is remarkably similar in many, many languages around the world – some variation of koffie or café – the number of slang terms and different words for coffee more than compensates … Read more
If you’re in line at the coffee shop waiting to order up your normal go-to drink, but then you overhear someone order something that you’ve never heard of before now – Is that good?, you think. Will you like that drink? It is better than your normal cup of joe? You might even have some … Read more