Let me count the ways to serve you coffee.

There is an almost overwhelming number of ways that the ‘black gold in a cup’ can be served up these days.  From highly trained baristas only one class away from a Masters in chemistry and commercial cookery!  

Seriously.

As the ‘third wave’ of coffee flows upon us like the proverbial storm in a teacup, the options, and offerings from the best coffee servers available has grown out of its primary Italian espresso production, gone on to re-visit the past and then been brought back, with re-invented techniques and modes of production.  

In this age of the golden bean, we the consumer are kings. 

So how can you, the latte drinker for the last eight years adapt?  With all these options, which one should you try?  Follow me please, as I’ll explain a few.

The Pour Over:  This little diddy says a lot for two simple words.  The pour over is a means by which the ground coffee and heated water filter through paper, metal or cloth to produce a clean, natural flavor enhancing black cup of coffee.  This method of coffee services allows you to sit and be immersed in the experience and show that the barista will put on for you.  The pour over method is then broken down into brand and equipment categories like the Chemex, V60, Cafeor and the Nel Drip.  So just ask your local barista for a pour over, and they will lead you on the journey.

The Aeropress: A space saving travel must-have accessory, this is a go-to for any self-respecting traveling barista.  It is a unique filter style brew .  It works with push pressure and produces a mild black cup of coffee.  This inventive method of coffee production did put filter coffee styling on the lips of the customer as it is as great to watch the barista prepare for you as much as it is to do yourself.

Cold Brew:  Perfect for summer the cold brew method will put an all day spring in your step.  Produced by a slow drip method (this is the best way) top cafes will be seen using higher grade beans as the taste profiling is enhanced through the slow drip process allows for a flavourful black cup, always served with lots of ice and though it need not be (for shame!) comes offered with sides of vanilla, cinnamon, and milk. 

Now you can confidently strut into the next hipster coffee bar that opens near you and boldly ask how they serve up the filter and alternate coffee brews and then sit down and enjoy the surprise.   

The rise of the Internet café.

As with any significant new change in society the advent of the Internet café had aided in the enhancement of societal relationships and increased the ability for most to find a way to connect to others.

Starting in 1988 in the tech wonderland of South Korea at Hongik University and with the name of ‘Electronic Café International,' (so apt!) it was humble in its offerings, with only two computers, but outspoken with its dream of social connectivity.

Blowing up throughout the early 90’s in San Francisco, New York, London and Finland the Internet café was doing a fantastic job of promoting the image of the internet as cool.  As gamers and workers continued to increase the time spent in these cafes; as it was cheaper than owning an at-home personal computer at the time, along came the stimulant we love, caffeine.

The merging of the internet into the coffee scene has had a very natural feel of real class progression.  The modern café had slipped away from its early days as the English coffeehouse or even the Turkish coffee bar in the local bazaar where poor local merchants and rich business folk would gather to talk news and politics, as well as consuming coffee from all over the world.  Today we still travel the globe to source our coffee and news but through local avenues though gone is the feeling of equanimity between all stratum of society.

With the internet café, they had somewhat superseded some of the divisiveness within nations in that whoever wants to ‘surf’ can buy a coffee and surf.

Should you join in and offer complimentary Wi-Fi with any purchase?  Why not?  If you can include the cost of unlimited Wi-Fi at your café, then password protect it and share it with your patrons.  It’s a great look to have students, mothers, and business folk all within the same space, comfortable, sipping on filter coffee, lattes, and espressos.  It’s not the heated debates on society and economics that once took place in the coffeehouse of old, but it is a symbiotic relationship that does have the effect of drawing many others from varying fields into one safe space.  

Now if only you could just get them to look up from their devices and chat with each other, good luck!

Perhaps you should join a coffee association.

The ever-expansive world of espresso and filter coffee continues to swarm across the globe, having made an immediate impact in the developed nations of the world, and with that, its reach is stretching far into the least developed growing regions. 

With top espresso bars and cafes opening up in South Africa – Truth Coffee and Central America – Refuge Coffee Bar, it’s hard to picture how this industries growth is currently monitored and perhaps, patrolled, to ensure that the coffee bean consumers are keeping the high quality and standards of the growing regions.

At the very least, how are the standards being maintained in the United States?

Enter the National Coffee Association USA.  Sure they have the power equivalent of the United Nations but knowing they are there can be enough to keep the farming regions of the world feeling safe that someone is monitoring the best practices within each nation.  The NCA is one of the oldest trade associations, having it roots in the coffee business since 1911.  They have a deep well of information on American legislation and are always paying attention to the latest coffee and health research.   Membership to such an association connects you to a committed organization that promotes a professional and sustainable future for the development of coffee in the United States.

The Specialty Coffee Association of America follows in the same footsteps as the NCA.  Offering educational pathways in coffee and business as well as highlighting the developments of the coffee industry through awards hosting.  They are a veritable cornucopia of all things coffee, highlighting the developments of rural coffee growing regions and sustainable developments also.

So if you love your coffee and not just the latte every morning, but the deep love that draws you to understand further the journey the coffee cherry takes going from crop to cup, then start a membership with a well-respected coffee association.  You will get lost in the wonders of this global commodity as you sit to read and sip your way through a coffee adventure.

Why storage of coffee in a warehouse is safe.

With an increasingly high demand for caffeine extracted from the small coffee cherry, be it for freeze dried coffee, pod coffee, coffee concentrate for food services or as an espresso, (75% of caffeine consumed is through coffee consumption)  the number of distributors within this chain has rapidly increased.  

The growth of the coffee distributor is a reflective development alongside the expansion of espresso drinking regions (into the cities of the under-developed coffee growing nations).  Alternate sales options by large fast food chain (McCafe at MacDonalds) and the profit driven, high volume growth of coffee chains such as Starbucks, Tim Hortons, and Dunkin Donuts also contribute.

Throughout the USA, Europe, Asia and Australia the number of merchants is on the rise, only to maintain the demand from big business and the consumer.  Within this expansive period, as farmers also attempt to keep up with demand, it is the merchants who can look to alter best practice regimens.  They can affect such practices like maximum warehouse storage times, as they look to take ahold of as much market share as possible as well protect future profits from fluctuations in the commodity pricing and to disease at the farming level.

So how can you, as a buyer of unroasted green beans be sure the product delivered to you from the merchant warehouses has been stored and taken care of properly?  Fortunately, the expectations have been nicely laid out for you by the specialists at coffeeresearch.org.  This detailed explanation of the best practices that you should, if not demand, be aware of, hold the merchant accountable for the product that they sell.  Read through their website, and you will be fully versed on the modes for coffee processing and dry as well as contributing information that is supported by the governing body of coffee in America the Specialty Coffee Association of America, SCAA.

The role of the SCAA is to uphold a crop to cup commitment to quality and respect for the regions, processes, and peoples involved in the past, present and future of the coffee bean supply chain. 

Most merchants will act as a highly professional business and will support that claim through best practices such as “Rainforest Alliance,” and “Fair Trade.”  That shows that they have a vested interest in the sustainable growth of the coffee farming industry, and as they invest in these modes they improve their stead in a booming market that cannot afford to have sloppy practices allowed to seep in.

These roasters use only the best fresh coffee beans, so should you.

Whether you’re looking for coffee for the café, for your home or the office, fresh is best.  Are you looking for the perfect gift of coffee beans for your family over the Christmas break or just as a surprise to the hubby with the biggest heart, buying the best fresh product is giving a gift that produces a warm smile from the lucky recipient.

Who can be trusted in today’s coffee market, to supply you with ethically sourced, top-grade and quality roasted fresh beans for you to use, take a quick look at the list below for a few of America's favorites.  You may have heard of a few of the big names, but I’m sure a couple of fresh faces will pop up.  Follow the links to their websites and check out their wholesale and subscription sections that way no matter what time of day you are chasing your fix, you’ll have a good chance of having coffee ready to go as they drop it to your door.

Grounds for Change are a family owned and operated business specializing in sustainable coffee production.  They are involved in some progressive ecological and social programs and only roast 100% Fair Trade and Organic coffees.  It is not just coffee beans that they have either, as a full range of tea, chocolate, and gifts, such as baskets of coffee goodies, are available also.  With full support for the farmers and the environment that the beans are grown and processed in, Grounds for Change is really at the forefront of the full immersion eco-coffee experience.

Mt. Whitney Coffee Roasters are another group of dedicated coffee heroes that run their business as a non-profit with all their benefits making its way through to fund schools, community water wells, and feeding programs within the farming regions that they have access.  They do not miss a beat when it comes to fresh roasting as they have their Q grader and master roaster working from the foothills of Mt. Whitney, CA. 

Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters are the Kiwi entrant on this humbling list.  Based in Sacramento, CA they view quality and integrity as hand in hand and act accordingly through community engagement in both America and the land of the long white cloud.  They source direct trade from the farmers and take a stroll along their website you will see they also have a top selection of teas, equipment and even New Zealand’s famed chocolate.  If you’re yet to try it, I cannot recommend enough.

Fresh is best and not just because it is fresh but because a price was not paid for its production.  

With the superstars on this list, you can sip contentedly knowing that your small investment has gone a long way to helping a larger whole.

Made easy, finding the best online coffee company for you.

You know that the mornings would be just that much better if you had your steady supply of the golden bean to help perk you up before you brave the world.  The traffic, the public transport commute.  These actions that are a necessary part of the overall workday that you feel should be laced with caffeine, just to help with the transition from home to work, because it is not an easy one without it.  You know how much better you feel after you stop in for the first hit in the morning, chatting with the baristas is always a pleasure but being able to skip through the travel time slightly less on edge would only benefit all involved, wouldn’t it?

I couldn’t agree more, so taking a small moment of my time, I’d like to make you a list of the best, favorite and most trusted on life coffee companies out there.  It’s a big pool, so I don’t want you sinking in the deep end before you have even put your toe in, so consider me your toe, this is the best of the deep brought to you, all you must do from here is choose your favorite coffee and get started. 

This list will comprise of only roasters who have made a mark on the American palettes thus far, they may not be the biggest or have been in business the longest, but their commitment to the products that they source and roast is hands down the best in the business to date.

Before I start, might I suggest, this list is the best companies in the game today.  You may feel tied to the routine of trust as you were hurt once before, but I assure you, trust in every one of these online coffee suppliers will not be misplaced.

Cartel Coffee Lab Tempe, Arizona are where it is at for weekly or monthly coffee subscription.  New to the scene but specialty all the way.  Sign up for the newsletter or jump on their blog for all the at homebrew tips to get you ready for the day.

49^th Parallel Roasters have full starter kits for the uninitiated and offer subscriptions delivered to your door so that you are prepared for any hazy morning wake up.  Their website and blog have very detailed articles written by industry professionals, so your skill set will be pushed and prodded to improve when you need it.

Seeking an online company with a heart as big as their 60kg roaster?  Dragonfly Coffee Roasters source green beans from small farms and farming cooperatives, allowing them to contribute to the enhancement and regeneration of more localized coffee growing regions.  Dragonfly has over 25 years of experience in the industry of sourcing and roasting so you can be guaranteed a quality cup at home every time.  Now all you need to do is a shop, sip and sit back.

           

There’s nothing quite like fresh roasted coffee.

As Hugo Weaving so eloquently put it in The Matrix “It’s the smell.”  

Sure, he was talking about the stink of humanity in his machine world, but it is still apt to quote him.  Because that’s what it is with fresh roasted coffee, it’s the smell.  It’s your first encounter with the café or roasters, as you step into their little world, their lovingly produced product speaks to you through the olfactory glands and right into your heart.  Every smell is re-associated by the brain, the scent of fresh rain in the air and you can be whisked back to the rugby fields of your youth, or the musk of petrol can be having you call dad, just to tell him how much you love him.  As it is with coffee, the smell of it roasting is a heady, grassy mix of earth, wind, and fire and with it comes the visions of your two hands holding dearly to moms, on the way to school, as she rushes into a café for an espresso before work.

The roasting of green coffee beans is to garner a base, the chemically and expertly ‘drawing out’ of a simple coffee cherry the complexity and flavor profiles that the barista then works with to follow through with the effort to allow the customer to experience many years and many hands in one sip.  This phenomenon has now entrenched a large proportion of society, now hooked to its addictive and enjoyable complexity of flavors.  From fresh cherries to chocolate, lemon licorice and grassy goodness it’s amazing to imagine that each cup you down have traveled so far and passed through so many hands on a long journey from another continent, passed many societies and into your cup.

This art of coffee roasting has a long a colonial history to it, one that some purveyors of today’s burgeoning coffee scene take with them to each day’s work.  Using the knowledge gained from the past to influence the reactions of the customer today and to inspire the generations of tomorrow and we love them for it.  Everyday.

Give the gift that keeps on giving, coffee!

Ok the caffeine does wear off eventually, but like your first high school kiss and that espresso stain on your new white shirt, you never forget your first experience of great coffee, nor does it simply rub off.  The joy of coffee is about bringing people together be it in one space or over the kitchen table.  It’s about finding your personal niche, developing a relationship with local baristas and growing your knowledge then showing off what you have learned, or taking that special someone you want to impress to the latest hidden laneway coffee bar.

Coffee is a gift that can be a unique eye opening experience for the uninitiated or a catalyst to a profound love affair with a great company that will always strive to give you their best product and deliver it right to your do.  My favorite coffee gifts are the ones that arrive either at home or the office and always those that arrive with a surprise.  

A great go to site for that special gift of coffee is Market Lane Coffee from Melbourne. Shipping internationally these guys are industry leaders and not only do they offer the great gift of a coffee club subscription, but they have a vast array of equipment, coffee related items and alternative brew tools to keep even the most dedicated coffee drinking experimenting for years to come.

At Coffee Roaster you’ll find a top selection of expertly chosen brews and at home equipment from strong cafes and roasters like Sacred Grounds and Miss Ellie’s, both have very welcoming and easy to navigate websites. 

For the newcomer to the scene, a well-known favorite like Blue Bottle would be a great fit. As a veteran of the American coffee industry, you will be hard pressed (or is it cold pressed these days?) not to find an inspiring coffee gift that, when received, will enhance and develop another lover of the golden bean.

It’s Christmas time so time for the gift of coffee.

Spoiling a loved one at Christmas is always a fun thing to do.  The months of dubious study you put into their every move.  Diligently watching over their hobbies and listening in for clues about their dreams and desires.  The fun of pondering for days on end which present will be best to impress them and to put you in great stead, not just with them but with all who know of your famed gift giving abilities.  Anticipation of the recipient opening up the box of wonders that you had so meticulously picked out for them will have you bursting at the seams for month after month until the day arrives.

Or perhaps you’re more like me and you are yet to think of anybody else, yet to peruse the overstocked aisles of bookstores or to wade through bins of collected records. 

That’s ok, as daunting as it may seem now that Christmas is so close, it’s not.  Do your loved ones drink coffee?  It’s a very good chance they do as around 83% of all American adults do.  

Take a quick look online at these professional coffee roasters.  Those who have made it on this list are able to deliver to your door not only a perfectly roasted bean ready for you to share but look a little deeper and a few can even sort you out with a great selection of coffee related gifts that will brighten the morning of any Boxing Day once put to use.

Chromatic Coffee Co. – Santa Clara, CA.  Opening in 2012 this team have carved a clever niche in the booming roasting market through clever brand packaging and inventive names for the single origins and blends that they roast. Ever had ‘Unicorn Pony’ or ‘Gamut’?  These coffee kings are guaranteed to entertain and delight.

Counter Culture – Durham, NC.  Proving total dedication to the golden bean, Counter Culture do not have a bricks and mortar shopfront as they focus on wholesale only. Truly a professional roasting company, they have you sorted from purchase to first sip as their website has all the training and instruction you would need to whip up a pour over for nan on Christmas morning in no time.

Devocion – Brooklyn, NY.  The crème dela crème of coffee professionalism, just browsing over this site before you purchase and your knowledge of this global bean will be expanded.  With a firm desire to enrich the total coffee experience, from seed to roasted bean you have many single origin varietals to choose from.

So pick a bean, decide a size and have it sent to you.  Christmas gifts sorted.  Coffee for the holidays sorted.  

Happy Holidays! 

Let’s go visiting the best New York City Coffee Roasters.

It’s the crack of dawn, 5am in New York City and I need a coffee.  Most of my days start out this way, a deep heady mix of confusion from the night before, all neurons firing just a light year or two slower than I would like but I do have a cure. Coffee.  Well, caffeine to be precise. 

A major part of the journey coffee takes, from crop to cup has the little green bean pausing within the capable wall of the coffee roasters domain.  These guys and girls, some even called Master’s, are the chemists in the process of curing you with caffeine.  They know how to extract the best from each growing location the beans may come from.  The roasters now how an African bean will want a lighter roast to one from Guatemala, or how best to draw forth the berry complexities of beans from Ethiopia.  These mad hatters live for slurping, tasting, profiling and dabbling in the art of coffee roasting.  So who is the best?  And where can I stumble to now and be fed, intravenous-like if possible please, my elixir of life, coffee, blacker night and hotter than hell.

88 Orchard Street NY. NY. 10002 – Monday to Sunday 8am – 8pm the team behind Irving Farm Coffee Roasters have one of the nicest places to visit in this part of town.  Soft lighting to not strain the temperament of the weary early morning traveler, they’ll hook you up with one of the best handcrafted organic espressos you’ll find  

18 W 29^th Street NY.NY. 10001 – Monday to Friday 6am – 8pm, Weekends 7am – 8pm The Ace Hotel at this location houses the first Stumptown Coffee Roasters.  A beautiful hipster setup sees the team here offering all the varieties of caffeine you could ever need, from heat beating cold brews to long sipping brew by the cup coffee for the winter mornings 

2730 Broadway (btwn 104^th/105^th) NY.NY. 10025 – Plowshares Coffee roast up only the finest small batch single origins to delight your taste buds and tickle your imagination.  With a sustainable, social responsibility deeply rooted in who they are, this cup of joe is crafted for the benefits of many, not just the pleasures of the few.

Will I find a decent cup of joe in a commercial airport?

Commercial airports have made many upgrades since the heady days of the (80’s) where smoking was allowed in the cabins and the pilot was treated as close to an earthly god as he flew to the heavens.  And as the rules and regulations constant evolve to stay in touch with the modern traveler, be it for business or pleasure, so too has the coffee that you will find situated throughout the terminals. 

Not any longer is there only a vending machine that is willing to take your hard-earned dollars for coffee, no, nowadays you will see many chains have moved into the food court market environment of the airports and as the chains have shown steady growth, we have started to see growth in the more boutique blends of the golden bean popping up in commercial airports.  Let’s look at a few of the best:

Costa Coffee (UK) - The legends of the UK scene, not only scattered throughout most commercial airports in the UK and EU, Costa takes it to the streets and competes on all levels.  Sure, it’s a massive chain, but when the red eye lands and all you need is the caffeine embrace, it’s Costa there with arms wide open.

Guava & Java (Philadelphia) - A great global minded and ethical brand, this team source some legit beans from all over the best coffee going regions and they have even come up with a collaborative blend with actor and environmentalist Leonardo Di Caprio, almost worth a trip to the airport just for them, right?!

Metropolis Coffee (Chicago) - winning bragging rights in some of the State’s top publications (New York Times) for the last 10 years, the team at Metropolis Coffee are a must when you have that lay over to contend with or if you’ve just popped into the windy city

For the best commercial airport coffee, look no further than Joe and the Juice (Copenhagen) .  These guys have taken out top honour in the Airport Food and Beverage awards.  Great coffee and mind blowing juices that set you up for the long business day, the wild weekend or the sexy sojourn over to Amsterdam