Interested in learning more about Coffee Roasting? 

Here are the roasting and home coffee roasting sites I find helpful.

Great Roasting Sites

Sweet Marias https://www.sweetmarias.com/ -- This is the first place you should go.

The Coffee Project http://coffeeproject.com/shop/magento/index.php 

Burman Coffee http://www.burmancoffee.com/  

Cropster https://www.cropster.com/en/  This seems to be a pretty intersting concept they have testimonials from some well known names.

Klatch Coffee http://www.klatchroasting.com/  (this may be more of a coffee site that just a roasting resource)

Roasting Trade Organizations & Magazines

Roasters Guild  http://www.roastersguild.org/ 

Roasting Forums

HomeRoasters.org = http://forum.homeroasters.org/forum/index.php

Coffee Forums has a Coffee Roasters Forum

Coffee Geek has a Home Roasting Talk Forum 

Roasters Guild has a great forum http://forums.roastersguild.org/

Barista Exchange has a Roasters forum http://www.baristaexchange.com/group/roasters/forum

Personal Roasting Blogs

Home Roasting Articles & Guides

Wired.com tests 6 home roasting methods  http://www.wired.com/2013/12/coffee-roasters-gallery/ 

Wikipedia - Home Coffee Roasting Page 

Sweet Marias has a great article on How to start home roasting

I Need Coffee shows how to Roast your own Coffee

Books

Home Coffee Roasting http://www.amazon.com/Coffee-Roasting-Revised-Updated-Edition/dp/0312312199 

Roasting Software

What else?

See anything else that should be added? post it in the comments or use our contact us form and we will see about getting it added.

Thanks! -- Steven 

A month or so ago Drew Moody from corner of the cafe gave me some great advice about developing a more refined pallette.  

Man that sounds sort of fancy.  I just wanted to learn how to pick out the different flavors in coffee.

His advice was not want I was expecting but made complete sense.

Drew's Advice:

 

1. Use your words
2. Quit smoking
3. Drink more water and less carbonated drinks;
4. Eat less spicy food, junk food, etc.; and most of all,
5. Go to the grocery store, buy a bunch of different fruits, sweets, vegetables, etc., taste them all and write your descriptors. Experience each bite and really pay attention to what your taste buds are telling you.

Taste is connected to memory. So when you drink a coffee in the future, your brain will automatically start going through its Rolodex of flavor descriptors.

 

So following point number five our very understanding wife, picked up a wide range citris fruit the next time she was at the farmers market.

Here is what we got

• Lime
• Lemon
• Tangarine
• Clemintine
• Mandarine orange
• Orange

It was very cool to try all of the flavors side by site.

Particularly the varieties of oranges.

Good Time had by All

What We learned

Very glad we tried it, have a long way to go.  I think through these simple experiments and tests we are learning a lot.

Have you ever tried something like this before? What was your experience?

What flavor group should we try next?

Intown Coffee is sponsoring JoomlaDay Atlanta.

So you are ready to step up and use one of the best, tried and true brewing methods.  The Chemex.  It is a classic and fun way to make your morning cup.

The question is what is the optimal or ideal size. At least that was the question we had (and that led to this post).

After waaaayyyy to much research we cracked the code.....

Quick Answer: 8 Cup Classic Chemex

• Works well for one person
• Large enough to handle a group of four. 
• The classic style has a timeless and iconic look.
• A great conversation piece and will impress your friends.

Buy the 8 Cup Classic

Where to purchase: We know you can buy a chemex a lot of places. If you found this guide helpful, it sure would be cool if you bought your Chemex from us. If not use then your local coffee shop. A purchase here supports the site allowing us to buy more coffee and create more guides.

Detailed Answer: Follow the Goldilocks Theory...

Remember Goldilocks and the three bears? To Small, To Big, Just Right. The Chemex is the same way.

• Too Small - 3 cup. This is one is on the smaller size. Unless you are always just making for just your self this size is too small.
• Too Big - 10 cup. This size is a little big especially if you are routinely making coffee for one. One exception:  the 10 cup is great if have the need to caffeinate large groups of people.
• Just Right - 6 and 8 cup. These sizes are the way to go. Both are great for one or two people. The 8 cup can easily handle four 'modern size’ mugs.

Either will work great. I prefer having the little bit of extra room on the occasions I am making coffee for a group.

Other Considerations

Kettle Size
Have a 1Liter kettle? It will not make enough hot water for 10 cup. 1 Liter equals 34oz of water. It will be a bit small for the 8 cup but you can probably make it work by over filling. 1 Liter kettle is just fine for  for the 6 and 3 cup sizes.

Amount of water to get through the coffee grinds in 3.5 to 4 minutes
One other consideration is the amount of water you need to get through the grounds and filter in 3.5 to 4 minutes. 50oz in four minutes, you will need a pretty course grind.

Let the button guide you
Also I like that the 8 cup 'button' is right at 20oz total. When I make coffee in the AM I brew to just below the button and that gives me around 16 to 18oz of coffee which is about perfect for two morning cups of coffee.

Classic or Glass Handle

Personal Preference. Can’t go wrong here.

• Classic - Iconic and Stylish. Sure-fire conversation starter.
• Glass Handle - Sleek and minimal. Easier to clean.

Still not sure? Go Classic unless you are in a cafe or high volume setting. It is much easier to clean the glass handle than one with a wood collar.

What Coffee Experts Have to Say

Interested in knowing what industry veterans think? We did also. We reached out to baristas, shop owners, seasoned oasters, bloggers and longtime coffee enthusiasts to get their thoughts.

@intowncoffee 8 cup- It has a good wide cone shape and holds the best coffee/water ratio (50-70gr/1liter). I’m brewing with it right now!

— Giorgio Milos (@Giorgio_Milos) February 26, 2014

@intowncoffee 6 Cup! It's not bulky, but still large enough to brew for two people. I'm indifferent to style. Both are amazing!

— Coffee Brew Guides (@CoffeeBrewGuide) February 25, 2014

@intowncoffee 6 cup, classic! Always love the simplicity of it! Can I have more than one?!

— Acaia Coffee Scale (@AcaiaCoffee) March 4, 2014

@intowncoffee 3 cup and glass handle, love the simplicity and the elegance of the Glass Handle!

— Acaia Coffee Scale (@AcaiaCoffee) March 4, 2014

@intowncoffee I'd go with the 8 cup. The 10 cup is a little large, but I'd prob pick from one of those two.

— Michael Leighty (@michael2l) February 26, 2014

My personal pick would be 6 or 8-cup classic but it is really just a matter of personal preference. 
— Amy Dansker, Verve Coffee Roasters

For home use, I would recommend either the 3 or 5 cup hand-blown glass versions. The hand-blown glass is thicker and feels sturdier and is gorgeous with the wood neck. Which size you get depends on how much coffee you plan to brew. The 3 cup is actually pretty small. It may be great for one person but for two people it's probably too small. On the other hand, the 10 cup will likely be too large for two people. We use the 10 cup at the farmer's market to make several cups of coffee for several people at once. Having said that, the 10 cup would be good for parties and holidays when you have guests who appreciate a hand-made cup of coffee!
— Michael Wright, Owner Oil Slick Coffee 

I think the ideal size is the biggest one. You can always make small batches in a big Chemex, but you can't make big batches in a small Chemex. As far as the handle goes, it's all preference. I use the classic woodneck but that's only because I prefer the way it looks on my shelf.
— Drew Moody, Corner of the Cafe

Each size can brew a different amount of coffee based on coffee and water dosage. With this in mind, I'd say to buy a six cup. The sides are big enough to make more than 4 mugs of coffee at a time but it is small enough to only make one mug. It's also easier to store. Make sense?

I prefer the glass handle. The wood neck looks more attractive but is a pain when cleaning. In a cafe setting, the glass handle is the way to go.
— Nick Bimmerle Owner Rev Coffee Roasters

Chemex by the Numbers

Now What? Time to buy

Once you have the right size of chemex you will be able to easily make the perfect cup of coffee in the situations you commonly find your self in.

Ready to start making that perfect cup of coffee from you own perfectly sized chemex? Head over to the Intown Coffee store and place your order.

Agree / Dissagree?

We love to get your input.

Post in the comments below

Intown Coffee and Store Startup (http://storestartup.com) an e-commerce software company, have announced a partnership to improve Intown Coffee’s online subscription experience.

This partnership brings together Intown Coffee’s pursuit of a great cup of joe and Store Startup’s desire to streamline and improve the online shopping experience for coffee fans around the world.

“One would think that finding an e-commerce solution that also provides subscription-based services would be an easy task,” said Steven Johnson, head coffee guy, Intown Coffee. “We have used and tested all the well-known online subscription solutions and found them to be lacking in the overall customer experience. After a long search we finally found Store Startup.”

The strategic agreement between Intown Coffee and Store Startup will provide consumers with the latest and easiest to use tools to start, stop, pause and manage their subscription.

Store Startup’s subscription software was developed by Andrew Schmid, co-founder of Store Startup. “We wanted to create a simple solution for managing a subscription-based business.” Store Startup’s subscription software provides a simple and easy platform to manage recurring subscriptions. According to Andrew, “We were very excited when Steven called us. His fresh take on online coffee sales and commitment to customer service made him an ideal partner.”

Store Startup has a strong focus on the latest web technologies in the intricacies of online subscription services,” said Steven Johnson, head coffee guy, Intown Coffee. “Both Andrew and Benjamin have been extremely helpful in the implementation of our redesigned online store. We would not be where we are today without their advice, experience and expertise.”

About Intown Coffee (http://www.intowncoffee.com) -- Intown Coffee, located in Atlanta Georgia and established in 2012, is focused on specialty coffee or artisan roasted coffee. Products include monthly coffee subscriptions, coffee gifts, brewing equipment, and reviews.

You can learn more about Intown Coffee’s products and services at http://www.intowncoffee.com/coffee-subscription

About Store Startup -- Store Startup, located in Tampa, FL, is a software company with a primary focus of helping people sell their products and services online. The company offers ecommerce software, subscription software and delivery software.

You can learn more about Store Startup’s subscription software http://storestartup.com/subscription-software.

Well it is here. Dumb Starbucks. This is an actual coffee shop with actual coffee, dumb coffee I presume.

Very clever.

Lines over one hour long have been reported.

What you need to know

• This is a real cafe and they serve real coffee.
• Serve 'Dumb Iced Coffee' and 'Dumb Frappicuccino'
• Located in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles
• Has become quite a success. Lines up to one hour long.
• Coffee is free, from what we can tell.
• Coffee is not very good, from what we can tell.
• No one is sure how long it will last. Stabucks has a lot of lawyers.
• No one knows who is behind this.
• They care claiming it is a parody and using fair use to modify the official logo
• Most people find this very funny.
• They will probably get their own Wikipedia page.
• @justinshanes is concerned Dumb Starbucks will put independently owned parody coffee shops out of business. We agree Justin.

Worried that the Dumb Starbucks in my neighborhood is gonna put independently owned parody coffee shops out of business.

— Justin Shanes (@justinshanes) February 9, 2014

Dumb Starbucks on Jimmy Kimmel

Checkout Dumb Starbucks founder, Nathan Fielder, on Jimmy Kimmel

Dumb Starbucks Menu 

How can they do this? Dumb Starbucks FAQ

Is this a Starbucks?

No. Dumb Starbucks is not affiliated with Starbucks Corporation. We are simply using their name for marketing purposes"

How is that Legal?

Short answer - parody law.

Can you elaborate?

Of course. Bay adding the word 'dumb', wea are technically "making fun" of Starbucks, which allows us tu use their trademarks under a law known as 'fair use'. Fair use is a doctrine that permits use of copyrighted material in a parodical worth without permission from the rights holder. It's the same law that allows Weird Al Yankovic to use the music from Michael Jackson's "Beat It" in his parody song "Eat It".

So is this a real business?

Yes it is. Although we are a fully functioning coffee shop, for legal reasons Dumb Starbucks needs to be categorized as a work of parody art. So, in the eyes of the law, our "coffee shop" is actually an art gallery and the "coffee" you're buying is considered the art. But that's for our lawyers to worry about. All you need to do is enjoy our delicious coffee!

Are you saying Starbucks is dumb?

Not at all. In fact, we love Starbucks and look up to them as role models. Unfortunately, the only way to use their intellectual property und fair use is if was are making fun of them. So the "dumb" comes out of nesessity, not enmity.

Okay, I think I understand now.

Great. Anything else?

I guess not.

Okay thanks. See you later.

FAQ as posted:

Where to get Some Dumb Coffee

1802 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

twitter: @dumbstarbucks

email: dumbstarbucks@gmail.com 

Other Great Stories

• Mashable on Dumb Starbucks 
• CBS Los Angeles
• CBS LA Evening News Story (Video) 
• Holywood Reporter
• The independent on legality of Parody

Like I said before very clever.

What do you think about Dumb Starbucks?  It is a great opening for an interesting conversation.

Update: February 14, 2014: Added Video of Nathan Fielder on Starbucks

Recently a good friend texted about another friend opening up a cafe and was I interested in knowing more and helping them get the word out?

Of course I was, I run a coffee website and love hearing sucess stories.

As I learned more about the proprietors and the cafe I realized this was not your typical coffee house with barista covered with Tattoos and black glasses. This Cafe is at origin and the price is free.

Cafe Refrescante, located in Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez

Antigua, Guatemala is World Heritage Site. It's also the third capital city of Guatemala. Back in the 1700's a large earthquake destroyed the city leaving many ruins that still stand here today.

Many tourists visit here because of it's old world charm. Each road is made of cobblestone. Because the current capital city is so dangerous, homeless come to Antigua for its safety.

Their Goals and how They Started

When I asked Aaron about their goals, he told me, "Our goal for our coffee shop, Cafe Refrescante, is to better the lives of the homeless in Antigua, Guatemala. We serve them free coffee and provide a safe atmosphere where they don't use the substances they are addicted to. Most homeless here get high off of glue and rubbing alcohol. We have seen them have seizures and other serious problems within their organs. We have taken them numerous times to the hospital."

Our goal for the year is to get our friends that live on the streets into a healthier lifestyle. Coffee just happens to be our way of being able to encourage them through conversations. -- Aaron Musch

Aaron went onto say, "It started with seeing a need. Every week we would give soup on Wednesday nights. My wife and I initially moved down here with the intent of opening a coffee shop for the "at-risk". We didn't know it was going to be geared towards the homeless until we saw a niche that we could fill. We partnered with a couple that would hand out soup. As we saw these homeless, we wanted to give them an outlet to a new life. We have an incentive program where when they volunteer, they earn points. When they get enough points, they earn clothes, shoes, tarps and other much needed items. It's a way of showing them what it's like in the real world. You earn money and with that, you buy necessities. We will also be teaching different workshops to provide them life skills. We are a Christian based coffee shop and Cafe Refrescante comes from Acts 3:19 that states they we can be refreshed. We want to see this refreshing over our friends on the street."

Coffee Being Served

When they first moved to Guatemala, they tried what seemed to be a dozen brands of coffee until they finally nailed down the kind of coffee they liked best. Aaron noted "Most coffee has an acidic flavor. Some people are fond of this, I in particular like a smoother kind. The coffee we buy for our shop is a slightly nutty yet smooth."

Cafe Refrescante has friends involved in the coffee plantation business. We are purchasing their Cafe Quiacain that is grown near Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.

A Volcano above a coffee drying patio near Lake Atitlan

They are currently serving espresso and drip coffee. They mainly server brewed coffee at the moment because patrons will drink multiple cups.

Coffee in the Region

Cafe Refrecnte is in a coffee growing region and when asked about life on a coffee plantation, Aaron said "Working on coffee plantations can be a family business. Most plantations will take whole families to work. This includes young children. While most American's are against child labor, they don't realize that schooling here is only around 3 hours and public schooling ends at 8th grade."

I had read most coffee producing countries don't drink much coffee so I asked Aaron about this. Aaron said "Guatemalan's don't really drink coffee. They like soda. The plantation's intent is for exportation. The homeless, although, love anything free. I noticed at nights, while giving them soup, they would ask for coffee. Coffee has always been something I've been passionate about and is a great social outlet."

Was interesting to get confirmation about local coffee consumption. This falls inline with a recent post that shows Guatemala being around 45th in per capita coffee consumption. I have also read that if coffee producers do drink coffee it is the cheap stuff they save the good stuff to be exported.

More About Cafe Refrescante

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/CafeRefrescante

Aaron & Brianna's site: http://www.ywam.tk/

If you're interested in helping financially, you can go to our personal websiteat www.ywam.tk and click "donate" (you will be taken to paypal) or e-mail AaronMusch@gmail.com for a way to get tax-deductible receipts.

Many thanks to Aaron & Brianna for sharing their story and knowledge about what life is like at origin.

Check it out, our first update video for Intown Coffee, it is a little rough around the edges. We are getting there.

Links to the items mentioned in the video

January Subscription Box

.COFFEE Names

Thanks!

Let us know what reviews, interviews, industry information would you like to see.

Let us know what you are thinking in the comments.

What is .COFFEE and a Top Level Domain?

.COFFEE is a new top level domain name (TLD). A top level domain name is the last part of the web address. Think .com, .org, .edu, etc. For most of the Internet's history top level domains have been fairly limited to around 22 names plus the country extensions.

All domain names are managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Several years ago ICANN decided to expand domain names to include General Top Level Domain (gTLD) names.

Fast forward a couple years and you will soon be visiting .COFFEE, .CLOTHING, .TATTOO, .GRAPHICS, and .BIKE. and up to 1,000 more. Check out the full list of new gTLDs.

Why do we need new domain names?

As more and more websites are created, good names are increasingly difficult for companies to find. The Internet is almost down to just those with long complicated names using dashes and crazy spellings.

By creating new top level domain names, ICANN has made available more options companies can choose from. Also by allowing general names, the home is there will be more context about the websites subject matter.  It will be pretty easy to guess what Gales.coffee and Gales.bike are going to be about.

In theory it should be helpful to everyone, more possible names and more descriptive names.

Will these new domains be successful?

Will these general top level name be succcessful? Who knows.

Over the years ICANN has expaneded the TLD names. Some have caught on, like .LY (bit.ly) .ME (stevenjohnson.me). Others have not like .BIZ, .INFO, and .MOBI  Sometimes the name resonates with people and sometimes it does not.

Will these new gTLD names be a big deal? Yes and No.

Yes. It will be cool and kind or novel to visit stumptown.coffee or rev.coffee. When you go to a .coffee site you know exactly what the the site is about.  

No. You now have to keep up with even more names, which can confuse people. Businesses will have to spend a lot more money protecting their name and figure out how to manage all of these names.

When it is all in all said and done, you will still be visiting a website with the the same information.

I found a couple of opinions about the new gTLDs:

• http://www.zdnet.com/ready-or-not-here-come-the-new-internet-top-level-domain-names-7000025744/ 
• Andrew Alleman has a realistic but hopeful view for the new GTLDs 

.COFFEE registration process

.coffee is not open for general registration. Open Registration will be on April 2, 2014

There are two phases before .coffee names are available to the general public. They are sunrise and pre-registration.

Not sure what these phases are? Neither was I.

I had somewhat of an idea but not 100% sure on the specifics. So I called up enom (my registrar) and this is what I learned.

Sunrise Phase (January 28 - March 29, 2014) 

This phase is for companies with trademarked names, companies that paid a lot of money to have the little ™ mark next to their company name. Think Starbucks or Folgers. Established companies with lawyers.

If your company name is trademarked then you have first shot at getting yourcompanyname.coffee.

If you have a trademarked name that relates to coffee you are probably the best group to own that domain name and check out this site http://trademark-clearinghouse.com/ to learn more about proecting your name.

Pre-registration phase (January 28 - March 29, 2014)

For those who do not have trademarked names, you can apply in the pre-registration phase and will be in a lottery to reseverve the new names when they become available.

Want black.coffee or reviews.coffee? There will be lots of competition. If you are after obscureroastername.coffee your odds are pretty good.

When the new names become available all the registrars will compete with each other to see which one of them gets the name. The registar will then assign it to the person that pre registered the name.

Where to order

GoDaddy, Register.com, Network Solutions, Enom. Almost all of major registrars will allow you to register .coffee names. 

It is generally best to register your name with one of the larger more well known companies. 

A few places to order names:

• http://www.enom.com/domains/coffee-domain-registration

Details about the group managing .COFFEE

.COFFEE will be managed by Trixy Cover & Donuts.co

Donuts.co has registered to manage hundreds of top level domains. Trixy cover sounds like it is a part of donuts.co.

• https://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicationdetails/830
• http://www.donuts.co 
• http://icannwiki.com/index.php/Donuts 

What do you think?

Is .COFFEE a good idea / bad idea? or is just one more think for coffee companies to keep up with online?

Love to hear your thoughts.

If you plan to get a .COFFEE name. I wish you good luck.

-- Steven

With Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Folgers, Maxwell House and a healthy specialty coffee industry one would think the United States would be in the top 5. Not so.

The United States is 16th.

Top Coffee Drinking Countries

What I find interesting is all the top countries are northern europe, some of the farthest away from the equator or coffee growing belt.

Not 100% sure what the reason for this is. Perhaps the fact that it is colder, perhaps the fact they have a high standard of living. Not really sure.

What I do know is that these countries have shown up in many of the books and articles I have read about some of the highest prices paid for specialty coffee. I wondered why are these smaller countries always setting the records for highest prices paid. Now I know why these countries drink lots and lots of coffee.

Bottom Drinking Countries

If you look at the bottom of the list you will see many of the biggest coffee producing countries, Ecuador, Vietnam, Kenya Mexico.

I was also sort of surprised to see many of the leading coffee producing nations appear at the bottom but then again not really.

Much of what I have read about coffee farmers says that they do not drink that much coffee and they do not drink the specialty coffee that they grow. They would rather sell their crop for more money and drink the cheaper stuff. It was interesting to see that these countries as a whole do not drink much coffee.

Interested in purchasing a box of the best? It's easy.

Send $25 (via paypal) to paypal@intowncoffee.com and we will ship a box to you. We are down to our last 10 boxes. It is a first come first serve basis.

We are currently switching to an improved ecommerce platform to make subscriptions easier. The new system should be in place by our February release.

January 2014 Selections

Watch a cool video of me explaining this months offerings:

We tasted lots of coffees and had several blind cuppings to determine the best. Here is what we decided upon, two from Central America and one from the Yirgacheffe region in Ethiopia. All are fantastic. Here is the rundown.

• Ethiopia Beloya from Oil Slick Coffee
• Costa Rica Genesis from Verve Coffee Roasters
• Guatemala Finca La Bolsa from Rev Coffee Roasters

 The three specialty coffees in our January box.

Ethiopia Beloya from Oil Slick Coffee

Distinct Floral Aromas with hints of Chocolate

This specialty coffee is from the Yirgacheffe region, produced by members of the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Collective Union (YCFCU). The YCFCU ensures that coffees are produced in a sustainable manner and that the farmers get fair representation in the industry.

This is a naturally process coffee which means it was processed with the pulp on making it sweeter than wet processed coffees.

Best way to brew: It will be good anyway that your brew it. Our favorite for this roast is through a Chemex. You will get a very clean pronounced cup of coffee.

Coffee Details:

Producer: Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Collective Union
Country: Ethiopia
Region: Yirgacheffe
Varietal/Cultivar: Heirloom
Process: Natural (Dry) Process
Elevation: 1800 - 2100 meters
Tasting Notes: Distinct floral and fruity aromas with hints of chocolate

About Oil Slick Coffee:

http://oilslickcoffee.com/ Established in 2012 and located in Alexandria Viginia. They started with a 1 kilo roaster and selling roasted coffee at farmers markets. 

Oil Slick focuses on single origin, specialty coffee in a very accessible manner. They are there to help everyone learn more about where coffee comes from, how it is grown roasted and brewed.

Intown Coffee had the honor of interviewing the Founder Michael Wright. Check out the Oil Slick Interview to learn more about them.

Learn more about Ethiopia Beloya

Guatemala Finca La Bolsa from Rev Coffee Roasters

Black Pepper / Candied Ginger / White Chocolate 

A big coffee from a tiny microlot high in the hills of the Huehuetenango Highland Coffee Presidium. Some interesting things about this scrumptious coffee are: in 2002 it won 2nd place in the Guatemalan cup of excellence; it is a mix of bourbon and caturra varieties; and it is fully washed and sun dried.

Best way to brew: hard to mess this coffee up but we prefer a Kalita Wave.

Coffee Details:

Producer: The Huehuetenango Highland Coffee Presidium
Country: Guatamala
Region: La Libertad, Huehuetenango
Varietal/Cultivar: Bourbon & Caturra
Process: Washed
Elevation: 1500-2000 meters
Tasting Notes: Black Pepper, Candied Ginger, and White Chocolate

About Rev Coffee Roasters: 

http://www.revcoffee.com Established in 2007 and located in Symrna, GA, just North of Atlanta, they have both a cafe and a roastery. Started by Nick Bimmerle and head roaster Aajay Murphy they aim for excellence in everything they do. Their cafe is an old auto garage. They took an uncomfortable space and turned it into a community gathering spot.

Learn more about Finca La Bosa

Costa Rica Genesis from Verve Coffee Roasters

Caramel / Nectar / Cherry

This lot from Finca Genesis is strictly Caturra variety and grown at 1650-1700 meters above sea level. The grounds of the farm are extremely well-manicured and taken care of. If appearance of a farm alone made great coffee, this lot would be the cream of the crop. Fortunately, the Mendez family take just as good care of their coffee trees as they do their flowers and ornamental plants.

Best way to brew: Any way is good. We like a Chemex for this one.

Coffee Details:

Producer: Finca Genesis
Country: Costa Rica
Region: Lourdes de Naranjo
Varietal/Cultivar: Caturra
Process: Wet-Process
Elevation: 1650-1700 meters
Tasting Notes: Caramel, Nectar, Cherry

About Verve Coffee Roasters:

http://www.vervecoffeeroasters.com/ Located in Santa Cruz, California, Verve operates a roastery and 3 cafes. The focus producers, exporters, roasters, and baristas who are paying attention and who want to make the each cup a quality experience.

Verve is definately one of the more established and well know brands in the specialty coffee world.

Learn move about Verve Genesis 

Thanks!

For those who are members we really hope you enjoy our selections and can't wait to hear what you think.

For those who are not members yet, you don't know what you are missing so sign up and see what all the fuss is about.

Thoughts / Questions?

We would love to hear them in the comment section below.

Check it out the folks at the Today Show talked about some of the best coffee makers.

Two of our favorites made the cut: Bonavita & Chemex.

Bonavita on Today Show 

It was a short segment and it was nice to see some of the products we love and use everyday show up on a mainstream TV show.

Would have been great if they had a bit more time to explain the how and why of these brewers are so awesome, but we will take what we can get.

While the Today Show talked about specialty coffee makers, I am not sure they had quite the same impact that Breaking Bad did for the specialty coffee world.

Man that show is awesome.

Anyway great to see the Bonavita getting some press.

Coffee Body vs Flavor Clarity

This past weekend I was reading a great book called "Everything but Espresso" by Scott Rao. It goes into detail about coffee brewing chemistry and professional techniques. If you find the science and chemistry behind brewing coffee interesting it is worth checking the book out.

In the book the concept of body vs flavor clarity is brought up along with a simple experiment/demonstration to experience and understand body and flavor clarity.

First lets start with the concepts behind body and flavor clarity book

What is Coffee Body?

Body is the mouthfeel of the coffee. Insoluble materials such as oils and fines that are suspended in the coffee are contributors to body.

In practice the feeling of oiliness or heaviness in the mouth is the coffee body. It is that rich full feeling at the back of the palate. Body tends to increase in the darker roasts and in brewing methods that have wire or coarser filtration. 

What is Flavor Clarity?

What factors contribute to the balance between body and flavor clarity?

Our Experiment

The idea from Scott's book is to brew the same coffee using three different methods so you can see how the brewing method effects the body and flavor clarity.

Gear

Here is all the gear we used for the experiment. Most of it is fairlyy recognizable. I do want to point out, while we used a chemex we did not use a chemex filter. I was looking for an easy way to filter the french press brew and saw the chemex sittting on the counter and found my solution.

from left to right (as best we can)

• Bonavita Variable Temp Kettle - heats the water to be used in the french press
• Hello Kitty Mug - the mug I was drinking coffee out of during the experiment
• Bodum French Press - nothing fancy but it gets the job done
• Barataza Vario Grinder - Grinding up the coffee beans very accurate
• Chemex - we used a standard drip filter, this was an easy way to filter the french press brew
• Bonavita Brewer - makes a great and very consistent cup of autodrip coffee
• (3) 5.5 oz "rocks" glasses - a great size glass for evaluating coffee

Three Methods of Brewing

As mentioned before we brewed the same beans at the same grind setting in a french press, then filted half of the french press coffee through a autodrip filter, and autodrip. Here you see each coffee sample next to the device used to brew the coffee.

Close shot of the French Press and the coffee created from it.

Next up is the french press brew that was passed through an autodrip filter. We used an autodrip filter and a chemex to accomplish this.

Finaly we used a bonavita autodrip machine to create the autodrip sample.

 Coffee Translucency

One of the big factors in the body vs flavor clarity continum is the amount of suspended solids.

Here are all three coffees with the light behind them. French press is on the left, then filtered french press, then autodrip on the right.

French Press close up. Here you can see that the french press sample is cloudier than the others. French press brewing lets through many more oils and suspended solids that are allowed to pass through the pourouss metal filter.

Filtered French Press. Here you can see that this sample lets a little more light through. Many of the suspended particles were filtered out when the french press brew passes through the paper autodrip filter.

Auto Drip. This sample has the fewest suspended solids of all. This is due to both the paper filter and the ground coffee keeping the small particles from making it into the cup.

Surface

French Press Surface

Filtered French Press Surface

Autodrip surface

Bottom of glass

French Press Bottom of Glass

Filtered French Press Bottom of Glass

Autodrip bottom of Glass

It has been a great year for Intown Coffee. We have gone from just an idea and enthusiasm for coffee to an actual site with paying customers. In regards to the coffee I have tried some great ones and come a long way from drinking what ever was available.

Site Progress

The site has come along nicely especially the blog. We are making good posts and only expect to make more in 2014. 

If it works out and it seems like there is an interest we will create a roaster directory. Roaster names, websites, addresses contact info. Not sure if this exists on the web I have not seen one. If you know of a great roaster directory, put the link in the comments.

We are working through the details about getting the recurring subscriptions working correctly. Also hope to really improve the product listings and provide great information to help everyone find the right gear for their brew.

Product Review Progress

We have a great temperature monitoring setup and can wire up just about anthing and sample the temp every second. Looking forward to seeing how hot various coffee makers actually get the water.

After some coffee maker reviews we plan to round up all the different electric kettles then probably as spring gets here it will be time to do a nice cold coffee round up and tasting. 

Subcription Progress

We have meet many great roasters and tried some great coffees and will have some great roasts to go out in 2013. If you know of any good roasters we should check out. Sent them to our partner page or post them in the comments and we will check them out.

See You next Year!

In 2014 We hope to attend the Big Eastern in Durham, create some great coffee maker reviews, and continue to drink some really good coffee.

Hope to see you around in 2014. -- Steven

We were recently sent some great roasted beans from Michael Wright of Oil Slick Coffee Company. Have not tried all the different roasts yet and we really like what we have tasted so far.

Oil Slick Coffee website was very informative and we really liked their approach to coffee. So much that we reached out with these questions and Michael was kind enough to answer.

Interview

Q. How / When did you first start getting into coffee roasting? What was it that made you think I want to give this a try?

Wright: My first exposure to an actual roasting machine was in a Eurocafe in Sterling, Virginia. They have the roaster right in the shop where you can see and smell it and I thought that really underscored what freshly roasted coffee is — it is roasted right there, not in some far-away roasting plant by faceless, nameless people. This guy used this beautiful red machine to roast delicious coffee, for me. I've wanted to open a coffee shop for a long time, and long before that experience, but it was that experience that cemented the desire to roast the coffee myself.

Q. How did Oil Slick Coffee come to be? When did it start? How did you come up with the name? What are the goals and ambitions of Oil Slick Coffee?

Wright: Oil Slick officially started in February of this year. It's been a concept rattling around my head for years while I saved money to buy the roaster and got the roastery prepared, which included ripping up carpet and replacing it with tiles and having a gas line added for the roaster.

 

The name represents the oils that float on the surface of a good coffee. I kind of had to back into the name, giving it a meaning after finding a name that was unique. In a lot of ways, settling on the business name was harder than learning to roast coffee!

Q. In the world of specialty coffee there is a wide range of origins, roasts and flavors. What areas do you focus on or enjoy the most?

Wright: I prefer a coffee that is clean, well-balanced, interesting, and demonstrates characteristics unique to the coffee's origin. I love to travel and experience new places and cultures and focusing on a coffee's origin is an extension of that. It's fascinating to me that coffees from Ethiopia can explode with brightness and hints of berries while a coffee from El Salvador can be mellow, smooth and full of notes of caramel and chocolate. That's what I want to help others explore; the differences in coffees from around the world.

Q. What can you tell us about your roasting equipment? What are you roasting on now? What was your first roaster?

Wright: Right now I'm roasting on a Diedrich drum roaster. The Diedrich machines are unique in that they have a ceramic infrared burner that was originally intended to make the machine more gas efficient back in the days of the oil embargo of the late 70's. It's an extremely efficient and responsive design that is very fun to use.

 

My first roaster, however, was a HotTop home roaster that I bought from Sweet Maria's website. It's a small drum roaster with a one-pound capacity and it allowed me to start learning the concepts of drum roasters, how they work and what to expect from them. It wasn't long before I took it apart and added additional temperature probes so I could derive more useful data from my roasts and get a better idea of the chemical changes taking place during a roast. I still have that roaster and use it from time-to-time because of its smaller capacity (it's good for testing new roast profiles) but also because it's a fun roaster!

Q. What have you learned about coffee through all of your roasting and tasting experience? Any unexpected lessons or skills that you have discovered?

Wright: Wow, I would need a lot more time to list everything I've learned. One of the most important things I've learned is that I'll always be learning about roasting. There is just so much to learn and so much we don't know about what happens chemically to the beans during the roasting process. Coffee has over 1,000 known aroma compounds compared to a few hundred in wine. Learning how these compounds interact with each other and ultimately with our brains to create a sensory experience could easily consume a lifetime.

Q. If someone was interested in starting to roast their own beans, where would you suggest they start?

Wright: Sweet Maria's, without a doubt is an invaluable resource to the new and/or home roaster. There one can find information on roasting theories, roasting levels, equipment, and so on, everything needed to get started. Then I'd recommend looking around for a quality forum or two and just start talking with folks who are roasting now. I've found that it's a tremendously helpful, open, and welcoming community.

Q. What is the best way for people to purchase your roasted beans?

Wright: The best way to purchase our coffee is from our website; http://www.OilSlickCoffee.com.

Q. Anything else you would like to mention?

Wright: In addition to providing great coffee, we'd like to help people develop their passion for coffee but in an approachable way. Great coffee shouldn't be intimidating and we try to make sure it isn't.

 

Our blog (http://blog.oilslickcoffee.com) has useful information on how to improve your coffee brewing techniques easily and without spending a lot on expensive coffee gear. We're also on Twitter (@OilSlickCoffee) and Facebook (http://Facebook.com/OilSlickCoffee).

Thank you!

Thanks! 

Thanks so much to Michael and Oil Slick Coffee. We are very excited to learn more about them and their take on coffee. 

Be sure to show them some love by liking them on Facebook, following them on Twitter, etc....

Questions / Comments?

Have any questions for Michael? Post any questions or thoughts in the comments and we will do our best to get them answered.

We are in the process of putting some great coffee maker reviews together.

We will cover the temperature profiles, build quality and most importantly how good of a cup of coffee they make.

First let me say I am finally puting Chemical Engineering Degree from Georgia Tech to good use.

Coffee Maker Roundup

We are assembling a wide range of drip coffee makers and putting them through the paces. We want to know exactly how hot does the water get, how much time does is spend in the the 195 to 205 temperature range and how long does the maker take to brew a full pot.

Starting at the bottom with a 15 or 20 year old Braun, then work through Cuisenart, Melitta and up to Bonavita. We are hoping to get a Technivorm in time for the first round of reviews.

These reviews and testing will not be your basic by any means. We purchased some very accurate recording hardware specifically for this task. 

After we go through the technical aspects, the same machines through blind taste tests. The coffee will be brewed according to the manufacturers instructions and then again at what ever settings create the best cup.

We will see first hand who is naughty and who is nice.

Testing Equipment

Thermocouples

Sounds pretty technical right? Don't let the word scare you it is pretty much a fancy word for Thermometer. Yes there are some technical differences but essentially they get the same result.

Man are there a lot of these things and they all seem very similar.  J-Type, K-Type, T-type, E-type, different connector interfaces, different degrees of accuracy, and all with these long complicated partnumbers.

After much research I determined that the best type for our is type T. Is has a range of -200 to 350 Celcius which should be plenty wide for our applications. It is made of copper. It will probably be best not to drink any of the coffee we test but we will know exaclty what that coffee makers temperature profile looks like.

The thermocouples we purchased: http://www.omega.com/pptst/sa1.html

Want to learn more?

• Type of Thermocouples http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocouple#Types
• http://www.omega.com/prodinfo/thermocouples.html

Data Logger

We were looking for something that is portable, good features, will show the temp real time either on a display or connected to a computer.

There are several options available, we opted for the Measurement Computing USB-5104 logger. 

http://www.mccdaq.com/usb-data-acquisition/USB-5104.aspx

It met all the conditions and has 4 channels so we can read several temperatures at once. The added bonus is the software works with a Apple.

Logging Software

Not as much research went into this, since the logging software came with the logger that we purchased. 

I will say it seems like almost all software is Windows only. We could have gone that way if we had to but the Measuring Computing software will work on a Mac.

Once we get to the reporting phase I will have a better idea of the software features needed. Hopefully all the info we are after is not to complex and the package we went with wil handle it.

We went with the USB-5100 Series Software 

http://www.mccdaq.com/daq-software/usb-5100-series-software.aspx

Conclusion

I think we have some really solid gear to do some testing and temperature profiling for the different coffee makers.

Very excited to see what results we come up with.

Questions / Thoughts?

Feel free to use the comments below

Aaron and team are currently in Taiwan, improving the featureset and starting production on the Acaia scale.  

They just implemented a new stopwatch feature, and managed to get more parts to increase the production of the Pure White option (about 100 pcs). This particular color have proved more difficult to make.

If you are interested in other apps for the Acaia, they now have 2 backers at the api pledge level. So we can expect to see others develop apps that can work with the Acaia scale.

Acaia Kickstarter, become a backer or learn more about the project and how much funding they have so far.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/627400928/acaia-the-minimalistic-coffee-brewing-scale

Interview

Aaron was kind enough to take some time out to answer a few questions and snap a few production images.

Q. We were all very excited to see this new scale. While the scale feels new to us, I am sure it does not feel new to you. How long have you been thinking and working on this idea? What have the past few months been like?

Fujiki: Quite often, I ponder on how to make coffee brewing easier for everyone, so anyone can enjoy a nicely brewed cup of coffee, last year, I talked about this with my partner Rex and we came up with all sort of crazy ideas. Eventually, we came up with the idea of Acaia coffee scale, because measurement is an important factor in coffee brewing, and this is also the most difficult part for most people, and Rex purpose to solve the problem of measurement (since he is a tech guy), as for me, I'm more of a product guy, since I have lots of complain on the coffee scale on my tabletop, I want to improve the design and the usability of it. So we teamed up and start to redesign a coffee scale, a really smart and a well designed scale that can help people brew better coffee, and this is how the Acaia is born.

 

The past few months is both hectic and exciting, because we need to put off everything that we were doing and focus on the Acaia project, it's not easy because we need to build everything from the ground, and working on the hardware and software at the same time is really a big challenge. Most of all, we drank a lot of coffee. A lot.

Q. Acaia looks great and has easy to use functionality. Do you have any background in design and software creation?

Fujiki: I have been involved in design and manufacturing for Apple related accessories and products. I have always loved the design aspect of these products and I have learned a lot during my projects related with all these great products. Mobile phone / tablet accessories has bloomed to become a major industry and there are so many great design and talents in this field. So I always wanted to bring these great designs into living, and this is how Acaia started.

 

As for software creation, Rex has been developing and founded other software companies. He was graduated from Duke computer science and has a broad knowledge of different technology. His expertise and strong connection with the scale technology makes him the best partner for this project.

Q. How has the kickstarter process been? Many people know what it is like to be a backer or supporter. What is it like when you are project creator?

Fujiki: Totally surprised, happy but also worried, because we want to make the best product for our backers! We were really worried that maybe people won't notice our project or like our idea and design of the acaia coffee scale, we really couldn't sleep well ever since we submit our project, but it turns out that the acaia is kind of well received in the coffee world, we did not know there are so many people around the world are willing to supporting us, its riding on a roller coaster, everything happen so fast, but it is a good experience and we learned a lot from being a project creator, being a coffee lover and being able to contribute to the coffee community one of the best moments in our life.

Q. What is the best way backers can promote the project and get the word out about the Acaia Coffee Scale? Tweets? Facebook? Coffee forum posts?

Fujiki: Anyway possible! Tweet about us @AcaiaCoffee tell us what you like about the acaia coffee scale, like us and share the acaia with your friends and family on Facebook, and you can also spread the words on the coffee forum or blog about us.

Note: We created a spread the word section at the bottom of this post.  It has several easy things you can do to spread the word. Any you can even copy paste them. Does not get much easier than that.

Q. Finally about the coffee, what are your favorite types / regions / roasters? Any particular roasts you are enjoying right now?

Fujiki: My favorite coffee is Jamaica Blue Mountain from RSW Estate. It has a lot of flavor, sweetness and complexity. It is also the first pour over coffee I made and therefore I have a special fondness for this. I started with city roast but recently my taste has been changing a bit into more medium roast. A friend of mine just shared with me last week for a light roasted Panama Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda, the aroma is incredible and full of surprises. I think one the best part of making this product is that I have also learned a to more in the field of coffee and it helped me appreciate every cup of coffee I make, and made my coffee even better then ever.

Production Images

Aaron was kind enough to send us some "hot off the presses" images of the Acaia in production. (pun intended)

Thanks!

Thanks so much to Aaron, Rex and the entire Acaia team!

We are very excited about their project and looking forward to seeing it get fully funded, created, shipped and put to use.

Spread the Word

We would love you to help get the word out.

Two easy things you can do 

1. Email. Send a quick email to any friends who love coffee. Copy/Paste this text and modify as needed.

Hi

Hope you're all doing well.

I found this cook Coffee Scale Kickstarter project that is almost funded.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/627400928/acaia-the-minimalistic-coffee-brewing-scale

It has a cool minimal design and a full set of features along with an iPhone app.

Take a look and consider backing if you think it looks awesome.

Thanks! 

2. Facebook. Here’s what you can post on Facebook:

Attention Artisan Coffee Fans! Here is a cool coffee scale kickstarter project and it is close to being fully funded. Check it out: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/627400928/acaia-the-minimalistic-coffee-brewing-scale 

Questions / Comments? 

Have any questions for Aaron and Team? Thoughts about the project?

Post them in the comments and we will do our best to get them answered. 

I have started the research to find out what is the ideal lab equipment to capture and record the temperature of the water as it hits the coffee grounds and then what is the temp of the coffee in a thermal carafe and how long will it stay at that temperature.

When I first  started looking around it seemed like a million different pieces of equipment all with non-intuitive, confusing names and model numbers.  As I did more research it all started making more sense, thare are so many varialbles and ways to proceed.

Here is what I think I will need.

1 Probe -- This needs to be small, thin and flexible. It will need to be able to fit into a closed coffee basket and closed thermal carafe.

2. Data Logger -- This is what the probe will plug into and will capture the data, ideally we can record several coffee pots at the same time and hopefully it will have a USB or some type connection to a computer.

3. Data Software -- Once we have the time and temperature captured we will need an easy way to make sense of it all. Ideally the software can capture the data in real time, so we can see the coffee temps as they happen. Also would be great if we can find the average temps from several brew cycles in the same machine.

Anything else you think we might need?

Which equipment companies make the best and most reliable gear?  

All input and suggestions are welcome!

Thanks! -- Steven

Now that the site is underway it is time to put our testing and reviewing skills to use.

We have many gear roundups/comparisons planned. They all interest us. Which would you like us to take on first?

• Coffee and Espresso Grinders 
• Drip Coffee Makers 
• Electric Water Kettles
• Cold Coffee Brewing Gear 
• Something Else?

We are open to taking on any of these roundups and looking for input as to what others would like to learn about.

One Note: It might be best to do the cold coffee roundup after the new Bruer cold drip coffee maker is available.

Any other items you would like to see rounded up?

Post in the comments what you would like to see reviewed and compared first?

Above: Our two little girls help Andrew with the grind.

One of our neighbors brought over a great coffee last weekend. It was San Cristobal from Quills Coffee. I hoped to have this post up sooner but the computer ate the images on the SD card and it took a bit of work to recover the images.

As you see from the picture above we had plenty of help with the hand grinder.

It was a very sweet, almost brown sugar tasting cup. We also noticed the beans had much more of light brown color than a deep black color.

After checking out the Quills Coffee site we learned that the beans are "honey processed" which means it skipped the traditional washing tanks and is dried with all or some of the sticky fruit pulp or "honey" sticking to the bean.

Whatever they during the processing and roasting gave the beans a great taste.

San Cristobal Coffee Details

Importer: Thrive Farmers: http://thrivefarmers.com/ 
Farm: A group of small producers in the Chiyic Community
Region: Coban
Process: Honey Processed
Varietal: Caturra, Burbon, Typica
Elevation: 1,400 - 1,470

It appears that the coffee is no longer for sale at Quills, maybe it will come back maybe it is gone forever. Here is one post that mentioned it on their blog.
http://quillscoffee.com/blog/2013/11/25/quills-currently-featured 

About Quills Coffee

Located in Louisville Kentucky, Quills Coffee was started by Nathan & Amy Quillo. In 2007 Nathan and his brother Gabe opened up the first location. They now have three cafe locations as well as their own roasting operation.

If I ever make it to Louisville I really hope to check one of their locations to get the fulll experience.

Thoughts

Everyone really enjoyed the coffee. As you can see from the pictures we had about a half dozen kids 5 and under running around, so needless to say our home was not coffee house quiet and I could not devote 100% of my attention to the coffee.

It was really great and would love to try it again and learn a bit more about the "honey" washing process.

Here are a few links that explain more about the semi-washed or honey processing method:

• http://quillscoffee.com/blog/2013/10/29/new-coffees-round-2 
• http://stumptowncoffee.com/processing/semi-washed/ 
• http://www.coffeereview.com/article.cfm?ID=199 
• http://www.loslajonesestate.com/eng/processing/honey-coffee/ 

It was a great cup and I look forward to trying more selections from Quills Coffee.

Has anyone else tried San Cristobal? Anyone been to a Quills store?

I would love to hear about others experience, please post in the comments.

Today we had a new twitter follower at @intowncoffee, @AcaciaCoffee.  Seemed like an odd name but thought I would check them out. 

What I discovered was amazing!

They have created a new minimalist brewing coffee scale. Clean Design, well constructed, fully functional, with full featured iPhone companion app.

• http://www.acaia.co/

like a lot of great startups they have turned to Kickstarter and provide a lot more details

• http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/627400928/acaia-the-minimalistic-coffee-brewing-scale

What Acaia Does

• Weighs your coffee
• Weighs your water
• iPhone app to monitor and record everything
• Allows you to take your pour over coffee brewing obsession to a whole new level

Acaia Features

• Bluetooth 4.0
• Responsive / Touch sensitive button
• 6" by 6" surface
• Rechargeable Lithium Ion battery
• 64K Flash memory
• Monitors water temp

Acaia iPhone App Features

• Records Coffee - Water Ratio
• Records Water temperature
• Records Grind Size
• Records Brewing time
• Can be used as blooming time
• Make notes about the coffee beans
• Make notes about the coffee brew
• Tweak your numbers to create best brew for you
• Share your brew recipies with others. 

What Sets them apart

• Clean Design
• 5 minute on off feature
• If anything is on the scale the scale will not turn off
• iPhone app
• App will record coffee and water weights so you can get you brew perfectly dialed over time.
• Just way cool all around

Needless to say we were very excited to see this project and funded it right away.

I will be reaching out to Aaron Takao, the designer / developer to learn more about the project.

What questions do you have about the Acaia Scale and Project?

Post them in the comments and I will pass them on.

If you need a scale now be sure to checkout our guides and reviews on Coffee Scales we have for sale.

As I continue to put this site and blog together I find more and more fantastic resources for Coffee and did not want to forget them.

The best thing to do was to create a post. That way I can locate the site I am trying to remember and hopefully it will be a good resource for others.  If you know of any great coffee sites, post them in the comments and I will add them.

This list is by no means complete and will probably always be a work in progress. So bookmark the page and check back when you are looking for a new cool site about coffee.

Great Sites

Too Much Coffee http://www.toomuchcoffee.com/ -- The European Coffee Resource

Coffee Review http://www.coffeereview.com/ -- The worlds Leading Coffe Buying guide

Coffee Geek http://www.coffeegeek.com/ -- 

Dear Coffee I Love You http://www.dearcoffeeiloveyou.com/ 

The Coffee Compass http://www.thecoffeecompass.com/ -- Great Interviews, Articles and Insight to Specialty Coffee

Coffee Brew Guides http://www.coffeebrewguides.com/ -- Great posts on all the ways to brew coffee

Trade Organizations & Magazines

Roast Magazine http://www.roastmagazine.com/ -- An essential source for the entire coffee industry

SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) http://www.scaa.org/ -- Because great coffee does not just happen

Roasters Guild http://www.roastersguild.org/ Official Trade Guild of the SCAA that consists of specialty roasters

Coffee Forums 

Home Barista http://www.home-barista.com/forums/ -- Very active place for coffee talk with a big focus on Espresso

Coffee Geek Forums http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums -- Very active discussions and over 80,000 members

Coffee Forums http://www.coffeeforums.com/ -- Want to guess what this is about?

Personal Blogs

a table in the corner of the cafe http://cornerofthecafe.com/ excellent site run by Drew Moody reviewing coffee and cafes you

FrshGrnd http://frshgrnd.com/ -- Excellent site by Aaron Frey has a focus on the NYC coffee scene

Exploring Coffee http://exploringcoffee.com/ -- Great Site by John Huisman

Coffee in Denver http://www.examiner.com/coffee-in-denver/korina-felkers -- A small column that has some interesting coffee articles

Coffee Maker List http://www.coffeemakerslist.com/category/blog/ -- Great site that focuses on Coffee Makers.

Roasting Information

Artisan Open Source Software http://coffeetroupe.com/artisandocs/ -- Opensource Software for coffee roasting

RoastLog http://roastlog.com/ -- Software tools for coffee roasters

Artisan Roaster Sites

Cafe de los Muertos http://www.cafemuertos.com/  Raleigh Durham based coffee roaster and cafe

Oak City Roasters http://www.oakcityroasters.com/ Craft Roasted Coffee for the People of Raleigh, NC. 

Rev Coffee http://www.revcoffee.com/ -- Symnra, Ga ( just north of Atlanta) 

Clarity Coffee http://www.claritycoffee.com/blog Oklahoma City

Coffee Competitions

Big Eastern http://uscoffeechampionships.org/ 

Commercial Coffee Equipment

Modbar: http://modbar.com/ Very cool espresso and pour over gear.

I have a friend. Don't the best questions start with I have a friend who...  Anyway a I was recently asked this question:

"In the morning, on my way to work I grind beans and use a travel french press to make my morning cup.  Two weeks ago we lots of company and the french press just could not keep up with 7 coffee drinking adults in the morning.  What automatic coffee maker do you recommend, when you have a home full of coffee drinkers?"

It was a good question. So many drip coffee makers do not get the water hot enough (195 to 205) and while other can not get all the water through in the correct amount of time.

I am a big fan of the thermal metal carafees for groups of people.  I like the fact that the coffee does not sit and cook all morning long.

Because price is always an issue, lets ask the question 3 ways

1. What automatic coffee machine do you reccommend for under $100?
2. What automatic coffee maker do you reccommend for under $200?
3. What automatic coffee maker do you if price is not a concern?

Interersted to see what everybody likes, and why

I know many in the specialty coffee world really prefer the pour overs and other slower manual processes.  There does come a time when you need to supply a room full with their daily caffiene. 

So which automatic drip machine do you like?

Corner of the Cafe Review Website review

Corner of the Cafe is run by Drew Moody, a true coffee lover and excellent writer. The site focus on Specialty Coffee and Cafe reviews.

Drew has worked in the industry for ten years before starting A Table in the Corner of the Cafe. The site is has a wealth of information presented in an easy to understand fashion. Posts are made frequently so your know the info is current and dialed into what is happening.

The site is powered by Wordpress with clean design. The site does not appear to be responsive so it may be the most mobile friendly experience. Would be nice if the font was a bit bigger. None of this is a deal breaker because the information is so good.

Site Breakdown by Section

Coffee 101

http://www.cornerofthecafe.com/coffee-101/

This section looks like it was created when the site was first started and it is intended to give people new to coffee a solid introduction. There are not many posts here but there is an interesting post about the Coffee Belt. You may or may not know the information but it provides a great overview of what types and where coffee is grown in the world. http://www.cornerofthecafe.com/coffee-101/the-coffee-belt/

Brewing Methods

http://www.cornerofthecafe.com/coffee-101/brewing-methods/

This is a section of Coffee 101 that covers way that coffee can be brewed. From the Clever Dripper to the French Press to the Chemex. Drew has assembled a pretty sweet overview to some innovative ways to brew coffee.

Some of the brewing methods described:

Coffee Reviews 

http://www.cornerofthecafe.com/category/coffee-reviews/

Here is where the site really shines, so many coffees are explained, reviewed and discussed. Posts are frequent and written in a clear imaginative style. Excellent insight into the entire process of who / where / how the beans were grown, roasted and cared for.

Example Coffee Review:

Coffee Shop Reviews

http://www.cornerofthecafe.com/category/cafe-reviews/

Drew does not stop at coffee he also blogs about different coffee shops. Drawing on his ten years in the coffee industry to provide a clear picture of that shop’s menu and experience.

Other Reviews

http://www.cornerofthecafe.com/category/miscellaneous/hardware-reviews/

finally there is a section that covers hardware, alcohol, and tea. Not as much information here as the other sections but this is a catch all area for interesting reviews of items that are are not coffee or cafes.
The last two section are bulletin board and news. Here you will find info, games, and what is happening with the site. It add a nice dimension and rounds out the site nicely.

Final Thoughts

A Table in the corner of the cafe is a well done site, with great information presented in an easy to access way. 

If you are a fan of specialty coffees, it is well worth pulling up a chair in the corner of the cafe.

-- Steven

In talking with several friends, I learned that they only drink organic coffee and I found this very interesting.

I usually go for organic coffee when it is availble, but I have not really drawn the line at organic only coffee.

How important is organic coffee to you?

Would you be interested in an organic only shipment each month?

Thanks! -- Steven

Welcome to Intown Coffee.

This site came from the idea it would be great to try coffee from different roasters to experience a wide variety of roasts.

The catch is you are not going to like every coffee you try. Most times to try a new coffee I had to purchase 12oz or a full pound and pay shipping. It is becomes more expensive than it has to when you get several ones you do not like.

Then the idea came to me, what if I got several other people who like trying new coffee together, we could buy in bulk, split the beans into smaller amounts and try several in each month. With several varieties of beans in each box it saves on shipping.

The idea was coming together. Now we needed a domain name and a site. I started Intown Web Design and Intown Coffee seemed like a logical step.

We put together a quick site and continued gathering others who are interested in trying out different coffees each month. Soon we will have our first shipment ready to go.

Glad you made it to this site and this blog post. If you are interested in joining our club let me know we would be happy to have you.

Thanks! -- Steven