The Reading Room

Here we go again: New statistics and new lists of all the myriad of things that cause cancer, or more correctly, things that are linked to cancer, are making the news. Cell phones and coffee are two of the additions...

This week a report on a study by Australia’s La Trobe University stated that they found that coffee and stress lead people to hallucinate. It’s not that they saw dancing pink elephants on the office water cooler, but it was...

If you’re lying awake nights wondering what a macchiato is and how it’s different from a cappuccino, then read on. Gene Vann has compiled the meanings of most coffee shop menu drinks, so now you will know just what is...

It's been awe-inspiring, exciting and a moving competition but the time has come to crown the 2011 World Barista Champion. Let's give a huge round of applause for Alejandro Mendez of El Salvador, this year's World Barista Champion. Equally commendable...

Well, we've had a few extreme days of skills put to the test and today the Top 6 just finished their final round. Now it's up to the votes of the judges to determine which contestant was the most outstanding....

This title is not a joke. Have you heard of the new leggings that are hyped as a means by which to lose inches of fat from your legs? A just-published article by Becky Worley reports that the legwear is...

Disclaimer: This, even more than most, will be a highly subjective post. Feel free to take its contents with the appropriate number of grains of salt (to taste).If you’re using bad or mediocre coffee, then by all means torture it...

It's Day 2 and the competitors are fierce! The World Barista Championship is officially under way and by the end of today we'll know who the Top 12 are. Tomorrow we'll find out which baristas made it to the Top...

We all hate hearing and reading about disasters, and the recent tornado damage to Joplin MO is no exception. What we do like to read about are the heartwarming stories of individuals and groups who respond to such disasters with...

One of the reasons I enjoy ROASTe is that it allows me to try coffee from many different roasters. Incidentally, this is also one of the reasons why I regularly visit a local café called Spro. To quote from their...

It was just announced that Google is now diving into the online deal-making business. As with Groupon, through these social buying services, consumers can buy coupons at money-saving prices. They can only be bought online, for short periods, so the...

I have years of experience with various single-serve coffee systems, including Nespresso, and so by now I’m aware of their benefits and limitations. Can any of them ever beat freshly ground, freshly roasted beans in terms of cup quality? No....

Tomorrow it’s happening. Tomorrow we’re going to be at full attention, eager to see how the first round of contestants perform. For any of us who’ve seen this competition unfold in the past, we might even speculate as to which...

We’ve covered the subject of many workers choosing the coffee shop as their office and workspace. Now the UK’s Independent comes to fill in fascinating details from history, so we know what famous writers actually set the precedents. The article...

I’ve been thinking about the freshness of my coffee quite a bit these days ever since I managed to acquire a large whole-bean selection due to my own splurges in combination with gifts from generous friends and vendors. I’m the...

Another tea drinking country is experiencing a surge in coffee consumption. We’ve seen it happening in China, Japan, Thailand, New Zealand, Great Britain and elsewhere. Now of all places, Russia’s tea-drinking culture is being challenged as coffee enjoys a rise...

[Note: After writing this up, I noticed that a few of broseph’s past blog entries are clearly relevant. Check them out here and here!] Ok, it was 91 degrees in Baltimore the other day, and we’ll be in the upper...

/files/World-Barista-Championship-Events-Schedule20110530.jpg" alt="2011 World Barista Championship - Schedule of Events" title="2011 World Barista Championship - Schedule of Events" align="left" height="346" hspace="7" width="347" />As we finish off the Memorial Day long weekend, the world baristas are starting their next big feat, and...

French Press - Bad Press - Addressed The French Press has been in the news for awhile as an unhealthy way to brew coffee, because it’s filter doesn’t filter out the cafestol. Cafestol is a substance that causes the body’s...

/files/World-Barista-Championship-Bogota-20110529.jpg" alt="Bogota, Colombia - Host of the 2011 World Barista Championship" title="Bogota, Colombia - Host of the 2011 World Barista Championship" align="middle" height="200" hspace="5" vspace="3" width="601" />Well, it’s no secret that we’re all thrilled about the upcoming competition. Many of...

A New Zealand coffee roaster just announced that his company has introduced the world’s first fresh coffee bag that is compostable. Once the bag is empty, you can toss it onto your compost pile or into your bin, or bury...