This coffee looked so good in the Intelligentsia store that I didn’t even look at the price until the next day. $27/12oz. YIKES! Was it worth it? Read on. I have never had a coffee from Burundi; most of the African coffees I have sampled to this point have been from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Rwanda. […]
Author: Margaret
Review: Blue Bottle Hayes Valley Espresso (Oakland, California)
I have my cousin Lynn to thank for introducing me to Blue Bottle Coffee Roasters. Headquartered in Oakland, CA, they’ve expanded to include locations in Los Angeles, New York City, and Japan. In recent years they’ve acquired both the Tonx and Handsome Coffee companies, and it was just announced that they are merging with San […]
How to make a delicious cappuccino at home on a budget
Cappuccinos (and lattes, and mochas, etc.) are delicious, but they are rather expensive. There’s a reason for that; they are all espresso-based drinks, and espresso machines are NOT CHEAP. Commercial espresso machines can easily run over $10,000. You’re also paying for (hopefully) top-quality beans and the time and expertise of your barista. But is there […]
“Help! I need a grinder – what should I get?”
Yay, grinders!! As much as I geek out over hi-tech stuff like espresso machines with E61 groupheads, pre-infusion, PID and bottomless portafilters, any coffee geek will tell you the most expensive espresso or coffee machine is nothing without a quality grinder. In fact, it’s not uncommon for people to spend MORE on the grinder than […]
Review: Intelligentsia Black Cat Classic Espresso (Chicago, Illinois)
(Guest post from David Cooper, principal horn of the Dallas Symphony!) There is nothing better than a good friend showing up at your door at 10 pm with freshly roasted Intelligentsia coffee! Saturday night after my concert I had just made it home and was sitting on the couch when my good friend Margaret Fischer […]
Review: Counter Culture Hologram Espresso (Durham, North Carolina)
I’m excited to check another roaster off of my coffee bucket list. Counter Culture is a major player in the specialty coffee world. Unlike Stumptown, Blue Bottle, Intelligentsia, etc., they do not seem to run their own cafes; they instead seem to focus their efforts on the roasting and on their training centers (sprinkled across the […]
Review: Coffee del Rey Guatemala Huehuetenango (Plano, Texas)
Coffee del Rey is a VERY local roaster to me, located less than 10 miles from my house. It is a company that operates on a similar business model to TOMS. For every pound of coffee sold, they provide a pack of non-GMO heritage fruit/vegetable seeds in partnership with training from other organizations to start community gardens […]
Some general rules to follow to get GREAT coffee at home
Coffee is a daily ritual for many of us, myself included (obviously!). It might surprise some people to know that I typically don’t drink very much coffee each day; each morning I’ll have 8-12 oz of a brewed coffee or a double espresso if I’m pulling espresso shots. That’s about it. If I’m drinking such […]
Review: Cuvée Decaf Spicewood 71 (Spicewood, Texas)
Is there a decaf coffee out there worth drinking? My search has just begun, but I am pretty confident I’ve found one. I love being surprised by a coffee! Cuvée Coffee is a craft coffee company based out of Spicewood, TX (also known as the home of Willie Nelson), about 40 minutes northwest of Austin. […]
Review: Three Ships Nicaragua Los Cipreses de Loma Fria (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
I almost didn’t write up a review for this coffee, but I decided it would be a golden opportunity to try a little experiment with home roasting. If nothing else, I will have this bag of beans to thank for helping me dip my toe into the waters of roasting coffee beans at home! I’ve […]