Hario has made quite a name for itself in the specialty coffee scene and has received a plethora of design awards  but is best known best for their iconic V60 dripper. The name is derived from vector 60, a reference to the 60 degree angle of its cone.    The options when considering purchasing a […]

It appears that almost everybody loves the Aeropress. Let’s take a peek into why that is.   Filter Options The type of filter you use to brew your coffee will affect what ends up in the cup. The standard filter that you receive with your Aeropress is, in my opinion, the best to use. There […]

The Chemex: Simplicity,  minimalism and a mildly predetermined extraction process One unique characteristic about the Chemex is it’s simplistic design and affinity to a minimalist lifestyle compared to other brewers that fall in the pour-over category. The Chemex can be a standalone brewer if you need it to be. It’s not entirely required to use […]

An Introduction First off- lets clear up some confusion around the name. In Italy it’s known as a caffettiera a stantuffo. In New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa it’s known as a ‘Coffee plunger’. In UK ,Netherlands and France the name is ‘Cafetière’. In the United States and Canada, it is known as a ‘French press’ or ‘Coffee press’. The coffee press was patented by Milanese designer Attilio Calimani in 1929. […]

An Introduction The Moka Pot is a stove-top coffee maker that brews coffee by passing boiling water pressurized by steam in a closed system through ground coffee. It’s named after the south western Yemenite city of Mocha which was the purported major marketplace for Coffea Arabica from the 15th to the early 18th century. It was invented by Luigi De […]

Let’s take a look at some of the most common points of interest going through an Artisan roasters mind when developing a roast recipe for a particular coffee- —Flavour formation in the roasting process A complex and interesting flavour profile cannot be created if the potential is not there to begin with. Higher quality, well […]

All the dictionaries out there state the word Artisan as denoting goods produced on a small scale using traditional methods by skilled craftsmen. That sounds about right when you think about specialty coffee roasting as opposed to commercial grade roasting (think of supermarket and other large commercial brands) Go for the green The highest quality […]

Single Origin coffees are synonymous with distinctiveness. It’s important to know that terroir has a real effect in the coffee industry. In general- Single Origin is a term used for coffees from a single geographical location, as opposed to blends or non- traceable coffees. And by ‘single geographical location’, I mean- a single farm; estate; […]

From my early day visits to the coffee farms, to now, 10 years of learning about this industry and the product we love so much – Coffee. In this industry we have come to learn so many terms and phases: from “the age of discovery” to “commercialization”, “secret stimulate leaf” to “the great commodity”, from […]

What goes into competition preparation? I cannot blame people for being puzzled when they stroll past the barista competition stage. As outsiders to the coffee industry attending the yearly homemakers expo in Cape Town, they must wonder what the fuss is about as the crowd applauds the rounds of espressos served. Even industry folk who […]