About 15 years ago we began selling a green tea matcha frappe powder that has been a solid seller ever since. Some shops would steam it with milk but primarily it gets thrown in a blender with milk and ice and whipped up for a sweet, grassy treat. All this time, demand for pure matcha […]
The Rise of Matcha Read More »
Article By: Tom Richardson Starbucks tends to define customers’ expectations in the specialty coffee world, for better or worse. Today’s Starbucks launch of the Pumpkin Spice latte marks their 20th anniversary of promoting the single most successful seasonal drink. Ergo coffee shop patrons will start looking for pumpkin lattes wherever they buy their coffee drinks.
Time to Launch into Warm Spice Lattes Read More »
Last week a CCR team headed to exotic Anaheim for the Coffee Fest show. The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) show, held every spring, is the industry’s major coffee convention while Coffee Fest is the distant minor league show held regionally throughout the year.coffee convention while Coffee Fest is the distant minor league show held regionally throughout the year.
Coffee Fest Anaheim – Hold the Coffee Read More »
In the quest for a great cup of coffee beanheads tend to fixate on the brewing side of the equation at the expense of considering grind quality. This is not a trifling matter though. An inferior grinder can turn that $600/lb auction lot Panama Geisha into Pike’s Place. A cheap or poorly maintained grinder will
Meet the Staff – The Swiss Miss Read More »
I’ve always liked Counter Culture coffee. My first taste was at the Red Truck Rural Bakery in Warrenton, Virginia about seven years ago. I got a cup of drip coffee and drank it while walking through the quaint town. It was one of those rare experiences where you upend the cup to get the last
Confusing Culture – Tasting Counter Culture’s Forty-Six “dark roast” Read More »
I remember the first espresso drink I ever tasted. We lived in Canada for three years from 1981 to 1984 and while it was socially traumatic the first two years the town had some upside, like Granville Island Public Market. This was before public markets or farmers’ markets were that common. Granville Island was loaded
Lab Report – Orange Mocha Read More »
When I was in college in the late 80’s I worked part time for a small Illy Caffe and La Pavoni espresso machine distributor in Oakland. He sent me all over the East Bay and San Francisco delivering Illy and repairing machines. At the shop, the little Italian repair guy, Silvano, taught us to pull
Extra Rich Milk – The Return of the Royale Read More »
