International Coffee Day – unravelling the mystery around the many ways to drink coffee

Coffee has never been better than it is today. We know more than ever about growing it, roasting it, cafe owners train their staff to the highest standards to ensure what they brew is up to par. As the world of great coffee is going mainstream, and passionate people populate the industry – today, a 125 million people depend on coffee production for their livelihood – today we discuss some excellent sources, resources you can use to learn more about this magical commodity.

Now before we start, it is important to differentiate the industry by two distinct areas: commodity and speciality. Commodity describes coffee that are not traded on their quality, but are considered simply to be ‘coffee’. Whereas speciality is defined on how good it tastes, where it’s grown, its flavour, and where it comes from.

James Hoffmann and The World Atlas of Coffee

James co-founded Square Mile Roasters, a multi-award-winning coffee roasting company that has, over time, become synonymous with London coffee culture. His Youtube channel – both very funny AND educational – has 538k subscribers, and counting. He has excellent posts on a range of topics from thermal loss in takeaway cups to espresso tonic recipes.
His book, The World Atlas of Coffee (2nd edition) goes into great length describing all there is to know from roasting to tasting, the importance of water quality, grinding coffee and the origins.

Baristamagazine.com

For new products from grinders to alternative milk options, tests of new-to-the-industry equipment and interviews with industry experts, you’ll find anything you might need to start your coffee journey. You can now read the current, and previous editions of their digital magazine online.

 

 

Latte art on Youtube

Just search for ‘latte art’ on the video streaming service and get ready to be faced with thousands of videos on basic shapes, correct milk warming techniques, coloured versions and extravagant shapes. You can start the journey with as little as a milk frother and an espresso machine.

Know your gadget

Prima Coffee has an excellent blog post on where to start with everything. First, find out what sort of coffee you like best, then set a budget and research your equipment and finally, learn how to brew. They also offer a great Learning Center for further research.

Barista Institute – inspiration for baristas

Their blog is pretty inspiring and if you are looking for some interesting recipes, such as a cold brew affogato or the ever-so-famous dalgona coffee, you’ll find it here.

Our favourite: the Cold Brew Lemonade – fresh cold brew coffee + fresh cold lemonade = double fresh & cold!