Archive of posts from 2020/11 📝

Earlier in the year, I found a new interest in blogs. Blogs are a home where the author controls both the content they create and the medium through which their content is served. It is this premise which inspired me to create this blog about coffee. I like writing about coffee and I find that a blog is a good place to share my thoughts on coffee. I write about the interesting observations I make as well as what I am learning.

I love reading cafe reviews. A few weeks ago, I came across SOLO Coffee, a blog written by Eline Ferket, that features detailed reviews of cafes around the world. I started reading her reviews on Scottish cafes, given I live in Scotland, and I grew more intrigued with her writing style. I had the pleasure of talking with Eline over email to chat about her blog. The interview is below, edited lightly for clarity.

In addition to reading about coffee, I have spent some time watching coffee documentaries. The latest I watched, Barista, was released a few years before Baristas, which I watched a few days earlier. Barista chronicles the journeys of five people racing to become the barista champion of the U.S.. Intrigued by barista championships and competitive coffee, I knew this documentary would be in my wheelhouse.

Note: This review does contain many spoilers. But, if you already know who won, then you will probably not mind.

My local coffee shop has Turkish roots. The shop serves traditional Turkish cuisine alongside coffee. On their menu, they list that they serve Turkish coffee. I've been intrigued by this offering ever since I first saw their menu but I never ordered the coffee. I always went for safer drinks, such as the flat white, which I knew I would like. I've never been one for ordering black coffee outside of my home; I can make black coffee at home.

The Milkman cafe in Edinburgh, provided by Robert from Edinburgh Coffee Shops.

In keeping with my personal philosophy to order from Scottish coffee roasters, I recently ordered a bag of Kenyan peaberry coffee from Scotland's own Artisan Roast. Artisan Roast is one of the biggest players on the Scottish coffee scene and my first coffee from them did not disappoint; it was delicious and well-balanced. So, I knew that I'd get something unique from the new coffee I ordered from them.

Many speciality roasters visit the farms or co-operatives from which they buy coffee. This allows the roaster to get to know the crop from the people who are growing and processing it. These visits give roasters insights into a crop that cannot be found without having direct contact with a farmer or co-operative. Direct trade has become popular for this reason: a direct connection between the farmer and roaster lets the roaster learn more about their product.

Coffee is a fruit. Most of the coffee in production today—around 70 percent or more—is cultivated from the coffea arabica species of plant. This plant is commonly known as Arabica. Grown between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, the coffee plant grows cherries that contain seeds.

Craft Coffee: A Manual, written by Jessica Easto (who I'll refer to as the author) with Andreas Willhoff, is the ideal guide for a home brewer who wants to level up their skills. Unlike many other coffee books, this one is written from the perspective of a home brewer. Many of the books I have read, such as Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee, make reference to how their companies do things. This makes sense because I get the experience from the writer. Easto sticks with what she knows: home brewing.