3 Must-Try Iced Coffee Add-Ins

3 Must-Try Iced Coffee Add-Ins

Mandarin Coffee Stand Provides a Coffee Lover’s Rabbit Hole in Pasadena

A new multiroaster coffee bar in Pasadena, California, called Mandarin Coffee Stand is hopping into the Year of The Rabbit with an emphasis on Chinese-grown coffees and an inspired seasonal…


Prodigal Update: month two and a discussion of roast quality vs roast style

Lessons from the first month We received multiples more inquiries than we had coffee available. Some of that was due to us deciding some of our green, once arrived, was below our quality standards for Prodigal, and some was due to my poor forecasting skills.  Roasting and filling orders and handling inquiries was quite a […]


San Fransisco Florist Blossoms Anew with Marigold Café

After establishing itself as a boutique florist since 2018, San Francisco-based Marigold has come into bloom once more, launching the Marigold Café. Marigold Co-Owners Aubriana Kasper and Gena Banducci told…


Study Finds Coffee with Milk May Increase Anti-Inflammatory Effect

Coffee that is combined with milk may double the natural anti-inflammatory properties of immune cells, according to research published this week in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.  For…

3 Must-Try Iced Coffee Add-Ins

Middle East Coffee Marketplace and App Cofe Raises $15 Million

With global growth ambitions, Middle East-based coffee marketplace Cofe (styled as COFE by the company) has raised US$15 million in a Series B funding round.  Leading the investment is WAED…


Snoop Dogg Launches INDOxyz Indonesian Specialty Coffee Line

Rapper, cultural icon and business mogul Snoop Dogg just dropped coffee like it’s hot, rolling into the specialty coffee industry with a new brand of Indonesian coffee products called INDOxyz. …


Roest Unveils Control Upgrades, Plans 3-Kilo P3000 Launch

Norwegian coffee roasting equipment maker Roest (formerly Røst) has launched new digital tools for its sample roasting machines. The company has also announced a capacity upgrade for its forthcoming commercial-size…


Stōk Owner Danone Plans $65 Million Florida Bottling Plant

Packaged foods company Danone North America is planning to invest up to $65 million over the next two years to build and expand a bottle production line for coffee creamers…

3 Must-Try Iced Coffee Add-Ins

Technivorm Moccamaster Brews its First Burr Grinder, the KM5

Technivorm, the Dutch maker of the iconic Moccamaster range of coffee brewers, today launched its first burr coffee grinder, the Moccamaster KM5. Underneath a 9-ounce-capacity hopper — composed of plastic…


Mbingo Mountain Gives Rise to Great Coffee in Central Maine

With a deep connection to the coffee lands of Africa, a new roasting company called Mbingo Mountain Coffee is helping coffee drinkers in central Maine to reach new heights of…


Warm Your Bones With 10 Ski Country Coffees

Snow blankets the landscape in Hamilton, Montana. Courtesy of Big Creek Coffee Roasters. While the sun is finally peeking through the clouds in our home base of Berkeley, California, much of the U.S. is still blanketed in snow. If you’re trying to dig out of your driveway to go to work, that’s a bummer, but […]


Alchemist Coffee Lab Serves Golden Cups in Fresno

A new coffee shop in Fresno, California, called Alchemist Coffee Lab is weaving together themes of coffee, science and history while exploring modern heights in coffee quality. In Fresno’s Tower…

3 Must-Try Iced Coffee Add-Ins

3 Must-Try Iced Coffee Add-Ins

HOW TO BE A BETTER CUPPER

Mar 9, 2023 |

Ahead of the launch of Prodigal, Mark and I cupped for a minimum of one hour each morning. Having such a routine allowed us to calibrate well after cupping more than 2000 samples together. Those sessions also taught us a lot, some of which I’d like to share here....

3 Must-Try Iced Coffee Add-Ins

Here Are 3 Iced Coffee Add-Ins You Have To Try

Peanut better and jelly. Salt and pepper. Iced coffee and … well, these three things:

1. Simple Syrup

Yes, we all love black coffee. But when speaking about refreshment, a small amount of sugar can bring out the best flavor notes of any iced coffee.

How to make simple syrup:

  • 1 part sugar
  • 1 part boiling water

Now combine them until the sugar is fully dissolved. Shelf stable! Use moderately for delicious, strong coffee.

2. Seltzer

Seltzer goes with anything if you like it, but there’s a reason that coffee shops serve sparkling water with every espresso shot.

Seltzer does a few things:

  • Cleanses the palate 
  • Offsets the acidic properties of espresso
  • Draws out flavors and makes them more apparent

Besides that, seltzer is delicious and wildly refreshing. Here’s our absolute favorite, strong ice coffee/seltzer recipe for summer:

  1. Fill a cup with ice.
  2. Pour two shots of Death Wish Coffee or Death Wish Coffee Espresso Roast over ice (Death Wish Coffee through a Chemex works great!)
  3. Fill the rest with ice cold seltzer.
  4. Add preferred amount of simple syrup (optional).

3. Orange

Brewer beware: If you’re using orange in your coffee, avoid cream! It’ll curdle. 

Now, if you follow the World Barista Championships, you’ll know that baristas love to use orange in their signature drinks. They truly know their stuff! Whether it be a flavor note or actual orange extract, orange complements coffee beautifully. I’ve mentioned orange’s delicious properties in coffee before, but the best way is by far and away in iced coffee.

Cut an orange or clementine in half and squeeze it over the seltzer drink mentioned above. Citrus meets caffeine. YES. 

Related: 

Here’s Why You Love Black Coffee and Dark Chocolate

How to Brew Coffee with a Chemex

3 Must-Try Iced Coffee Add-Ins

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

3 Must-Try Iced Coffee Add-Ins

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