Brewing at Home and on the Road with Lex Wenneker

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Lex Wenneker

Breaking New Ground: A Sicilian Coffee Plantation, Part One

The impacts of climate change are starting to be felt in Sicily, but while they’re causing problems, the rising temperatures are also bringing new opportunities. BY JOSEPH PHELANSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Featured image courtesy of Henrique Ferreira on Unsplash The Sicilian love affair with coffee is known the world over. Sicily, the largest of […]


Competition, Cold, and More from the 2024 U.S. Coffee Competition Qualifiers in Houston

The first round of qualifiers for the 2024 season of the United States Coffee Competitions featured the U.S. Barista, Cup Tasters, and Roasters qualifying competitions. BY KATE VAN PETTENSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE Photos courtesy of U.S. CoffeeChamps The first round of qualifiers for the 2024 season of the United States Coffee Competitions took place January […]


5 Cool Cafés Worth a Try in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai, one of Thailand’s most fascinating cities, is home to a vibrant specialty-coffee scene, with many cafés and roasteriess often offering locally grown coffee. BY TANYA NANETTI SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo by Tim Durgan via Unsplash With a population of 3 million, Chiang Mai is a little (by Asian standards) gem in northern […]


3 All-Women Coffee Roasting Companies that Are Changing the Game

The world of specialty coffee is still largely governed by men, but these all-female specialty-coffee roasters are helping to close the gender gap. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Feature photo courtesy of Lot Zero/7Gr As is the case for many commercial sectors, the world of specialty coffee continues to display gender disparity along the entire […]

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Lex Wenneker

Out Now: The February + March 2024 Issue of Barista Magazine!

In our new issue we feature Lisa Lawson from Glasgow, Scotland, take a look at the newest grinders, explore spring drink inspiration, see how more women are getting involved in coffee tech, and much more! BY SARAH ALLENBARISTA MAGAZINE We’re stoked to announce the release of the February + March 2024 issue of Barista Magazine, […]


Lvl Up Coffee Hits High Scores In Normal, Illinois

Specialty coffee in the central Illinois town of Normal has reached a new stage of quality with the opening of Lvl Up Coffee Bar. Brought to life by coffee roaster…


An Unfiltered History of Vietnamese Coffee

We explore the history of coffee in Vietnam and how the industry’s perception of Vietnamese coffee is evolving.  BY EMILY MENESES BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Featured photo by frank mckenna via Unsplash What do you think of when you hear the term “Vietnamese coffee”? For Kim Dam, founder of Portland Cà Phê, it extends far beyond […]


Conflict in the Red Sea: Why coffee roasters need to prepare for shipping delays

Like many other industries, conditions in the coffee supply chain can change quickly, and in turn, have a huge impact on all actors and stakeholders. Price volatility is one of the more pertinent – which is influenced by many factors. These include fluctuations in supply and demand, extreme or unexpected weather events, global economic downturn, […]

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Lex Wenneker

Philadelphia’s Café Don Pedro Seeks to Build Up Small Businesses

A Dominican-owned coffee roasting company called Café Don Pedro recently launched in Philadelphia with ambitions for direct trading and boosting more Latino-owned small businesses throughout its supply and distribution networks….


The Potential of Augmented Reality Technology for the Coffee Industry

Join us as we explore the applications and trends of “augmented reality“ in the world of coffee. BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo courtesy of Pixabay In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a transformative force, blurring the lines between the digital and physical worlds. As we step into […]


The Origin Story of Turtle Island Coffee in Vancouver, B.C.

A new Indigenous-owned coffee company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, called Turtle Island Coffee has launched with the goal of exposing more people to high quality specialty coffee and Indigenous…


Playing Leaderboard, the Arcade-Inspired Coffee Game

We sat down to try the newest version of the game—a fun opportunity to learn more about coffee while vying for cool coffee prizes.  BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos by Tanya Nanetti I’ve never been much into video games, except for the classic arcade games of my youth.   Growing up in the ‘80s meant […]

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Lex Wenneker

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Lex Wenneker

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Lex Wenneker

In this new series, we ask coffee professionals how they like to brew coffee at home, while traveling, or out on the trail.

BY TANYA NANETTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT

Featured photo by Nathan Dumlao via Unsplash

There’s a common thread among those who work in the coffee business, no matter the position: They tend to spend most of their days brewing coffee. Baristas brew coffee behind the bar. Roasters check the roast profile. Bloggers usually do it at home, sharing their latest recipes with the world. 

But what are their coffee habits when they’re not at work, relaxing at home? How do these habits evolve when they travel? 

Lex Wenneker of the Netherlands was born in Delft. He moved to the capital, Amsterdam, about 12 years ago when he started working in specialty coffee. Now he’s the owner and roaster of Friedhats Coffee and FUKU-café, both based in Amsterdam.

So what are Lex’s coffee habits when he’s not working at the café and is at home resting? What is his favorite brewing method for making coffee? 

Lex's home espresso machine setup. He has a small espresso machine with wooden handles for the steam wands and a wooden paddle for the portafilter. Small cappuccino cups sit on top. To the left is a coffee brewer, and to the right is other coffee paraphernalia like sweeteners. On the white wall above is modern art depicting a blue bottle, a red die and what may be a lit cigarette.
Lex has an espresso machine at home and likes to start his day with something milky. Photo courtesy of Lex Wenneker.

Home Habits

“I have a very nice espresso machine at home, and I usually like to make one milk beverage in the morning before anything else. It’s the first thing I do when I wake up,” Lex shares. “After that it’s usually just filters and espressos.”

As a favorite coffee to brew and drink at home, Lex points out that he usually “starts with a flat white or something like that, often followed by a filter using either Origami or AeroPress.”

Lex loves to drink coffee at home. “I don’t actually (go out for coffee) too often, to be honest: Either I’m too busy or I’ve already had coffee at home or in our café, which is very close to my home. I definitely should visit more places though, because we have some nice cafés in Amsterdam.” 

If he were to draw up a ranking of where he drinks most of his daily coffee when in town, Lex has no doubt. “In terms of volume it will definitely be at work, especially when you would take all the cuppings into account as well. Second place will be at home, and I guess I could say this is also the place where I enjoy it the most,” he says.

Image is outside in a park or forest with big trees surrounding. An AeroPress sits on top of a travel mug with a ramen bowl and bomb on it, cartoon style. There is a Friedhats coffee sticker on the side of the AeroPress.
While traveling, Lex often brings an AeroPress to brew coffee. Photo courtesy of Lex Wenneker.

Travels and Trails

Things of course change a lot when Lex goes to visit friends or family: Does he trust them when it comes to coffee? Or is it the opposite? “I don’t think I would trust most of them, except my brother who has a very decent setup at home,” Lex says. “But, I wouldn’t take my own gear to friends or family, I’d just get some beans. Or just drink something other than coffee.”

What about when it’s time to leave Amsterdam and travel somewhere?

“When I travel, I often take my coffee equipment with me, especially when I go on climbing trips because there’s usually no good coffee to find in the climbing area. Sometimes, on short trips, I will take pre-ground coffee. But I usually take a hand-grinder and AeroPress. And if we go with a bigger group I might get a Moccamaster too!” 

Lex has an AeroPress with coffee in it, laid on top of a metal travel mug, ready to brew. There is snow on the ground, and evergreen trees behind.
Having a personal brewing device while out in the wilderness is crucial for a good cup of coffee. Photo courtesy of Lex Wenneker.

Traveling and visiting new cities also means having the chance to check out a new specialty-coffee scene. Lex visits many more cafés while out of town compared to when he’s at home.

Tips for Drinking Out

“Before traveling,” Lex says, “I always check the specialty-coffee situation at my destination, especially when I’m not bringing any coffee gear with me. I won’t drink any coffee at airports, planes, or at gas stations, so to avoid very long-lasting headaches, it’s quite useful to know where to get nice coffee.” 

And then, when already abroad, Lex adds that he doesn’t usually have nice coffee where he stays. “I have more time to visit coffee shops, and it’s a perfect opportunity to try some nice coffee places around! And when I visit a city, it can also be a good way to explore the city as well: Usually, specialty coffees can be found in nice and less touristy areas.” 

As a last thought on the best way to drink and brew coffee while traveling, Lex shares a tip that is perfect for those who like to travel light. “You can have pre-ground coffee in your AeroPress while boarding a plane or when you’re in your car. All you will need is hot water, and you will be fine,” he says. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tanya Nanetti (she/her) is a specialty-coffee barista, a traveler, and a dreamer. When she’s not behind the coffee machine (or visiting some hidden corner of the world), she’s busy writing for Coffee Insurrection, a website about specialty coffee that she’s creating along with her boyfriend.

The post Brewing at Home and on the Road with Lex Wenneker appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Lex Wenneker

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.

Brewing at Home and on the Road with Lex Wenneker

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