The story of the Lovers of Valdaro, two skeletons buried in an eternal embrace

The story of the Lovers of Valdaro, two skeletons buried in an eternal embrace

How to Make the Best Coffee at Home By James Hoffmann: Book Review 

James Hoffmann’s new book, How to Make the Best Coffee at Home, is finally out, and is the perfect guide for both professionals and amateurs. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos by Tanya Nanetti James Hoffmann is one of the most recognizable people in the world of specialty coffee. His YouTube channel is both informative […]


U.S. Coffee Championships 2023 Baltimore Qualifiers Results

More than 100 competitors brought their talent to Baltimore to take part in six competitions, and 63 will progress to nationals in April. BY NATE KLOCKBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Photos by Matthew Temple courtesy of the U.S. Coffee Championships Last weekend, my hometown welcomed the U.S. Coffee Championships (USCC) qualifiers with the charm only Baltimore could […]


Coffee News Recap, 26 Jan: Researchers create new genetic map to “future proof” arabica production, UAE & Italian Coffee Champions crowned at WoC Dubai and SIGEP & other stories

Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the previous week. Here are this week’s coffee news stories. The word of the week is: competitions. Mon, 22 Jan Timemore launches crowdfunding campaign for upcoming Millab E01 portable electric coffee grinder. The wireless electric coffee grinder features a 5,000 mAh lithium battery […]


Coffee News Recap, 26 Jan: Researchers create new genetic map to “future proof” arabica production, UAE & Italian Coffee Champions crowned at WoC Dubai and SIGEP & other stories

Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the previous week. Here are this week’s coffee news stories. The word of the week is: competitions. Mon, 22 Jan Timemore launches crowdfunding campaign for upcoming Millab E01 portable electric coffee grinder. The wireless electric coffee grinder features a 5,000 mAh lithium battery […]

The story of the Lovers of Valdaro, two skeletons buried in an eternal embrace

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 […]


3 Elements Coffee: Supporting Veterans, One Cup at a Time  

The Australian roasting company helps to create opportunities for veteran communities.  BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of 3 Elements Coffee  Brisbane, Australia-based 3 Elements Coffee, founded by Navy veteran Terry McNally in 2016, has a mission to support the transition of ex-military personnel into the commercial workspace. To help achieve their goal and raise […]


Know Your Sweeteners: Honey: Part One

Not all sweeteners are made equal! In this series, we’ll take a closer look at different types of sweeteners and syrups—starting with honey. BY EMILY JOY MENESESBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Featured photo by Arwin Neil Baichoo via Unsplash Though you can’t go wrong with simple syrup or the tried-and-true vanilla, there are many options when it […]


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 […]

The story of the Lovers of Valdaro, two skeletons buried in an eternal embrace

The coffee industry’s biggest competition: The story of the World Barista Championship

Every year, the global coffee industry gears up for one of its most exciting and groundbreaking competitions: the World Barista Championship. For more than two decades, the WBC has been one of the biggest catalysts for change and innovation in specialty coffee, and continues to set even higher standards for baristas around the world to […]


Study Shines New Light on the Complex Arabica Coffee Genome

Researchers in Italy say they’ve shed new light on arabica coffee’s large and complex genome, which may ultimately help breeders seeking desirable traits such as high quality and disease resistance….


María Andrée Is Honing Olfactory Skills in Antigua 

A sensorial class in Guatemala at Artista de Café teaches how to use your nose for the ultimate coffee experience. BY JORDAN BUCHANANBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Photos courtesy of Arista de Café Walking into a specialty café in Guatemala, your nostrils are infused with aromas from the best coffees in the country. Your nose recollects the […]


Toronto’s Pilot Coffee Roasters Acquiring Bridgehead Coffee for $3.6 Million

Toronto, Ontario-based specialty coffee roaster and retailer Pilot Coffee Roasters is acquiring Ottawa-based Bridgehead Coffee in a deal worth approximately US$3.6 million.  Bridgehead, which has 21 coffee shop locations throughout…

The story of the Lovers of Valdaro, two skeletons buried in an eternal embrace

The story of the Lovers of Valdaro, two skeletons buried in an eternal embrace

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...

The story of the Lovers of Valdaro, two skeletons buried in an eternal embrace

The history of the skeletons buried together 6,000 years ago

On February 11, 2007, right before Valentine’s Day, a team of researchers led by archeologist Elena Maria Menotti uncovered a Neolithic burial site in the village of Valdaro, Italy containing two skeletons locked in a loving embrace. Ongoing research is trying to answer the questions of who these people were and why they were buried together. Could they be the real Romeo and Juliet?

Double burials were extremely rare during the Neolithic period, around 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. This burial site was found among 30 other sites, but all of those only contained single burials. The site was discovered in a construction site on the outskirts of the city of Mantua, near the northern region of Lombardy, Italy.

It’s very unique for two young people to have died at the same time and to be buried this way, leading many to speculate the Romeo and Juliet theory — two star-crossed lovers who died in each other’s arms.

To add credence to the theory — the city of Mantua, where the burial site is near, is the same city where Romeo is sent after he kills Tybalt Capulet in a swordfight in Shakespear’s iconic play. Romeo dreams he dies and is revived by Juliet’s kiss, which freaks him out and he leaves his exile to return to Verona where he is informed Juliet is now dead, and well, you know the rest.

The two skeletons, the man on the left and the woman on the right, were about 5 feet 2 inches tall and no more than 20 years old. The male skeleton (the figure on the left) had a flint arrowhead near his neck and the female had a long flint blade along her thigh, plus two flint knives under her pelvis upon discovery. An examination found no evidence of violent death, so these items were most likely grave goods, buried with bodies after they died.

“It’s rare for two young people to die at the same time, and that makes us want to know why and who they were, but it will be very difficult to find out,” Luca Bondioli, an anthropologist at Rome’s National Prehistoric and Ethnographic Museum, said in an interview.

DNA testing and carbon dating take time, and the process is harder because the skeletons remain together, rather than the bones being individually examined. The excavation team dug the earth around the couple, and the block of the earth in which they rested was lifted out of the ground with large belts, placed in a yellow wooden box, and sent to an archaeological laboratory at the Musei Civici in Como.

Today, they still remain together, on display under one case, at Mantua’s Archaeological Museum. If you have a soft spot for romance you can book an Italian villa getaway in Lombardy and stop by to pay the lovers a visit.

The Lovers of Valdaro are the inspiration for our 2020 Valentine’s Day mug, coming soon. 

Learn more about this mysterious archeological discovery from Fueled By Death Cast below: 

The story of the Lovers of Valdaro, two skeletons buried in an eternal embrace

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.

The story of the Lovers of Valdaro, two skeletons buried in an eternal embrace

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