Fellow French Press: The Brewing Beauty Everyone’s Waited For

Fellow French Press: The Brewing Beauty Everyone’s Waited For

Milk and Honey a Sweet Addition to the Denver Coffee Scene

Even before Milk & Honey (Instagram) could officially open its doors, the Colorado coffee startup still found a way to sweeten Denverites’ days with coffee service.  While finishing construction and…


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…


360F Specialty Coffee Roasters Heats Up North of Miami

One family’s complete rotation around the coffee landscape has resulted in the opening of the 360F Specialty Coffee Roasters in Coral Springs, Florida.  The young roasting company owned and operated by…


Here is Somewhere for Coffee and Beer in Ossining, NY

For anyone who’s been wandering around Ossining, New York, wondering where to find a freshly roasted specialty coffee drink or a locally crafted beer, the answer may just be Here….

Fellow French Press: The Brewing Beauty Everyone’s Waited For

Quality and Freshness Are Off the Hook at Dry Fly Coffee in New Paltz

With house-roasted coffees, locally sourced ingredients and the culinary prowess of a big city chef, Dry Fly Coffee is reeling customers into its newly opened roastery and bakery cafe in…


Weekly Coffee News: World of Coffee Dubai, Merch for Baristas and More

Welcome to DCN’s Weekly Coffee News. Keep up with all the latest stories by subscribing to DCN’s newsletter, featuring breaking coffee industry news and fresh coffee job listings. World of Coffee Dubai…


SK Coffee Rides Again with Second Twin Cities Cafe

The Dala Horse of Minnesota is trotting through the winner’s circle this winter, as St. Paul-based SK Coffee has opened its second Twin Cities retail shop. On a bustling corner…


Inside the New Simonelli Group Campus in Central Italy

Simonelli Group, the Italian parent company of commercial espresso equipment brands Nuova Simonelli and Victoria Arduino, has cut the ribbon on the new Simonelli Group Campus in Belforte del Chienti,…

Fellow French Press: The Brewing Beauty Everyone’s Waited For

In New Orleans, Current Crop Cultivates the Home Roaster Market

Home coffee roasting has taken up high-profile residence along New Orleans’ busiest commercial corridor with the recent opening of Current Crop Roasting Shop. After a soft opening that followed the…


Heine Brothers Pays $300K to Baristas Following Labor Investigation

Louisville, Kentucky-based specialty coffee chain Heine Brothers Coffee has paid $300,000 in back wages and damages to baristas following a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) investigation. Acting on a tip…


Quality Coffee Flows in Florida at the Pumphouse Pouratorium

Pumphouse Coffee Roasters is fully primed with the opening of the Pouratorium, an approximately 7,700-square-foot flagship roastery, coffee bar, kitchen and training center in West Palm Beach, Florida.  The Pouratorium…


In New Orleans, Current Crop Cultivates the Home Roaster Market

Home coffee roasting has taken up high-profile residence along New Orleans’ busiest commercial corridor with the recent opening of Current Crop Roasting Shop. After a soft opening that followed the…

Fellow French Press: The Brewing Beauty Everyone’s Waited For

Fellow French Press: The Brewing Beauty Everyone’s Waited For

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....

Fellow French Press: The Brewing Beauty Everyone’s Waited For

According to the manufacturer, “Clara is your forever French press.” We put this to the test. Here’s how we rated different aspects of this coffee maker.

Fellow French Press: The Brewing Beauty Everyone’s Waited For

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.

Fellow French Press: The Brewing Beauty Everyone’s Waited For

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