Plants and Coffee Are Combining All Over the US Retail Landscape

Plants and Coffee Are Combining All Over the US Retail Landscape

Fairtrade Introduces Living-Income Reference Price for Honduras

Fairtrade International has released a living-income reference price for Honduras, designed to help inform green coffee buyers of minimum prices required to allow coffee farmers and their families to afford…


Neptune’s Fury Makes a Mighty Splash with Norfolk Roastery Cafe

A welcome wave of new guests have flooded the ground floor of one of Norfolk, Virginia’s most recognizable structures with the opening of Neptune’s Fury Cafe and Roastery. Just steps…


Honey Moon Coffee and Evansville Coffee Tie the Knot in Indiana

Two southern Indiana coffee companies have formally engaged in Evansville, with retailer Honey Moon Coffee Co. acquiring roaster Evansville Coffee Company.  The companies declined to disclose the financial terms of…


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…

Plants and Coffee Are Combining All Over the US Retail Landscape

Weekly Coffee News: Next-Level Loyalty, a Competition Apology 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. Peet’s Releases Blend with…


Sucafina Acquires US Green Coffee Trader Sustainable Harvest

The North American subsidiary of multinational green coffee trading company Sucafina Group has acquired progressive specialty coffee trading company Sustainable Harvest, based in Portland, Oregon.  Sustainable Harvest, which was founded…


City League Coffee Takes Its Shot in Brooklyn

City League Coffee Roasters is mixing right into its first retail cafe in Brooklyn, New York, taking over the Bay Ridge space that previously bore the name Blend Coffee +…


Lemma Coffee Occupies New Forms in North Texas

Texas-based Lemma Coffee Co. is continuing to redefine coffee in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, expanding its wholesale program while opening a third cafe under its own name. Lemma Coffee Founder…

Plants and Coffee Are Combining All Over the US Retail Landscape

Multiple Michigan Coffee Shops Temporarily Close Following Hate Letters

Multiple Michigan specialty coffee shops have temporarily closed their doors after receiving hate-filled and threatening letters.  The coffee shops are among a growing number of retail business throughout the state…


Coffee Packer NuZee Strikes Manufacturing Deal with Roaster Apffels

Texas-based coffee co-packing and single-serve manufacturer Nuzee has entered into a manufacturing agreement with longtime southern California-based coffee roasting company Apffels Fine Coffees. NuZee declined to disclose the financial terms…


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,…


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…

Plants and Coffee Are Combining All Over the US Retail Landscape

Plants and Coffee Are Combining All Over the US Retail Landscape

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....

Plants and Coffee Are Combining All Over the US Retail Landscape

Dandy Lion Coffee 1

Coffee shops doing double duty as plant and flower businesses are blooming across the United States, unfurling new flows of revenue for business owners while enhancing guest experiences.  There are…

Plants and Coffee Are Combining All Over the US Retail Landscape

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.

Plants and Coffee Are Combining All Over the US Retail Landscape

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