The Holiday Movies That Made Us

The Holiday Movies That Made Us

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…


Serving Coffee in the Epicenter

The Turkish specialty-coffee community is coming together to support earthquake relief. BY MICHAEL BUTTERWORTHSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE When Niji Coffee went live on Instagram, it felt as though the entire Turkish specialty-coffee community was watching with bated breath. Niji Coffee made a name for itself in the Turkish specialty-coffee scene when, as a relatively […]


Girlsplaining Workshop Unites Women in Coffee in Quito, Ecuador

Meet Camila Khalifé, the brains behind Girlsplaining, a unique coffee learning experience with an emphasis on creating space for women in the industry. BY JORDAN BUCHANANSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE Photos courtesy of Camila Khalifé Men may hold most of the positions of authority and teaching roles within the specialty-coffee industry, but Camila Khalifé, the owner […]


In Tbilisi, Parsek1 Merges Comic Books with Specialty Coffee

We take a look at how this innovative café has changed the face of comics and coffee in the capital of Georgia. BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Parsek1 When it comes to coffee and comic books, Japan is a longtime leader in the field. Manga cafés have been around for decades, combining […]

The Holiday Movies That Made Us

Interest in coffee & health is rising – what do consumers need to know?

There is a wealth of scientific research available about the many health benefits of coffee – as well as the undesirable side effects of drinking too much. But like all fields of science, research about the impact of drinking coffee on human health is ever-changing as we uncover new findings.  Interestingly, the continuous discovery of […]


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 […]


Ethos Agriculture’s Journey from Vision to Impact in Coffee Sustainability: Part Two

In the second half of this article, we discover how the Coffee Barometer attempts to bridge the gap between discourse and action, envisioning a sustainable…


Understanding the Process: Carbonic Maceration

Continuing our series on coffee processing, we learn about carbonic maceration—a unique, newer processing method. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Cafe Imports Editor’s note: Check out more entries in our “Understanding the Process“ series here. The rise of the specialty-coffee scene has helped many people understand that talking about coffee as something […]

The Holiday Movies That Made Us

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 […]


From Malawi to Edinburgh: The MF Coffee Project

We take a trip from North Carolina to Northern Malawi to Edinburgh, exploring the roots, roasts, and impact of the MF Coffee Project. BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of the MF Coffee Project In the quaint village of Manchewe, Northern Malawi, a story unfolded when Cameron Mcallister made the life-altering decision to relocate […]


Sumatra Coffee Farmers See Gains Through Agroforestry and Organic Fertilizer

Farmers in Indonesia’s Lampung province are making their own organic fertilizer in order to lessen reliance on volatile external supply chains. They’ve also diversified the number of crops they grow,…


Torr Launches the Hive Cafe Countertop Coffee Concentrate System

Commercial cold coffee equipment company Torr Industries recently rolled out a countertop-friendly version of its signature Hive Brew cold coffee system, called the Hive Cafe. The northern California coffee company…

The Holiday Movies That Made Us

The Holiday Movies That Made Us

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 Holiday Movies That Made Us

When the holiday season gets into full swing, we all look towards our favorite movies to rewatch for the millionth time. Now you can go behind the scenes and get some new insight into two classics: “Elf” and “A Nightmare Before Christmas,” thanks to Netflix and their highly successful documentary series “The Holiday Movies That Made Us.“

If you’re unfamiliar with the series, each episode tackles a beloved movie and pulls the curtain back on how it got made and the obstacles or triumphs it might have faced along the way. Rather than talk with the main cast and directors of these films, which can be found in countless interviews and DVD special features, this show interviews people truly behind the scenes—the producers, the set builders, the auxiliary cast members—in short, the people that made the movies that made us. It’s a refreshing take on the “behind-the-scenes” documentary style and is put together in a fun and entertaining way.

The idea for the series is helmed by the incomparable Brian Volk-Weiss, who is also the head of Comedy Dynamics, and borrows its format from its sister series, “The Toys That Made Us.” You can find all seasons of both shows on Netflix.

This two-episode special for “The Holiday Movies That Made Us” is a wonderful look into the creation of these two classics. First, with “Elf,” we find out that the movie almost didn’t get made, almost didn’t land its iconic star, Will Ferrell, and almost got sued. Plus, Jon Favreau almost got fired! Come to find out, some of the most beloved scenes in the movie were achieved by just letting a costumed Will Ferrell loose on unsuspecting New Yorkers!

The second episode dives into “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” Tim Burton’s claymation hit that spans holiday seasons. Personally speaking, I’m a huge fan of this movie and have watched all the behind-the-scenes stuff I could find, and this episode of “The Holiday Movies That Made Us” had a bunch of stuff I’d never seen before!

Don’t stop at these two episodes either, as there are many more to watch in both “The Movies” and “The Toys That Made Us” series. Speaking of holiday movies, the docu-series went in depth into both “Home Alone” and “Die Hard.” In fact, my holiday tradition of watching both movies has now been altered—I watch “Home Alone” and then immediately watch “The Movies That Made Us“ episode after. It makes the experience a true holiday treat.

If you are looking for even MORE behind the scenes from these incredible docu-series, you can listen to our interview with series creator Brian Volk-Weiss. The first time we talked about the inception of “The Toys That Made Us” before its release, the second time he appeared on our show to talk about the success of that first season and what was in store for future Toys episodes, and the third time he came on the podcast to talk about how excited he was for the spinoff of “The Movies That Made Us.“

That’s a very meta behind-the-scenes look at the best behind-the-scenes docu-series on Netflix today! Also, there are more seasons of both on the way so we can’t wait to see what’s next!

The Holiday Movies That Made Us

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 Holiday Movies That Made Us

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