Michael Hinkle Michael Hinkle

COFFEE CUPPING: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE

Coffee has made a tremendous journey to make its way into our cup, and while much of that journey is basically obvious to us (i.e. growing, harvesting, shipping, roasting, and brewing), some of the nuances of that process go unappreciated by the average coffee consumer, even some of the more discerning ones. In this post, I’ll touch on one of those behind-the-scenes processes, one that coffee professionals worldwide use to perfect their craft, bringing you that delicious morning brew: cupping.

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Michael Hinkle Michael Hinkle

BREW GUIDES

“Coffee is only good as the person behind the gooseneck kettle” – Catherine the Great (probably)

So you made the plunge and bought a good bag of specialty coffee, congratulations! Now what? If you’re sifting through the interwebs, working your way through a 10th “how to brew a Chemex” video on Youtube with a confused face, you’re not alone. There are so, so many brew guides out there from all sorts of coffee professionals, enthusiasts, and amateurs. Let us start by telling you one, unequivocal truth of coffee: there is no wrong way to brew your coffee. Of course, some brew recipes will produce a more favorable cup, but really the goal of every morning cup is your happiness – no matter what the coffee industry says.

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Michael Hinkle Michael Hinkle

PEABERRY, LOL…

Nothing natural is simple, let’s get that straight from the get-go. As with most things in the natural world, coffee is complicated. It is fragile, susceptible to disease, reactive to changes in temperature, altitude... (See More)

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