Espresso News and Reviews - TheShot.coffeeratings.com

The truth is out. What do die hard coffee drinkers in coffee-obsessed Australia really order?: Caffeine connoisseurs say lattes are the cream of the crop | Herald Sun. Yes, it’s the boorish latte. (And written by a boorish reporter: “Caffeine connoisseurs”?!? It’s been a while since we’ve seen the tiresome caffeine riff.)
Of course we’re being [...]

Tags: australia, australia_coffee, caffeine_riff, counter_culture_coffee, flat_white, latte, latte_art, melbourne_cafes, milk_frothing, wine_analogy

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The return of baseball also marks the return of a popular form of that “North vs. South” rivalry — with San Franciscans channeling their hate for L.A. through the sport, and L.A. being, well, mostly oblivious. Last weekend, we witnessed that rivalry expressed through espresso — with San Francisco’s Chris Baca edging out the formidable [...]

Tags: cafe_reviews, clover_brewer, la_cafes, la_coffee, nyc_coffee, third_wave, wine_analogy

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Today Which? Magazine (U.K.) published a comparative review of three major coffee chains in Britain: Starbucks, Caffé Nero, and Costa Coffee: Coffee shops | Overview. Their survey examined coffee prices, beverage quality, and how much their drinks are calorie bombs.
For their taste test, they sent in an “undercover expert” — Whittard coffee buyer and taster [...]

Tags: cafe_reviews, calorie_bombs, milk_frothing, Starbucks, uk_cafes, uk_coffee, wine_analogy

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It may be a new year, but often it is only the calendar that changes. Take this article in today’s New York Daily News — yet another installment in a long line of ever-popular wine analogy/”gee whiz, there’s this thing called cupping” pieces: Coffee: Hey, I’m no ordinary Joe. It comes with the obligatory Counter [...]

Tags: ben_rogers, coffee_cupping, counter_culture_coffee, fair_trade, nyc_coffee, tom_sawyer, wine_analogy

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In the “unclear on the concept” department, this weekend’s Toronto Star published an article that, in its opening paragraph, mentioned “coffee’s elevated status as the new wine.” However, it then proceeded to discuss coffee-pod-based home espresso machines in the same context: TheStar.com | living | Specialty coffees become the new wine.
This is as incongruous as [...]

Tags: coffee_freshness, coffee_pods, home_espresso, keurig, nespresso, panama_esmeralda, paper_cups, single_serving_coffee, wine_analogy

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The post title is the question of the day. If I may paraphrase an old quote from a previous post — where we asked, “How does the fool who knows nothing about wine impress his guests?” — the answer is: by buying the most expensive coffee they can find — along with a good story [...]

Tags: equator_estate, french_laundry, kopi_luwak, panama_esmeralda, restaurant_coffee, wine_analogy

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This month’s issue of the trade rag CoffeeTalk posed the question of standardized specialty coffee ratings and grades as an aid to consumers: Toward standardized specialty coffee ratings and grading [PDF, page 8, 7.6Mb]. The article opens with mention of $130 a pound Hacienda Esmeralda Geisha. It then questions how retailers and consumers can inject [...]

Tags: coffee_beans, coffee_grades, coffee_pricing, wine_analogy

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In the mixed feelings department, the Washington Business Journal recently reported on Counter Culture Coffee’s newest regional training center in D.C.: Counter Culture Coffee opens training center in Adams Morgan - Washington Business Journal:. As with Counter Culture’s other training centers, it is designed to educate industry wonks and general consumers alike on coffee flavors [...]

Tags: coffee_cupping, coffee_pairing, counter_culture_coffee, dc_coffee, fair_trade, organic_coffee, wine_analogy

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This famous Napa coffee roaster has locations in downtown Napa and in St. Helena, and it routinely receives “best coffeehouse” awards in Napa town. They not only roast their own coffee in 20-lb batches, but they also offer regular coffee cuppings. And although their location gives them every excuse to abuse misplaced wine tasting analogies [...]

Tags: bfc, coffee_cupping, diadema, espresso_review, napa, napa_cafes, napa_coffee, wine_analogy

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Props to the blog wcuk for one of the more thought-provoking posts I’ve read in a while: The Rise of Yuppie Foods « wcuk. It concerns the question of whether the diversification and specialization of common consumable staples — from coffee to wine to chocolate to the restaurants where we eat — is driven less [...]

Tags: 4_dollar_coffee_myth, cafe_customers, coffee_marketing, flavored_coffees, revelation_espresso, third_wave, wine_analogy

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