Education, Inspiring People, Roasting

Roaster Learns So Much Every Day (From Listening to Podcasts)

A man with headphones and a baseball cap.

  PORTLAND, ME— Local roaster Pete Lopez learns so much every day he roasts coffee—mainly from listening to podcasts.   “I’ve been so grateful to be able to learn to roast. Since then, I’ve never stopped learning; every day, I learn so much.” Most of this learning, he says, is from listening to podcasts while he mindlessly roasts according to…

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Cafe, Education, Inspiring People

Barista Thinks of Perfect Analogy for Microfoamed Milk

A barista holds a white cappuccino cup and pours perfectly textured milk into espresso.

  This piece is dedicated to Weihong Zhang, our excellent Patreon supporter whom we love and appreciate.   By Nathanael May   CHARLOTTE, NC— Eschewing the standard options of “melted ice cream” and “wet paint,” local barista and aspiring shift lead Braedyn Kellson discovered what she believed to be the perfect analogy for teaching new baristas the expected texture of properly steamed…

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Education

Study Shows 97% of Baristas Laugh at the Term “Cupping” the First Time they Hear it

A person in a black shirt pours the water for a cupping.

  DAVIS, CA— A new study released by UC Davis’s Coffee Campus this morning shows a shocking trend: an average of 97% of baristas laugh at the term “cupping” the first time they hear it.   According to the report, the term “cupping,” which coffee professionals use to refer to a simple and standardized immersion brew used for assessing quality,…

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