Cafe, New Products

Cafe Switches to Instant Coffee; Everyone Pleased

A hand holds a white cup of espresso on a white saucer at a wooden counter.

  NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK— A local cafe has switched its menu exclusively to instant coffee, to the reluctant but undeniable delight of baristas, customers, and management.   “I was really upset when I found out we were planning to switch to instant coffee, for obvious reasons,” lead barista Sloane Micheli told reporters. “I’m a barista because I like…

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Cafe

Forgotten Plant in Corner Somehow Still Alive

A ficus with yellowed leaves.

  By Sam Stoothoff   SPOKANE, WA— In a popular Spokane cafe, one resilient ficus is still alive despite being unwatered for over a year. Reports suggest that since plant-loving barista Jacqueline Fraiser left the cafe in late 2017, the ficus has been forgotten entirely.   We hit the scene to get eyes on the inspiring tree and the crew…

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Cafe, Coffee Events, Customer Service

Anti-Bias Training Teaches Baristas to Respect All Roast Levels

Students sit in a classroom, shown from the chest down, holding notebooks and pens.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK— A local cafe chain is implementing a new anti-bias training program to teach baristas to respect coffees of all roast levels. While many are skeptical of the efficacy of anti-bias trainings, owner Helen Jones believes that it’s a necessary first step in eliminating bias not only in baristas, but in the wider community. “In third-wave coffee shops.…

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Inspiring People

Radical Nonprofit Brings Surfboards to Coffee Farmers

A surfer on the beach holding his board in front of an orange sunset.

  Two Sydney-based brothers recently launched the new nonprofit Earth Boards, geared toward helping coffee farmers succeed by providing them with surfboards. I sat down with co-founder Joe Goodwin to talk about how Earth Boards is changing the world.   RJ: Can you tell me how you and your brother got the inspiration for Earth Boards?   JG: My brother…

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Cafe, Customer Service

Man from Melbourne Who Has Lived in UK for Two Weeks Insists There is No Good Coffee in London

A man with brown hair sits at a wooden corner table drinking from a white cup.

  By Jack Crisfield   LONDON, UK— The owner of an award-winning South London coffee shop was left shocked today as a fresh-off-the-boat Australian told her that good coffee simply cannot be found in London.   Shane Brown of Melbourne Australia, who has lived in the UK for two weeks, insisted that “there’s just nothing good here” during a conversation…

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Inspiring People, Roasting

Desperate for Solubility, Local Roaster Tries Roasting Darker

Coffee beans pour out of a white cup onto a checked cloth on a wooden floor.

  OAKLAND, CA— Desperately trying to increase solubility, one local roaster is trying a novel approach: roasting the coffee slightly darker for a slightly longer period of time.   “We’ve been banging our heads against the wall for so long on this one,” said Greg Lewin, head roaster and director of quality control for the popular local cafe and wholesaler.…

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Cafe, New Products

Cabbage Latte Desperately Tries to Become a Trend

A latte in a white cup sits on a round wooden table.

  SEATTLE, WA— This week in Seattle, a new drink is desperately trying to get noticed: the cabbage latte. Made by stirring a small amount of dried, ground cabbage into an espresso shot before adding milk, the cabbage latte really wants to happen, but it seems like no one gives a shit enough to even dignify this as clickbait.  …

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Inspiring People

Iconoclastic Barista Pursues Omni-Brew Theory

A barista in a newsy hat stands in front of an espresso bar.

  Notorious iconoclast, coffee consultant, and two-time southeast regional barista champion Michael Kingston is rejecting known coffee doctrine once again as he pursues what he’s termed the omni-brew theory, which states that you can brew great coffee without adjusting any of your brewing variables, ever. I was lucky enough to sit down with Kingston and have a conversation about why…

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Cafe, Customer Service, Staff Drama

Barista Disgruntled After Customer Friend-Requests Her on Facebook

A person holds their phone in both hands, looking at it. The phone is silver and the person is wearing several silver rings on their fingers.

PITTSBURGH, PA— Local barista Aisha Khan was disgruntled today when a regular customer at her coffee shop requested her friendship on Facebook. Our reporters hit the scene to investigate. “I mean, we interact a few times a week, but it’s not like we’re actual friends,” she told us. “I don’t want to share my political views and, like, pictures of…

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