Coffee is traded or sold in very different ways. In fact there are basically two coffee markets: commodity coffee or non-commodity coffee (specialty coffee). Specialty coffee consumers value a variety of factors like origin, growing and processing techniques, roast level, etc. But with commodity coffee only one thing matters: price. Commodity coffee is like any other commodity, the only differentiating factor is price. And the price for commodity coffee is set on...

Tis the holiday season. If you have some last minute holiday shopping this gift guide for the fellow coffee lover on your list might help.

Mr. Green Beans is a one-stop shop for coffee lovers in Portland, Oregon. This shop sells a great selection of green coffee beans and supplies for home coffee roasting and coffee brewing. Their staff is knowledgable and extremely helpful. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Mr. Green Beans has become my favorite place to buy coffee and coffee-related supplies.During this episode Trevin Miller, the owner of Mr. Green Beans, shares his expertise and experiences in the indu...

Fine Line Roasting is a small startup coffee roaster from Boise Idaho. Their founder and roaster Josh Webb started listening to the Roast and Reason podcast when he was researching coffee roasting. So I’m honored and extremely excited to share this conversation with Josh.During this conversation Josh candidly shares his experiences starting a small coffee roasting company. He talks about his successes like his thrill when people actually liked his coffee as well as the strug...

Odds are you have tried or heard of Jamaican coffee, specifically Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee. But how much do you know about the history of coffee growing on the island? What makes Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee so popular and sought after? By the end of this episode you will know all of that and more.Jamaica’s coffee growing history dates back to the early 1700s. The island was a leading coffee producer in the early 1800s, but then the coffee industry suffered and cof...

Home roasting coffee was the thing that really sparked my interest in specialty coffee and eventually led to this podcast. I have been home roasting for about a year and a half and very much enjoy it. Home roasting is a great hobby that is part science, part creative, and totally delicious.Previous episodes in the home coffee roasting series have discussed DIY methods for roasting coffee including roasting in the oven or on the stovetop and also dedicated home roasting coffee mach...

Home roasting coffee was the thing that really sparked my interest in specialty coffee and eventually led to this podcast. I have been home roasting for about a year and a half and very much enjoy it. Home roasting is a great hobby that is part science, part creative, and totally delicious.The last episode discussed the DIY methods for roasting coffee using the oven, on the stovetop, and using an electric popcorn popper. This episode will focus on dedicated home roasting cof...

Home roasting coffee was the thing that really sparked my interest in specialty coffee and eventually led to this podcast. I have been home roasting for about a year and a half and very much enjoy it. Home roasting is a great hobby that is part science, part creative, and totally delicious. This episode will focus on the different manual and do-it-yourself home coffee roasting methods. Roasting coffee doesn’t need to be expensive or require a dedicated home roasting device. Learn how to ...

Home roasting coffee was the thing that really sparked my interest in specialty coffee and eventually led to this podcast. I have been home roasting for about a year and a half and very much enjoy it. Home roasting is a great hobby that is part science, part creative, and totally delicious. This episode will focus on why I like home coffee roasting. My goal is to provide you will some pros and cons to allow you to decide if this something that you might enjoy. Future upcoming episode wil...

If you listen to this podcast I am willing to bet that you enjoy drinking good coffee. But there’s a problem. There are literally hundreds of coffees, coffee shops, and coffee roasters out there. So where do you even start? To help you I will occasionally recommend coffees to try. In this episode we will discuss two recommendations for delicious, can’t miss coffees. For the complete list of 5 Can’t Miss Coffees and to be the first to hear future coffee recommendations and special news f...

Kenya is one of the most important coffee producing countries in the world. There are many unique features of Kenyan coffee including a unique grading system, several unique coffee varieties, and a characteristic flavor. In this episode we will discuss the history of coffee growing in Kenya, the unique grading system and what it actually means to you as a coffee consumer, several special varieties of coffee that are grown in Kenya, and the unique flavor characteristics that can be found in ...

Water makes up 98% of your coffee. But most of us hardly ever talk about it. Instead we focus on the coffee bean, how it is grown, roasted, and brewed. But water can make a huge difference. Have you ever had this experience…you taste an amazing coffee in a coffee shop, buy the coffee to make at home and when you do it just doesn’t taste the same? Or maybe you can’t taste any of the floral or fruity flavors listed on the bag? Well, it could be the water! Third Wave Water has a solution....

Lets take a tour of the best specialty coffee in Vermont! I recently traveled back to Vermont to visit family. While I was there I spent some time exploring the coffee scene and I was blown away. A lot has changed since I moved away some 15 years ago. In this episode I will share the 3 coffee roasters and 2 coffee shops that I think are amazing and well worth your visit if you are ever in the area. Also check out the websites and online shops of the coffee roasters. It’s always fun to t...

Coffunity is changing the way that the coffee community connects and communicates. This is a free mobile app that lets you discover new coffee, rate and review coffee, and learn specifics about a coffee (processing method, information about the origin and producer, flavor notes). Coffunity also has a social aspect. You can follow your friends or favorite local barista to see what they are drinking and recommend. Coffee ratings are public so you can easily see the community’s reaction to d...

Black Oak Coffee Roasters is one of my favorite specialty coffee roasters out there. These guys do an amazing job of sourcing and roasting delicious coffees. Black Oak Coffee and their head coffee roaster, Steve Cuevas have won numerous awards including several Gold Medals for different coffees, the overall Champion Roaster at the 2017 Golden Bean North America roasting competition, and the 2017 US Cup Tasters Championship. Steve and Black Oak Coffee’s production manager Mckenzie Alexander...

There are many varieties of the Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) plant. Just like different apples or different wine varieties, coffee varieties look different and produce coffee that tastes different. In the early 18th century Arabica coffee plants were taken from their native Ethiopia and planted throughout the world. When this happened the genetic and phenotypic diversity narrowed dramatically. The first Arabica coffee variety planted outside of Ethiopia, Typica, remains the most common...

Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) originated in the highlands of Ethiopia. It didn’t take long for humans to discover the stimulating effects of the fruit and beans of the coffee tree. Coffee quickly spread and became a global beverage as early as the 16th century after the Ottoman Empire conquered the Arabian Peninsula. Its rising popularity made coffee extremely valuable. The European powers, particularly the Dutch and French, set up coffee plantations on their colonies throughout the wor...

Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) is the most common type of coffee in the world. While it is the most delicious, diverse, and prized type of coffee, Arabica is also difficult to grow and sensitive to growing conditions. However, Arabica coffee is just one of 100 different species of coffee plant. Several other species of coffee, including Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora) are also grown for commercial use. This episode will cover the differences between Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee. ...

In this episode we journey to the birthplace of coffee: Ethiopia. Ethiopia produces some of the most amazing, high quality, and truly unique coffee in the world. This two-part focus on Ethiopian coffee will explore basic information about Ethiopia, the history of coffee, traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, important growing regions, and my recommendations for some OMFG level amazing coffee. This episode (Part 2) will focus on the varieties of the Arabica coffee plant grown in Ethiopia,...

In this episode we journey to the birthplace of coffee: Ethiopia. Ethiopia produces some of the most amazing, high quality, and truly unique coffee in the world. This two-part focus on Ethiopian coffee will explore basic information about Ethiopia, the history of coffee, traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, important growing regions, and my recommendations for some OMFG level amazing coffee. This episode (Part 1) will include basic and historical information about Ethiopia, the story of...