So last month — in my piece about tea blogs — I promised a column on coffee blogs for those who prefer the dark brew that Talleyrand famously said should be drunk as “black as the Devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love.”
Here’s a rundown of the most interesting and educational coffee blogs that I’ve come across so far. In the spirit of Talleyrand’s conception that coffee should be ‘pure as an angel,’ most of these blogs feature a focus on specialty coffee people, preparation and places. No instant coffee here.
Here, in no particular order, is my list of favorites:
THE COFFEE GEEK (www.thecoffeegeek.com)
This blog has been maintained since 1997, so it’s not only one of the oldest coffee blogs, it’s also one of the oldest blogs I’ve come across. This blog is full of product reviews, i.e. coffee makers or espresso machines by brand, as well as a guide and ‘how-to’ section, i.e. how to foam milk properly or how to make Vietnamese drip coffee. The blog also contains a section of forums for readers on any aspect of coffee brewing, roasting and preparation you can think of. The blog also contains a job section, as well as a buy, sell and trade area. The blog is very functional – that is, it has clearly defined sections that offer a lot of information about coffee, but it’s definitely not stylish.
COFFEE REVIEW (http://www.coffeereview.com)
This blog is another one that’s been running almost since blogging started to become popular. Coffee Review was first published in 1997 by Kenneth Davids and Ron Walters, both professionals who work in the coffee industry. Davids, the editor and chief writer, is an author who has published three books on choosing, roasting and brewing coffee. Walters has been involved in marketing and management in the food industry. Together, they established the blog to serve as a coffee equivalent of the wine-industry’s blind tastings, that is, to conduct blind-tastings of coffee, and rate them using a 100-point system, and publish the reviews, in order to educate consumers. Coffee Review has become one of the most widely read coffee blogs, with over one million visits in 2015.
SPRUDGE (www.sprudge.com)
Sprudge was originally set up by Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman, two coffee lovers and writers from Portland, Oregon, in 2009. The blog features stories about what the writers call, ‘global coffee culture’ as well as coffee journalism. The blog covers worldwide coffee events, such as new café openings as well as coffee festivals, expos and tours. Articles range from stories about machines that count beans or latte art to interviews with authors of coffee-related books or winners of international barista competitions to stories on caffeine and health-related topics. The blog features a job board, with US-based positions in cafes or coffee companies, as well as a related podcast, featuring interviews with coffee people. This blog is stylish and lovely, with lots of photos.
THE COFFEE COMPASS (www.thecoffeecompass.com)
The team at Coffee Compass state their mission as ‘helping you navigate the world of craft coffee’ and focuses on interviews and information about farmers, importers, educators, consultants, roasters and baristas – people at every step of the production of specialty, or craft, coffee. This blog also covers individual cafes, for example, one article is entitled, “Three Must-Visit Coffee Shops in Tokyo.” Again, this is a stylish blog with lots of gorgeous photos.
THE COFFEETOGRAPHER (http://thecoffeetographer.com)
This blog is described as ‘an independent, web-magazine devoted to covering, documenting and curating the revolutionary culture of specialty coffee … driven by photo essays, interviews and short form posts.’ The articles cover a broad range of coffee culture topics, from history, to film, to travel, to music and art.
DAILY COFFEE NEWS (http://dailycoffeenews.com)
The Daily Coffee News blog is run by Roast Magazine and is geared at people working in the coffee industry, although the articles offer a wealth of information to just-plain coffee aficionados as well. The blog offers a combination of industry news and coffee culture articles, with stories about coffee origins, roasting, retail and industry ‘movers and shakers.’
ESPRESSO MY ESSPRESSO (www.espressomyespresso.com)
This blog is another older one, which was set up in 2000, and has been running for over 16 years. The writer, Randy Glass, calls his blog, ‘an ongoing internet novelette’ about coffee. The blog has a more personal feel than the others, as it is supposed to be more of individual’s exploration of coffee culture. The writer started the blog with a quest to find the best espresso machine, and then progressed into learning how to prepare the perfect coffee, before venturing into home roasting, blending different varietals and becoming an all-around self-taught expert on coffee preparation. Glass’s blog contains a section of ‘How-To’ pages, which cover all topics of coffee preparation. He also offers a list of reviews of consumer products, from coffee makers to grinders to portable cups. Glass offers a section called “Coffee College” which contains links to articles and books on coffee, for further learning. He also provides online links to many other coffee sites, including recipes, food pages and online forums.
Email Liz at LizinBali@gmail.com
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