Aging Your Coffee

Aging Your Coffee

Recently, we came across an article where a coffee professional made some enthusiastic claims about the negative impact of age on coffee. Normally, this is something we would just pass over without thinking twice (of course we all know that coffee is an agricultural product that will degrade over time!). But, as we read this […]

October Coffee Ratings Reboot

October Coffee Ratings Reboot

  October has come and gone, and we have a number of stellar coffees to recommend for your brewing pleasure. For this month’s rating, we tasted some outstanding coffees, including ones that challenged the way we think about reviews and recommendations. At Roast Ratings, we have not been shy about reviewing big brand coffees or […]

What are these light brown flakes when I grind my coffee?

What are these light brown flakes when I grind my coffee?

It is no secret that we recommend grinding your coffee fresh to get the best flavor experience. The investment in a quality burr grinder comes with a little learning and a few surprises along the way. One of the surprises that we are asked about often is “What are these light brown flakes when I […]

A Walkable Guide to Downtown Kansas City’s Cheap Eats

A Walkable Guide to Downtown Kansas City’s Cheap Eats

This list of cheap eats is a resource of strictly walkable locations in Kansas City’s downtown with genuinely affordable menus. Each recommendation is located in the downtown neighborhoods within a 1 mile radius of the conference center where the USCC Qualifying Event is happening, and an additional short list featuring the neighborhoods where the main coffee community events are being hosted.

The best places to visit in Kona for coffee

The best places to visit in Kona for coffee

Recently I visited Hawaii for the 45th annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, an event where farmers come together to share their coffees and, of course, spend time talking shop and making friends. For me it was an opportunity to taste some of the best coffees that Hawaii has to offer, as well as to catch […]

Beyond 100% Arabica

Beyond 100% Arabica

Traditional knowledge when buying coffee has been to make sure you are buying “100% Arabica beans”. We are told that Arabica is the good stuff and Robusta is the bad stuff. As usual things are not quite that simple, but this is a good rule to follow if you could ever find a coffee labeled as containing robusta.