89 posts
This morning I put together a post for my coffee site on reasons I love cold brew coffee. Just before I published it, I was reminded that I had already written pretty much that same post a few years...
Read more →Here on this blog I talk a lot about health and on my other (more popular) blog INeedCoffee, I publish content related to coffee. One might think that I would be a big cheerleader on the health...
Read more →I was interviewed last month as a coffee expert for an article listing the best coffee roasters in the San Francisco Bay Area. That article just went live. The Definitive Top 11 Bay Area Coffee...
Read more →Last week I posted on my current issues with coffee in the post Hello Darkness My Old Friend. > ...my relationship with coffee right now is troubled. > > Coffee is now making me feel both good and...
Read more →I should be in Seattle this weekend attending the SCAA, which is the biggest coffee event of the year. It is like Comic-Con for coffee. Last year I attended three days and had a ridiculous amount of...
Read more →I know I said I can't stand doing coffee shop reviews, but I dislike leaving a project unfinished even more. On July 1st, I began a quest to explore as much of the San Francisco Bay Area coffee scene...
Read more →This weekend Seattle is hosting the SCAA (Speciality Coffee Association of America). This is the big coffee event for the industry. People from all over the world will be visiting Seattle. In...
Read more →I've been watching The Simpsons since they debuted, but recently I learned that there were some episodes from season 9 that I somehow missed. So I acquired the DVD from that season and began...
Read more →This post was written after my 2009 trip to Southeast Asia. Outside of Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leafs, and McCafes, most of the places that served espresso during my month-long trip through...
Read more →Well I can cross Luwak coffee off my food and beverage bucket list. A friend of mine returned from Bali with a sample of Bali Luwak coffee. When it comes to interesting foods, I have little fear....
Read more →This post was written after a 2010 trip to Portland. Once Mark Prince over at CoffeeGeek published his guide to the best micro-roasters and cafes in Portland, all I had to do was book a hotel and...
Read more →In 2012, I did something unique to Best of lists. I listed my biases, preferences and quantified my results. Check out the post 192 Espressos if you want to see how to do a Best of list properly. For...
Read more →I never planned to write a post defending Bulletproof Coffee, but it seems a few people misread my original post Better Than Bulletproof Coffee. In that post, I said: 1. I am a coffee snob that...
Read more →Last Saturday, I took my first trip to Victoria, BC. Because I live in Seattle, I can ride the Victoria Clipper and be there in just 3 hours. Three hours up and three hours back, with plenty of time...
Read more →Two years ago I began tracking headache data. Fresh off of other health victories such as getting lean, curing my rosacea and ending back pain, I was confident that with enough data...
Read more →Last year I consumed 192 espressos in Seattle area coffee shops. I detailed who was pulling the best shots in the post 192 Espressos - The Best of Seattle Coffee 2012. In that post, I described my...
Read more →I really dislike the Top Coffee Shop lists. They are cheap content usually written by people with minimal coffee knowledge. Hello Seattle Weekly! Rarely do I see a list where the author declares the...
Read more →Beginning in late September I scaled down my caffeine intake. Then in October, I went the entire month without coffee and 21 days without any caffeine. This month I have been on a very low caffeine...
Read more →In the last installment of Hunting Headaches, I reported that I finally appeared to be making some progress on solving my night headaches. By wearing a mouth guard, I was able to reduce my headache...
Read more →I completed my most challenging health experiment to date. I went the entire month of October 2012 without coffee. No decaf either or any food that used coffee for flavoring, such as ice cream. For...
Read more →I'm still on my caffeine-free plus coffee-free experiment. This is Day 21 without coffee and Day 15 without caffeine. My goal was to go 15 days without caffeine. I'll hit that milestone in a few...
Read more →I've received several requests to comment on Bulletproof Coffee. The reason I am being asked is not only have I been an active blogger on nutrition for a few years, but I'm also a coffee enthusiast....
Read more →This Espresso Vacation took place in May 2009 with an update which took place on a second visit in May 2012. Memorial Day Weekend was approaching so I decided it would be an ideal time to take off on...
Read more →Today I read an unfortunate sentence. From the Perfect Health Diet post Around the Web; PaleoFX Edition: > Warning: Dr Clark says that coffee is bad for people with gluten sensitivity, due to...
Read more →This article was written after a 2009 trip to New Orleans. This year I left the espresso comfort of Seattle and ventured to The Big Easy for my first trip to New Orleans. Bringing my Rancilio Silvia...
Read more →This year I drank a lot of espresso. The Coffee Club of Seattle visited 113 different coffee places in 2011. Some of the places we visited multiple times. And that doesn't count the places I went...
Read more →Ever since I started collecting data to track my headaches, I have not seen a connection between coffee intake and headaches. Seven months of data and no relationship. Until now. I think I see a...
Read more →In the post What I Learned During My Coffee Detox, I covered the results that I experienced by gradually lowering and eventually taking a full 2 weeks off from coffee. As informative as that test...
Read more →The last time I did a serious coffee detox was in 1997. I was long overdue. I got down to a single espresso by August 22nd. In the end, I went 14 days without coffee. During this time, I did still...
Read more →Well, I have done the unthinkable. Today is Day 7 with no coffee. Yes I am drinking decaf and yes I understand that it does have trace amounts of caffeine in it. I'm shocked at the number of people...
Read more →I haven't posted much this week, because I'm feeling really sluggish. I've dropped my daily coffee intake to a single espresso (double ristretto). That might not seem extreme to some, but I live in...
Read more →I have about 15 half-written blog posts in the queue right now. I'm not happy with any of them. The sun is rising at 5:10 AM in Seattle and not setting until after 9 PM. I have blackout drapes, but...
Read more →I redeemed my 4th and last Seattle Disloyalty Card today. What is the Seattle Disloyalty Card? From my May 23, 2010 post: > Seattle now has something called a Disloyalty Card, which is idea to...
Read more →Not only does Seattle have some of the best roasters, cafes, and baristas in the world, but we also have some of the best equipment. Seattle is the home to three unique coffee brewing systems that...
Read more →When I first moved to the Seattle area in 2007, I started out in Bellevue. Every weekend I would drive into Seattle and explore the coffee scene. It was like two different coffee worlds. Somehow...
Read more →Today I completed my second Disloyalty Card. In Round #1, my 3 favorites were Urban Coffee Lounge, Makeda and Tougo. Here are my 3 favorites from Round #2. 1. Trabant Coffee - I think the Epic...
Read more →I recently got an email from someone planning on visiting Seattle this summer. > We are planning our first trip to Seattle this weekend and obviously a trip to a couple coffee shops is in order....
Read more →Recently I had a chance to head back to school. Coffee school. Every month Caffe Vita puts together a free class at their Pike Street location where the student is taught how to brew coffee using a...
Read more →The area of Seattle with the coolest roadside attractions has to be Fremont. However, it doesn't have the best coffee. Yes, the Coffee Club of Seattle misses Stickman. Espresso Hike #4 was about 3...
Read more →There are more coffee shops in Seattle that I could possibly ever try. Nor would I ever want to try them all. Some will be great and some will be lousy. When I first encounter a new coffee shop I...
Read more →Starbucks threw in the towel and announced that they will start offering free WiFi starting July 1st. From Starbucks: Free Wi-fi at 6,700 U.S. sites by Ashley M. Heher: > Starbucks Corp. will begin...
Read more →Last year the Coffee Club of Seattle did two Espresso Hikes that were huge hits. The members were ready for another one and the weather was nice, so this past Sunday we did Espresso Hike #3. We met...
Read more →Today I completed my first Disloyalty Card. The Disloyalty Card lists 10 independent coffee shops in the Seattle area. Before I announce my favorite three, I will say that I didn't have a single bad...
Read more →Last month I got invited to Starbucks headquarters to attend a two day Coffee College. You know I couldn't pass up this opportunity. I posted my full report in the article Starbucks Coffee College...
Read more →Seattle now has something called a Disloyalty Card, which is an idea to promote the independent coffee shop. The idea started in London and the way it works is you visit the ten coffee shops on the...
Read more →Just because I am on vacation doesn't mean that I don't still wake up early and seek out coffee. Apparently, I must be the only one that visits Phuket, Thailand and still desires and espresso at 7...
Read more →Last Sunday the Coffee Club of Seattle visited Dubsea Coffee in the White Center area of Seattle. Dubsea Coffee opened in November 2009 and uses Stumptown Coffee. It is a beautiful location and they...
Read more →Monday I got a chance to head up with Jason Simon of Caffeinated Consersations to Everett, Washington to visit Velton's Coffee Roasting Company. Besides enjoying good espresso and good conversation,...
Read more →I moved to Seattle in August 2007 and from the moment I hit the ground, I started my espresso quest. Since then I've been to many great coffee shops and met many great people. Although I loved my...
Read more →During one of my urban hikes through the streets of Bangkok, I discovered Ninety Four Coffee. It was a Western-style coffee house serving a full complement of espresso-based drinks and pastries....
Read more →Dubsea Coffee is one of the newest coffee houses in Seattle. It is the White Center area and serves coffee roasted by Stumptown. Today the Coffee Club of Seattle received some outstanding macchiato...
Read more →Victrola Coffee proves that latte art works just as well on hot chocolate.  Source: Victrola Coffee -...
Read more →Today I am heading off for a 4 week trip to Thailand. The good news is I'll get some sunshine and get away from the Seattle rain. The bad news is I'll be away from Seattle coffee for almost a month!...
Read more →In the past two years I've had many excellent espressos here in Seattle. However, not every espresso is great. Some have been lousy. Now on any given day, it is possible to get a bad espresso from an...
Read more →I consider myself to be the self appointed Coffee Ambassador for Seattle. Having lived in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, South Florida and Southern California, I realize how much better the coffee is in...
Read more →Last week I learned that Espresso Vivace has removed the robusta component of their Dolce espresso blend. This may not mean much to you, but to me this is like changing the Coke formula. You don't...
Read more →The Seattle Times ran a second story on coffee house pricing today that used quotes from this blog. The story is titled Coffeehouse customers steamed about higher prices (2025: article offline). The...
Read more →Espresso Hike #1 was so successful that the Coffee Club of Seattle did a second one last Friday. If you wish to learn more about the background of the Espresso Hike, be sure to read Espresso Hike #1....
Read more →After yesterday's link from the Seattle Times, I got an interesting comment from Luke about coffee and commodities. > The majority, if not all, of these roasters do not purchase coffee from the...
Read more →I lived in the Tampa Bay area from 1994-1998. It was during that time that I first became an espresso drinker. I give much credit to Jet City Espresso, which was in South Tampa. They are long gone,...
Read more →I am not a barista and because almost never consume anything but straight espresso, my latte art skills are weak. Today I got some half and half and did my first attempt in months. I wanted a...
Read more →Today's Wall Street Journal has a story listing the growing number of coffee shops that have decided to end the always on and always free access to WIFI broadband. The story is No More Perks: Coffee...
Read more →Ever heard of the saying "Taking one for the team"? The Urban Dictionary defines it as: > The act of someone willingly making a sacrifice for the benefit of others. On Monday, I took one for the...
Read more →Is anyone else tired of how the coffee blogosphere hyperventilates after every Starbucks press release? Coffee sites that claim to dislike Starbucks are all too eager to spread everything Howard...
Read more →When it comes to the TV show Futurama, I must confess to being late to the party. Even though the series ran from 1999-2003, I just started watching it this year. Thanks to Netflix, I was able to...
Read more →Seattle's Muse Coffee just started serving Affogato this week. What is an affogato? Affogato is Italian for Drowned. Two shots of hot espresso are poured (drowned) over a few ounces of vanilla or...
Read more →Last week, I went down to Pike Market to see the new 14 foot Coffee Drinking Man sign raised over the new Seattle Coffee Works location. I didn't hang around long enough to see it installed, so I...
Read more →It wasn't just any Sunday. It was Easter Sunday. The Coffee Club of Seattle was at a coffee house in the Ballard area of Seattle. I turned to my left and saw some members whispering, giggling, and...
Read more →As the organizer for the Coffee Club of Seattle, one of my roles is locating and trying new coffee places in the Seattle area. If the place serves excellent espresso, has enough space and isn't too...
Read more →Sometimes you just know with a coffee place. All my internal alarms were telling me that the Juan Valdez Cafe would not live up to my standards. Since people have asked me for my opinion on this...
Read more →During my Vancouver trip, I made a visit to the 49th Parallel Cafe. In addition to the normally served espresso drinks and a vat of brewed coffee, they also had slower brewed coffee options. The...
Read more →Most cafes have 2 espresso blends. One regular and one decaf. Espresso Vivace has 3. They have a blend for straight espresso and one for milk drinks, plus the decaf. Caffe D'Arte has 6 different...
Read more →Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend a Grand Cru Coffee Cupping at Stumptown Coffee here in Seattle. Stumptown already does daily coffee cuppings at 3 PM. On Mondays, they bring out the special...
Read more →When making the Seattle Whole Bean Espresso Prices list, I learned that Seattle Coffee Works was offering a full pound for $12.95 + a free drink. I had to take advantage of that offer, so last Friday...
Read more →When I lived in San Diego, I was interviewed about home coffee roasting from the local weekly newspaper. After the interview, the reporter asked if I was a member of the local home coffee roasting...
Read more →Monday I was heading south to Seward Park. Instead of using my GPS, I decided to just wing it and move my car south and east through the unfamiliar neighborhoods. My thinking was fuzzy. I really...
Read more →This article was written after a 2003 road trip through the American Southwest. In the Southwestern United States there exists an area informally referred to as Grand Circle. Grand Circle includes...
Read more →Even though it appears we have different tastes in coffee, yesterday I was inspired by Coffee Nomad to leave the house with my camera on a coffee adventure. There was a place in the Capitol Hill...
Read more →This post was moved from Coffee Hero. In the post Black Coffee and Espresso - Not Calorie Free, I discovered there are trace amounts of protein in brewed coffee, but not in espresso. According to...
Read more →One of the great coffee secrets of Seattle is a little shop in the Greenwood area called Makeda Coffee. This dog-friendly coffee shop uses beans from 7 Roasters. Even though Seattle has a lot of...
Read more →It has been several months since my last latte art attempt. Since I only drink espresso, I rarely get a chance to make lattes. Then I woke up the other day and saw a new post at Naug's Latte Art Blog...
Read more →Only in Seattle could a business this cool exist. There are so many quality roasters in Seattle it would be near impossible to run around town trying them all if one were on a short vacation....
Read more →A recent comment from "t" asked the question: > Which coffee of all the major national chains has the best coffee? Before I answer let me state that I am an espresso drinker. The only coffee I'll...
Read more →Seems our pals in Kenya have decided to start shooting up the place. One writer stated: > ...you see a Kenya that is about to remind us of 1994 Rwanda. The road blocks manned by men with rungus and...
Read more →Woke up Sunday at 5:50 AM. Forgetting it was 4:50 AM due to the end of Daylight Savings, I proceeded directly to my espresso machine. Last week I started a 3 week coffee cupping program at Victrola...
Read more →Meet the newest member of the family, Rocky. He came into this world Saturday evening at a weight of 23 pounds. And he has already started chewing. The little guy is able to grind coffee perfectly...
Read more →Last evening I was invited to the grand opening of the second Trabant location in Seattle's Pioneer Square. In a previous post I mention that Trabant is one of my favorites. The primary reason I left...
Read more →In early 2001, Ryan Jacobs wrote the article Homebrewing: Espresso Stout for INeedCoffee. At the time there were many home brewing recipes that used coffee as an ingredient. However, most placed no...
Read more →This article was written after a May 2005 trip to Cabo San Lucas. On the southern tip of Baja California is the region known as Los Cabos. This beautiful area which includes Cabo San Lucas and San...
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