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What does it take for a coffee shop or café startup to survive in a crowded marketplace? John Cheng, a part-time account manager at Orinoco Coffee & Tea, has a pretty good idea. Over the years he’s helped launch three different cafes in the Baltimore area. His latest endeavor – Aveley Farms Coffee Roasters – leans into the roasting side of the business, while still providing customers with a unique atmosphere in which to enjoy their brew. “We make good coffee and we know how to do it right,” John says. “And we casually educate the community that we serve.” Lessons to be learned

  Behind every cup of coffee is a story. Behind many stories, a struggle. Women make up almost half of the agricultural workforce worldwide, and nearly 43% in developing countries, according to this 2016 report from The State of Food and Agriculture. Coffee production, in particular, relies heavily on a female workforce. At the farm level, women laborers are largely responsible for collecting the coffee cherries, sorting the green coffee beans, overseeing the drying process, and so much more. Here, women’s struggles run the gamut, from severe income imbalances, a lack of representation, land control limitations, and – sadly – hazardous working conditions stemming from

Coffee is harvested at different times in different parts of the world. Producing regions that straddle the equator, such as Ecuador, can produce throughout much of the year. Arabica coffee grows in a narrow region of the tropics known as the Coffee Belt, which stretches from Central America to sub-Saharan Africa to Asia. There are a number of seasonality maps online, illustrating the various phases of coffee production, from harvesting to delivery. According to Orinoco expert Steve Izzo, those maps are approximations, at best. And that’s because occasionally, your favorite roast may not be available stateside when you have a hankering for a number

Portable coffee brewers are becoming a take-along staple for campers, beachgoers, backpackers, and more. You may be concerned that whipping up a nice espresso on the open trail could make you the subject of ridicule. Will your fellow travelers roll their eyes and make sarcastic comments about you “roughing it” or call you names like “Smokey the Barista?” It’s possible. But you know what? Let them laugh. We coffee lovers know how important a great-tasting, quality cup of java is to happiness – not to mention survival – and there’s absolutely no shame in attempting to take that satisfaction along with you during

Much like an automated coffee maker, we’ve been programmed to use hot water each and every morning to brew a decent cup of coffee. But one alternative brewing method is staying strong; a method in which time – not temperature – is used to forge a flavorful brew. Cold brew coffee is all the rage in coffee shops and cafes – and even dots the refrigerated shelves of your local grocery store. More and more coffee-lovers have begun making cold brews at home, too. And with good reason – the process produces a balanced and extremely flavorful concentrate that is both healthy and