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Drop by your local café on a sunny, spring morning, and you may very well find the employees behind the counter roasting beans while chatting up the early risers. Boutique café roasting is growing by leaps and bounds nationwide, as popular demand for artisanal coffees and advances in roasting technology continue to intersect. But Orinoco Coffee & Tea master roaster Juan-Carlos Ramirez believes this fad may ultimately fade. Visiting a coffee house where beans are roasted on-site is a novelty for the public, he says, particularly for those who have never experienced the process firsthand. There’s a certain nuance to the café roasting scene;

A latte art throwdown is a fierce competition where baristas compete head-to-head, pouring designs with milk into cups of espresso in front of a panel of judges. Tensions are high, coffee is hot, and everyone is vying for a shot – quite literally – at the title. Most importantly, throwdowns provide members of the coffee community with an opportunity to gather, socialize, and celebrate their favorite beverage. There are a number of different elements that factor into winning a latte art throwdown, however. Our resident latte art expert weighs in with 6 critical elements:   The Espresso: Winning a latte art throwdown hinges

Caffeine is a naturally occurring substance found in coffee, tea, and cacao.  Millions of people worldwide depend on this stimulant for a morning energy boost. And while caffeine does not adversely affect the vast majority of people, for some it can cause digestive problems, anxiety, and tremors, and disrupt sleeping patterns. Decaffeination was invented to remove the caffeine from coffee and tea, allowing those who cannot tolerate it to still enjoy a nice, hot beverage. The biggest challenge to decaffeination is making sure that the end product, such as coffee, retains its flavor and taste qualities that make it desirable. Because coffee beans

Hazelnut. French Vanilla

There are so many ways to brew coffee, and no single method truly outclasses another. Sure, aficionados will gush over the pour-over method or their French press – and rightfully so – but when friends and families are gathered at your home for the holidays, inevitably the auto drip coffee brewer is the quickest, most direct means of getting a hot cup of joe to Uncle Jack or Grandpa Gary. Simplicity and speed may be the primary selling points of these units, but those traits shouldn’t be considered synonymous with a mediocre cup of coffee. In fact, by following a few tried-and-true steps,