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The Barista Behind Amulet’s Bloom: Matt Cowie’s Coffee Chronicles

Jan

Coffee Factsacidity, alchemy, Amulet, Cowie, Father

The Barista Behind Amulet’s Bloom: Matt Cowie’s Coffee Chronicles

Listen up: Matt Cowie isn’t just a barista—he’s a curator of connections, a storyteller with a coffee cup, and the brains behind Glasgow’s most unapologetic coffee experiment: Amulet. This isn’t your average café. It’s a marriage of floral artistry, precision brewing, and unfiltered human interaction. Cowie, who co-owns Amulet with his wife Isobelle, isn’t here to sell you a latte. He’s here to make you feel seen. Cowie’s journey with coffee began in chaos. As a kid, he despised the instant sludge his mom brewed daily, but a cappuccino drenched in chocolate became his gateway drug. His path to barista…

Ken Takakura’s Coffee Journey: From Trend to Transformation

Jan

By ADMIN@CoffeeWineTea.com

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Coffee FactsAdventure, Aglianico, Ancient History of Wine, chicken, Father

Ken Takakura’s Coffee Journey: From Trend to Transformation

Time to spill: Ken Takakura’s coffee journey began not with a love for the brew, but with a fashion statement. What started as a hipster aesthetic—sunglasses, terrace sunrises, and a cup as a prop—evolved into a lifelong obsession. His pivot from viewing coffee as a trend to treating it as a craft was sparked during university in Australia, where specialty coffee’s depth and precision hooked him. The shift was as deliberate as his 16-year tennis career: disciplined, focused, and unyielding. Today, Ken balances roles as founder of Re-Co, freelance barista, and quality controller for a green bean import company, all…

Berlin’s Coffee Scene: Where Art Meets Roast

Jan

By ADMIN@CoffeeWineTea.com

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Coffee FactsAlbatross, benefits of coffee, Berlin, Father, Kolo

Berlin’s Coffee Scene: Where Art Meets Roast

Get ready to sip on this: Berlin’s coffee scene isn’t just about beans—it’s a cultural mosaic where history, innovation, and community collide. From tucked-away courtyards to bustling neighborhoods, the city’s specialty coffee world thrives on contrasts: the quiet ritual of a flat white beside the chaos of a packed brunch spot, the warmth of a local roastery against the cold of winter streets. This isn’t just a guide—it’s a snapshot of a scene where passion and precision are brewed into every cup. Albatross Bakery in Gräfestraße is a case study in blending tradition with modernity. The spot, which opened in…

A Coffee Pioneer Transforms Her Journey from Moscow to Cyprus

Jan

By ADMIN@CoffeeWineTea.com

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Coffee FactsBolgheri, Cyprus, Moscow, Olga, Ukraine

A Coffee Pioneer Transforms Her Journey from Moscow to Cyprus

When war uprooted her life in Moscow, Olga Melik Karakozova found a new chapter in Cyprus, building a coffee empire from the ground up. After fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, she settled in Limassol, where she now runs WAGMI Coffee—a space that blends community, craftsmanship, and a radical reimagining of what coffee can mean. Her story isn’t just about survival; it’s about reinvention, resilience, and the power of a single person to reshape an industry. Olga’s career has always been about more than trophies. For decades, she navigated the global coffee world as a roaster, consultant, and barista, but her…

A Global Resource for Shade-Grown Coffee Research

Jan

By ADMIN@CoffeeWineTea.com

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Coffee Factsacidity, Agroforestry, benefits of coffee, Father, Library

A Global Resource for Shade-Grown Coffee Research

Listen up: Coffee Watch and CATIE just dropped a game-changer for the industry. On January 19, 2026, the Coffee Agroforestry E-Library launched as the first open-access database compiling decades of scientific research on shade-grown coffee—a practice that’s not just sustainable, but essential for the future of coffee farming. This platform unites studies from across the globe, spanning multiple languages and disciplines, into a single, searchable hub. It’s a seismic shift for a sector grappling with climate threats, biodiversity loss, and economic instability. Agroforestry isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a lifeline. Shade-grown coffee systems integrate trees with crops, creating ecosystems that…

A Community Brewed in Minneapolis: The Heart of Raise the Bar’s Level Up Event

Jan

By ADMIN@CoffeeWineTea.com

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LifestyleCup, Father, Level

A Community Brewed in Minneapolis: The Heart of Raise the Bar’s Level Up Event

In the heart of Minneapolis, a coffee event did more than brew beans—it wove a tapestry of connection, skill, and purpose. Raise the Bar’s Level Up event, held over three days at Mill City Roasters’ headquarters, became a microcosm of what coffee communities can achieve when they prioritize people over profit. More than 80 baristas, educators, and volunteers gathered to learn, collaborate, and celebrate the craft, proving that the specialty coffee world thrives on shared ambition and mutual respect. The event’s magic lay in its balance of rigor and warmth. Workshops on sensory calibration, like the Cupping 101 class led…

The Creative Engine Behind Coffee Competitions

Jan

By ADMIN@CoffeeWineTea.com

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Coffee FactsAoarashi, Competitions, Corte, Dalla, Father

The Creative Engine Behind Coffee Competitions

Competitions are the proving grounds where coffee’s future is brewed. As these events have evolved from niche gatherings to global showcases, they’ve become laboratories for innovation, where baristas test ideas that eventually shape the industry. Yet, the balance between structure and creativity remains a delicate act—how do we preserve the spirit of experimentation while maintaining the rigor that elevates these competitions? At the heart of this tension is the role of standardized rules. As competitions grow in prestige, they’ve adopted stricter guidelines, from uniform equipment to precise time limits. This structure ensures fairness but risks stifling the spontaneity that fuels…

Naughty Coffee’s Miami Flagship Reimagines Coffee Culture

Jan

By ADMIN@CoffeeWineTea.com

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Coffee Factsbenefits of coffee, Blagojevic, Father, Miami, Naughty

Naughty Coffee’s Miami Flagship Reimagines Coffee Culture

Here’s what you need to know: Naughty Coffee, the brand that made vintage VW vans iconic for street-side espresso, has traded wheels for walls. Its first permanent flagship in Miami’s Downtown is less about nostalgia and more about reinvention. The 101 NE 2nd Ave. space isn’t just a coffee shop—it’s a statement. The shop’s minimalist design, with its glass roaster and steel islands, feels like a Brutalist dream, echoing the co-founders’ roots in Serbia and Ukraine. Milan Blagojevic, co-founder and roaster, calls it a “collision of cultures.” The space is a hub for hand-brewed single-origin coffees, with a Slayer Steam…

Your Morning Brew Could Be Leaking Microplastics

Jan

By ADMIN@CoffeeWineTea.com

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Coffee FactsCalifornia, Father, Meanwhile, That

Your Morning Brew Could Be Leaking Microplastics

Imagine sipping your coffee while the world wakes up. That cup in your hand, warm and familiar, might be doing more than delivering caffeine—it could be silently releasing plastic particles into your drink. A new study reveals that takeaway coffee cups, especially those made of plastic or with thin plastic linings, shed thousands of microplastics when heated. These tiny fragments, invisible to the naked eye, are already infiltrating our food, water, and even our bodies. The science is clear: heat is the silent culprit behind this crisis. When we pour hot liquids into plastic cups, the material warms up, softens,…

The Binocular Dripper Redefines Coffee Blending in Real Time

Jan

By ADMIN@CoffeeWineTea.com

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Coffee FactsBinocular, Dripper, Father, gatherings, World

The Binocular Dripper Redefines Coffee Blending in Real Time

Get ready to sip on this: A new brewing method is shaking up the coffee world. The Binocular Dripper, a dual-cone pourover designed by UAE barista Mariam Erin, isn’t just another tool—it’s a revolution in how we think about blending. Launched at the World of Coffee Dubai, this device lets you brew two coffees simultaneously, then merge them mid-process. The result? A cup that’s more than the sum of its parts, with aromatics, acids, and sugars captured at their peak. At its core, the Binocular Dripper is about timing. Each cone, angled at 30 degrees, holds 6–12 grams of coffee…