Coffee Facts

Expert guides on coffee brewing, roasting, beans, and equipment. Master your coffee journey with in-depth articles.

Global Coffee Awards Unveil 2026 Expansion and World Champion

Global Coffee Awards Unveil 2026 Expansion and World Champion

There’s something brewing in the global coffee scene—a new era of competition, collaboration, and creativity. The Global Coffee Awards (GCA) crowned Lithuania’s Huracán Coffee as the 2026 World’s Best Roaster, celebrating its mastery in Filter and Flat White Alternative categories. But this isn’t just about a single winner. The GCA’s 2026 schedule is expanding into MENA, Asia, Africa, and Latin America, signaling a bold push to include roasters from every corner of the globe. The result? A more inclusive, dynamic coffee industry where innovation and tradition collide. The GCA’s World Championship, held ahead of the Producer & Roaster Forum (PRF)…
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Mastering the Roast: Gesha and Red Bourbon for Filter Coffee

Mastering the Roast: Gesha and Red Bourbon for Filter Coffee

This might just change your routine: You’ve got Gesha and Red Bourbon in your hands, and the question isn’t if you’ll roast them differently—it’s how. These beans are like two sides of a coin: Gesha’s ethereal clarity vs. Red Bourbon’s bold, syrupy richness. Both demand precision, but their paths to greatness diverge sharply. Start with Gesha. This is the bean that whispers, not shouts. Its origin in Panama or Colombia means it’s often delicate, with citrusy acidity and floral undertones. Roast it too dark, and you’ll mute its signature brightness. Aim for a light to medium roast—around 190–205°C for 15–20…
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Blueberry Notes in Coffee: Where to Find Them

Blueberry Notes in Coffee: Where to Find Them

If you’ve ever sipped a coffee that tasted like blueberries, you know how rare and magical that moment can be. The elusive fruitiness of blueberry in coffee isn’t just a flavor—it’s a sign of specific growing conditions, processing methods, and roast profiles. Ethiopia, in particular, has long been a go-to for floral and fruity notes, but finding that exact blueberry nuance requires more than just a guess. Ethiopian coffees, especially from regions like Yirgacheffe or Sidamo, often exhibit bright acidity and citrusy undertones. But blueberry? That’s a trickier target. It usually emerges when the beans are processed naturally or with…
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Mastering the Behmor 2000ab: Fixing Grassiness in Honduran Roasts

Mastering the Behmor 2000ab: Fixing Grassiness in Honduran Roasts

Get ready to sip on this: The Behmor 2000ab is a powerhouse for precision roasting, but even the best gear can’t save a bean that’s not being treated right. If you’re wrestling with grassy, hollow notes in your Honduran roast—no matter how carefully you tweak the profile—you’re not alone. The issue often stems from a delicate balance between roast development and flavor extraction. Let’s cut through the noise and zero in on what’s really happening. Your current approach—starting at 150°F and dropping to 11:00—might be too aggressive for this bean. The grassiness suggests underdevelopment, but pushing past City+ without proper…
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Uneven Roasts: What’s Causing the Split in Your Batch?

Uneven Roasts: What’s Causing the Split in Your Batch?

There’s something brewing in your roaster that’s leaving even the most seasoned roasters puzzled. You’ve got a batch of dry Ethiopian coffee from Sweet Maria’s, roasted on an SR 800 with an extension tube. Heat stays steady at three, airflow adjusted to keep beans moving but not frantic. First crack hits around seven minutes, development time just a minute. Yet here’s the rub: some beans look even, others are uneven, with hollow, less dense profiles. Is this a flaw in Ethiopian coffee, or a sign your process needs recalibrating? The answer lies in the dance between heat, airflow, and bean…
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Mastering Nutty Roasts: Unleashing Brazil’s Hidden Flavor

Mastering Nutty Roasts: Unleashing Brazil’s Hidden Flavor

Here’s what you need to know: Brazilian coffee is often praised for its creamy body and caramel notes, but achieving a pronounced nuttiness requires more than just a medium-dark roast. If your Santos or Conillon beans are leaning fruit-forward instead of nutty, the issue likely lies in roast profile, origin, or even bean selection. The key is understanding how to coax out Brazil’s natural nutty character without masking it under sweetness or acidity. Start by recognizing that Brazil’s terroir—its high-altitude regions, clay soils, and tropical climate—creates beans with inherent nutty undertones. However, these flavors can be overshadowed by fruitiness if…
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A New Roaster’s Honest Take on Their Third Batch

A New Roaster’s Honest Take on Their Third Batch

Coffee lovers, wine enthusiasts, tea devotees—here’s a raw, unfiltered look at a home roaster’s third batch. This isn’t a polished tutorial or a curated highlight reel. It’s a confession: the person behind this roast is still figuring things out. They’re a full-time student, a former higher education worker who got laid off, and now a budget-conscious hobbyist chasing the thrill of coffee. With a cheap roaster and a passion for beans, they’ve stumbled into the world of home roasting, learning by trial, error, and a dash of desperation. The problem? Their drying period is way too long. What should be…
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Dark Roast Mastery: Secrets from Loring Roasters

Dark Roast Mastery: Secrets from Loring Roasters

The quest for the perfect dark roast has hit a snag. A customer’s demand for a coffee so dark it resembles “freshly oiled flavoured coffee” has left a roaster grappling with a dilemma: how to achieve that visual intensity without sacrificing flavor. The beans in question—Honduras with a hint of humidity—are a paradox: they’re exceptional in their raw state but resistant to the extremes of darkness. The solution? A 19-minute profile that drops to 470, but the roaster refuses to push further. The question now is how to leverage air cooling to dial in that dark appearance without compromising the…
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The Roaster Dilemma: Choosing the Right Upgrade for Your Coffee Obsession

The Roaster Dilemma: Choosing the Right Upgrade for Your Coffee Obsession

This is worth savoring: You’ve spent years mastering the art of roasting with a budget-friendly Amazon skillet roaster, logging 100 sessions and chasing perfection. But now, the question lingers—when does tinkering turn into transformation? Your current setup excels at medium roasts but falters at City profiles, leaving you with uneven batches and a nagging sense that your craft could be sharper. You’re not just chasing better coffee; you’re chasing consistency, control, and the thrill of unlocking new flavor profiles. The Sweet Maria’s SR800 promises precision and capacity, but its power demands—hovering around 1200-1400 watts—challenge your 1500-watt inverter. While the SR540…
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Dark Roast Mastery: Aillio R2 Pro Tips for a Bold Blend

Dark Roast Mastery: Aillio R2 Pro Tips for a Bold Blend

The verdict is in: dark roasts are a dance of balance, and the Aillio R2 Pro is your partner in unlocking that harmony. If you’re new to roasting and experimenting with Brazilian Cerrado and Indian Cherry Robusta, the key is to simplify without sacrificing depth. These beans—Cerrado for its rich body and Robusta for its punchy acidity—demand a profile that tames their natural contrasts while letting their character shine. Start by charging the beans separately. A 700g Cerrado charge will anchor the roast with its forgiving profile, while 300g Robusta adds brightness without overwhelming the blend. Aim for a slow…
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