The Barista Manifesto: Our Favorite Blogs
On this edition of the Barista Manifesto, we’re going to look briefly at other blogs and articles on coffee that have inspired us. As an up-and-coming startup in the coffee industry, it hasn’t always been an easy path to walk. These blogs have helped us not only to understand the coffee making process, but also, to understand where we stand as an organization within the coffee industry. These coffee blogs are an incredible resource not just for coffee lovers, but for entrepreneurs and innovators looking to branch out in the industry. From reviews to strategies, these blogs are worth reading! So, without further ado, here are five coffee blogs for you to read!
1 — Coffee Courses
This website and blog gives excellent insight into the coffee roasting process. As the name implies, Coffee Courses offers a variety of courses for coffee experts and beginners alike. Further, the site has an incredibly helpful blog to teach connoisseurs the ins-and-outs of coffee. As a starter article, we would recommend this post on coffee freshness (1). It comprehensively looks at science, taste, and business strategy surrounding freshness in coffee; this article is a great look into the kind of comprehensive overview of the coffee business that Coffee Courses offers. This is a great place to look if you’re in the business of roasting or selling coffee, or if you’re intrigued by the business practices behind coffee at all!
2) Frsh Grnd
“Good coffee is hard to find. I’m on a mission to make it easier. I started in Korea, moved to Sweden, and now I’m in New York, hunting for the best, and sharing the journey with you here,” (2). This tagline alone sold us on the cafe review site Frsh Grnd; looking comprehensively at cafes around the world is an interesting story on its own, but Aaron Frey takes it one step further: He invites the reader into his journey. The site includes an interactive map of Frsh Grrnd’s favorite cafes across the entire world; each cafe visited in the blog tells a story about the architecture, the themes, and the general taste of the coffee. Each cafe feels wholly unique in Frey’s vision — and such a fresh look at the review genre is greatly appreciated. If you’re looking for a new place to get coffee, this is a great place to get ideas!
3) Coffee Me
Coffee Me is the coffee review blog; whereas Frsh Grnd tells a story about each location, Coffee Me is truly tuned towards reviewing. Providing a full look at coffee prices, taste, and atmosphere, blogger Maria Mancuso is an excellent and precise writer. In addition to reviewing cafes, she also has a “Home Brew” series — reviewing coffee that she has ordered or brought home. For a complete recommendation of coffee, there’s no better blog to look at!
I Need Coffee is a perfect guide for fans of the brewing process. The website offers the history, materials, advantages, and difficulties of each type of brewing. From the chic Chemex pourover to the simply delicious coldbrew, I Need Coffee has a thorough and rich guide to preparation of each form. For an interesting review, one indicative of the skill put into this blog, check out the Coffee Sock article (3). The coffee sock is by far the weirdest brewing method we’ve seen here, but I Need Coffee describes precisely when and why you would use this odd brewing sock, and its strength versus other coffee brewing methods. All-in-all, this is a great blog to learn about how to homebrew the best pot of coffee you’ve ever had. Check it out!
5) Catholic Relief Services — Coffeelands
The CRS Coffeelands project is one especially close to our heart. Sharing a concern for the social issues of coffee (slavery, gendered exploitation, its effect on climate change, water quality) and writing effectively on these problems is appreciated. More than that, the project helps break down a) what these problems are and b) how they, specifically, are combatting them. Through a combination of research, projects, and outreach, the CRS has a unique perspective into the real problems of the coffee industry and the know-how to fix them.
These blogs have also inspired and continue to motivate Bean Voyage to this day. If you’re in need of a new coffee blog, please (for sure) check out these ones!
Bean Voyage is a non profit that provides training and market access to female coffee producers in Costa Rica so they can produce specialty coffee, earn better income and lead sustainable lives.
