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The Truth About Organic Coffee: What the USDA Label Means, and Coffees to Try
Science 9 min read

The Truth About Organic Coffee: What the USDA Label Means, and Coffees to Try

What the USDA organic label requires of coffee, what it doesn't cover (shade, flavor, health), whether organic tastes better, and the organic coffees from our 2020 video, rechecked.

Spicy Coffee: How to Add Cinnamon, Cardamom and Other Spices, Plus Café de Olla
Recipes 8 min read

Spicy Coffee: How to Add Cinnamon, Cardamom and Other Spices, Plus Café de Olla

Mix spices into the grounds, stir them into the cup or simmer them with the coffee. Starting amounts for eight spices, a spiced French press, café de olla, and coffees that taste spicy on their own.

10 of the World's Most Expensive Coffees: Are They Worth It?
Origins 16 min read

10 of the World's Most Expensive Coffees: Are They Worth It?

The ten costly coffees from our 2019 video, from El Injerto to St Helena, with each price dated to its seller or auction, what drives it, and where the welfare and labeling problems lie.

Homemade Coffee Creamer: One Base and 3 Easy Recipes
Recipes 8 min read

Homemade Coffee Creamer: One Base and 3 Easy Recipes

Whisk a 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk with 1¾ cups of milk, then flavor it three ways. Here's how much sugar it has and how long USDA's figures say to keep it.

Is Nicaraguan Coffee Any Good? Regions, Varieties and What It Tastes Like
Origins 9 min read

Is Nicaraguan Coffee Any Good? Regions, Varieties and What It Tastes Like

Yes: Nicaragua is the 12th-largest producer on USDA's table, and its best lots now score above 90 at the Cup of Excellence. What its coffee can taste like, where it grows, and what to look for.

How to Make a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Home, With Real Pumpkin and Vanilla
Recipes 10 min read

How to Make a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Home, With Real Pumpkin and Vanilla

Our pumpkin vanilla latte: two shots of espresso and a cup of whole milk heated with pumpkin puree, vanilla syrup and pumpkin pie spice. Plus how Starbucks builds its own Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Coffee and Root Beer: Our Coconut Root Beer Refresher
Drinks 5 min read

Coffee and Root Beer: Our Coconut Root Beer Refresher

Our coffee and root beer drink from our 2020 video: 150 ml of cold brew, 50 ml of root beer and 50 ml of cream of coconut over crushed ice. Plus why the coffee should be cold, and a float version.

What Does Indonesian Coffee Taste Like? A Guide by Island and Process
Origins 8 min read

What Does Indonesian Coffee Taste Like? A Guide by Island and Process

Most Indonesian coffee is robusta, and its arabica tastes of the island and the process. What wet-hulling does, and what Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, Flores and Bali are known for.

What Is a Cortado? Espresso Cut With a Little Milk, Recipe by Recipe
Drinks 7 min read

What Is a Cortado? Espresso Cut With a Little Milk, Recipe by Recipe

A cortado is espresso cut with a little warm milk, but how much milk depends on where you order it. Published recipes from Spain to Starbucks, and how to make one at home.

What Is a Flat White? How It Differs from a Latte and Cappuccino
Drinks 10 min read

What Is a Flat White? How It Differs from a Latte and Cappuccino

A flat white is a small, strong milk coffee: usually a double shot under thinly textured milk. Named recipes beside the latte and cappuccino, the disputed origin, and how to make one.

Ristretto vs. Lungo vs. Normal Espresso: What's the Difference?
Drinks 7 min read

Ristretto vs. Lungo vs. Normal Espresso: What's the Difference?

A ristretto, a normale and a lungo use the same dose with less or more water through it. Here are the ratios by weight, what each does to strength and extraction, and why a lungo isn't an americano.

Bean Box vs. MistoBox (Now Misto): Our 2020 Verdict and Today's Plans
Equipment 10 min read

Bean Box vs. MistoBox (Now Misto): Our 2020 Verdict and Today's Plans

Our 2020 Bean Box vs. MistoBox comparison, with the video's scores, and both services' plans, prices, shipping and cancellation terms as listed in October 2026, now that MistoBox is Misto.

Toddy Cold Brew System: How to Use It, Serve It and Store It
Brewing 14 min read

Toddy Cold Brew System: How to Use It, Serve It and Store It

Make cold brew in a Toddy with Toddy's own numbers: 340 g of coarse coffee and 8 cups of water, steeped 8 to 24 hours for about 40 fl oz of concentrate, served one part to two.

Best Low Acid Coffee: What the Label Means, and 7 Brands Compared
Brewing 8 min read

Best Low Acid Coffee: What the Label Means, and 7 Brands Compared

Low acid coffee usually means a higher pH, but pH, total acid and how sour a cup tastes are different measures. Here is what the research shows, with seven brands compared.

What Is Nespresso? Original vs. Vertuo, and How to Choose a Machine
Equipment 6 min read

What Is Nespresso? Original vs. Vertuo, and How to Choose a Machine

Nespresso makes two capsule systems whose pods don't interchange. Learn how Original and Vertuo brew, the cup sizes each makes, and how to choose a machine by milk and budget.