Coffee

by Matt Gibson

In 2016, a Harvard Health blog article was released that discussed some reasons why French press coffee could potentially be bad for your health, specifically, that drinking too much of it could increase your LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Because of the big name on the source of the article, there have been countless articles from smaller publications that have come out since, which echo the same basic information that was stated in the original post.

Basically, the claim is that unfiltered coffee contains lots of compounds that filtered coffee removes, and some of those compounds can be bad for your health, namely cafestol and kahweol, which can raise LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride levels. 

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QUESTION: Is Chemex coffee drip coffee? Or is it a brand of coffee or what? What does it even mean when people talk about Chemex coffee? – Wendell V

ANSWER: Although both Chemex coffee and drip coffee seem to have the same type of movement through the systems in which they are brewed, drip coffee and Chemex coffee are not quite the same. Drip coffee is a term to describe coffee made in automatic coffee makers, and the Chemex is a pour over brewer, which is a different type of system. Coffee made in pour over brewers is a little different than drip coffee made in automatic coffee machines. Keep reading to learn about the differences between these two types of coffee.

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by Erin Marissa Russell and Matt Gibson

You’ve probably seen lots of Colombian coffee described as Arabica coffee beans, and you may be left wondering what the difference is between Arabica coffee beans and Colombian coffee. Because almost all of the coffee beans you’ll encounter that were produced in Colombia will be Arabica coffee beans, this can be a confusing topic.

The easiest way of explaining is that the word “Arabica” refers to the type of coffee beans, or the variety of coffee plant that the beans came from, while “Colombian” refers instead to the country where the coffee beans were grown. But we’re here to explain exactly what Colombian coffee and Arabica coffee are, how they are related, and the differences between the two.

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by Matt Gibson

Hawaiian coffee, particularly the coffee produced in the Kona coffee belt, or Kona coffee, is quite a bit more expensive than regular coffee, or even single origin coffee that was sourced from various countries around the world. But what makes it worth the extra price? 

There are quite a few factors that go into making Kona coffee so special that coffee enthusiasts are willing to pay top prices for it. It is somewhat ironic that many of the same factors that make Hawaiian coffee so expensive are the same factors that make it so good. These factors include the fertile volcanic soil that the coffee is grown in, the ideal weather that provides the ideal growing environment, and the hands-on labor style required to grow and harvest the beans, all add up to drive up the cost, and the quality of Kona coffee.  

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by Erin Marissa Russell

No doubt you’ve heard lots about the Chemex coffee brewer and how delicious coffee made in a Chemex can be—so no doubt you’re wondering what it is about the Chemex that makes its coffee so delicious.

For a lot of coffee drinkers, nothing can hold a candle to coffee brewed in a Chemex. And it’s not just admiration for the latest trend in coffee brewing systems that makes people sing the praises of the Chemex. Coffee brewed in a Chemex is truly in a class of its own. Keep reading to find out exactly what it is about the Chemex that makes Chemex coffee so good.

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by Matt Gibson

There are three main types of coffee roasts which are light, medium, and dark. The type of roast is determined by the amount of time that the coffee beans are kept in the roaster. Light roasts are kept in the roaster for the shortest amount of time, while dark roasts are left in the roaster for the longest amount of time, resulting in their darker shade and smokier flavor. Dark roasts are oily and robust, while light roasts are more acidic, and bright.

But which roast type is the healthiest? Which roast type has the most caffeine? Which roast type has the best flavor? The quick answer is that that light roasts contain the highest levels of antioxidants compared to medium and dark roasts, but dark roasts have a few specific advantages of their own that we will also explain. Find out the answers to these questions and more in this short article. 

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by Matt Gibson

Invented back in the 1940’s, the Chemex coffee maker is considered the quintessential pour over brewing device and is a staple in the kitchens of coffee connoisseurs around the globe. The simple and elegant design remains the same as it did when the first line of Chemex brewers were released, and the very same components are used to make modern Chemex models, as they have throughout the history of their product line.

Chemex coffee makers consist of a tapered glass cone shaped filter holder and coffee carafe, a wooden handle that fits together where the cone shape converges, and a leather cord that is knotted in the middle to hold the whole package together. 

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by Matt Gibson and Erin Marissa Russell

The country of Colombia and the coffee industry are inseparable entities. Colombia’s unique geographical area and biologically diverse landscape makes the country well equipped to create some of the most beloved coffee in the world. Colombia’s coffee coalition, the National Federation of Coffee Growers, dubbed the FNC for short, is responsible for a marketing effort that has kept Colombia’s coffee sector in the spotlight of international media since the 1950s. 

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by Matt Gibson

Do you find yourself going to Starbucks or other coffee shops every morning to get your caffeine fix? If you buy an espresso drink every day or just about every day, you will save a lot of money purchasing a home espresso machine and making your own espresso instead, unless of course, you continue to buy espresso at the coffee shop as well. In fact, if you drink espresso regularly, you can save a tremendous amount of money from buying your own espresso machine, but we’ll get into the numbers later on in this article. There are plenty of other factors to consider besides cost as well. Let’s dive in. 

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QUESTION: Why is my pour over coffee so weak? I’ve made several cups, and it looks more like tea and doesn’t taste right. – Victoria F

ANSWER: Pour over coffee is a much more involved brewing process than electric drip coffee machines, and getting used to the technique can take some practice. If you find that you are getting a weak brew from your pour over coffee, there are several ways to alter your technique to get a better technique. Pour over coffee is all about perfecting your pour, and you may need to invest in a better piece of equipment to improve your control over the pour as well. 

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