Bean
Cultivars, processing, origin, freshness.
Everything that happens to a coffee before it reaches your grinder, which is most of what decides how it tastes. Varieties and where they came from, what washing or natural or anaerobic processing actually does, why a roast date matters more than a roast level, and the difference between fair trade and direct trade once you look at the paperwork.
What’s the difference between light, medium and dark roast?
The thing most people actually choose on, explained without anybody being sniffy about it.
What’s the difference between arabica and robusta coffee?
One of these is on every bag. The other is on none of them, and that’s a bit unfair.
What does single origin coffee mean?
It’s on our bags, so we should probably tell you what we mean by it.
Why is coffee so expensive right now?
It isn’t your café being greedy. Here’s where the money actually went.
Does coffee go bad, and where should I keep it?
Not in the fridge. Please, not in the fridge.
- May 2026
Everything We Got Wrong in 2013
SL28 was not created in a Scottish lab. We have some corrections to make.
- May 2024
Anaerobic, Carbonic, and the Fermentation Years
What changed in processing while we were asleep — and it changed a lot.
- Mar 2016
Roast Date, Freshness, and What Actually Matters
The only date on the bag worth reading.
- Feb 2015
Fair Trade vs. Direct Trade
Two words that look similar on a bag and mean quite different things.
- Oct 2013
Green: What Happens Before the Roast
Picking, pulping, fermenting, washing, drying. The five steps nobody photographs.
- Sep 2013
Cultivars, Explained
Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, SL28, Gesha, Pacamara — and why the label tells you more than you think.