The Coffee Drinker's Guide

Struggling to choose a Christmas gift for the coffee lover in your life? In this festive bonus episode, I share my top ideas for 2025 from brewing gear worth the money to flavourful gift sets that help your giftee explore the wide world of coffee.

We’ll also cover the best time to buy beans so they taste great on Christmas morning plus key tips on how to buy coffee for someone else to ensure your coffee gift will truly be appreciated.

And in this week’s FACQ I have a thoughtful solution to the knotty question of what to get for the coffee lover who has everything? And of course I have to mention my puzzle book, Wordsearch for the Coffee Curious - the perfect stocking filler for anyone who loves coffee and a good brain teaser.

Whether you’re buying for a friend, a family member or quietly building your own wish list this episode will help you gift with confidence.

For more gift ideas listen to these episodes:

Coffee Gifts Worth Spending Money On

Taking The Stress Out Of Gifting Coffee 

Other gift ideas mentioned:

1zpresso hand burr coffee grinder https://1zpresso.coffee

Dualit electric burr coffee grinder https://www.dualit.com/products/ccg3-burr-coffee-grinder

Hario Switch brewer https://www.hario.co.uk/collections/hario-v60-immersion-drippers

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Buy my puzzle book 'Wordsearch For The Coffee Curious': amazon.com, amazon.co.uk

Get in touch!
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @thecoffeedrinkersguide
Lusona website: https://www.lusonapub.co.uk

In this final episode of the season, I take off my roaster’s apron and put on my consumer hat as I explore the supermarket coffee aisle to see how much the labels on coffee bags really tell us. Armed with a single origin Kenya and a premium own-brand blend, I compare what the packaging promises versus what’s actually in the cup. From roast levels and brew advice to origin detail and flavour accuracy, I ask: can you judge a coffee by its label? Tune in to find out which bag came out on top and why sometimes, spending just 35p more is the difference between a decent brew and a bitter disappointment.

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Buy my puzzle book 'Wordsearch For The Coffee Curious': amazon.com, amazon.co.uk

Get in touch!
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @thecoffeedrinkersguide
Lusona website: https://www.lusonapub.co.uk

In this episode we’re exploring the impact of time on every stage of your coffee’s journey from bush to brew. From the slow development of the coffee cherry to the fleeting window when a roasted bean is at its peak. We delve into the influence that time has on your coffee and why it pays to be curious about when your coffee was harvested and roasted. This week’s FACQ reveals just when a coffee is likely to taste at its best.

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Buy my puzzle book 'Wordsearch For The Coffee Curious': amazon.com, amazon.co.uk

Get in touch!
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @thecoffeedrinkersguide
Lusona website: https://www.lusonapub.co.uk

This week we’re continuing our exploration of the fringes of the specialty coffee world as we dip our toes into the delightfully divisive world of flavoured coffee. Is adding syrup to your espresso a playful twist or a specialty coffee sin? From the coffee aficionado’s horror at artificial flavourings to the syrup-loving masses, we unpack why flavoured coffee stirs such strong opinions. You’ll learn how coffee gets flavoured, what it does to the taste and whether flavoured beans are ever a good idea. And in this week’s FACQ, I share my own (deeply questionable) experience with vanilla-flavoured coffee. Spoiler: it made a lasting impression, just not the kind you’d hope for.

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Buy my puzzle book 'Wordsearch For The Coffee Curious': amazon.com, amazon.co.uk

Get in touch!
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @thecoffeedrinkersguide
Lusona website: https://www.lusonapub.co.uk

In a detour from our usual deep dives into specialty coffee we are taking a look at one of the more fringe coffee trends out there as we investigate the curious case of white coffee - and no, it’s not coffee with milk! From its unusual light roast level to its health claims and grassy flavour profile, we unpack what white coffee really is, how to brew it without breaking your espresso machine and why it tastes nothing like your usual cup of joe. This weeks FACQ explores the fundamental difference between this version of white coffee and Malaysian white coffee.

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Buy my puzzle book 'Wordsearch For The Coffee Curious': amazon.com, amazon.co.uk

Get in touch!
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @thecoffeedrinkersguide
Lusona website: https://www.lusonapub.co.uk

Is it finally cool to freeze your coffee? In this episode, we explore the surprising shift in expert opinion on storing roasted beans in the freezer. Once frowned upon, freezing might just be your secret weapon for fresher brews—if you do it right. And in this week’s FACQ, we tackle the question: should you be freezing your coffee at home?

How to Store and Use Frozen Coffee ONA Coffee https://onacoffee.com.au/blogs/news/how-to-store-and-use-frozen-coffee?srsltid=AfmBOooJsjR7oADOH80vx0rCNrscWq0JIcDtxndMB6kRJ0vtJGHhPgol

The effect of bean origin and temperature on grinding roasted coffee Scientific Reports volume 6, Article number: 24483 (2016) https://www.nature.com/articles/srep24483#Sec8

What We Know About Freezing Coffee Beans by Manchester Coffee Archive https://manchestercoffeearchive.com/freezing-coffee/

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Buy my puzzle book 'Wordsearch For The Coffee Curious': amazon.com, amazon.co.uk

Get in touch!
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @thecoffeedrinkersguide
Lusona website: https://www.lusonapub.co.uk

Coffee beans in adverts are usually shown as dark and glossy but in this episode we discover why  shiny  - or in other words, oily - coffee beans are not actually likely to taste that great and why they are frankly best avoided. Find out what the shiny appearance of the beans can tell you about a coffee before you even take a sip. If you are stuck with a bag of oily beans we have some brewing tips that will help take the edge off its less palatable flavours. This week’s FACQ answers the intriguing question of whether coffee ever goes ‘off’?

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Buy my puzzle book 'Wordsearch For The Coffee Curious': amazon.com, amazon.co.uk

Get in touch!
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @thecoffeedrinkersguide
Lusona website: https://www.lusonapub.co.uk

In this episode we dig into the OG of coffee processing - AKA natural coffee. Find out how natural coffees are the comeback kid of the specialty coffee world and what sparked their renaissance when that world had - for good reason - moved on. Discover why naturals taste the way they do and pick up some brewing tips to get the best out of them. This week’s FACQ answers the pertinent question of -  given their name - are natural coffees better for you?

Send me a text message

Buy my puzzle book 'Wordsearch For The Coffee Curious': amazon.com, amazon.co.uk

Get in touch!
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @thecoffeedrinkersguide
Lusona website: https://www.lusonapub.co.uk

In this episode we are on a side quest to explore an intriguing little round coffee bean known as a peaberry or caracol. What is behind this coffee's name, is it in fact a ‘novelty coffee’ and is it worth the higher price it often commands? These questions and more will be answered along with this week’s FACQ: is peaberry coffee better than regular - or ‘normal’ - coffee? Listen to find out!

Listen to the episode 'Why Acidity In Coffee Is A Good Thing!':

On Apple Podcasts

On Spotify Podcasts

Send me a text message

Buy my puzzle book 'Wordsearch For The Coffee Curious': amazon.com, amazon.co.uk

Get in touch!
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @thecoffeedrinkersguide
Lusona website: https://www.lusonapub.co.uk

In a fact-packed episode we take a deep dive into the filter brewing method. Discover the herstory of filter brewing, why it’s the best way to taste the best quality coffee and practical tips to improve your filter brewing technique. 

If you've never brewed filter coffee before here’s a recipe to get you started:

For a lighter bodied brew use 15.5g per 250ml cup; for a heavier bodied, more intense brew use 20g per 250ml cup. Heat the water to 90 degrees C/194 degrees F. Grind the coffee to a particle size similar to sand/white granulated sugar/Diamond Crystal salt. Use the filter paper recommended by the cone manufacturer. Pro tip: don’t let the grounds ‘dry out’ during the pour, or in other words, the water level should not drop below the level of the grounds during the brewing process until the last pour is draining into the cup.

1/ Put the filter paper in the cone and the coffee grounds into the filter paper.

2/ Pour a small amount of water to wet the grounds thoroughly but don’t fill the cone above half its height.

3/ Wait for 30 seconds, then pour water into the cone, using a spiral motion from the centre of the cone to the outside, until the water level in the cone is at around 80% full.

4/ Wait for 30 seconds from the point that you finish pouring then pour more water in, using the spiral motion, until the level is back up to around 80% full in the cone. 

5/ After another 30 seconds check to see how full the cup is and visually eyeball how much is still in the cone with how much is required to fill the cup. If necessary add a little more water to the cone.

6/ Leave the cone to drain fully on the cup. Ideally you only want to pour as much water into the cone as is needed to fill the cup. 

7/ Enjoy!

Send me a text message

Buy my puzzle book 'Wordsearch For The Coffee Curious': amazon.com, amazon.co.uk

Get in touch!
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @thecoffeedrinkersguide
Lusona website: https://www.lusonapub.co.uk