With the festive season upon us, the pressure to buy ‘the perfect gift’ can be immense and as the clock ticks down may lead to the desperate purchase of items which are at best vaguely related to the recipient's interests. In this episode I take you through a few choice gifts that most keen coffee lovers would be very happy to receive - and in this week’s FACQ some that they would definitely not be impressed with!

Coffee equipment worth buying as a gift:

For espresso aficionados:
A better tamper, distribution tools, a knock box, milk pitchers, a milk frother or micro-scales (precision scales with 0.1g accuracy). 

For all coffee lovers:
Brewers such as: an aeropress, a siphon brewer e.g the Cona (size D) vacuum brewer which is a thing of beauty (not sponsored!) or a travel version of their favourite brewing method.

Thermometers, a pouring kettle or temperature controlled kettle, travel coffee mug, smart mug or an airtight coffee storage container e.g the Airscape or Fellow Atmos containers (not sponsored!). And of course, a burr coffee grinder!

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How do you know if the coffee you are drinking is certifiably of the best quality? One way is to buy a coffee that has been judged to be a winner in a Cup of Excellence coffee competition. In this episode we look into what the OG of coffee tasting competitions is all about and why its worth trying a Cup of Excellence coffee when its offered by your local roastery or in your local cafe.

Check out the Cup of Excellence website for more information about the competition (https://cupofexcellence.org/)

Check out the Alliance For Coffee Excellence website who manage the auction platform for the competition (https://allianceforcoffeeexcellence.org/)

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In this episode we take a look at the oddly named quaker bean. Find out just what a quaker bean is, how it affects your coffee’s flavour (hint: not in a good way) and why one may possibly be lurking in the coffee you’re drinking today. Along with one of my easiest hacks ever to improve the flavour of the coffee you drink at home, this week’s FACQ reveals how to spot potential quaker beans before you experience them in your brew.

Check out this image to help you spot a quaker bean!

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There is more to coffee than just its roast level and in this episode we are taking a look at the many different types of coffee that are out there and why it's useful to know your type. This week’s FACQ lifts the lid on ‘Heirloom’ coffees.

Videos showing the cupping method:
The method https://www.instagram.com/reel/CCDaoMYhYik/
The process https://www.instagram.com/reel/CWqNy7mj6bx/

Photos:
Aftermath of a cupping session https://www.instagram.com/p/CAfLZ4UhvAq/?img_index=1
Professional cupping session https://www.instagram.com/p/CAseIQGBzil/?img_index=1

Species of coffee:
Arabica, Robusta, Excelsa, Liberica, Stenophylla

Examples of Arabica coffee varieties:
Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra, Geisha or Gesha, Maragogype, Pacamara, Ruiru11, SL28, Typica, Villa Sarchi, Mundo Novo

For many more examples of Arabica varieties check out: the World Coffee Research coffee varieties catalog (https://varieties.worldcoffeeresearch.org/arabica/varieties)

Types of coffee by shape of coffee bean:
Peaberry
Elephant ear

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Welcome to the first episode of Season 3! In Seasons 1 and 2 we explored some key influences on the taste of your coffee for better - and worse! Now its time to use that knowledge to help you up your coffee game without breaking the bank. Yes, its true, you really don’t have to spend a fortune on coffee and coffee paraphernalia to be able to drink better coffee. To that end in this week’s FACQ we circle back to the question of using the (relatively inexpensive) spice grinder to grind coffee.

Suggested episodes to listen to:

On brewing variables:
* The Impact Of Brewing Water Temperature On Coffee on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify Podcasts
* Grind Size Matters on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify Podcasts
* The Surprising Impact Of This Overlooked Brewing Variable on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify Podcasts
* Put Down The Scoop And Get Out The Scales! on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify Podcasts

Other useful episodes:
* When Was Your Coffee Roasted? on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify Podcasts
* Why Arabica Is So Special To Specialty Coffee on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify Podcasts
* The Daily Grind(er) on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify Podcasts

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

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

In the last episode of Season 2 we are taking a moment to muse on the future of coffee. What will be the next revolution in brewing, will it taste like coffee as we know it today and will our coffee of the future even be made from coffee beans? In the final FACQ of the season we find out that the future of coffee may already be here!

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For someone who loves their daily espresso, flat white or latte from a cafe on the way to work the idea of buying a home espresso machine is very tempting. But there are some things to think about before splashing your hard earned cash on such an expensive purchase so this week's episode has some tips for anyone who has ever thought ‘hmmm…home espresso: how hard can it be?’ In this week’s FACQ we answer the question of how to go about getting a good shot and in doing so reveal what your daily brewing regime is likely to be if you do take the plunge on a home espresso machine.

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In this episode we explore the phenomenon of the coffee bloom. It might sound floral but in fact it has nothing to do with flowers. The bloom is actually something that happens during the brewing process. As it tells you a lot about the freshness of your beans and can affect the extraction of the coffee it's a useful thing to get your head around. In this week’s FACQ we take a look at how the bloom can be controlled when brewing espresso coffee.

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Join me as we plunge into the popular cafetière coffee brewer. We take a look at its history, its pros and cons as a coffee brewer and learn some key tips for getting the best brew with it. This week’s FACQ is about a very common problem that just about everyone has experienced at some point when using a cafetière. 

Whether you call it cafetière, French Press or plunger if you have long consigned this bit of coffee kit to the back of your kitchen cupboard this episode may well persuade you to dig it out.

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In this episode we explore the part the often overlooked coffee grinder plays in brewing great coffee. I make the case for getting a grinder for the home and explain why, if you can afford it, it really should be a burr grinder. In this week’s FACQ answer we dig into how to look after your grinder to keep it in tip top condition.

Key features to look for when buying a burr grinder are:

• the evenness of the grinds it produces, 
• that it can grind a useful range of grind sizes
• a heavy duty motor to cope with the hardness of the beans.

Shout out to the podcast Happier in Hollywood who recommended The Coffee Drinker’s Guide on their show. You can check out that episode here and I also recommend listening to Happier in Hollywood to follow hosts Liz and Sarah as they navigate the world of show running and TV writing in the fundamentally insane world that is Hollywood. 

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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