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Notes from the roastery: what we buy, how we roast it, and what we have learned building coffee programs on the Gulf Coast.

Tagged “kenya” · see all of Learn

Origins

What Is Mucilage in Coffee?

Mucilage is the coffee cherry's sticky inner layer, and it is 84 percent water over a pectin gel rather than the sugar coating everyone describes. What it is made of, ...

Origins

Why Is High-Altitude Coffee Better?

Growing higher raises the sugar in a coffee seed by a large, measurable amount. Elevation is standing in for temperature, and the grade on the bag certifies the farm r...

Taste

What Is Malic Acid in Coffee?

Malic acid is really in the cup, and measured against its own detection threshold there is usually too little of it to pick out. Where it comes from, why it got the ap...

Origins

What Is Kenyan Coffee?

Kenya's grading letters measure the bean, not the cup. Here is how the country description holds up against one bag we actually bought, published notes and all.

Roasting

What Is Light Roast Coffee?

A light roast comes off the roaster just after first crack, and it is not stronger: a 2024 study measured 134 to 165 mg of caffeine at every roast level.