How much do you really know about coffee? In this podcast by Science & The City, Andrea Illy, chairman of illycaffe S.p.A. discusses the chemistry and technology that produce a great cup of coffee. It’s almost an hour long, but definitely worth a listen.

I often get confused about all the milky concoctions that pretend to be coffee drinks. For example, what exactly is the difference between cafe latte and a cappuccino? Lokesh Dhakar claims to be new to the world of “fancy coffee drinks”. He’s made a very useful illustrated guide to coffee drinks. It makes it very easy to understand what goes into each drink, and what proportions of each ingredient are used. There’s also a pronunciation guide, so you can order your coffee with confidence.
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In addition to being a great pick-me-up drink, coffee is a very versatile ingredient. Not only can you drink it, you can also eat it! Coffee provides just the right “kick” to your favourite dish. I recently discovered a great site for Coffee Recipes. You’ll find recipes for Banana Coffee Cake, Coffee Ice Cream, Coffee Cinnamon, different types of coffee creamers and lots more. Even if you don’t usually cook, the instructions provided are fairly easy to follow.
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We all know that good coffee is hard to find. Making good coffee at home will definitely save you money, but how do you make sure that the quality is the same (or at least almost the same) as what you find at your favourite cafe or coffee shop? One of the key ingredients to great coffee is freshness. Ideally, you want to grind coffee beans yourself at home, as close as possible to consumption. Even better, if you could roast coffee beans yourself! Which brings us to the question, “How to roast my own coffee beans?”
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