The Bloom — coffee

As coffee connoisseurs, we all know that not all beans are created equal nor are the coffees they eventually become. There are good grinds, and there are bad grinds. What’s surprising is just how ugly some can be. Blame it on supply and demand. Global demand for coffee has roughly doubled in the last decade. We have become a coffee planet and the world’s greatest beverage is more popular than ever for reasons that need no explanation. Yet back on the plantation, harvests are getting ever tighter as climate change-spurred weather extremes make it harder for growers in many areas...

Some 450 million cups of coffee are consumed every day in the U.S, and it’s no mystery why—coffee is delicious and nutritious, and the mental and physical lift it delivers fuels active days and energized nights. That boost is born, of course, of caffeine, but when it comes to this magical molecule, not all coffees are created equal.  The caffeinated king of all coffees is cold brew. Brewed with time, not heat, cold brew coffee is made by steeping maximum amounts of coffee in minimum quantities of cool water for as much as 24 hours. The result is a dense...

Coffee is a superlative beverage. But it is also a beverage of superlatives though some of the ways it’s earned that honor are, shall we say, slightly out of the ordinary. Here’s a look at coffee facts you won’t find on trade association web sites: • The worlds largest iced coffee was prepared on July 17, 2014 at Caffé Bene in Yangju, South Korea. A team of what we assume were exhausted baristas filled a cup measuring almost 11 feet tall and 8½ wide with 3,758 gallons of black Americano coffee and ice cubes. Not to be outdone, the world’s...

Coffee is clearly a drink about which we cannot say enough. It is our manna and our muse, a wellspring of both solace and celebration into which we dip without hesitation or regret. But let us not sell its capabilities short, for the sweet essence of the bean is more than a beverage. It’s a magician with multiple tricks up its sleeve. Here are a few of our favorites: Fabric Dye. Light colored fabrics soaked in coffee take on a lovely aged patina. Place yours in coffee for 24 hours, rinse, and air dry. The longer it sits, the deeper...