Why I write reviews about specialty coffee

I'm a coffee taster and sensory specialist in all things coffee. There's just not enough time to taste all of the coffees I want to experience. Maybe you feel the same way. Coffee roasting is changing, it's not a static business. Roasters are innovating and the landscape of coffees is changing in part due to changes in farming practices, processing protocols and roasting preferences.

Did you know that there are literally hundreds of reviews of wines posted online and in print? Yet coffee reviews are scarce. Why is that? I think in part it is because roasted coffee is ephemeral. Roasters produce batches of roasted coffee for a few weeks and when the bags of green coffee are gone, they're gone forever. Yes, some roasters will buy the same coffee from the same farmer year after year because they value long-term relationships. And some roasters will buy green coffee and freeze it for future roasting. But this year's coffee will never be the same as next year's coffee crop.  Unlike wine vintages, which can be bottled and preserved for years (or many years) coffees are fragile and once roasted freshness is lost quickly and with that so much of the flavors that make a coffee unique.

Still I think specialty coffees, however fleeting, deserve attention. Here I will document my tasting notes about coffees that I think are noteworthy. By doing this I hope you find some new coffees to taste, some you didn't even know were out there in the coffee universe. I'd love to hear from you with any questions or comments. Reach out to me on my contact form.

Let's get going because I love tasting different coffees.   Mary