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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Watching an expert barista at work is often fascinating, and sometimes I wish it was possible to slow everything down so we can follow step by step. Thanks to photographer Irene Müller, you can see exactly what happens when the milk hits the coffee.
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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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