Guides
Long reads for the slow cup.
Original, opinionated guides to brewing, tasting and ordering coffee — the kind of background reading that makes the shops on our Discover page taste better.
- 6 min read
What "specialty coffee" actually means
The word gets stuck on every chalkboard from Berlin to Brooklyn. Here is what it means in practice — and how to spot a shop that earns it.
Read guide - 7 min read
V60 vs Aeropress vs Chemex: which filter brewer is right for you?
Three classic filter brewers, three completely different cups. A practical guide to choosing the one that fits your kitchen, your beans, and your morning.
Read guide - 5 min read
How to taste coffee like a cupper
The professional tasting protocol, demystified. A simple at-home version of the cupping ritual that lets you actually describe what is in your cup.
Read guide - 5 min read
How to order coffee in Italy without embarrassing yourself
A short, opinionated guide to navigating an Italian bar — what to order, when to order it, where to stand, and what never, ever to ask for after lunch.
Read guide - 6 min read
Building a home espresso setup on a budget
What to buy, what to skip, and the order to buy it in. A realistic guide to getting café-quality espresso at home without spending five figures.
Read guide - 7 min read
Dialling in espresso: a practical guide to the grind
If your espresso tastes sour, bitter or thin, the answer is almost always the grind. A working guide to dialling in at home without throwing away a kilo of beans.
Read guide - 6 min read
Cold brew vs iced coffee: which one you actually want
The two drinks share a glass and almost nothing else. A guide to the difference, when to choose which, and how to make both at home properly.
Read guide - 6 min read
Steaming milk at home: how to get café-quality microfoam
Most home espresso drinks fail at the milk stage. A practical guide to steaming microfoam that pours, holds, and tastes like the café version.
Read guide - 6 min read
Water for coffee: the variable everyone ignores
Coffee is 98% water. The mineral content of what you pour through your beans matters more than almost anything else. A guide to fixing it at home.
Read guide - 6 min read
The moka pot, redeemed: how to brew a great cup on a stovetop
The moka pot is the most misunderstood brewer in the kitchen. With the right beans and a slightly different method, it makes one of the best home cups going.
Read guide - 5 min read
Single origin vs blend: which bag should you buy?
The shelf at every specialty roaster gives you the same choice. Here is the difference, what each does well, and how to choose without overthinking it.
Read guide - 6 min read
How to taste coffee: a beginner's guide to cupping at home
Tasting coffee is a learnable skill, not a mystical gift. A guide to the simple home cupping protocol that sharpens your palate fast.
Read guide - 5 min read
Buying coffee online: how to read the bag and avoid disappointment
Buying specialty coffee online should be a small joy, not a gamble. A guide to reading the bag, the website, and the small print.
Read guide
City scene guides
The state of specialty coffee in a city — what to drink, where to drink it, and how to order like a local.
- 9 min read · Limassol
Specialty coffee in Limassol: the slow-cup scene in 2026
Cyprus has a famously old coffee culture, but a small group of Limassol roasters and cafés are quietly rewriting what a flat white tastes like on the island. A guide to the shops worth a detour.
Read guide - 9 min read · Athens
Specialty coffee in Athens: the city that quietly out-brewed Europe
Athens has become, almost by accident, one of the most serious specialty coffee cities in Europe. A guide to where the freddo ends and the third wave begins.
Read guide - 8 min read · Thessaloniki
Specialty coffee in Thessaloniki: the slow north of the Greek scene
Greece's second city has the highest per-capita café count in Europe and a quietly excellent specialty scene to match. A guide to where to drink in 2026.
Read guide - 7 min read · Nicosia
Specialty coffee in Nicosia: the divided capital's quiet third wave
Cyprus's inland capital has historically been overshadowed by Limassol's coffee scene. That is starting to change — slowly, and on its own terms.
Read guide - 6 min read · Larnaca
Specialty coffee in Larnaca: small scene, big seafront, decent flat whites
Larnaca is where most visitors to Cyprus land — and most of them never realise the city has a small, surprisingly serious specialty coffee scene.
Read guide - 6 min read · Paphos
Specialty coffee in Paphos: the west coast's small but serious scene
Paphos is mostly known for ruins and resorts. Look past the harbour and there is a small, careful specialty scene worth knowing about.
Read guide - 7 min read · Heraklion
Specialty coffee in Heraklion: Crete's capital learns a new cup
Crete has its own deep coffee culture. Heraklion is where the island's small but growing specialty scene is centred — slow, sun-drenched and surprisingly well-equipped.
Read guide