James Hoffmann

I'd love your feedback on this one please! We recently made a video that explains more about the fermentation process that is a part of pretty much every single cup of coffee that you've drunk (and will drink!). It was also an announcement for a big live tasting that will happen later in the year. (And may well be the last global live tasting that we do).

However, this video has struggled to find an audience and so I'd be grateful to hear more about why. If you didn't watch, or nearly didn't watch it, what was it that put you off? Is there a better way we could have framed this thing to have made you more curious? We did test several titles and thumbnails, and I was actually a little surprised that this was the winner.

We don't tend to ask for feedback like this much at all, but this project is special and I'd love for it to reach more people, so any feedback is gratefully received.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 526

James Hoffmann

The new issue of Cherry Bones magazine is out now! And it's great!
shop.cherrybonesmag.com/products/cherry-bones-issu…

The quick highlights (if you don't want to watch the video):
- It has more pages!
- It costs less!
- It's really good! (better than issue 1!?)
- There's a bunch already in the US, so US shipping is cheaper and quicker
- one run only this time, when it is gone, it is gone.

Also, for folks in countries we can't ship to, Issue 1 is now available digitally! We plan to distribute additional earnings from the digital version to contributors because that seems fair.

2 months ago | [YT] | 7

James Hoffmann

The latest Americano video raised a lot of questions. We did some follow-up testing to answer a few of them. (Sorry for the long post!)

1. Degassing espresso in the chamber vacuum.
A lot of people requested that we try to degas the espresso before adding it to the steamed water. The taste impact was surprisingly minimal - both on the shot itself and also on the final drink.

2. Should we be steaming water for filter coffee?
I won't lie, this one made me nervous. We tested this with pour-overs brewed on a V60, using water heated to 92°C. If I'm honest, the jury is still out on this one. The steamed water was probably reliably detectable in blind testing, but we still don't have enough data to be conclusive, and frankly, any improvement is so minimal that I just don't think it is worth the effort. The difference wasn't flavour, as much as the steamed water having possible, maybe slightly better texture. But nothing like the difference in an americano.

3. Can you aerate boiler water to make it taste better?
We tried aerating water with a little electric whisk. In a blind tasting we couldn't tell the difference between this and the straight boiler water. This was kind of surprising, and something I had expected to work. I have a bunch of theories, but I don't really know what I'm talking about in the realm of dissolved gases. We have more tests to do here though!

4. Can you put this on a menu in a cafe?
I don't think the sound of steaming water belongs in a busy cafe. It's not good. However, the steamed americano/hot aerocano/the black coffee cappuccino doesn't make a terrible noise, and does taste pretty good. It isn't on the official menu, but if you happen to be in Prufrock* in London, then you can now get a Steamed Americano there. (Crema will be skimmed before the espresso is steamed with the cold water, of course).

*I am involved in Prufrock, so it seems appropriate to declare this!

There are a couple more things to test, and if we find anything notable or end up understanding what is causing the change, then we'll let you know!

3 months ago | [YT] | 414

James Hoffmann

We are excited to offer another worldwide coffee tasting, and this time we’ll be exploring fermentation. At this stage we’d love any coffee roasters around the world, who are interested in taking part, to sign up to the newsletter here: thefermentationproject.com/
Signing up just means you get more information about the purchasing process, it isn’t a commitment to anything!

(Don’t sign up if you just want to taste - more info for you will come later, when we launch the first video.) If you want to help spread the word, or encourage your favourite roaster to sign up, then do share the link with them! It’s also linked on my Instagram and Facebook profiles.

It’s going to be super interesting, and the big worldwide tastings are always a tonne of fun. More to be revealed soon!

5 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,071

James Hoffmann

BARISTA SURVEY: The Cappuccino Index - forms.gle/DZFThBdjWi1ggVwBA

How long does it take for a barista to earn enough money to buy a cappuccino in their own coffee shop? What does that tell us about different economies and coffee cultures around the world?

I last did this survey maybe a decade ago, and it was super interesting, and I really want to run it again to collect more data. Obviously, all the findings will be shared (the data is anonymous). Hopefully it can also help with benchmarking wages for baristas in different parts of the world!

If you work in a coffee shop/serve coffee anywhere, I'd love for you to take 1 minute to share some info. If you don't, then any sharing with people who do would be very much appreciated. I want to try to get as much data from different countries as possible.

Thank you!
James

6 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 755

James Hoffmann

We made this a couple of years ago, but the idea was to make something evergreen. However, it would also be remiss not to note that there is a new edition of The World Atlas of Coffee, which makes a lovely gift. There are a few signed copies left in the US warehouse here: us.tenshundredsthousands.com/products/the-world-at…
Also, signed copies for everyone else are here: shop.squaremilecoffee.com/products/the-world-atlas…

8 months ago | [YT] | 281

James Hoffmann

We made a coffee cup! I know a lot of folk don't enjoy Shorts (I can't argue with you), so may have missed this announcement. We debated on making this a normal video, but it didn't seem worth it for something quite short.
The print on it is a single-run, limited-edition print, but the shape will be around for a while!

Also, we are working on some solutions for the places we're currently unable to ship to. We wish global logistics was a little easier than it is!

Finally, this video features the single most awful mug that I own...

9 months ago | [YT] | 234

James Hoffmann

The new 3rd edition of the World Atlas of Coffee is out pretty soon. If you/your coffee shop or coffee business wants to stock then we can connect you directly with the publishers. Let us know you're interested here: forms.gle/DdGHU1KzRfk9xjK28

If you are after a copy for yourself (Thank you!) There are lots of links here: linktr.ee/jimseven including options for signed copies in different parts of the world.

11 months ago | [YT] | 468

James Hoffmann

I really did enjoy this cocktail! (And getting the opportunity to have Kevin make me several other delicious things that evening was an absolute treat.) I want to mess around with concentrated Guinness more because the flavour was so interesting!

1 year ago | [YT] | 384

James Hoffmann

Please share your decaf results!
forms.gle/44iFdEfNPc4pnCUt5
We've made a form to submit your tasting experience. It's fairly in-depth, but you don't have to fill everything in if you don't want to - do please just share what you're happy to!

1 year ago | [YT] | 562