After several days of hooing and hawwing over what the new Starbucks store would look like, images are now up and the store set to open tomorrow. Josh C managed a sneak peak inside the shop to get a feel for the atmosphere and vibe. Myself, like many others in the industry, felt that Starbucks [...]

The Seattle Times reported today that a newly renovated Starbucks is opening… without the Starbucks name. What brought about this change? According to Tim Pfeiffer of Starbucks, the new name gives “a community personality.” Of course this is a marketing tactic, but I think it speaks to something deeper of the issues surrounding the brand [...]

The consensus is that the typical coffeeshop layout is worn out. It’s too much like a fast food restaurant, customers can’t appreciate the craft of coffee, and interaction is lost, critics say. Jay Caragay wants a coffeeshop that has more of a home kitchen feel, one where customers can come in, enjoy hospitality, and not have [...]

There’s been a lot of discussion about Chemex’s recently. Over on Coffeed, a discussion has started about extraction during the brew process. And James Hoffman has created a video on brewing a Chemex. While there’s passion and focus on Chemex extraction, very little has been said about the filters.
The Chemex filter is one of the thickest [...]

This morning I stopped over at Beleza, a coffeeshop in the northside of Pittsburgh. They’ve been here for three years and unfortunately will be closing the doors in less than a week. Over the years, Beleza was cited in the press as the wunderkind of coffeeshops, with a dedication and passion for the neighborhood. From [...]