Michael

About Michael

Michael Butterworth is a coffee educator, consultant, and writer. He cofounded the Coffee Compass mostly as an excuse to visit more coffee shops. For consulting enquiries please visit butterworth.coffee.

Why Latte Art is Still Important

July 31, 2020 By Michael Leave a Comment

Latte art used to be overrated.

When I first got into coffee culture, circa 2007, latte art was my sole metric for determining a good coffee shop.

Of course, at the time my favorite drink was a caramel latte in a serving size that would make European heads swim. (I had only recently been converted from iced mochas with extra chocolate, a drink I enjoyed because “it tastes like chocolate milk.”) I’m not sure what other metric I might have used to determine what constituted a good cup of coffee.

But my approach also reflected the values of the barista community at large.

At the time, netting the top prize at CoffeeFest’s World Latte Art Open Championship could actually lead to an endorsement deal. Even a top-three finish would earn a barista fame and recognition in the coffee community.

But pendulum swings are inevitable, and it’s never been less cool to care about latte art….

Iced Coffee: A User Guide

July 1, 2020 By Michael Leave a Comment

Every day for the last six years, the majority of traffic to this humble coffee website has come from a simple Google search: “how to make cold brew with a French press.” The data reveals a simple truth: people love iced coffee. But there’s perhaps never been more confusion surrounding a beverage.

Cold brew. Cold press. Slow drip. Flash chilled. The list goes on. But what do any of these terms even mean? Lucky for you we’ve compiled a handy guide to drinking iced coffee….

Coffee in a Time of Corona Virus: Cup of Joy Opens New Istanbul Café

June 11, 2020 By Michael Leave a Comment

Cup of Joy

Istanbul, like much of the world, has spent the last three months locked down due to COVID-19. Coffee shops, along with bars and gyms, were some of the first businesses to be shut down by the government. As such, I went the longest stint I’ve gone in my coffee-drinking life without having an espresso or cappuccino.

Of course, it’s hard to complain about missing such luxuries when so many have truly been forced to go without. Besides, if I’m being honest, it hasn’t been coffee I’ve missed as much as coffee shops. The human interaction. A space to be creative. Bumping into old friends and make new ones. Corona Virus might have called the economic viability of coffee shops into question, but we’ve never been in greater need of the holistic services a good coffee shop provides….

A Basic Guide to Coffee Varieties

May 19, 2020 By Michael Leave a Comment

Coffee drinkers have long selected their beans of choice based on roast degree or country of origin. Increasingly, some specialty coffee consumers are searching for certain processing methods. But the subject of coffee varieties, or cultivars, has yet to trickle down to a consumer level– which is a shame. Different coffee varieties have different cup characteristics, and identifying a coffee’s varietal characteristics can add to your appreciation of that morning cup.

What is a Cultivar?

You likely already know something about grape varieties, or in the very least apples. Even if you can’t tell the difference between Pinot noir or Syrah, you probably know Granny smith apples are tart and Red Delicious apples are anything but delicious. (I, for one, usually go for Fuji apples at the supermarket.) But what is a variety anyway?…

How to Make Cold Brew With a Chemex

April 27, 2020 By Michael Leave a Comment

how to make cold brew with a Chemex

One of the summer’s most popular coffee beverages is also the easiest to make, provided you have some time on your hands. Cafe-quality cold brew requires very little technique and can be made with just about anything, like a Mason jar or French press. In fact, you probably already own one of our favorite devices to make cold brew with: the Chemex.

Peter Schlumbohm’s iconic brewing device has been the go-to brewing device of aesthetically-minded coffee enthusiasts since the 1930s. It’s even featured in the MoMA’s permanent collection.

Although the device is designed for brewing hot filter coffee, the hourglass shape of the Chemex makes it a perfect vessel for steeping and decanting cold brew….

You Probably Need to Buy A Coffee Grinder

April 22, 2020 By Michael Leave a Comment

hand grinder

Coffee luminary Peter Giuliano dropped a bombshell on #coffeetwitter last week. According to Giuliano, of the staggering 14 billion dollars worth of coffee Americans brew at home each year, more than 90% is pre-ground.

This, of course, probably comes as no surprise to you, random reader of this coffee website. Why buy a coffee grinder when pre-ground coffee is the same price? If there’s a coffee grinder in your house, statistically it’s a blade grinder, which is perhaps slightly more consistent than repeatedly jumping up and down on your bag of whole bean coffee while wearing combat boots. …

What’s the Best Automatic Drip Coffee Maker?

April 8, 2020 By Michael 1 Comment

If you don’t have a good coffee maker, now is probably a good time to get one. As much as we love making a meticulously handcrafted pour-over, sometime we just want to press a button, hop in the shower, and come back to a perfect cup of coffee. Unfortunately, the large majority of consumer coffee makers out there are pretty terrible at making coffee….

Fundraiser: Travel Mug Proceeds to go to Laid-off Baristas

March 25, 2020 By Michael Leave a Comment

It’s hard to speak too hyperbolically about the cataclysmic effect Corona Virus is having on the specialty coffee community. Around the world, ten of thousands of coffee shops have been indefinitely shuttered; even more baristas have been laid off. To make matters worse, there’s no end in sight.

It’s been a while since any of us here at the Coffee Compass worked a bar shift, but we remember what it’s like, and we want to do what we can. Until the end of April, 100% of sales of our travel mugs will be donated to relief funds, especially those helping laid-off baristas.

While we certainly don’t recommend taking that travel mug out anytime soon, it will keep your coffee hot (or cold) for hours. And, of course, we recommend filling it with specialty coffee, bought directly from your favorite local roaster’s web store.

A Coffee Maker for Each Enneagram Type

March 16, 2020 By Michael Leave a Comment

At some point in the last year someone has asked your Enneagram number. In the very least, you have seen a social media bio with a strange set of numbers and letters (3w2, ENTP, Ravenclaw). The ninefold personality test has reached popular culture tipping point territory, and while I’m not sure if the Enneagram can be used to predict taste preferences, I think there is undoubtedly an ideal coffee maker for each of the nine Enneagram types. Not sure what number you are? Take the test, and see if our assessment is right. …

Three Great Cafés in Zurich

February 19, 2020 By Michael Leave a Comment

Few cities have made an impression on me like Zurich. Sure, the labels “sleepy” and “conservative” are sometimes hurled at it. But Zurich is the understated sort of city that doesn’t need to impress you. It’s confident, self-assured, and surprisingly thoughtful. It’s also a city with a number of great places to get a cup of coffee….