Every barista dreams of making a pilgrimage to origin, to retrace the journey from seed to cup. For those of us who have yet to have the opportunity to visit a coffee farm, a new book, Coffee Encou
Author: Michael Butterworth
Michael Butterworth is an authorized instructor of the Specialty Coffee Association and the inventor of the Etkin Dripper. He cofounded the Coffee Compass mostly as an excuse to visit more coffee shops. For consulting and training enquiries please visit butterworth.coffee.
London Coffee Crawl: Five Proper Shots of Espresso
Photo by Ben Willis London Calling The English may stereotypically be tea-drinkers, but in recent years London has emerged as a coffee powerhouse with few rivals. Since London hosted the World Bar
Cafe Review: Comet Coffee in St. Louis
Meet Me in St. Louis St. Louis is the gateway to the West, home to the second most successful baseball team in history, and has produced such cultural luminaries as T.S. Eliot, Tennessee Williams
Gear Review: The Prima Tamp
There are few things as delicious as a well crafted shot of espresso pulled by a skilled barista. Arguably, the biggest impact a barista has on the espresso is how she distributes and tamps the cof
Barista Interview: Kenny Smith of Sunergos Coffee
Long-time readers of the Compass know all about Kenny Smith. He works for Sunergos Coffee, which has been featured in multiple posts. We’ve also utilized his well-defined palate for several
How To Make Japanese Iced Coffee
How to Make Japanese Iced Coffee All across North America thermometers are rising, windows are being rolled down, and old jeans are being turned into cut-offs. Summer is upon us. One of our favorit
How to Drink Espresso
Espresso. It’s possibly the least understood and most mispronounced way of making coffee. Most people seem to think it’s just for adrenaline junkies or art history professors. But when
Hario V60 vs Kalita Wave: Who Wins in a Brew to the Death?
Japanese Invasion Over the last six years, the Hario V60 has become the industry standard pour-over dripper. In some circles, “V60” is practically a synonym for pour-over coffee. The
Learn How to Brew an Aeropress with Koppi
The Coffee Compass has a serious coffee crush on Koppi in Helsingborg, Sweden. One of our first posts was a review of the coffee IPA they produced with Mikkeller. Since then, we’ve tried some
Cafe Review: Third Rail Coffee in Greenwich Village
Coffee on the Tracks I was told by a native New Yorker that if I needed to score some weed while I was in Manhattan to go to Washington Square Park. It’s a nice park, but since I prefer to