Mary E. MacDonald

Coffee Basics 101 - Coffee Roasts: What's in a Name?

Having difficulty choosing the "best" coffee roast? Are the coffee roast names confusing you? The assigning of names to coffee roasts can seem a bit illogical if not confusing at times, but when coffee roast names first began to emerge within the coffee industry, their application was based, to a small degree, on fact. For example, both the French and Italians had (and still have) a tendency to... (posted by Mary E. MacDonald 5 years 3 days ago.)

Coffee Basics 101 - Choosing a Great Coffee!

"I'm searching for a really great cup of coffee -- what variety should I buy?" I've been asked this question many times over the years and I always provide the same answer -- "That depends!" Early coffee drinkers used to choose their coffee for the caffeine jolt it provided. But times have changed, and in today's world, when choosing a great coffee -- it's all about the taste, and the taste depends on many... (posted by Mary E. MacDonald 5 years 21 days ago.)

Tea Basics 101 - Tea Type or Taste, How Do You Choose?

With over 3000 different varieties of tea in the world, how do you choose? Do you choose by the particular type of tea, or do you choose by the taste you like best? Surprisingly, all tea comes from the same evergreen plant -- Thea sinensis, of which two varieties are the most common -- Camellia sinensis and Camellia assamica. The type and taste characteristics of each tea are determined by the... (posted by Mary E. MacDonald 5 years 40 days ago.)