Surfing the Caffeinated Web with the CoffeeMeister

by Erin Meister, Posted Dec 29th 2009 @ 3:00PM

cup of coffee Coffee and computers, together at last. Photo: Erin Meister.

Find yourself with some free time (i.e. can't pull yourself away from the Internet) during the long, slow afternoons between Christmas and New Year's? Yeah, me too: Sometimes it seems like the only thing I want to do when I'm not drinking coffee is scanning my coffee-related blogroll for something new and interesting. And you might be surprised how much new and interesting content there can be in the more caffeinated sectors of the virtual world.

Read on after the jump for a few of the CoffeeMeister's favorite Net spots for a good strong shot of joe.

Charming, eloquent and all-around swell guy James Hoffmann (who also happens to have been the 2007 World Barista Champion) keeps up one of the most thought-provoking blogs about the business of coffee, the delight of being a coffee drinker and the art of customer service -- all while running his own successful roastery in London.

Speaking of Barista Champions, anybody who's ever thoroughly enjoyed a "Chopped" or "Iron Chef" marathon could whittle away the hours watching videos of barista competitions past -- including this one of 2008's World Champion, Stephen Morrissey, or this year's winner, Gwilym Davies.

One of my favorite quiet little corners of the Internet is this photo set by coffee roaster Steve Ford, aka Dogmilque. Ford's documented the first cup of just about every day for the past several years, and the result is a startlingly lovely tribute to the mundane. Though he's a little bit behind in his records, the backlog of beautiful photos and compelling stories here is worth at least a good two hours' clicking.

For the must-know-everything-about-coffee type, the (members-only but open to read) message board Coffeed is a great source for the intellectual nooks and crannies most coffee dilettantes overlook. From info on buying green coffee to the latest updates on equipment experimentation and innovation, Coffeed is the go-to for the jittery thinker.

And finally, what coffee link trail would be complete without some window shopping?

Wow, I really need a coffee after all that, don't you?

What are your favorite coffee Web sites, blogs or photo sets? Tell us in the comments.

Erin Meister trains baristas for North Carolina-based Counter Culture Coffee and sporadically maintains the blog Meet the Press Pot from her home in New York City. This is part of a series for the caffeine-addicted.

Filed Under: On the Blogs, Coffee
Tags: blogs, coffee, coffee blogs, coffeemeister, world barista champion

Chew on This

Royal Wedding Cake Details Revealed! - YumSugar

Make Your Own Pop Tarts - CHOW
Denny's Introduces a Maple Bacon Sundae - Eater
Whole Foods Opening Bars in Stores - USA Today
Rules Of Bar Etiquette -- For The Bartender - HuffPost Food

Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

12-30-2009 @6:10PM Tim Allen said... Sheesh, sounds like a bit of a love fest for coffee industry insiders, everyone loving each other. That's what happens when there's a void of critical thought. I've seen those barista competitions and they're snoozers. Self-absorbed types waxing lazily about coffee and some sort of fancy drink without any concept or understanding of flavors and ingredients.

Then there's the mentioned coffeed, a website filled with these same over-bloated types posting long and inane posts trying to show how impressive they are to an audience of people who love them. It's a classic example of The Emperor's Clothes.
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