Merriam Webster defines “bold” as… bold [bohld] adjective, -er, -est. 1.not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possibledanger or rebuff; courageous and daring: a bold hero. 2.not hesitating to break the rules of propriety; forward;impudent: He apologized for being so bold as to speak to theemperor. 3.necessitating courage and daring; challenging: a boldadventure. 4.beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action;imaginative: Einstein was a bold mathematician. a difficultproblem needing a bold answer. 5.striking or conspicuous to the eye; flashy; showy: a bold pattern. If I had a dollar for every time I heard coffee flavors referred to as “bold,” I could retire at age 25. No, seriously. Starbux, Petes, and all the other big names in coffee have used this term to describe dark,…

A wise man named George once told me that the mark of a good barista was the quality of their cappuccino. Good advise. Most people seem to agree with this premise. It is simple, yet so easy to screw up, a standard, yet so open to manipulation. It is also volatile, completely dependent on the barista’s choice of…

I have two inspirations for my pursuit for good coffee and good coffee shops. The first is obvious to those who know me; I used to work at a great little shop in Livermore California called Panama Red Coffee. During my time there, I learned a lot about the process of making coffee and the…