This week: a Marvel director with a practiced pour-over wrist, a scholarship flying women roasters to Colombia, and a warranty dispute that went completely off the rails.
In this issue:
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Ryan Coogler's practiced wrist and that relatable first-sip hesitation
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Coffee Project NY expands their women roasters scholarship to origin
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A grinder company posts a customer's phone number publicly
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Why your local cafe's expensive machine is probably wasted
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Quick Sips: absurd tasting notes, Hanoi's robusta revolution, and more
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Tell us what you actually want to read
The Fresh Roast
Marvel's Favorite Director Is a Full-Blown Coffee Geek
Ryan Coogler, the director behind Black Panther and Sinners, has been outed as a genuine coffee nerd. He brings his entire setup to film sets and has been spotted making pour-overs for actors with a practiced wrist. The real tell? That "not bad" he mutters after tasting his own brew before serving it.
Why this matters:
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Coogler runs a v60, Linea Mini, and Acaia Pearl on set
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He describes coffee-making as ritual and an act of service
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The "not bad" self-review before serving? Universal coffee person behavior.
The Big Perk: Even when you're helming global blockbusters, the struggle to convince your friends that specialty coffee is actually good remains universal.
Women Roasters Scholarship Heads to Colombia
Coffee Project New York is taking their annual Women Coffee Roasters Scholarship to Medellín this year. After visa issues blocked participants in 2024, they're bringing the SCA Roasting Foundation course directly to origin.
Why this matters:
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Over 75% of U.S. coffee roasters are men, according to Cafecita Coffee
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Applications open March 1st and close March 31st
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The program has supported over 20 recipients from El Salvador, the Philippines, Vietnam, and more
The Big Perk: Roasting is one of the clearest paths to leadership in specialty coffee, and this program is prying open the gate.
Grinder Company Doxxes Customer Over Warranty Dispute
A buyer reported that after requesting a warranty repair for a faulty DF54 grinder, df64coffee.com refused the claim, blamed the customer, and then posted their personal phone number publicly in a Trustpilot review response.
Why this matters:
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The company demanded international shipping both ways just to look at the issue
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When the customer mentioned a chargeback, they pasted his home address and partial card details into an email
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The post racked up 880 upvotes and 173 comments within 48 hours
The Big Perk: Factory-direct savings can evaporate fast when consumer protection becomes optional.
Your Next Move: If you're shopping for espresso gear, stick to distributors with actual accountability.
The Sarcastic Sip: Is Your Cafe's $10K Machine Going to Waste?
A viral thread is asking why so many coffee shops with gorgeous, expensive equipment still pull shots that miss the mark. The leading theory? Most drinks get buried in milk, so nobody bothers dialing in properly.
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High turnover and undertrained staff compound the problem
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If your oat milk latte tastes fine, you'll never know the espresso was off
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The machine is only as good as the person willing to taste the naked shot
The Bitter Truth: Fancy gear means nothing if nobody's actually tasting and adjusting.
Is it me or do many coffee shops make crap espresso? • 328 upvotes, 202 comments
Quick Sips
Tasting Notes Gone Off the Rails
The community is sharing absurd flavor descriptors. Highlights include "microchips" and "geopolitical pressure from China."
Should You Own a Cafe Without Bar Experience?
A heated thread argues that owners who've never worked a shift behind the machine lack the operational instincts to run a shop without burning out staff.
A Bookstore Entirely About Coffee
A by-appointment-only shop in Rotterdam stocks only coffee literature. For when your research can't be summarized in a 30-second video.
Hanoi's Young Roasters Are Rewriting the Rules
A new generation of roaster-retailers in Vietnam is blending traditional brewing methods with modern specialty standards, often centering robusta.
NOLA Coffee Was Born from Necessity
New Orleans' chicory blend emerged from Civil War shortages and was popularized by Rose Nicaud, an enslaved woman who turned street coffee into a citywide ritual.
Tell Us What You Think
We're not just shouting into the void while you sip your morning black. We actually want to know if we're hitting the mark or if you need more scandal, more gear debates, or more coverage.
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