About


The Pure Coffee Blog exists to help people find tremendous coffee and tea, both in their backyard and in their travels.

While there are tons of sites that offer to help find good coffee, most of these sites rely on an unpredictable "user rating" whereas others simply borrow the recommendations of others. Not here. Every coffee/tea location featured on this blog has been personally visited by Bill, and each coffee/tea product reviewed has been cupped/sampled personally in my humble abode.

It should also be noted that the Pure Coffee Blog seeks to exalt those in the industry who are doing great things with coffee and tea, but this is not a blog that focuses on the microscopic differences. If a coffeehouse can pull quality shots of espresso and pour a toothsome cup of coffee (whether it be from a pour-over, siphon, aeropress, V60, french press or gym sock), that's all we are really looking for (though admittedly, some small differences cannot be overlooked). In short, the goal is to make known quality establishments and products, not to dissect minor differences.


How It Works

The content of this blog breaks into three basic categories:

Fill in the Coffee Map (formerly "Coffee Commentary") posts: Objective reviews of coffee and/or tea establishments.
Currently, this makes up most of my content (I try my best to get around). Basically, when I am on the road for personal or business purposes, I seek out new establishments to discover. While earlier on I reviewed anything calling itself a coffeehouse, I currently try to avoid reviews that will offer only criticism (there are exceptions of course).
Please note that many of the posts pre-2008 are in need of updating/revisiting (i.e. they're not up to snuff); I am in the midst of overhauling many of them but I can only get to a few at a time.

Mugged: Objective reviews of coffees, teas or other related products in my home laboratory.
Most often, these are coffees or teas sent to me from various roasters/purveyors looking for feedback. I outline my process here for further reading (note that the rating system is a little different here).

Other
About 2% of the time, I will throw up a post on something not fitting into the top two categories. Tis rare, but every now and then something deserves a little attention.


Rating System

Each establishment or coffee is rated by quality and appeal, so please use the following key to better aid in your browsing:

Pretty Bad Marks
1+ = poor (avoid)
2+ = ok (not really worth your time)

Fair to Decent Rating
3+ = average (worth a go)
4+ = good (a pleasant experience)

HIGH Accolades
5+ = really good (a fine specimen)
6+ = amazing (huzzah!)

Things to Note

1. I base my reviews first on my tongue.
2. I don’t do flavored coffees. Sorry.
3. I am not rich. I mention this to debunk the notion that one needs a big budget to have such adventures. I also mention this to emphasize that I do this blog out of love and any kind of support to this blog’s future would be so very much appreciated.
4. Please note I do not guest posts.
5. Please don't send me infographics.

About Conflicts of Interest

From time to time, I will work as a consultant or work with a specific coffee company to boost their products. This can include sponsored content (which is ALWAYS noted within the post/social media), behind-the-scenes help or even on the street work.

To keep things honest and avoid conflicts of interest, if I am engaged in any level of contracted work with a coffee or tea company, I will usually keep their products/services off the blog and social media. In the event I do put said company on the blog or social media, I will explicitly state my relationship with the respective content.

For further discourse, please contact me at bill.purecoffee@gmail.com

OR contact me on social media:

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Overall, thank you for reading and keeping the Pure Coffee Blog alive. From day one, each interaction has shaped and schooled my knowledge, a facet of life-long learning that is both humbling and intriguing. All in all, it’s been a great expedition; here's to many more years of adventure!