All roads lead to coffee
Coffee is the most popular beverage in the world after water. Over 500 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide every year. Although 100 million people in the United States drink coffee every day, the U.S. is not even among the top 20 countries in per capita coffee consumption.
Coffee Crossroads is committed to being the best online destination for interesting and educational information about the world of coffee — with some fun thrown in. If you are a coffee drinker, or you want to learn more about coffee, this site is for you.
Coffee 101: Things You Should Know about Coffee
Coffee Roasts from Light to Dark
What's your favorite coffee roast? Dark? Light? Somewhere in between? Here's a "coffee 101” guide to coffee roasts from light to dark. The degree to which coffee beans are roasted is one of the most important factors that determine the taste of the coffee in the cup. Before roasting, green coffee beans are soft, with a fresh "grassy" smell and little or no taste. The coffee roasting process … Read more »
More Top Articles
How-to guides & tips
How to Store Coffee to Keep It Fresh
To enjoy the best possible cup of coffee at home, make sure your coffee is always fresh. Coffee is perishable. Coffee beans begin to lose their freshness soon after they are roasted. As coffee loses freshness, its natural flavors and aromas are diminished. So, all things being equal, the sooner … Read more »
The Coffee Business
High-Flying Coffee: Airline Coffee on Major U.S. Passenger Air Carriers
Do you drink coffee when you fly? The quality of airline coffee can vary substantially, but the trend, at least among the major air carriers, is towards more gourmet coffees. This guide to the coffee served by the major U.S. passenger airlines will show you what kind of coffee to expect when you … Read More »
Recommended coffees
San Francisco Bay Fog Chaser OneCups™
This is a strong, rich coffee that lives up to its name. San Francisco Bay Fog Chaser coffee provides a perfect way to start your day. If you live in San Francisco or have ever visited, you know that the beauty of the city is often obscured by fog. When the fog is gone, the City by the Bay … Read more »
Gear for your coffee life
“We Are Happy to Serve You” Coffee Cup
If you bought coffee at any coffee shop, diner, or deli in New York City during the past 50 years, chances are you drank it from the iconic "We Are Happy to Serve You" cup, also known as the Anthora cup. The blue, gold, and white paper cup with the Greek-inspired design was everywhere. Friendly … Read more »
Friis Coffee Vault™ Coffee Storage Canister
Keeping coffee fresh to preserve its taste has always been a challenge. The shelf life of roasted coffee is short: about a month for whole beans, only one or two weeks for ground coffee. The Friis Coffee Vault™ coffee storage canister is an innovative solution to the coffee storage … Read more »
Coffee History
The Origin of Coffee: Kaldi and the Dancing Goats
The origin of coffee? I never really thought about it. When I was a kid, coffee was always around. My parents drank coffee, my grandparents drank coffee, all the adults I knew drank coffee. I assumed I would drink it too when I was older, and of course, I did. But there must have been a time … Read more »
U.S. Coffee Rationing in World War II
How much coffee do you drink? Could you get by with half as much? That's what American civilians had to do during eight months of U.S. coffee rationing in World War II. Despite record coffee production in Brazil and other Latin American countries, the coffee supply in the U.S. was dwindling as a … Read more »
Coffee and Your Health
Coffee Drinkers Have Lower Risk of Death from Major Causes
In a study of more than 400,000 participants, researchers have reported that coffee drinkers have lower risk of death from most major causes, with the exception of cancer. The study shows significant inverse associations of coffee consumption with deaths from all causes. Specifically, coffee … Read more »
The art of coffee
Coffee Advertising Posters by Leonetto Cappiello
Leonetto Cappiello (1875 - 1942) is often called “the father of modern advertising” as a result of the revolutionary design aesthetic he brought to early 20th century advertising posters. Although he was also recognized as an outstanding painter, illustrator, and caricaturist, Cappiello is most … Read more »
Coffee Cup Collages by Megan Coyle
Virginia artist and illustrator Megan Coyle creates beautiful, colorful collages from magazine cut-outs. Several of her collages feature a cup of coffee. Never has a simple coffee cup looked so appealing! Besides coffee cups, Coyle's collages include numerous other still life subjects, as well as … Read more »
