The Birds and the Bees and Coffee, Calibrating Espresso Recipes, and Timing Kombucha Flavoring

• Birds and Bees Combined Give Big Boost to Coffee Crops, Study Shows

  By Daily Coffee News Staff for Roast Magazine

  “’The combined positive effects of birds and bees on fruit set, fruit weight, and fruit uniformity — key factors in quality and price — were greater than their individual effects,’ the researchers wrote. ‘Without birds and bees, the average yield declined nearly 25%, valued at roughly $1,066 per hectare.’”

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• A guide to calibrating your espresso recipes

  By Shaun Aupiais for Perfect Daily Grind

  “In coffee shops across the world, one of the most common challenges baristas face is ensuring that espresso extraction remains consistent throughout each day. Ultimately, creating repeatable recipes for espresso leads to more consistent-tasting coffee, thereby increasing customer satisfaction. However, in order to extract espresso consistently, baristas must have an in-depth understanding of several extraction variables and how they influence coffee flavour. These include dose, yield, and extraction time.”

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• When Is the Best Time to Add Flavor to Your Kombucha?

  By Lauren Rothman for Tasting Table

  “Naturally sweet ingredients such as fruit and fruit juice will add an extra amount of sugar for the SCOBY bacteria to consume, releasing carbonation as a result. Sealing the kombucha in an airtight bottle will trap that carbonation, creating the nice fizz we all crave in kombucha.”

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