The Thinking Cup Blog

With the growing popularity of coffee culture in Boston, what most coffee lovers are looking for is to be served coffee prepared by a perfect barista. A barista who understands the art of coffee and knows the benefits of offering great services to customers is the boost to the growth of a coffee shop bar. Because there are quite a number of coffee shops in Boston city, you might be wondering which one to visit for a delicious cup of coffee. In a competition held in 2013 dubbed Coffee fest, head barista Cabell Tice from the North End shop scooped...

Consumers are willing to shell out large sums of money for specialty beers, artisanal cheeses and expensive wines, but it seems another specialty food item is also fetching a fair price—third-wave coffee. The U.S. drinks about 400 million cups of coffee daily, which fuels a $30 billion industry in the states alone. While large chains account for a decent portion of the industry, third-wave coffee is being propelled forwards by coffee lovers and connoisseurs across the country. One of the best known third-wave roasters is Stumptown Coffee, which was first brought to Boston by Thinking Cup. To those that prefer...

Portland-based third-wave coffee revolutionary, Stumptown Coffee, truly treats roasting coffee as an art. With roasteries in Seattle, Brooklyn and Portland, they’ve shown coffee connoisseurs around the U.S. exactly what they’ve been missing. Stumptown Coffee was first brought to the city of Boston by Thinking Cup, which currently has 3 locations in the city. Curious as to what goes into roasting Stumptown’s exceptional coffee? First the coffee is scooped into a bucket on a scale so that the amount of coffee being roasted is known. It is then poured into the loader, which is a new machine. The other machines used...

If you’re a die-hard Boston coffee lover, you may have wondered why others don’t quite feel the same. Believe it or not, it may be due in part to genetics! A new study led by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health reported to have found that genetics played a part in an individual’s “need” for coffee. Ironically, these genes may not have anything to do with taste buds! In an analysis of 120,000 individuals that regularly drank coffee from dozens of studies, scientists were able to identify 6 gene variations connected specifically to caffeine...

Caffeine drinkers in the U.S. absolutely adore coffee. In fact, approximately 60% of those in the U.S. ages 18 or older reported they drink coffee—according to a recent report by the National Coffee Association. Zagat, however, found that the number was probably closer to 80% according to their coffee survey. Coffee has, especially recently, been linked to a number of health benefits—everything from boosting calorie-burning during workouts to reducing risks of cancer. Of course the quality of the coffee must play a factor, Third Wave Coffee drinkers should potentially have the most to gain considering how carefully and naturally their...