Barista + Coffee Blogger | CaffeineGalore

Micro-Chains: the Worst of Both Worlds or a Brilliant Business Strategy?

Micro-Chains: the Worst of Both Worlds or a Brilliant Business Strategy?

I once wrote a post on my blog about the idea of ‘fifth wave coffee’, back at the time when I was actually working in management at a company who fell into this category. Therefore, when looking back over it quite recently, I realised that I subconsciously leaned over to its favourable side, when actually my true beliefs aren't all that rosey. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t going to be a post which just sits down and slates the concept of micro-chain coffee shops and how terr

The Instagram Influence: Social Media's Role in the Growth of the Specialty Coffee Industry

The Instagram Influence: Social Media's Role in the Growth of the Specialty Coffee Industry

If you're sat in a specialty coffee shop, it's pretty likely that at some point you'll spot someone rearranging their mugs, cakes and avocados on toasts to make their layout as aesthetically pleasing as possible. Why? Well it won't fit the theme of their Instagram feed, of course. This blog post is all about the influence that Instagram has had on the growth of the specialty coffee industry (and vice versa). These two are partners in crime: I honestly believe you couldn't hav

The War of the Cappuccinos.

Sounds like a spoofy horror/thriller movie, doesn't it? Haha - no, I'm talking about what is a huge differentiation between the 'cappuccinos', especially when you look at them between the major chains next ot the speciality shops. This is largely due to the chains being inspired from an Italian heritage, where the cappuccino is a very frothy drink to be enjoyed in the morning. Speciality, instead, focuses more on the texturing of milk in a way which a) produces aesthetically

Outpost Coffee: Timber Town (Espresso) Review

Birmingham Coffee Festival 2017

Birmingham Coffee Festival 2017

Ah, Birmingham. I grew up there you know? Well, I didn’t - I actually grew up in Worcestershire. However, it’s a helluva lot more easier to say I’m from Birmingham where people actually know is a place (although are hilariously still unsure of its whereabouts!) rather than saying i’m from a place which receives the response of ‘oh, like the sauce’? Birmingham was home to the first ever coffee shop I worked in, and I look back fondly at my 16 year old self who thought they wer

Being a Barista: What they don't tell you.

Being a Barista: What they don't tell you.

Ah, being a barista is - on the whole - a pretty fun job to have. They're featured in so much of pop culture now you'd expect it to be more of a glamorous job than what it actually is. Most of us have seen how infuriated Rachel became at Central Perk, and more recently how much Emma Stone's character in La La Land truly wanted out. Heck, if you know me well enough you'll know that I'm actually trying to advance in my career and move away from the Barista life. I get so many p

Confessions of a Speciality Barista #1: Coffee Notes Don’t Mean Much to the Average Person (Or in th

Confessions of a Speciality Barista #1: Coffee Notes Don’t Mean Much to the Average Person (Or in th

I’m starting this confessional series off with a very controversial topic - well hey, start as you mean to go on as I say. This series will be dedicated to certain aspects of the coffee industry which those involved in the industry don’t usually tell you. I know, interesting right? Most of the time, we aren’t meant to tell you, so I feel like I’m disobeying the secret services of coffee by revealing this insider knowledge. So to start off this series, I thought I would focus