Caffeine – Volume 33

Caffeine is a magazine championing independent and speciality coffee in the UK and abroad. Riding the “third wave” of the coffee industry, we aim to entertain and inform our readers about their daily cup of Joe. Be it espresso, filter, V60, syphon or humble French press (aka the cafetière), we want to make your home coffee experience as good as the one in your favourite coffee shop, and to share news, views and developments on the coffee scene.

In the summer sunshine – even the unpredictable British summer sunshine – thoughts turn to cold drinks. So in this issue of Caffeine we take a look at various cold coffee beverages available to connoisseurs. So make sure the ice is stocked up in your freezer and take a look inside… We start in the chiller cabinets. You can barely enter a supermarket these days without spotting yet another bottle, can or carton of cold brew or flavoured coffee drink, so we sent Mersa Auda to explore the world of refrigerated coffee. Discover what she found. We’re not the only ones who have noticed that brewing beer and roasting coffee have many aspects in common. We pay a visit to Uppers & Downers Festival in Hackney Wick to sample the newest batch of coffee beers and learn about new collaborations between roasters and brewers. Talking of brewing, take a look at our new tea section of The Grind, where we persuaded Don Mei of Mei Leaf to share his views. At Caffeine we’ve always maintained that the grinder is perhaps the most crucial element for the domestic barista; with that in mind we put three grinders for the home espresso guru through their paces. This issue also sees the launch of two new regular features: one profiling coffee shop owners, in this case Matt and Rachel Ho of Craving Coffee, and one introducing a signature drink designed exclusively for us by Joe Brayford of @todays_tipple Grab yourself a cold one and read on!