coffee

Nori and Sarah Kozuma opened up the Horseshoe Cafe on Newmarket’s main drag last year.

The Bay Area-transplants, married and heavily tattooed, divide the duties: Sarah handles the baking, including fresh breads, spreads, and a few pastries. Nori is the one-man coffee department, doing everything from importing to roasting.

“So I’m still baby roaster. We normally say about 10 years to be called a roast master,” Nori says with a laugh.

While he may classify a novice, Kozuma knows more about coffee than he’s letting on.

That cup of coffee you had this morning came a long way before you poured it.

Certified coffee taster Emeran Langmaid has spent the past 15 years getting to know coffee growers in Latin America, and mastering the art of roasting coffee here in New Hampshire. She owns A&E Coffee in Amherst, and Manchester New Hampshire. 

Langmaid flies to Honduras to judge a coffee competition in a couple of weeks, but NHPR's Natasha Haverty caught up with her right here in New Hampshire as she sampled her latest batch.

The weekday morning rush is in full effect at the McDonald’s in Concord’s South End. Customers are ordering Egg McMuffins at the counter; commuters are lined up in the drive-thru lane.

Oh, and nine members of the Concord Police Department are here, including Lieutenant John Thomas.

The A&E Custom Coffee Roastery in Amherst is hosting a latte art throwdown. We decided to learn more about how latte art is made and judged.

Sam Delay really knows his coffee.

“This espresso that we’re using is our bonbon espresso blend.”

Delay is a trainer and wholesale account manager at A&E. And, as a barista, he puts a lot of pride in his art, describing the exact weight of the coffee grounds, the time it takes to pour, the volume of a double-shot and so on.

“Mugs that are very good for pouring art have a very curved bottom.”

Running a business that puts its profits into nonprofits isn't new - but the most common business we see is usually a thrift store.

A new coffeeshop in Manchester, called City Cafe, is using food and drink to boost nonprofit groups.

Some predict we're on the verge of a 'coffee revolution' here in NH, and a small Bedford-based roaster is leading the charge.

Organizers expected a nice, somewhat modest turnout for the first try at a New Hampshire Coffee Festival. But then, putting a sign out on Main Street that essentially says “free coffee” has a tendency to over-deliver.

“I literally cried in awe of the turnout and the people coming downtown to celebrate the Coffee Festival with us," promotions committee member Lori Chandler said.