Knowledge Base
Coffee & Tea Guides
Brew better and explore more — buying guides, how-tos, and explainers for every coffee and tea ritual.
Explainer
What Is a Cortado? The Balanced Espresso-and-Milk Drink
A cortado is espresso "cut" with an equal amount of warm steamed milk and barely any foam. Here is the ratio, the Gibraltar connection, and how to make one.
Explainer
What Is a Coffee Break? History and Culture
A coffee break is a short rest from work for coffee and a pause. Here is where the ritual came from, how it spread worldwide, and why a brief pause actually helps.
Explainer
What Is a Coffee Bar? From Espresso Counter to Home Setup
A coffee bar can mean two things: the classic Italian-style espresso counter where you order and drink standing, or the home coffee station trend. Here is what each one really is and how to build a great one.
Explainer
What Is a Chai Latte? The Spiced-Tea Cafe Drink
A chai latte is spiced black tea combined with steamed milk and a little sweetness. Here is how it works, how it differs from masala chai, and what a dirty chai is.
Explainer
What Is a Cat Cafe? The Coffee-and-Cats Experience
A cat cafe is a coffee shop where you sip a drink among resident cats. Here is how the concept started, how cat cafes actually run, and the etiquette that keeps cats happy.
Explainer
Cafe au Lait, Cafe con Leche and Coffee with Milk
A cafe au lait is brewed coffee with hot milk in roughly equal parts. Here is how it differs from a latte, how cafe con leche compares, and how to make each at home.
Explainer
What Is a Brunch Cafe? The All-Day Coffee-and-Food Spot
A brunch cafe blends a specialty coffee shop with an all-day breakfast kitchen. Here is what defines one, what is on the menu, and how it differs from a diner or bakery.
Explainer
What Is a Barista? The Role, Skills and Craft Explained
A barista is the trained person who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks. Here is what the role really involves: the craft, the skills, the speed and the path from beginner to expert.
Explainer
What Does a Coffee Roaster Do? Roasting Explained
A coffee roaster turns raw green beans into the fragrant brown beans you brew. Here is what happens inside the roast, from first crack to flavor, and the craft and machines behind it.
Explainer
What Are Tapioca Pearls? The Boba Behind Bubble Tea
Tapioca pearls are the chewy "bubbles" in bubble tea. Here's what boba is made of, why it's so springy, how it's cooked, and how it differs from popping boba.
Explainer
What Are Coffee Beans? A Complete Guide
Coffee beans are the roasted seeds of the coffee cherry, the fruit of the Coffea plant. Here is a clear beginner guide to Arabica vs Robusta, green vs roasted, roast levels, single-origin vs blend, and how a bean becomes your cup.
Explainer
Twisted Tea Drink: What It Is and How It's Made
Twisted Tea is a hard iced tea: real brewed black tea blended with a malt alcohol base and natural flavors, around 5% ABV. Here is what it is, how it is made, the flavors, and how it differs from regular iced tea.
Explainer
Tea Gardens: How Tea Is Grown and Harvested
A tea garden is a farm where the Camellia sinensis plant is grown and plucked. Here is how tea goes from bush to cup, plus a tour of the world's famous growing regions.
Explainer
Tea Bags vs Loose Leaf: Which Should You Choose?
Tea bags win on speed; loose leaf tea wins on flavor and value. Here is the honest, plain-English breakdown of leaf quality, re-steeping, microplastics, cost, and compost so you can pick the right one for your cup.
Explainer
Tea and Herbs: How Herbal Blends Are Made
Tea and herbs combine in two ways: a true-tea base flavored with botanicals, or a caffeine-free herbal infusion. Here is how blends are built and how to mix your own.
Explainer
Indonesian Sumatra Coffee: Flavor, Origins & Brewing
Sumatra coffee is the earthy, full-bodied, low-acid cup the world knows from Indonesia. Here is why its wet-hulled processing tastes like nothing else, plus the key regions and how to brew it.
Explainer
Stumptown Coffee Roasters: The Brand, Explained
Who is the Stumptown coffee roaster everyone talks about? Here is the full story: the 1999 Portland founding, the Hair Bender espresso blend, direct-trade sourcing, the cold brew that helped start a craze, and what the brand is today.
How-To
How to Make a Strawberry Matcha Latte at Home
A strawberry matcha latte layers sweet strawberry, creamy milk, and whisked green matcha. Here is the full recipe, hot and iced, plus ratios and clump-free tips.
Explainer
Starbucks Fan Favorites: Medicine Ball, PSL & Dragon Drink
The Medicine Ball at Starbucks, the PSL and the Dragon Drink are three of the most-ordered fan favorites. Here is what each one actually is, how baristas build it, and why the "secret menu" is not really a menu at all.
Explainer
What Is Starbucks Reserve and the Reserve Roastery?
Starbucks Reserve is the company's premium, small-lot, single-origin coffee line — and the Reserve Roasteries are giant theatres where those beans are roasted, brewed, and served as espresso, pour-over, cold brew, and cocktails.
Explainer
How Starbucks Gift Cards and eGift Cards Work
A clear, trademark-safe guide to how a Starbucks gift card and digital eGift card work: buying, sending, registering in the app, reloading, checking your balance, and earning Stars.
Explainer
The Starbucks Drinks Menu, Explained
A plain-English tour of the Starbucks drinks menu, from hot espresso classics and brewed coffee to Frappuccinos, cold brew, Refreshers and the Teavana tea range, plus how customization works.
Explainer
Starbucks Cup Sizes, Explained: Short to Trenta
Short, Tall, Grande, Venti, Trenta: a clear, trademark-safe guide to what every Starbucks cup size means, in ounces and millilitres, and why Venti changes hot vs iced.
Explainer
Spearmint Tea: Benefits and How to Make It
Spearmint tea is a caffeine-free mint tisane traditionally used to soothe digestion and freshen breath, with small studies pointing to a gentle anti-androgen effect. Here is what the evidence says and how to brew it.