May 14th 2015
How Many Kinds of Wine Are There, Anyway?
“What kind of wine is this?” is a question heard frequently in the Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge wine corner. Wine is categorized and merchandised so many different ways today that it's not surprising
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May 12th 2015
Coffee Cupping with Stumptown Coffee Roasters
Coffee cupping at Stumptown Coffee Roasters
Last month I spent a long weekend in the undisputed coffee capital of America -- Seattle. Even though I missed the US Coffee Championships by a few days, I
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Apr 9th 2015
Vieilles Vignes: Do Old Vines Make Better Wine?
Gnarly 90 year-old grenache vines in the Languedoc
Vieilles vignes is a phrase you frequently see on French wine labels. These are somewhat mysterious words since, though it’s obvious they refer to vi
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Mar 17th 2015
Matcha, Sencha, Gyokuro, Hojicha: A Guide to Ippodo's Japanese Green Teas
Ippodo Matcha
Matcha, gyokuro, sencha, hojicha, these are familiar terms to Japanese tea lovers, but to many Americans they’re still pretty obscure. To be honest, I think it’s hard to find really gre
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Jun 23rd 2014
Getting to Know Your Syrups: Molasses, Sorghum, Cane Syrup and Golden Syrup
Steen’s Cane Syrup
Profile:
Golden brown, sweet, molasses-like flavor without the bitterness, not too thick - maple-syrup-esque viscosity.
Process:
Let’s start from the beginning, with the sugarcane
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Nov 15th 2013
Traditional Balsamic Vinegar in Reggio Emilia, Italy
Driving through the disorienting January fog along the narrow, winding roads of Reggio Emilia, we were grateful to have a guide. Andrea Bezzecchi had picked us up from the Reggio Emilia train station
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