Jerry Baldwin

Jerry Baldwin is co-founder of Starbucks in Seattle, where he was the first roaster and coffee buyer. More

Gerald Baldwin purchased Peet's Coffee and Tea in Berkeley, California, in 1984, and worked diligently to sustain the vision of the founder, Alfred Peet. He remains involved as a member of the board of directors. Jerry was a co-founder of Starbucks in Seattle, where he was the first roaster and coffee buyer. He remained involved until 1987 when he sold the company of eight stores. He accepts no credit (or blame) for the ensuing twenty-odd years. He also serves as a member of the board of TechnoServe a non-profit NGO working to alleviate poverty in Africa and Latin America. He has also been Chairman and Trustee of Coffee Quality Institute and President and Director of Association Scientific Internationale du Café (ASIC). Baldwin is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Specialty Coffee Association of America www.scaa.org, where he served as a director of the SCAA, and the the founding chairman of its Technical Standards Committee. Jerry was honored as Coffeeman of the Year for North America by Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, and he is an honorary member of the Kilimanjaro Specialty Coffee Growers Association, known as Kilicafe. Baldwin was a founding director of Red Hook Ale Brewery and a founding contributor of the American Institute of Wine and Food. He writes in Sonoma County, California, a few miles from M.F.K. Fisher's home in Glen Ellen, looking over his small vineyard. Jerry and his wife, Jane, produce small crops of olive oil and Zinfandel in the Valley of the Moon.

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Brewing an Antidote to Poverty: Coffee

Brewing an Antidote to Poverty: Coffee

A Gates-funded initiative is giving African farmers the skills to grow top-notch specialty coffee—and a new way of life More »

Coffee Service: Let It (and Me) Linger, Please

Coffee Service: Let It (and Me) Linger, Please

An expert argues that timing is nearly as important as taste—and he likes his espresso with dessert, thank you More »

Husks, Not Beans: An Ethiopian Coffee Tradition

Husks, Not Beans: An Ethiopian Coffee Tradition

Few coffee-producing regions brew what they grow, but in this country's villages, every part of the fruit is the stuff of ritual More »

In Hotels, Coffee Damage Control

In Hotels, Coffee Damage Control

Stuck in a room with a cheap drip machine? Here are some fixes for a better, maybe decent, brew. More »

Fahrenheit 200: Coffee's Best Friend

Fahrenheit 200: Coffee's Best Friend

Buying a drip machine? Don't be lured by fancy features—it's all about the brewing temperature. More »

Making the Most of Drip Coffee

Making the Most of Drip Coffee

Press pots produce the fullest-flavor brew, but drip pots can make a good cup, if you follow these guidelines. More »

The Right Way to Brew Iced Coffee

The Right Way to Brew Iced Coffee

Cold brewing--favored by some--creates weak coffee. Why hot brewing is the method for iced coffee. More »

A Different Kind of Coffee

A Different Kind of Coffee

Qishr, a beverage made from the husks of coffee beans, is a a staple of Ethiopian breakfasts. More »

Iced Coffee: The Expert's Guide

Iced Coffee: The Expert's Guide

The secret to making iced coffee is the same as for brewing it hot: start with strong, fresh coffee. More »

Can Caffeine Prevent Alzheimer's?

A new study says it can help reverse some of the effects of the disease on mice. But what about humans? More »

In Defense of Decaf

In Defense of Decaf

The author defends decaffeinated coffee and discusses the major methods for removing caffeine from beans. More »

Arabica vs. Robusta: No Contest

Arabica vs. Robusta: No Contest

A history of the world's two most popular species of coffee--and an explanation of why Arabica is superior. More »

Where to Buy Fresh Coffee

Where to Buy Fresh Coffee

Advice on where to buy the freshest coffee possible, no matter where you live--and questions to ask the people who sell the beans. Though most Americans buy their coffee at the supermarket, there are two other places to look that offer much wider options for fresh coffee. More »

Buying Coffee at the Supermarket

Buying Coffee at the Supermarket

The supermarket is where two-thirds of all coffee in the U.S. is sold, despite the rise of specialty shops. With all the options available, it can be difficult to decide which beans to buy. Finding fresh beans at the local supermarket is difficult but not impossible. The author explains how. More »

Developing a Taste for Fresh Coffee

Developing a Taste for Fresh Coffee

Appreciating the distinct taste of fresh, straight-from-the-roaster coffee can be a slow process. The author shows how to train your taste buds to know fresh coffee when you drink it and offers tips for preventing beans from going stale. More »

What Health Studies on Coffee Miss

What Health Studies on Coffee Miss

After reading a summary of the latest scientific findings about coffee, the author explains why researchers need standard definitions for the beverage's two most important components. But fortunately, the news about coffee's effect on health is mostly good. More »

For Better Coffee, Store Your Beans

For Better Coffee, Store Your Beans

Coffee beans are fresh when they come out of the roaster. But if you want your coffee to stay fresh, be sure to buy whole beans (never pre-ground) and store them properly, as oxygen, time, and temperature are a true coffee fan's worst enemies. More »

Man, That Was Coffee!

Man, That Was Coffee!

Reminiscing about lost coffee blends, the author wonders if memory enhances the perceived flavor of the unobtainable. More »

For Good Espresso, Insist on Arabica

For Good Espresso, Insist on Arabica

Espresso makers, here and across the pond, sometimes use Robusta to try to be "more Italian." But the best stuff is all Arabica. Here's why--and what it means about the increasingly large role America plays in coffee. More »

Press Pots: Coffee Worth the Effort

Press Pots: Coffee Worth the Effort

It transmits oils and sediment, the entire coffee flavor, and--because the filter isn't paper--nothing else. It's a little more work but the resulting flavor is worth it. Once you switch to a press pot, you'll never use drip again. More »

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