Notes from Freda is a place for me to expand on some of the thoughts, ideas and conversations that come up while I’m working in the café.

I have a lot of conversations with customers at Bond Street Coffee about speciality coffee, from making better espresso and brewing filter coffee at home to roasting, sourcing and why a particular coffee tastes the way it does. When you’re in the middle of a busy service, though, it’s not always the easiest time to properly get into these things!

This blog gives me somewhere to think about those conversations a little more carefully and expand on them. You’ll find practical coffee brewing tips and advice, thoughts on espresso and filter coffee, things I’ve learnt from roasting coffee, and probably the occasional opinion I’ve developed after nearly two decades of working in cafés.

Hopefully, there’s something useful in here to help you make better coffee.