ABOUT ME

ABOUT ME

Have you ever been drinking a cup of coffee and then thought to yourself:

‘Hm, I wonder where this delicious beverage comes from?’

If so, you have come to the right place.

You see, coffee is everywhere today: At home, in the office, in the café around the corner. 

But at the same time, most people have no idea where this magical black powder comes from or how it’s produced. They know that some farmers in Brazil were probably involved, and that’s about it. 

I started this site, so more people could learn what coffee is really about. 

What you can expect

Interviews

I interview some of the most interesting people in the coffee industry and go in-depth with geeky topics.

Brew guides

There’s so much wrong information out there about brewing. Here you’ll learn how to brew like a genuine third wave barista.

Reviews

We give you reviews of the best coffee gear out there. Solid gear is an essential step to the ideal brew.

welcome to my site

My name is Asser Christensen, and I’m a journalist and Q Arabica Grader hailing from Denmark.

I have been crazy about caffeine for almost as long as I can remember.

About a decade ago, I started roasting coffee at home in my oven. The first beans were pretty dark and scorched, but it somehow got me hooked. After some time, I got it right, and once you have gotten used to drinking freshly roasted coffee, there is no way back.

Being a journalist by trade, it was only natural that I would write about my passion, and that’s how my first Danish coffee website was launched in 2015.

Initially, the plan was to use it as a coffee diary so that other geeks could get inspiration about coffee and roasting, but before I knew, the site had turned into an all-consuming endeavor.

At the same time, I started freelancing for several of the biggest online coffee sites. Before I knew it, I had gone from being a regular reporter to becoming ‘The Coffee Chronicler.’

The Q Grader license is the coffee world’s version of the sommelier title. In order to pass you have to go through 20 rigorous tests.
I launched my Danish coffee website in 2015

However, the more I wrote about coffee and visited coffee farms and events in far-away countries, I realized that coffee is an international brotherhood of sorts.

Sure, I could continue writing about obscure coffee shops in my mother tongue, but to be honest, way more people would be able to follow the journey if I took the leap and started a site in English. So that’s the genesis of the website you’re browsing right now. 

About the Q grader license

Today, I’m privileged to have connections across the entire coffee value chain, from farmers and baristas to roasters. I want to share this wealth of knowledge with you, the readers.

As of September 2018, I proudly earned the title of a licensed Q Grader.

The Q Grader license is akin to the sommelier title in the wine and food industry. Managed by the Specialty Coffee Association’s (SCA) charitable fund, Coffee Quality Institute (CQI), it stands as the most esteemed certification in the coffee world. To obtain this license, one must successfully complete 20 challenging tests. These tests focus on sensory and olfactory skills, many of which are conducted blind under special red light conditions to eliminate visual cues like roast degree. The examination also includes green bean (raw coffee) grading and comprehensive coffee knowledge.

It’s important to note that the Q Grader license is valid for only three years. Consequently, I renewed mine in 2021.

Pursuing a Q Grader certification is both expensive and time-intensive. However, in an online environment rife with subjective opinions and intuition, I believe it’s important with some perspective grounded in objective standards.

Unfortunately, the coffee world is still riddled with misinformation and outdated concepts. My goal is to dismantle these myths and urban legends, replacing them with substantive, accurate information about coffee beans, equipment, and brewing techniques.

If you have any questions or ideas, please get in touch either here, or catch me over on Instagram

Thanks for reading. 

Taking notes as Sensory Judge at the ASEAN Open Roastmaster Championship
I renewed the Q Grader license in 2021 by passing a calibration test. The certificate is valid for three years.

Media Appearances/Selected work

huffpost in the media
HuffPost, Jul 2021
crema magazine february
Crema Magazine, Feb 2022
Global Coffee Report Nov 2019
Daily Coffee News 2019
Sprudge, Jan 2017
perfect daily grind portfolio
Perfect Daily Grind, Feb 2017