Who am I?
The Author
See that cover picture up there? That’s no stock photo. That is a photograph of me competing in an annual coffee and latte art competition. Welcome to the Hearty Brew! I’m Sean, the author and founder behind this site. Pleasure to meet you.
Long story short, I’m a specialty coffee barista and latte art enthusiast. I’ve been in the coffee industry across two countries and have had the privilege of working across multiple cafés, from the quaint ones, to the touristy ones, up ’til the corporate ones. I’m also an author at Perfect Daily Grind – one of the world’s leading publications on all things coffee. Experience? Check. Passion? Double-check!
My Mission
“The Hearty Brew’s mission is to make coffee simple and fun – to help you learn how to brew the best tasting, barista-quality coffee right from home!”
If you’re new to the coffee world, it can seem so complicated. What’s the difference between a classic drip coffee maker and a semi-automatic DeLonghi? Which better suits you for home? What on earth is an espresso? (Hint: it’s nothing to do with Nespresso.)
Sure, the internet is full of information. But everything is so scattered and confusing. Because of this, some people feel put off or too shy to ask. This should never be the case! As a barista who’s interacted with hundreds of customers, I especially love it when customers genuinely want to learn more about coffee, and I’m happy to share that.
Here at The Hearty Brew, you’ll find a treasure trove of content to guide you on how to brew the best, barista-quality coffee right from your kitchen. If you want to learn about French Press coffee, you’ll find detailed guides and reviews. If it’s espresso-based drinks, you’ll get a step-by-step roadmap to take you there. A magician never reveals his secrets…but this barista does!
Coffee Made Simple – that’s the very mission of this site, and my promise to you. See you inside.
My Methods
- All the content on The Hearty Brew is 100% planned, researched, written and edited by me to the highest possible standards. I don’t use freelance writers or ghostwriters. For guest posts, I will make sure that, as Editor-in-Chief, I vet each article before it goes live. This way, everything we publish is accurate and you can truly trust it.
- As much as possible, I try to get practical, hands-on experience with the items reviewed on this site, but this isn’t always possible (I’d be a very broke barista if I bought every coffee maker out there to test it out). So, I rely on extensive online feedback from real customers, scrutinizing product videos, and reaching out to the manufacturers to ask certain questions. One article alone takes days of research, and this is valuable time I hope to save you from spending!
- By spending time in my local cafes, talking to my fellow baristas and coffee roasters, I get their opinion and critique of coffee makers, beans, equipment, etc. Behind the scenes, I jump at the chance of testing out their coffee machines. I also chat with friends who work in coffee companies, such as Segafredo, which is a massive corporation that franchises cafés. Their local branch here stocks pretty much every single coffee machine under the sun.
What's In It For You?
If you want…
- Professional coffee advice from someone who walks the talk, and is based off real world experience…
- Coffee equipment advice based off customer experiences and not commercial sales pages…
- Content explained in clear, concise and simple English…
- A real fine cup of coffee right from home!
Then, this site is for you. Let’s embark on our journey, to discover all you need to know about brewing a beautiful, hearty coffee.