About My Coffee Source
My Coffee Source is an independent publication about coffee. It covers equipment, brewing technique, bean origins, coffee culture, and recipes for people who take their coffee seriously without taking themselves too seriously.
The site was founded by Sara Donovan, a food scientist and coffee writer based in Edinburgh. Sara built it because the coffee content she could find online either assumed too much knowledge or too little interest. She wanted somewhere that explained things properly: why a technique works, not just that it does. What a specification means for the cup, not just what it says on the box. Where a bean comes from and why that matters for how it tastes, not just what flavour notes the roaster has printed on the bag.
What we cover
Five categories cover the subject from equipment to culture.
Coffee Gear Reviews covers everything from entry-level grinders and cafetières to high-end espresso machines and precision brewing tools. Equipment is assessed against what the buyer actually needs. A well-made budget grinder that produces consistent results for filter brewing is reviewed on those terms. No equipment is dismissed because it is affordable, and none is recommended simply because it is expensive.
Coffee Bean Origins covers the geography, processing methods, and flavour profiles of beans from different producing regions. Ethiopia, Colombia, Guatemala, Yemen, Indonesia: each produces coffee with distinct characteristics shaped by altitude, climate, soil, and the decisions made by producers at every stage from harvest to processing. Understanding origin is one of the most direct routes to understanding why your coffee tastes the way it does.
Brewing Methods covers technique in depth and without condescension. Pour-over, espresso, AeroPress, French press, moka pot, cold brew, siphon: each has its own logic, its own variables, and its own margin for error. Reviews and guides in this section explain the reasoning behind technique rather than just the steps.
Coffee Culture covers the broader world of coffee: history, geography, economics, and the people and places that shape how we drink. Why Italian espresso culture developed the way it did. How specialty coffee changed the industry. What the third wave actually means and whether it is still happening.
Coffee Recipes covers drinks you can make at home, written with the same attention to technique that applies across the rest of the site.
How content works here
Every piece of equipment reviewed on this site has been used. Grinders are tested with the same beans at multiple settings. Brewers are used across different coffee types and roast levels. The aim is to understand how something performs across a range of use cases, not just in the optimal conditions a manufacturer would choose for a demo.
Brewing guides are written from direct experience. Where a technique has a scientific basis, the science is explained in plain terms. Where something is a matter of preference rather than fact, it is presented as such.
The site does not carry advertising. It does not accept payment for reviews or recommendations. Equipment covered has either been purchased independently or received as a review sample, which is noted clearly in the relevant article.
Get in touch
Use the contact page for review sample requests, reader questions, or corrections to published content. Sara reads everything and aims to respond within five working days.