Mark

From the bar to the road

Mark started behind an espresso bar, steaming milk on the early shift. Regulars kept asking him where to drink coffee on their trips. He began writing his answers in a notebook. Those notes grew into the guides on this site.

His first long trip was a coffee trip. He stood at the marble bar of Gran Caffè Gambrinus and watched how Naples orders. One short cup changed how he pulls a shot at home.

Why "experiment barista"

Every guide starts as a test. Mark orders the same drink at the counter and at a table. He notes the price, the cup size and the wait. Then he brews the same style at home with a pour-over, a moka pot and an espresso machine.

If a method fails, the guide says so. If a café closes, the guide says that too, and points you somewhere better.

Where he has been

• Espresso bars in Naples and breakfast at Caffè della Pace in Rome.
• The old green kiosks of Lisbon, with a bica and a pastel de nata.
• The terraces of Paris, where a seat costs more than the coffee.
• Honey and coffee in Savannah and a ferry day on Cumberland Island.
• Slow mornings at The Greenbrier and small cafés in Charleston, West Virginia.
• A harvest season with coffee farmers in Costa Rica, from picking to drying beds.

How he writes

Mark writes for the traveller standing at the counter. Each guide answers three questions: what to order, what it costs and when to go. He pays for every cup. No café can buy a mention.

His own cup

At home, Mark drinks a short espresso before nine and a filter coffee after lunch. He keeps a notebook for every bag of beans he opens. The best bags end up in a guide.

Have a café he should visit? Write to Mark.