Friends and family joke that I have a spreadsheet or Google Map in every port. That's not quite true but as I work full time, I obsessively research every trip to make the most of my limited time in each destination. I am happiest when I can combine coffee and travel with writing and share my favourite places with other people — hence this blog.
I've loved to travel since I was 18 months old, according to my mum's diary! I used to read travel guidebooks at the breakfast table and created my own first guide using MS Publisher when I was eight. It showcased the best attractions Cataland (an island nation ruled by cats!) had to offer kitties feline the need for a holiday (BYO catnip).
My passion for coffee came later but is now just as big a part of my life, especially when I can pair it with travel. You can read more about my specialty coffee journey here or in this feature in Coffee T&I Magazine.
Get to know Bex
- Travel style: I usually travel solo, and sometimes with friends and/or family. I go for mid-range options and affordable luxury, prioritising experiences over five-star hotels and business class flights. But I do occasionally splurge on a high-end hotel or tasting menu.
- Number of countries visited: 51, across six continents.
- Favourite countries visited: This is really hard, but the countries I'm most keen to revisit are Mexico, Japan, Kenya and Thailand.
- Destinations I most want to visit: Colombia, Georgia, Guatemala, Montenegro, Ecuador and Antarctica.
- Regular coffee order: Either a single-origin pourover or a piccolo. When I rebranded this blog in 2013, it was a 'double skinny macchiato'. But both the specialty coffee scene and my tastes have evolved since then!
- Favourite coffee origin: When I'm at a great coffee shop, I gravitate towards natural coffees and experimental processing techniques, especially from Colombian producers. At home, I'm more fickle, but Costa Rica, Kenya and Ethiopia are probably the origins I purchase the most.
- Favourite coffee shop: I can't even choose my favourite coffee shop in one city, let alone the world! But check out my archive of specialty coffee guides.
- Best coffee experience: In London, Nostos has some of the most exciting coffee experiences, even for an old hack like me. Try their freeze-distilled flat white if you visit! Drinking coffee at the washing station in Uganda where it was processed was also very special. Finally, the sunrise coffee atop Pidurangula Rock in Sri Lanka might not have been the best quality but it was 5 am, so who's complaining?
Outside of my coffee travels, I enjoy running, eating out, reading, watching films, cryptic crosswords, learning languages (I studied linguistics at the University of Cambridge) and listening to Suede and The National. I'm also a lifelong fan of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and play Fantasy Premier League (my highest global rank is 6,900th).
By day, I work in coffee marketing and communications; before that, I worked for 15 years in science publishing.
Work with me
Please note that I do not accept guest posts for publication on my blog; I write and edit all of the content myself.
Support my blog
If you enjoy the coffee and travel content I share on Double Skinny Macchiato and find it useful, please consider supporting my blog by buying me a coffee. Booking a hotel or tour or purchasing a product I've recommended via the affiliate links I use is another easy way to support this blog, at no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support!
Photography
I take all of the photos on this blog unless otherwise stated; photos of me are taken by friends, family or self-timer. If you would like to use any of my photos, please contact me first to ask permission.
My primary camera is the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III. Its picture quality belies its compact size and I mainly use the 12-45 mm F4 PRO compact zoom lens and 20 mm F1.4 PRO prime lens. I still take many photos on my excellent compact Canon G7 X Mark II and my iPhone 15 Pro.
My photography has featured in various national and international online and print publications, including Time Out London, Time Out New York, Time Out Amsterdam, CN Traveller, New York Magazine (and here), USA Today, Business Insider, Londonist, BoingBoing, NME, Rolling Stone, Daily Coffee News, B-EAT Magazin (Germany) and Le Nouvel Obs. One of my photos currently appears as the lead image on the Wikipedia page for coffee (no, I didn't add it!).
Coffee
My blog header features (L) Five Elephant in Kreuzberg, Berlin, and (R) Jacob the Angel in Covent Garden, London.
In September 2024, I *finally* caved and started spelling 'specialty coffee' thusly. I'm in the process of updating more than 12 years of blog posts so please bear with me if you spot any inconsistencies in the meantime.
Disclaimer
Some links on this site (including this page) are affiliate links. This means that if you click through and make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — thank you for supporting my blog! Double Skinny Macchiato is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.