It Smells Better Than it Taste

A weekly coffee newsletter from Oaks, the Coffee Guy. I roast, brew, and test everything myself, then write honestly about what actually
changed the cup. No recipes to memorize, no gear worship. Just the why behind better coffee, one experiment at a time.

If you have ever wondered whether you are the problem or the coffee is, you will like it here.

Featured

Deep Dive

Jan 12, 2026

•

5 min read

Why I'm doing this (and why it matters for your coffee)

What I'm actually trying to do here and why it has nothing to do with selling you coffee.

Oaks the Coffee Guy

Deep Dive

Mar 9, 2026

•

9 min read

I'm trying to master coffee in a year (and I might fail publicly)

Why We All Need Something to Push Us Forward

Oaks the Coffee Guy

Articles

Deep Dive

Jul 6, 2026

•

5 min read

I Don't Get Geisha's

On paying two and three times the price for a coffee that's only okay.

Oaks the Coffee Guy

Deep Dive

Jun 29, 2026

•

4 min read

The gap is where it happens

Why the gap between smell and taste is where coffee actually lives.

Oaks the Coffee Guy

Deep Dive

Jun 22, 2026

•

4 min read

Hario lied to me

I had the right tool for years. I just wasn't paying attention.

Oaks the Coffee Guy

Deep Dive

Jun 15, 2026

•

3 min read

We're adjusters

You're already adjusting your coffee. You just didn't know that was the skill.

Oaks the Coffee Guy

Deep Dive

Jun 8, 2026

•

5 min read

I made it sweet. It died.

How I engineered exactly what I wanted from light roast, and why it tasted like nothing.

Oaks the Coffee Guy

Deep Dive

Jun 1, 2026

•

4 min read

I almost stopped caring about coffee this year

There's a difference between knowing what you like and knowing why. It took me a year to find it.

Oaks the Coffee Guy

Deep Dive

May 25, 2026

•

3 min read

I wrote off washed coffee

Turns out I wasn't bored with washed coffee. I just wasn't paying attention.

Oaks the Coffee Guy

Deep Dive

May 18, 2026

•

3 min read

It isolates everything

The ZP6 isn't better than other grinders. It just shows you something different.

Oaks the Coffee Guy

Deep Dive

May 11, 2026

•

5 min read

I can tell you exactly why I don’t like this

I used to live for this exact cup.

Oaks the Coffee Guy

Deep Dive

May 4, 2026

•

5 min read

I hoarded a dying coffee

I knew it was dying. I kept brewing it anyway.

Oaks the Coffee Guy

Deep Dive

Apr 27, 2026

•

5 min read

My wife’s coffee maker humbled me

Why the Mr. Coffee sits next to my Olympia Cremina

Oaks the Coffee Guy

Deep Dive

Apr 20, 2026

•

5 min read

I’ve been selfish with this coffee

Sometimes the quiet coffee is the one that won’t leave you alone

Oaks the Coffee Guy

Load more