How do I up my coffee game?

How does the average Joe make the perfect mug of Joe? We sent Joe Baker to find out

Our tech questions usually focus on a new piece of cycling kit and how it may influence your riding. But as this is the coffee issue, I decided to focus on the minutiae of making a great cup of coffee. When we take a comfy seat at a cafe stop, hands cupped around a toasty latte, few of us consider where that coffee comes from. Trace a quality brew's journey from plant to mug and you may be surprised at just how much skill and effort is dedicated to keeping your tastebuds well and truly tickled.

Missing Bean is a coffee roastery based in Oxford that specialises in high-quality, ethically sourced, sustainable coffee.

We asked Silviu Rad, head of coffee and business development, to, well, spill the beans...

"Obviously, the bean is the most important component," says Rad, "so when we buy green coffee - that's the raw pre-roasted beans - there's a rigorous process in place to uphold quality."

The foundation of that process is built from long-term relationships forged with coffee farmers around the world. Around 70% of Missing Bean's coffee is sourced direct, so those relationships are incredibly important. "We buy coffee from farmers that we have worked with for years," explains Rad, "even if the beans prove more expensive than they were the previous year. We still buy them because we want to keep that relationship strong."