Elaine Moreno grew up on the sunny outskirts of San Diego, raised in a modest coastal neighborhood where the rhythm of the waves and the scent of fresh-roasted coffee beans at her grandparents’ bungalow café were part of everyday life. From a young age she found herself captivated by the interplay of flavour, heritage and story that coffee brings to people’s lives.
After high school, Elaine went off to study Comparative Literature at a liberal arts college in Oregon, where she delved into narratives of culture, foodways, and how everyday rituals like brewing a cup of coffee reflect identity and place.
Her academic training taught her how to ask questions: What makes an espresso pull differently in Seattle versus Naples? How do origin farms impact the flavour profile? How can we simplify those ideas so someone ordering their morning cup feels empowered rather than intimidated?
A career steeped in flavour and function
After graduating, Elaine’s path veered into content strategy rather than taking a barista-only route. She joined a mid-sized publishing house in Portland, where she spent five years working in editorial and digital marketing. She specialised in lifestyle and food-and-drink publications, commissioning and writing pieces on craft beverages, local roasters, and the emerging global coffee scene.
While at the magazine she travelled to Colombia and Vietnam to interview small-scale coffee producers, documented best practices in sustainable farming, and helped craft articles that brought those stories to everyday coffee drinkers. In her spare time she’d volunteer at a neighbourhood roastery, rolling up her sleeves to learn about bean sorting, roasting curves and cupping tables.
Transitioning to Hot Chicka Latte
By 2025, Elaine decided she wanted to slow down the magazine treadmill, ditch the project deadlines and instead build something of her own: a space where she could combine her love for coffee, storytelling and accessible knowledge-sharing.
She launched the blog Hot Chicka Latte, with the mission of translating often-complex coffee science, global sourcing, brewing methods and flavour profiling into friendly, easy-to-understand articles. Her goal has been to help enthusiasts and newcomers alike: whether someone’s measuring a pour-over for the first time or choosing between single-origin beans for their home machine, Elaine offers down-to-earth guidance, practical tips and engaging background. She writes as though she’s having coffee with you in her cosy kitchen, without any jargon barrier.
Lifestyle & vision
Now based in a mid-sized city (a revitalised neighborhood of Austin, Texas), Elaine lives in a light-filled loft that doubles as her home office, library of coffee-books and sample roaster. On weekends she explores nearby farms in the Texas Hill Country, hosts cupping sessions among friends and experiments with hybrid brewing methods. Her lifestyle is a blend of global curiosity and local roots: she still references her San Diego coastal upbringing, her hands-on roastery days in Portland, and her field visits overseas but she champions the idea that excellent coffee is not just for cafés, it’s for everyday lives. Through Hot Chicka Latte, she invites readers to see coffee as both ritual and exploration.
What you’ll find here
On Hot Chicka Latte you’ll find articles that answer the questions people often don’t think to ask: How does water quality affect extraction? What’s the difference between washed and natural processing? Is a French press better for bold coffee than a V60? Elaine writes with clarity, warmth and depth drawing on her field experience, editorial background and love of storytelling. Her hope is that every reader leaves feeling confident, inspired and one step closer to making their next cup of coffee feel a little more meaningful.