The Reading Room

I have reasonable tap water at home, but filtered water does taste better here.  I posted a blog entry comparing the water available to me here…http://www.roaste.com/CoffeeBlogs/wakeknot/other-coffee-ingredient Today I wanted to compare the waters in coffee.  Obviously just because they taste...

According to the Mahogany Roasters web site the bag that showed up today is 100% Sumatra Mandheling coffee roasted with their secret Mahogany process. We think this will be the best Sumatran you ever have! A bold claim but if...

A while back, I posted about my upcoming social/coffee project in preparation for a conference here on campus. Well, I've got some good news and some bad news. Bad: I didn't get picked as a speaker. 140cuse will have some...

Prior to receiving the Vibiemme Jr HX, the only espresso machine that I have had a good amount of time with is the Gaggia Classic that is now sitting unused next to it's shiny breathren. One the hardest things that...

Previously, my old espresso set up (which I unfortunately can't find a picture of) was housed in a cramped space near my kitchen sink. When I recently upgraded, I thought the new setup would also fit in the same space....

a virtual poetry slam at the virtual coffee shop? In some sense I think of Roaste.com as my virtual coffee shop.  I can come here to get great coffee, great service, chat with friends and strangers, and learn about coffee....

It is fun to review high end products.  The have sizzle.  They have glamour, but what they do not have going for them is economy, of course.  In fact they often do not perform any better than their lower priced...

After a little over a week and saving a lot of ebeans over the months it has finally arrived, a Vibiemme Junior HX /files/u13866/vb_in_box.jpg" hspace="10" height="308" width="410" align="left" />I gotta say that I am almost rather embarrassed by receiving this...

Finally a mistake I do not regret. It seems like most of my posts these days are about mistakes I have made – you know the kind where you blow up a table saw while making a stand for your...

Back in December, there was the guy who completed a mural using a million coffee beans. Last month, the artsy-crafty blogs were all talking about "coffee cup art" -- filling Dixie cups with various shades of coffee, arranging them in...

This is a quick review of the iroast II roaster.  I got it a number of years ago from my wife as a present.  As such I have very carefully never found out what it costs, but my impression is...

There seems to be some sort of background discussion on coffee scores happening this week, with Mark Prince weighing in, as well as a few other bloggers and reviewers. Some are saying "simplify the system," others are saying "be more...

The coffee cart has come to a screeching halt!  I am so close to done and yet I can proceed no further.  I have completed all of the hard wood working.  I finished the finger joints that hold the drawers...

While it has been a mild winter throughout the U.S. our thrill seeker- French Roast has had some memorable adventures!  As our most intense roast, French spent the weekend in his typical high octane fashion, tearing up the snowy slopes!...

Bring back the holidays. What I am drinking now is Velton’s holiday blend from Velton’s Coffee Roasting Company.  You may find this odd since the “holidays” does not usually mean Valentine’s day together with President’s day.  You may also find...

As I sit here drinking a cup of americano made from the La Pavoni lever machine using a nicely roasted Rwanda coffee, I can not help but to reflect a little bit about this week. It has been an incrediblely...

The “coffee table” (aka the cabinet my coffee machine and grinder will sit on eventually) is getting closer.  I can almost taste the coffee.  I have since I last blogged about it built the doors for the table and installed...

This is a review of my initial impressions of Paradise coffee roasters Espresso Havana.  It is fairly fresh – 3 days post roast, so the taste may change dramatically over the next week or so – possibly for the better. ...

Are we in the Golden Age of Coffee? I have been thinking about this as I was looking to order some coffee today, it seems like we might be at one of those very happy convergence points. For coffee this...

Before you file this under “crazy talk” and click away, consider thinking about what you expect your grinder to do when you flip it on. If you’re not totally asleep, you’ve typically chosen the correct setting for your brew method...

I heard recently that an apple have more caffeine than a cup of coffee.  This struck me as a crazy claim so I decided to investigate.  It turns out that it is indeed a crazy claim.  An apple has no...