The Reading Room

/files/u5804/Captain_s_Torani_collage.jpg" height="249" width="431" /> Some of you may remember that right before the holidays I ordered a few unusual coffee-related items I thought might be coerced into some kind of uneasy union, namely Captain’s smoked applewood cold brew and a...

I wrote previously about needing to find a good decaf coffee due to my wife being pregnant, and due to one of those strange changes of taste from pregnancy she is disgusted by tea. Now while I have had previous...

Time for a report on coffee on the Elektra T1! Okay, I have posted a little bit about the T1 that Roaste helped me get, but I have not said much about the espresso.  This is because I know that...

This is the sixth post on the coffees I’m working my way through. Up this time is Higher Ground’s Black Warrior Riverkeeper roast.   The bag is pretty snazzy as you can see and it does include a valve. One...

http://www.coffee-a-roma.com.au/shop/images/uploads/vario_burrs.jpg" height="390" width="332" />  I have blogged in the past on Roaste about the Baratza Vario and the problem that I have with it:  http://www.roaste.com/CoffeeBlogs/sontondaman/something-wrong-my-Vario  Basically, what happened was after a period of use (about six months) I notice that...

I am sure everyone that makes espresso at home probably has that one useless accessory that is just taking up valuable kitchen space or more importantly was just a waste of money. For me that one accessory without a question...

http://foter.com/img/photo/7/coffe-stains-5_l.jpg" class="foter-photo" style="display: block; width: 100%" /> Photo Credit: sotdina /Foter My mailbox has collected it's usual share of odd stories of coffee in the news, so I thought I'd share a few this morning. My personal favorite out of...

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s320x320/400816_10150448334768931_79226893930_8598979_1354457895_n.jpg" /> I closed my roaste store a couple weeks ago to move my operation to Stoudt's Wonderful Good Market near Reading, PA,home of fine artisan breads and cheeses, and a celebrated micro-brewery.  I've moved in there, I'm back here,...

So Starbucks is at it again, this time raising their prices see here. Pretty interesting that there would be some coffee in the news today in the Wall Street Journal. The above article that I liked from them is talking...

Old habits die hard. I have been in the habit for three years now of scanning Craig’s list nationally for good deals on espresso equipment.   It paid off once in particular with a Super Jolly grinder that was like new...

Oh my! Let's see. Guatemala is ready for new trends on different segments of the market (and without doubting, the following could be applied for Central America and South America). First of all lets's take a look to growers and...

A while back I tried to make cold brew and the result was undrinkable. I know that some people swear by the results, and since then I’ve had the pleasure of drinking some good cold brew. So I decided last...

I have to admit that I do not normally take sugar or any other sweetener in my coffee most of the time. About the only time that I do sweeten my coffee is when I pour it over ice and...

Awhile ago, I posted a question here on Roaste about finding a suitable mug for the purpose of holding brewed coffee while travelling. I'm glad to report that I have obtained a mug that seem to work pretty well recently...

I believe it’s cathartic to discuss the silly things you’ve done with your coffee. We all make mistakes! The key is to laugh them off, learn from them, and humbly but fearlessly move on. In that spirit, here are a...

http://www.pcfastlane.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/starbucks-via-ready-brew.jpg" width="480" height="357" /> Let me be first to clarify: I did not buy this coffee, it was given to me  about a month ago when I went to visit my parents. Ever since I have heard about the Via...

This one has been a pretty refreshing coffee to have after going through a lot of dark roasts. It's nice how after having a lot of chocolate/carmel coffees to get something a little brighter and this medium roast by Paradise...

Christmas is probably long due but I still haven’t got one present for myself. So I went ahead and indulged myself with something that I had my eye on for a very very long time. Though very likely, I would...

So I am on the search for a good decaf coffee due to my wife being pregnant, and while I know it's been said through the roasting process of coffee that very little if any chemicals remain from the decaffination...

Wow -- it feels like I've been gone forever even though it's only been about 4 days since my last blog entry here -- but what a busy 4 days. First -- remember this: That would be the espresso machine...

Well, I have become quite interest in decaf recently due to the knowledge of my wife become pregnant. While we are both uncertain of any ill effects that caffeine may or may not have on the impact of a growing...