The Reading Room

While I would say that I have not been wow'd lately by a lot of coffees, I have gotten use to getting lots of good coffee so perhaps that my problem! The good coffee has just kept coming from Mtn....

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This is the twelfth post on the coffees I’m working my way through. Up this time is Costa Rica La Amistad Organic Coffee by Jim’s Organic Coffee.  Jim’s has a nice looking bag. It’s probably the most colorful one I’ve...

More miscellanea (bit of a tradition now) for those who might appreciate it… 1. The name of Wrecking Ball’s new espresso blend: Pillow Fight. For some reason this makes me smile, which it seems is their intention (see quote below)....

I've been really getting into trying different coffees across multiple brew methods. Although, sometimes it's not quite fair pitting a drip brew against an espresso when the bean was roasted with the intention of being used for a given purpose....

I have had a lot of good coffee lately between the new lot of coffees that I have gotten from Mtn. Air Roasting Company and all of the others. And I have found that the amount of bad coffee that...

The West Bean is a micro-roaster located in San Diego, CA, that in a sense aligns itself more with the older- than the newer-school West Coast roasters. More like old-time Peet's or Starbucks than Ritual or Four Barrel. That is,...

Bypass brewing is when part of the brewing water does not go through the coffee itself. The technique should be familiar to anyone who has ever owned an Aeropress, since the included instructions describe the process: one brews a concentrate...

  I'm pretty excited for my next coffee order from Coffee Kind to arrive. Although I have heard so much about Espresso Vivace Roasteria I have never actually get to try them before.  However, since it is offered here on...

Tonx Coffee is headed by a couple of long-time coffee professionals. They're currently based in Los Angeles, and their goal is to locate small lots of very good coffee, quickly construct a good roast profile, and ship the beans out...

I find myself temporarily without a steamer - now that the espresso maker is back, the steamer has decided to lose its seal. Until I find a way to replace the gasket, I'm without my usual indulgence -- cappuccino. Or...

Summer is here and if you are a coffee fiend like the rest of us you are probably drinking your coffee a little bit more often on ice lately. I have talked about iced coffee in the past, and I...

So my coffee siphon has been collecting dust for the last six months or so but last night I thought I'd bring it back out for swing at the Ethiopia Kochere from Madcap. I really enjoy using the siphon it's...

Given the amount of discussion that Fair Trade certification seems to generate, I would have thought Fair Trade coffees were more, well, “traded.” However, a study I read recently makes Fair Trade look like a drop in the ocean (forget...

Every once in a while I’ll order an affogato. The last few have been at a great gelato shop called Pitango just a few steps from the Baltimore Harbor in Fells Point. I’m stuck in a delicious rut: cardamom gelato...

Mountain Air Roasting is a small-batch roaster located in Asheville, North Carolina. They offer a quality product at a nice price point. In fact, if you order a six-pack of their beans, the price per bag is only a little...

It's been three weeks since my Trifecta MB arrived, and I'm familiar enough now with this machine's features, usability, and effectiveness to start making review posts. How about some unboxing pictures first, though? The Trifecta arrived double-boxed. That “delicate electrical...

I know I mentioned this last week, but here's another reminder. The fun begins tomorrow (6/12)! I'll try to make time to watch Counter Culture's Katie Carguilo at least; her set-up starts at 9:36 a.m. EDT, and her "performance" goes...

This was my first experience with Madcap Coffee and I have to say I'll definitely try another. Ever since I had the Idido Natural Sundried from Counter Culture I've been in search of those great Ethiopian flavors that tasted so...

I am of course referring to Williams and Sonoma, when it comes to coffee they are a very cruel cruel dispicable place. If you don't know Williams and Somona is a kitchen supply store, and carrying a wide variety of...

I'm ready to say that PT's is my favorite ROASTe roaster. If Ecco were still offered, my answer would be different, but of those roasters currently offered, PT's delights me most. I've ordered "light" roasts from them, but they seem...