The Reading Room

A ten hour drive across some of the most repetitive countryside to attend a wedding only to return a day later doesn't sound like the best way to spend a weekend.But sometimes you have to make sacrifices for a friend....

When summer rolls around, some of the best coffees in the world come into the States. I'm talking about Kenyans. Ask the average joe on the street where the best beans come from and you are more likely to hear...

Closing the machine down.  You want to stop texturing the milk when it arrives at roughly 155 degrees F.  At this time you as quickly as possible turn the steam off and remove the pitcher.  It is essential to turn...

Less can be more, quality over quantity...When I first started making coffee at home, I'd use a lot of coffee. I saw a video of Blue Bottle's owner giving a talk. He likened a cafe's coffee dosing practices to a...

I have been playing around with the Nuova Simonelli Musica for about two weeks now and I'm ready to give an update. First of all, the machine was aquired from a defunct restaurant for a very good deal (less than...

This blog entry is in some sense popping up out of order, but I wanted to add it in now because I am going to use it soon to suggest a cheat for those having trouble creating the perfect consistency...

Big Brother or Helping Hand? this topic was debated in the comments of my last blog written in response to a couple comments in a recent news article. This concept of electronically marrying the product to the dispensing machine struck...

While describing how to steam milk it seems like a worthy topic to insert how to do it without going broke if you don’t own your own cow… When it comes to microfoam and latte art, I think the most...

While going over coffee tasting notes after writing my last blog post, I came across a gem by Klatch on the Poizon Blend, which seems to be geared toward Halloween. I can’t resist quoting from [and commenting on] a few...

In a recent news story about a breakthrough in inventory control was announced by Mahlkönig.  This is an absolutely brilliant idea.  Without the reader sensing where the grounds are from the grinder will not run.  What's more, if the bag shows...

Texturing the milk. This is a continuation of my series on steaming milk.  So far you have gotten the milk ready, started steaming, and introduced air into the milk stretching it, which in the process increases the volume.  Now you...

Okay, you have now submerged your wand into your milk and turned it on.  The next step is the hardest step in steaming milk and it just takes practice.  You want to bring the wand up (well in fact you...

/files/u2252/grindmaster_opod.jpg" width="136" height="250" align="right" />I look at the coffee equipment and accessories collected on my journey as markers to remind me where I came from and to point to where I am heading.  Some of these items are dearer to...

I blogged a while back about roasting at home. I mentioned what you need to gather - unroasted coffee, a decent popcorn popper with sufficient wattage (1200+), and a ventilated area away from anything you wouldn't want to burn down.....

/files/u2500/blog_columbus_direct_trade.jpg" alt="Columbus explored the coast of coffee country" title="Columbus explored the coast of coffee country" height="351" width="500" /> Find a direct trade route to great coffee! Whether you celebrate Columbus Day on Monday October 10 or the traditional date of...

This is the next in a series of installments on properly frothing milk.  This one will focus on getting the machine and milk ready for frothing.  Obviously all of these phases are actually done consecutively in short sequence and not...

What kind of pitcher should you use to steam milk and pour latte art?   The answer is fairly easy – almost any pitcher that is a good size will work well for steaming and for pouring art you want a...

Houston Press 2011 "I am extremely honored to be picked as the coffee roaster of the year by Houston Press! Java PURA has always strived for the best quality and will continue to. I would love to say more but...

How much milk should you steam at a time?  Ideally the answer to this question would be, exactly as much milk as you want to use in your drink, but, of course, life never works out quite perfectly unless there...

One way valve coffee bags are great for your coffee. Why are they great? They are great because they keep flavor in and keep oxygen out.  Oxygen is what diminishes or stales the wonderful aroma and flavor of fresh roasted...