The Reading Room

Back in the late eighties drip coffee was hitting full stride with over fifty percent of the market but pour over and press still represented about fifteen percent of the market.  The final push for these customers began in earnest...

Oregon is serious coffee country.  With so much rain (drizzle...actually), Oregonians take their warm cups in little cafes with utter gravity.  In fact, it's safe to assume that Portland is perhaps the most important coffee city in America right now,...

I’ve been reluctant to recruit my fairly large network on Facebook in order to accumulate “likes” of my iced coffee recipe and thereby make it onto ROASTe’s leaderboard by Sunday night. Honestly, I didn’t want to “spam” my friends too...

I submitted a blog entry recently titled "My new (to me) espresso machine is on the way!" Thanks to our friends in the brown truck the Nuova Simonelli Oscar has landed safely at it's new home.  The machine is heavy...

I've owned a few home grinders, four to be exact, and I've used many more. I've owned the Capresso Infiniti (wasteful), Baratza Virtuoso (overrated), and Baratza Preciso (fantastic). The latest addition to the household is a Porlex Mini, which I...

You Pick the Pair: Coffee Marries Chocolate Chocolate and coffee – what’s the magic? There must be something special about the combo of these two beans. They aren’t closely related by genus or specie. Still they come paired in all...

In this blog I will try to describe the process and equipment needed for home roasting fresh coffee.  ROASTe does not sell green (raw coffee) beans yet but some of the vendors (Klatch, for example) do offer them.  Although I...

The Clever Coffee Dripper is an extremely simple brewing device that combines the clean cup of filter pour over with the full extraction found in immersion brewing methods like the French press. It is easier to master than the traditional...

At one point recently during my self-imposed coffee home schooling I decided I could no longer put up with our “trusty” electric kettle, an old corded hunk of plastic made by Proctor Silex with exposed heating elements. I’d just started...

Single-serve coffee may not be for everyone, but it’s increasingly popular and definitely has its place (car dealerships, office settings, busy homes with kids running around and/or coffee drinkers who can’t agree on what to brew, etc.). In fact, ROASTe...

Coffee plants grow in the mountains of the tropics all over the world. These places vary widely in soil chemistry, weather, land stewardship, and farm practices. With coffee being the second most traded commodity on the planet, Artisanal roasters search...

I am happy with my Gaggia Coffee. I really am. It has been faithful and reliable even when I am lax on cleaning and maintenance. It just sits there waiting for me to pull a no fuss shot. Why would...

On Saturday, July 9, 2011, the Hawaii Coffee Association (HCA) announced the winners of the 2011 Hawai‘i Statewide Cupping Competition.  Sort of.  The HCA announced the top three winners of each region and the grand champion (congratulations Rusty’s Hawaiian- top...

It’s breaks Deep Cello's heart to hear that almost every coffee on the planet leaves all its sweet cherry fruit for the bees and other critters of the jungle.  When a coffee shrub is harvested, the cherries -with two beans...

Recently, our family went on vacation, and I left all of my coffee gear at home (as mentioned here). I did call ahead and ask what kind of brewer the kitchen in our suite would have. The hotel’s response: a...

/files/u2500/blog_camping_0.jpg" width="500" height="375" /> photo by Independentman Going camping doesn’t meant going without your favorite specialty coffee. To many outdoor-lovers, the start of summer brings on the urge to get outdoors and get free of the comforts of home in...

Justin Kagan, roastmaster at Deep Cello, often says that it is hard to find good decaf green coffee. The same process that withdraws the caffeine also damages subtle flavor chemistry in the coffee bean. Justin’s favorite method is “Mexican Water...

/files/u2500/blog_Colombia_independence_day_party.jpg" width="500" height="280" /> Party with Colombians on their 201st Birthday! Colombia’s Independence Day is celebrated on July 20, because it was on that day in 1810 that Bogota declared independence from Spain. Colombia’s Independence Day is celebrated all over...

THE RESULTS ARE IN AND WE HAVE A WINNER! Congratulations JILL24295 for taking home the 1st place!  The winners are as follows: 1st Place – Congratulations Jill! (JILL24292) 2nd Place – Congratulations Stephanie! (SSNOVA66) 3rd Place (tie) – Congratulations Shannon...

The newer top adjustment Zassenhaus grinders do not get (or earn) much love for anything beyond espresso. The plastic ring holding the burr in place wears and the centering is history with the chaos of burr wobble replacing the perfect...

Short answer: There’s no such thing as too much. I enjoy coffee and have, in fact, thrown myself into it to the point that “hobby” doesn’t quite capture the relationship. Embrace the geekery. Own it. You could certainly find riskier...