The Reading Room

Home Coffee Roasting: 5 Things You Need to Know First

Home coffee roasting on a stovetop pan takes about 10 to 15 minutes and requires no special equipment. But the results vary significantly. Here are 5 things to know before you start , and what to expect from first crack to cooling.

Asking for Opinion: espresso option for office
It have been quite hectic for me this week. Although graduate school year is over, I'm starting in a new laboratory and have been busy getting used the everything there. One of the thing I'm really excited about is that...
Musasa Cooperative, Rwanda By AJ Coffee Company
Over the past few months I have gotten away from posting too much about the coffees that I am currently working through at home. I have done this for a few reasons, most of the coffees here on Roaste and...
El Salvador El Carrizal by Klatch Coffee
El Salvador El Carrizal is a coffee offered by both Klatch Coffee and Ritual Coffee. Ritual Coffee is known for a lighter roast style that emphasizes fruity acidity...their tasting notes have ranged from "jolly rancher" to "green apple" to "clementines."...
Espresso Video: coffee with music
I'm feeling a little bit inspired today so I have taken the video of this morning espresso ritual. For today, I'm using the Nuova Simonelli Musica which is a plumbed in machine using flojet setup. If anyone are interested about...
La Peppina
I really enjoy lever espresso makers. When I got tired of my Gaggia Classic  on went on a search for a lever that wouldn't break the bank but would also make a great shot. Current iterations of lever machines were...
You know you've got coffee on the brain when...
Two more bags of freshly roasted coffee arrived today, lifting the total number of varieties I have on hand currently to 7.* Not bad! A little excessive, sure, but quite fun. Which brings me to the subject of this post,...
Mark your calendars! Two big coffee events coming up soon...
Barista magazine recently put out a nice summary of upcoming coffee events that I thought a few people here might appreciate knowing about if they don't already. I'll include the basics in this post, but please feel free to click...
Espresso Blend: 4 Reasons Blends Outperform Single-Origin for Espresso

An espresso blend combines beans from multiple origins to produce a consistent, balanced shot under pressure. Here are 4 reasons why most serious espresso programs use blends over single-origin, and what to look for in a good espresso blend.

Single dosing
A lot of us use espresso grinders at home that are meant for commercial environments. They come with these huge bean hoppers that are probably filled several times a day. The turnaround is so fast that coffee doesn't have time...
First Shot with the Olympia Cremina 67
    First Shot with the "new" Olympia Cremina 67   I received the Olympia Cremina more than a week ago but have not a chance other than to go over the exterior and the interior of the machine. It...
Back for more
Round two! Normally I would let a coffee rest a little more before I pulled the first shot of espresso but after last nights difficulties I was eager to take a second stab at using the Lido for espresso. So...
Help splurging on coffee?
No, not slurping. I freely admit I’ve already splurged on coffee this week—see the bag of Portola’s Roney Diaz Villela that just arrived 2 days post-roast below—but with my birthday coming up on 6/6 I’m in the mood to go...
Rough espresso night
We've got some crazy storms coming through the area tonight which usually means power outages in my neighborhood. So I figured, no better time to try  out the Lido with the Mypressi Twist just in case the power went out....
Coffee Treatment
Which is not to say coffee as a treatment, but treatment for coffee. Being over-coffeed, that is. These days I generally limit myself to one diner mug's worth of coffee in the morning. When I skip coffee, I don't have...
Coffee Processing Explained: Washed vs Natural vs Honey

Coffee processing methods explained. How washed, natural, and honey processes work, how each affects flavor, and what to look for on the bag label.

Fresh Roasted Coffee: 5 Things to Check Before You Buy

Fresh roasted coffee peaks in the first 2 to 4 weeks after roasting. Most grocery store bags are already months old. Here are 5 things to check before you buy , roast date, shipping speed, bag type, roast level, and subscription options.

How Roasting Affects Coffee Flavor: Light vs Medium vs Dark Explained

 The same green bean roasted light and dark produces two completely different cups. Here is exactly what happens during roasting, how each roast level affects flavor, and how to choose the right roast for your brewing method.

PT's Ethiopian Ardi
Ethiopian Ardi is an award-winning naturally processed coffee from the Sidamo region that placed 1st in East Africa's Taste of Harvest competition. It was until recently offered by PT's, Coava, Madcap, and Klatch. AJ's coffee still has a stash available,...
Vietnamese Coffee Variation - Iced Saigon Cappuccino
Running out of half and half collided with several days worth of Vietnamese iced coffee recipes in my mailbox to create a very happy coincidence this morning -- my morning iced Vietnamese cappuccino. Okay. Technically, it's iced cappuccino with a...
Relaxing with coffee
Today I made a cup of coffee after lunch while the baby was awake. That’s unusual—and probably at least in part a side effect of the Trifecta’s ongoing honeymoon period. Generally speaking, I save my coffee brewing for quiet times...