The Reading Room

The daily grind
I started using hand grinders due to their cost to performance ratio compared to those more expensive electronic grinders. I've had a new Zassenhaus, a Hario Skerton, a Hario Slim and most recently an Orphan Espresso Lido hand grinder. They...
Freeze Your Coffee, Says Don Francisco
Best way to store your coffee? Coffee experts tend to split on whether or not you should freeze your coffee beans, so specialty coffee roaster Don Francisco's decided to research the subject scientifically. Their results: freeze your coffee. No, not...
Cremina Received!
Finally, after a long period of waiting, the Olympia Cremina I have been waiting for have arrived. I was pleasantly surprised because it actually arrived last Wednesday which is two days earlier than predicted by the shipping company! However, I...
Extaction Times
I have been thinking a little bit about extraction times ever since making a mildly unpleasent pot of coffee last week. The pot of coffee was mildly over-extracted, I had forgot to adjust the grind on my grinder going from a...
Coffee Tasting Notes: How to Smell and Taste Coffee Like a Pro

 Most coffee drinkers taste their coffee but never really smell it. Aroma accounts for most of what you perceive as flavor. Here is how to use your nose to get more from every cup.

Drip Coffee: 5 Variables That Change Every Cup

Drip coffee is the most common home brewing method and the one most people never think about improving. Here are 5 variables , grind size, ratio, water temperature, grind freshness, and machine maintenance , that change the result significantly.

In search of the perfect couple
I usually make coffee twice a day. I have coffee with breakfast and then after dinner. On weekends I might have one after lunch too if I'm at home. This usually gets me through a bag of coffee in a...
Mocha Java
Mocha Java is the oldest known coffee blend. Traditionally, Mocha--a coffee from what is today Yemen--is cut with a coffee from Java. The goal was and still is a gestalt between the fruit-forward berriness of the Mocha and the bodacious...
My Coffee Nirvana, Part 1
 I'd like to introduce you to a new series of posts, in which I talk about my latest successful coffee discovery. What's new about that? These posts will be subject to those happy moments when I think I've hit upon my own personal nirvana,...
American Hipster Presents Four Barrel Coffee
This video has been out there for almost two months now, but I just happened to come across it yesterday and thought that I would share. It's part of a video series highlighting different people/businesses in various cities that are...
Kuma's Sumatra Tano Batak
Sumatran coffees are sometimes naturally processed, sometimes aged, but are most often encounted in semi-washed form. The paper surrounding the seed is left on, and both are allowed to dry somewhat. Once done, the seed turns a unique shade of...
Making coffee with a French Press and Hario Mini Mill Hand grinder
Making coffee with a French Press and Hario Mini Mill Hand grinder This is the video I took a while ago of showing how I make press coffee with a classic Bodum french press. The coffee was ground on a...
Morning Coffee News
Now that the weather is finally cooperating, I get to have my morning coffee at the outdoor office -- something that delight me to no end. I'm surrounded by plants that started in my grandmother's garden over 50 years ago...
Solo... Sediment
When I used to drink a lot of french press coffee the sludge at the bottom of my mug was more of an annoyance than anything else. A grinder that was a poor performer at coarse grind settings or a...
Vibiemme Junior HX - 3 months
I got the Vibiemme Junior HX three months ago from saving up a massive amount of ebeans, and the people at Roaste allowing me to receive them from these blog posts.So now after three months time with this espresso machine...
Portola Coffee Lab gets its first video
My local roaster's all grown up and making its first video. I'm getting verklempt... Talk amongst yourselves...
Terroir Ice Cream
David Lebovitz was a pasty chef under Alice Waters, and has written a number of entertaining and informative food books. He also maintains an excellent eponymous blog. One of his more popular books is "The Perfect Scoop," which has recipes...
Able Brewing from Coava
Coava is a high-quality roasterie located in Portland, OR. In a city known for its coffee culture, Coava stands out for its quick ascendancy to respectability. Its baristas have done very well in barista competitions, their coffees have been highly...
Random thoughts on extraction
Thankfully I got in my order from PT's yesterday and I got the Burundi that is featured on the front of the website right now, along with their Flying Monkey Espresso. I have yet to take a taste of the...
New arrivals and related thoughts
Well, look what we have here! Yesterday was a good day for coffee-related mail. First, a fresh batch of AJ’s Finca Santa Clara arrived. It smelled great even before I cracked the bag (took a hit from the one-way valve),...
Keeping it cool
I enjoy drip coffee year round. It's nice on a frosty fall morning and it's nice looking out over the ocean in a tropical location. Sometimes, when it's hot and humid out it's just too unpleasant to sweat through an...