The Reading Room

Coffee shops are becoming too pretentious, according to writer Rebecca Flint Marx. In New York, pretentious doesn’t sell, so the Third Wave Coffee movement that has hit the west coast is not catching on that quickly in the Big Apple....

So I ran out of coffee... yeah it kind of stinks was expecting an order yesterday but it didn't make it, should be here today. Therefore, I found myself in Starbucks this morning at around six. For whatever reason while...

Product review Terra Espresso cupsFor Christmas my wife gave me a couple of the Terra espresso cups.  I have always admired them and hoped to have one some day, but I also knew that they were insanely expensive and that...

Tried coffee via the Keurig K cup for the first time today while visiting a relative. She likes the convenience and speed of it. I tried it and was not impressed. The coffee seemed weak. To be fair I decided...

About two weeks ago Revel Coffee started selling here on Roaste, and I my interest was piqued by this little roaster. When I say little this is a little operation out Billings MT. Yes I said Montana, not exactly the...

As one moves up the upgraditis ladder of espresso machines, one will eventually face a crossing path: to go a Double Boiler(DB) or to go with a Heat Exchanger(HX) machine? Here’s exactly one of the many threads that are being...

Revisiting gas packed coffees A recent blog post asked about if the coffees packed with intert gasses were really not as good as fresh coffee and or frozen coffee. I bought some Illy to try to confirm the answer.  The...

What is a green water fountain and why does it make me so happy? They started putting in green water fountains at work recently and I was thrilled when the water fountain near my office broke so I could request...

/files/u2252/tuktant_500.jpg" align="right" height="300" width="201" />One of the fun things about going to CoffeeCon 2012 over the weekend was getting to try coffee from Buzz Artisanal Coffee located in Wicker Park (home to C.M. Punk and Colt Cabana), a neat Chicago...

I normally don’t order any coffee that doesn’t have any reviews on them. I guess that’s because I am playing safe. It would be a torture to finish a bag of coffee you don’t really like and it’s a huge...

/files/u16346/10168dsc00487_1.jpg" width="375" height="500" />   Ever since I got my first lever La Peppina, I have been enchanted by the uniqueness of lever espresso machine. I don't think i have experienced the "zen" thing when using these lever espresso machines,...

http://ketchikanarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/100514_busking_broadway_thomas_600.png" /> "Multa cadunt inter calicem supremaque labra" Or, "many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip" - or, "unexpected outcomes!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd3Yu-ImZk0

The last few batches of beans I’ve had were distinctive in the sense that you could pick them out based on appearance alone for various reasons. I say this as someone who’s curious and pays attention to coffee trivia but...

Breaking in Burrs I was reading James Hoffman’s blog on the burrs for espresso grinders and how long it takes to break them in.  http://www.jimseven.com/2011/06/15/dear-grinder-manufacturers/ He had a mini rant that was intended to get signatures from other coffee pros...

The Aeropress conspiracy continues to expand in surprising directions. I thought I had it licked.  There is this problem that I have.  Everywhere I turn in the coffee world people are talking about how great the Aeropress is.  I keep...

I have been job hunting for quite some time now. I have applied for positions at chain coffee stores but while I have the customer service experience I have not been successful yet. I began to wonder if maybe pure...

I read just a little blurb in the paper over the weekend about people working really well in coffee shops, or other public places. It was a little bit to fill in a blank piece of paper of a weekend...

I had a chance to play with the Bunn Trifecta MB over the weekend. The brewer's finish looks nice with a solid appearance and feel. For $499 you get a couple brew chambers (one for tea and one for coffee)...

What I am drinking now – Hobo Ed's Train Hoppin' Espresso   http://www.roaste.com/product/Kimberton-Whole-Foods/Hobo-Eds-Train-Hoppi...   I think this is an espresso that you just have to like if only because of the great name (edit to point out that ironically I...

A wild card enters the water race.  I have been testing waters for my own taste lately and decided for fun to add in one more water.  It is the Cirqua AB water formulator.  I believe I had read once...

Get ready to enter the “Caffeine Zone”. Yep, someone by the name of Frank Ritter has come up with an iPhone app that can keep you within the Zone, where you stay at an even level of caffeinated bliss. Scien-tifically...