The Reading Room

Manual Espresso Makers: What to Know Before Buying

A manual espresso maker swaps the electric pump for your own hands. How the pressure works, why preheating matters most, and the grind to use.

Blonde on Blonde
Ahh the morning paper and cup of coffee nothing quite goes together like those two, and to be honest I am surprised at how often coffee turns up in the morning paper these day. Just today I found this on...
Having fun pulling shots.
More musings on playing with coffee.  Life has been quite busy, so I have not gotten to play with the T1 ever the way I would like. Pulling shots is really fun for me and I would love to pull...
Express Your Love to Your Valentine in His/Her Coffee
/files/u2500/newsletter_blog_valentine_s_day_2012_stencil.jpg" height="201" width="276" /> Coffee history has given us a wealth of stories. According to some of them, coffee has played a part in romance. We think of Italy as the romantic coffee country, but consider its fellow to the...
Mypressi - Initial Impressions
About three weeks back I posted about ordering the Mypressi Twist V2. I’ve used it for about two and a half of those weeks and wanted to give some preliminary opinions about it. If you remember, the two main concerns...
Coffee Extraction Explained: Why Your Cup Tastes Sour or Bitter

Coffee extraction decides whether a cup tastes sour, sweet, or harsh. What dissolves when, and why grind size moves flavor further than anything else.

How to Taste Espresso: Reading Flavor in the Cup

Reading espresso flavor takes practice, not talent. Flavor families, body, acidity, balance, and finish, and how to build your own palate.

What I am drinking now – Deep Cello Bossa
What I am drinking now – Deep Cello Bossa I ordered some Deep Cello coffee for the first time recently.  I pulled the shots starting earlier than I normally would to since some  coffees mature earlier than others and I...
Grinderless, Thinking About Coffee Rituals
As I have mentioned in a few past blog posts, I am currently in the middle of an upgrade and this has left me grinderless. I sold my old grinder far more quickly than I expected and am still waiting...
Coffee Freshness: When Beans Peak and How to Store Them
Coffee freshness follows a curve rather than a countdown. Beans need a few days to settle before they taste their best.   They then hold a peak window before slowly fading. Storage decides how long the good stretch lasts. Learn more about...
Going back to "old school" - we have a percolator
I wrote a blog a few days ago about my auto drip coffee pot dying and making "camping" style. I was at a resale shop and found a percolator for around $3. I figured that it could not hurt to...
7 Coffee Accessories Every Home Brewer Needs

 These coffee accessories cover every variable between your beans and your cup. Build your home setup right with this gear guide.

Sustainable Coffee Labels: What the Certifications Cover

Sustainable coffee means different things depending on the label. What organic, Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, and Bird Friendly each cover.

Waiter, There’s a Mushroom in My Coffee!
/files/u2500/blog_maitake_mushrooms.jpg" height="213" width="320" title="maitake photo from Lebrac on Wikimedia" alt="maitake photo from Lebrac on Wikimedia" /> Maitake mushrooms One of our newest coffees is one of our most unique. It’s Ming Tsai's Maitake Coffee for Health from a roaster called...
Coffee Mecca, Bear Pond Espresso
I apologize in advance if this is well known to others, but tonight while reading an article about the pursuits of Japanese artists, craftsmen, chefs, etc to perfect their craft I am across an interesting paragraph right at the beginning...
My Approach to Siphon Coffee Maker
I find myself a little obsessed over the siphon coffee maker as I slowly rediscovering how to make good coffee with it. I did go into discussion about this particular type of coffee brewer in my last post. Basically, what...
Cooking with Coffee
A couple recent Roaste blog posts inspired this post. So, more on cooking with coffee.For me, cooking is one of the most cathartic and enjoyable experiences I can have. I love being in the kitchen, it does not matter if...
Adventures in Coffee and Bacon
My adventures in cooking with coffee continued this week. It's been a fun week with lots of experimentation with coffee drink recipes: Irish coffee truffles, chocolate covered coffee fondants, fabulous Frappuccino fakes -- even a chai tea latte-ccino, but this...
The confession (that need not be)
The confession (that need not be) Chili was on the menu. Last night I decided to up my chili game and borrow a page from a friend of mine who heads a chili cook off team.  She won the people’s...
Brown Coffee Co - Edlina Microlot, Guatemala.
/files/u13866/2012-01-25_15_23_21.jpg" align="left" width="231" height="308" hspace="10" />About a week ago now I was really excited that Brown Coffee Co had decided to start selling on Roaste, while they may have had incident on twitter that caused a lot of grief it...
Autumn Spice Syrup Recipe
Just a few years ago, my wife would not really drink coffee. Well she would drink something with coffee in it, but other flavors often masked the flavor of the coffee itself. As I started making coffee every morning, seriously...