The Reading Room

Paradise Roasters India Sitara aka 100% Robusta
I have had an interesting experience with this coffee from Paradise Roasters, India Sitara 100% Robusta. I believe this coffee could follow the arch of a good fling you have with someone, starts out great, one nasty incident, then it's...
Same old portafilter - new barista
You have probably seen the shows where they bring in the celebrity guest chef to the little restaurant that is trying to make it and he tries to take what they are doing and make it work.   Well, I...
My husband is home and the coffee is good!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am the person who did not start to drink coffee until I was 40+ years old (I am now 53).  I always enjoyed the smell of it but the taste just didn't do it for me.  I drank cold...
Need to learn from the Mermaid.
I get the Wall Street Journal everyday and have the opportunity to give it a quick read and saw something interesting in it yesterday talking about of Starbucks. It seems like they have had a lot of articles about the...
Pressure reducers
A number of people have expressed interest in the pressure reducer I need to use to reduce the house’s water pressure before it enters the machine.  It is a spec dictated by Elektra on the machine and it is backed...
Is Coffee a Product or a Service?
We often speak of the "service industry" as containing people selling and serving food, which has always been a bit misleading, to me. I don't disagree that an awful lot of food purveyors, like diners or fast food joints, provide...
The ZPM Espresso Machine
http://zpmespresso.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/LogoforWeb1-1024x261.png" title="ZPM Logo" align="middle" height="130" width="512" alt="ZPM Logo" />  A little over two days from now, an ambitious project will be funded through Kickstarter, having reached sixteen times its goal in pledged funding. At almost a third of a million dollars,...
High Jump Components from El Salvador
One of the few perks (pun noticed but not intended!) that accrues from being in the coffee business is the opportunity to taste many different coffees.  As many of you know, I've been tasting each of our component coffees individually...
Oh bother... bad coffee this morning.
It's a Tuesday after a three day weekend, and this morning I found myself taking the first drink of coffee in the car as I drove off and it was bad... real bad. I had this sneaking impression that it...
The case for buying the best espresso machine you can get.
Making espresso at home is something that I think you just need to go for and you have to leap not just take a baby step forward. The reason is that the espresso machines you can buy for under a...
Yet another Espresso Project!
Let me introduce to you my new aquisition: /files/u14133/IMG_1077.jpg" width="336" height="448" /> Yes that is right, a state of the art coffee machine that can grind, and then brew a perfect cup of coffee, all done automatically! Let have a...
What Is a Cortado? How to Make One at Home

A cortado is a small espresso drink cut with equal warm milk. What it is, how it differs from a latte, and how to make one at home.

Pour Over Coffee: A Simple 6-Step Guide for Home

Pour over coffee makes a clean, bright cup with a cone, a filter, and hot water. The gear, grind, ratio, and pour, step by step.

Breaking in espresso equipment.
Breaking in espresso equipment. Some espresso equipment is not as good as new, it is better than new.  In particular it seems to be fairly well accepted that large grinders need to be broken in before they are at their...
Light Roast Coffee: What It Is and Why It Tastes Bright

Light roast coffee tastes bright and full of origin flavor, not weak or sour. What it is, why the cup tastes bright, and how to brew it well.

Aussie Doctors say: Restrict Energy Drinks - Some Contain the Caffeine of 10-20 Coffees
Doctors, researchers and poison information specialists have gone to battle against the energy drink industry in Australia over the safety of the highly caffeinated products. The health professionals are seeing the tragic after-effects of teen consumption of the drinks, while...
Moka Pot: Pre-Brew Coffee for Added Flavors and Strength!
  /files/u2500/blog_moka_brewing_cold_and_hot.jpg" height="500" width="360" title="Credit: psd’s photostream, Flickr" alt="Credit: psd’s photostream, Flickr" /> Everyone needs a Moka pot. They make delicious coffee in a short time and are relatively inexpensive. Also, you can get creative with it and make even...
Too much Caffeine!
I tend to think that I have a pretty high tolerance for caffeine and it's effects. I can drink a few cups of coffee or a couple shots of espresso right before bed and sleep soundly with no ill effects....
Insight Roasters - El Savador Finca Aconcagua
I had the pleasure yesterday being able to make another trip to a coffee shop near my in-law's home in Modesto, CA, the Serrano Social Club. I have spoken about it in a past blog and have been there a...
Tastes and taste buds
Tastes and taste buds I posted the other day about how I was sick and could not drink coffee and then how I was a little better and the coffee tasted so good, so I was curious how coffee would...
Grinder Cleaning By-Product
The other day, Steve posted about cleaning his coffee grinder with rice. The by-product of the process is, of course, a half-cup or so of ground rice mixed with the detritus of ground coffee. What do you do with it?...