The Reading Room

National Espresso Day Dessert: Espresso Velvet Parfait
http://coffeebreak2day.com/http://coffeebreak2day.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/espresso-gelatin-parfait.jpg" width="320" vspace="5" hspace="5" height="240" border="0" title="espresso velvet gelain dessert" alt="espresso velvet gelain dessert" /> It's National Espresso Day -- how are you celebrating? I'm a big fan of espresso -- it's hard not to be when you grow up...
Bonavita Electric Kettle Review
For a while now I have been wanting a Buono Kettle – not the one here on ROASTe – that is a fine kettle though. The one I have been waiting for is the model with the electric base so...
Less latte art
I am probably alone in this wish but I would like to see less latte art. I feel that the perceived need for latte art is driving baristas to steam and texture all milk  in one fairly wet style, regardless of...
Kenyan Coffee Is Farmers’ Ticket out of Poverty
Kenyan coffee farmers were told last week that coffee is a crop that can be their ticket out of poverty. A district commissioner told them if they took coffee farming seriously the money being paid for coffee now would bring...
To updose or not?
A traditionally brewed espresso shot is about 7 gram of coffee pulled into a 1-ounce(oz) drink. A Italian-conventional double shot will be 14 gram of coffee pulled into 2-oz volume. However, what I’ve noticed is that, the recent trend has...
My #1 recommendation for budding coffee gourmets
If you're new to gourmet coffee I have one top recommendation:  try light- or medium- roasted coffee. Why?  Because the subtleties of coffee come out when it's light or medium roasted.  /wp/wp-content/uploads/files/uploads/coffeecup_Ballistik_Coffee_Boy_crop380w.jpg" width="380" height="250" align="right" title="Photo by Ballistik_Coffee_Boy, courtesy of...
Latest Reviews page added to ROASTe's Buzz
Following up on the excellent suggestion from samuellaw178 we now have a page to show all the latest reviews on ROASTe. On The Buzz page, just click on the "Latest Reviews" title.  Brew on! Eyal 
Time for an intervention? My Preciso cleaning routine
Confession: I like to keep my coffee gear in decent shape. I don’t consider myself a fanatic about it though. For example, as far as I know my Clever dripper has never encountered a cleansing agent other than hot water....
The Aesthetics of Coffee
I grew with a grandmother who bought green coffee beans at the A&P, roasted them in an open frying pan on the stove and ground them in an old-fashioned hand-cranked coffee grinder. When she made coffee for herself, she boiled...
Regional Coffee Tastes
This morning as I pulled the first few shots of espresso from Olympia Coffee Roasters using their Big Truck Espresso blend, I was actually expecting to get quite a fruity shot of espresso as that has become what I expect...
An In-Depth Look at Current – and Future - Coffee Pricing
Zak Stone has written a rather long but enlightening article on the coffee situation, stating that supply and demand mixed with climate change will add up to increased prices. Depending on who or what you read, a coffee doomsday may...
What I am drinking now: Ceremony coffee roasters – French roast
I have written before that I am always in search of good dark roasts because my wife likes dark roasts and I like lighter roasts, but enjoy a really good dark roast once in a while and so if I...
3 Question Interview with Kona Earth's owner Gary Strawn
Want to learn more about Kona Earth Farm? I recently interviewed its owner Gary Strawn. He's passionate about the coffee he grows on his farm on the Hawaiian island of Kona. Me:  How did you get into growing coffee?Gary:  Ever...
Is 1969 the Year the Coffee Died?
Steve Crump is not happy with the coffee in his local grocery. He finds it to be mostly Robusta, “the cheap red wine of coffee beans”. Lamenting that Juan Valdez’s Colombian Arabica coffee is now third in world production, he...
What is in a name?
What is in a name? I logged on last week to try to order some more Caffe Pronto coffee and was surprised to see it was gone.  After a little searching, however, I found that they were still on Roaste,...
It's here!
My new Baratza Vario is here! I ordered it on the 16th and it showed up last night. I was slightly worried about how parts like the levers would hold up in the gentle hands of UPS, but the grinder...
Perfect travel tumbler?
Even though I drink the most amount of coffee at home; more and more often I'm spending much more time in school and also on the road and I find myself wanting coffee during these time as well. I have...
Hario Mini Mill vs. Baratza Vario?
I have been documenting my experiences with the Hario Mini Mill that I obtained for over a month ago. Before the arrival of the Hario Mill, if I want to have coffee at school, I would have to pregrind the coffee...
What do you do with the last beans of a bag?
I was just finishing up a wonderful pound of Vivace Vita this morning and have enough beans left for two double shots of espresso and a little more. I really hate to toss out good beans and I am not...