The Reading Room

That is the question: Whether tis preferable in the cup to suffer the lackluster and shallow taste of stale beans, or to take arms against the sea of time and by freezing end them? I’ll spare you the rest of...

I have been wanting to write a little bit about the Ponte Vechio Lusso but did not get a chance until now. After all it is definely one of my most favorite espressos machine. The picture above is almost exactly...

This is my first blog entry and I have always been meaning to have a blog of my own but am just too lazy to write it. Thanks to Ebean and ROASTe for being my motivation to do this.  I...

Jonathan Brilliant is a sculptor of massive art installations who has found inspiration in the culture of the coffee shop. No mere finger painter in the medium of coffee stains is he, but a creator of visuals from ordinary aspects...

We have just gone through Halloween, so that means we are fast approaching the season when people are coming into our homes on a regular basis that we don't normally see. It also means for those of use in the...

In another blog post someone asked what my favorite coffee shop was.  In different contexts I have slightly different favorites, but it inspired me to write about a few of my favorites.  This is about one of my favorites in...

The twist – my parting shots. I am quite pleased with this machine.  It is amazing if you want to judge it by the quality of the shot, which is the most important criteria.  I will be sad to see...

I am the most indecisive consumer ever. I research compulsively, go back and forth between purchases repeatedly, and then I'll buy something months later. Coffee grinders are my latest arch-nemesis. I bought my Gaggia Classic six months ago for $300 and...

 About several years ago, when I got interested in coffee, I picked up a device called the French press from the local target store for about twenty bucks. It was a basic Bodum unit with no bell and whistles, just...

Ok after a hectic week at school I’m back to posting blogs, and it’s about time for another review post. This time I’m discussing a pre-brewed bottled coffee, Captain’s Cold Brew. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical...

Despite my almost exclusive enjoyment of espresso and drinks that contain relatively small amount of milk such as machiato and cappucino, I do occasionally indulge on frappucino. When I first got started drinking espresso, I frequently get these drink from...

Well it has finally happened here out in California, winter has come! I think for a lot of people our winter would characterized as nice mild weather, lows in the 40s and highs in 60s, but when you are use...

It seems as if in every continent, we see interviews with baristas in which each is asked his or her secrets of good coffee. This week, India Today wants to know, so writer Angad B. Sodhi asked Master Barista Fritz...

My recent adventure in stirring coffee was launched by looking for a blog post by james Hoffman where he declared “Crema is Rubbish.”  I had heard about this declaration and perhaps even read his blog about it before, but I...

When is a micro roaster no longer a micro roaster?  I have  a friend who used to work for a micro roaster/ coffee shop.  They trained their baristas extensively and taught them a lot about coffee.  One of the things...

I've been doing a lot of writing lately and writing requires a significant amount of coffee. I drink espressi from time to time while writing, but I really like a sippable (made up word alert) drink so I've been making...

Even with all of the variables involved in estimating the price per cup of home brewed coffee, it’s pretty much a sure thing that whatever brand of coffee you buy, even high-end, brewing your own at home is cheaper than...

I have been blogging about my experience with very light roast of coffee in espresso machine recently and I have said that despite all the attempts I made in changing doses and grind setting, I was not successful in making...

I have been making pour over coffee for my wife and she loves it.  The key to this process is you boil the water yourself and then take it off the boil and pour it onto some contraption that is...

This is to me the ultimate bargain in espresso gear.  The Super Jolly is a grinder that was never intended to be used in a home environment.  It is one of the most common commercial grinders in the world.  It...

Several days ago, I decided to fire up the La Marzocco Linea three groupo some of the lightly roasted beans that I have. I have wired my Marzocco so that by turning the switch to position number 1, it would...