The Reading Room

Okay, you have now submerged your wand into your milk and turned it on.  The next step is the hardest step in steaming milk and it just takes practice.  You want to bring the wand up (well in fact you...

/files/u2252/grindmaster_opod.jpg" width="136" height="250" align="right" />I look at the coffee equipment and accessories collected on my journey as markers to remind me where I came from and to point to where I am heading.  Some of these items are dearer to...

I blogged a while back about roasting at home. I mentioned what you need to gather - unroasted coffee, a decent popcorn popper with sufficient wattage (1200+), and a ventilated area away from anything you wouldn't want to burn down.....

/files/u2500/blog_columbus_direct_trade.jpg" alt="Columbus explored the coast of coffee country" title="Columbus explored the coast of coffee country" height="351" width="500" /> Find a direct trade route to great coffee! Whether you celebrate Columbus Day on Monday October 10 or the traditional date of...

This is the next in a series of installments on properly frothing milk.  This one will focus on getting the machine and milk ready for frothing.  Obviously all of these phases are actually done consecutively in short sequence and not...

What kind of pitcher should you use to steam milk and pour latte art?   The answer is fairly easy – almost any pitcher that is a good size will work well for steaming and for pouring art you want a...

Houston Press 2011 "I am extremely honored to be picked as the coffee roaster of the year by Houston Press! Java PURA has always strived for the best quality and will continue to. I would love to say more but...

How much milk should you steam at a time?  Ideally the answer to this question would be, exactly as much milk as you want to use in your drink, but, of course, life never works out quite perfectly unless there...

One way valve coffee bags are great for your coffee. Why are they great? They are great because they keep flavor in and keep oxygen out.  Oxygen is what diminishes or stales the wonderful aroma and flavor of fresh roasted...

This is a break in the middle of my steaming milk series to take a look at another option (not as ideal, but certainly easier)Cool tool report – the swizler “as seen on TV.”  As a joke of a stocking...

This is a blog post about a cool new feature on Roaste (or at least it is new to me, but I think it is new to Roaste, too) Roaste Prime. Roaste prime is a great deal in my book. ...

http://www.koracoffee.com/images/KOR_VietnamesePhin/PhinFront2.jpg" height="500" width="500" /> I have been thinking about writing about this brewing device for a while yet unable to do so intil now. Phin basically is the name of a traditional Vietnamese brewing device, the name is probablly derived...

One coffee I have been eager to try since reading it won a medal in the Best of Oregon coffee tasting is Deep Cello’s Black Tie blend. This is what is in my cup so today is my lucky day!...

It’s not that large a country, but Ethiopia has a diverse climate system, according to recent reports. The coffee producing nation either has a drought or it doesn’t, depending on who you believe. In the mountains the coffee is looking...

What should steamed milk look and taste like?  I opened my last blog entry with this basic question and then proceeded not to answer it.  The real answer is, of course, worth delivering though.  When milk is steamed to a...

I saw a link to this over on facebook - wow, I hope this rant is intended to be tongue-in-cheek. Still made for an interesting read so I thought I would share it here and see what everyone thinks:"I've been...

What should steamed milk look and taste like?  I think the better question is what should it sound like?  I thought I was pretty good at steaming milk when I started training with one of the world’s best latte artists. ...

this is the second in a series of posts on steaming milk.  some will be instructional and some will just  be about the learnign curve I followed (and continue to follow).  This one is more about the path than the...

It might take awhile before it hits your town, but there’s a new coffee treat on the horizon, coming from the Philippines. Actually, it doesn’t have to hit your grocery shelves or CoffeeKind’s shelves, as you can actually make it...

"Three Hearts" natural process bulk coffee from Brasil, one of the base roasts of Black Tie, is a simple, super chocolate coffee with hints of caramel, and allspice. It's not a bright and rests well on the tongue.We are talking...