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espresso

Gear Review: PUSH Tamper by Clockwork Espresso

January 15, 2017 By Michael Leave a Comment

PUSH TamperThere’s a million ways to pull a bad shot of espresso, but the easiest way is to mess up the tamp. Although it might appear to be a menial task, tamping is essential for an even extraction, i.e. ensuring all of the coffee grounds are saturated with the same amount of water. Any inconsistencies in the bed of coffee grounds and the water will channel, resulting in an unpleasant, astringent espresso.

As a barista educator, I can testify there are few bar skills that take as long to master as tamping. Even veteran baristas tend to tamp at a slight angle, ensuring the full flavor potential of that shot of espresso goes unrealized. Traditional tampers have the further problem of placing a lot of tension on the barista’s wrist. More than one barista I know has needed physical therapy because of repetitive stressed caused by tamping. The UK’s Clockwork Espresso claims to address both of these issues with a revolutionarily simple device they call the PUSH Tamper….

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Filed Under: Coffee Product Reviews Tagged With: Clockwork Espresso, espresso, tampers

Will the Ona Coffee Distributor Make Your Espresso Taste Better?

May 19, 2016 By Michael 11 Comments

Ona Coffee Distributor One of the most basic barista tasks is also the hardest to master. Over the course of a shift, a typical barista will pull hundreds of shots of espresso. In order to pull a decent shot, the barista must evenly distribute the ground coffee in the portafilter and compress the grounds with a nice, level tamp. It sounds simple enough, but after training dozens of baristas I can attest that it’s one of the last barista skills I see people master. Although steaming milk, pouring latte art, and making pour-overs might intimidate new hires, it’s tamping that keeps a self-aware veteran awake at night. Even a minuscule inconsistency in the distribution of the coffee can result in the dreaded phenomenon of channeling. Simply put, channeling is when …

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Filed Under: Coffee Product Reviews Tagged With: espresso, OCD, Sasa Sestic

Interview: Scott Rao

January 27, 2014 By Darren 3 Comments

1024897l_professional-barista-handook

Scott Rao needs no introduction for most of our readers. His landmark book The Professional Barista’s Handbook has influenced the current generation of coffee professionals perhaps more than any other single resource.  His books have been formative for our own coffee education, so we were excited for the opportunity to ask him a few questions.  

You recently published your third book on coffee, Espresso Extraction. What motivates you to write?

I wrote my first book because I had some free time after selling a business and had always been frustrated as a barista that there were no good resources for learning. After 14 years of full time work owning cafes, I felt I was ready to contribute to the industry’s knowledge base, and spent a few months educating myself in the local university’s physics library before writing the professional barista’s handbook.

What coffees have you been excited about drinking lately?

Unfortunately, I don’t …

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Filed Under: Interviews Tagged With: books, coffee shot, espresso, Scott Rao, The Professional Barista's Handbook

Gear Review: The Prima Tamp

June 24, 2013 By Michael 1 Comment

Prima Tamp review

There are few things as delicious as a well crafted shot of espresso pulled by a skilled barista. Arguably, the biggest impact a barista has on the espresso is how she distributes and tamps the coffee grounds in the portafilter. In other words, tamping is important. It follows that a good barista must have good technique and
…

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Filed Under: Coffee Product Reviews Tagged With: barista, barista health problem, espresso, Prima Tamp, tampers, tamping

How to Drink Espresso

May 29, 2013 By Michael 16 Comments

Slayer espresso machine

Not X-presso

Espresso. It’s possibly the least understood and most mispronounced way of making coffee. Most people seem to think it’s just for adrenaline junkies or art history professors. But when Luigi Bezzera invented the first espresso machine in Milan in 1901, he wasn’t trying to fuel frat parties or help the literati feel refined. He just wanted to …

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Filed Under: How to's Tagged With: espresso, espresso guide, how to drink espresso

Cafe Review: Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe, AZ

December 6, 2012 By Michael 7 Comments

Cartel Coffee espresso
It’s tough trying to sell coffee when the temperature outside is the same as a well steamed cappuccino, but Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe, AZ has a threefold recipe for success: source incredible coffees, roast to highlight the natural flavor characteristics, and brew with skill and precision. Throw in a friendly staff, a DIY aesthetic, and an old strip mall down the street from a massive university and it’s little wonder that the Cartel Coffee syndicate has expanded to…

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Filed Under: Coffee Shop Reviews Tagged With: Arizona, Cartel Coffee Lab, coffee, espresso, Phoenix, Sky Harbor International Airport, Tempe

Why You Should Put The Barn On Your Coffee Radar

September 5, 2012 By Michael Leave a Comment

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Over the last decade several cities have emerged as coffee destinations: London, New York, San Francisco, Melbourne, and Oslo immediately come to mind.  These trendsetting cities are home to acclaimed roasters and attract a steady flow of globetrotting baristas on coffee pilgrimages. But over in the Eurozone a wave of new coffee shops have been popping up around Berlin, and one cafe in particular, The Barn, is a big reason why your next cafe crawl should be in Germany’s capital.

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Filed Under: Coffee Shop Reviews Tagged With: Berlin, coffee, Coffee in Germany, espresso, Market Lane, Square Mile, The Barn, The Coffee Collective

Life is Bear Pond

August 25, 2012 By Michael Leave a Comment

Life Is Bear Pond Espresso from Jake Davis on Vimeo.

I’ve never been to Bear Pond Espresso, but after watching this video I know I’ll make it a priority if I’m ever in Tokyo again. …

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Filed Under: Coffee in Japan Tagged With: Bear Pond Espresso, coffee, espresso, Japan, Tokyo

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