Crema - sign or symptom?

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Gaggia Syncrony Compact Super-Automatic Espresso Maker ReviewAlong with all of the thrashing about the last week or two getting a working coffee maker and backup into place, I also went nuts and bought a super automatic espresso machine. If you're not up on espresso maker terminology, a "Super Automatic" is a machine delivers a shot of espresso (or a double, or an americano (espresso+hot water -- coffee, more or less)) at the touch of a button. It grinds the beans, makes the shot, dumps the grinds, etc. Of course, it also comes with a steam wand for frothing the milk. In the online world of coffee snobbery (such as CoffeeGeek, one of my favorite coffee-related sites), there is a special place in home barista hell for...


Pity the fool that don’t like espresso…Over on "Words For My Enjoyment", Paul Davidson happens to run into Mr. T standing on line at Starbucks... Well� Mr. T was standing right in front of me in line. It was then that I tuned my eavesdropping ears into the conversation in front of me, in which Mr. T picked out two chocolate covered graham crackers (for dipping) and ordered a double-shot espresso. Yes, that's right - Mr. T, a guy with more energy and moxie than the entire city of Los Angeles, was ordering up additional adrenaline in the form of a dark, thick liquid. It was awesome. And I had to say something or else I'd regret it. Mr. T obviously still has nerves of steel...


It’s all in the grindIf you undertake to learn a bit about coffee, you'll soon find that most serious coffee aficionados will tell you that the single most critical piece of equipment you own is a grinder. A grinder is often a person's first "step up" into the world of better coffee -- once you grind coffee, the flavor begins to dissipate within seconds, so buying whole bean coffee and grinding it yourself just before you brew gives you much better flavor. Unfortunately, many people stop there, and never realize that the type of grinder, and how it works, makes a vast amount of difference to the final result in the cup. This is true regardless of the type of coffee you are drinking...


Clean that nasty machine!There's nothing worse than a funky coffee maker. Coffee is filled with essential oils. While these are superb in the cup, when they're left to dry on equipment, they turn into nasty, rancid, bitter oils that can render even the most finely ground, sublime bean into a hidious tasting cup of hot nastiness. Sure, you wash out your carafe, and all of the other removable pieces, but there are still places lurking in your coffee maker where the crud builds up, and awaits its opportunity to spoil your morning cuppa. What to do? Clean that nasty machine! The easiest way to deal with a case of the coffee crud is by using an off-the-shelf coffee machine cleaner. I personally like...


Coffee - How to Buy, Store, and Grind it for the Perfect Cup In the early days of the coffee craze, before the first Starbucks arrived in my town, I owned a tea and coffee house for several years. At the time, espresso was something new for most people, and a lot of my customers had questions. I decided to teach a class on coffee at the shop, and learned in the process that there are several misunderstandings about buying, storing, and grinding coffee that when corrected can lead to a much more enjoyable cup of coffee. True coffee connoisseurs know that buying coffee beans in small amounts that allow you to brew your coffee within a day or two of being roasted will result in the closest to a perfect cup...