In a home coffee market seemingly dominated by single dosers... Eureka took a look at the competition and said "nah, we’re gonna go with a hopper". On the surface the Mignon Libra looks a lot like many of its other Mignon relatives with its tall, rectangular body, single adjustment dial and telltale squared off hopper. But...
I fancy myself a pretty experienced espresso guy... so you can imagine my surprise when a machine landed on my bar that had not once popped up on my radar. The Crossland CC1 is a home-focused, feature dense, and affordable prosumer espresso machine that at a glance looks like a lovechild of two of the biggest...
Since the Lelit Bianca landed on my bar... I have had a lot of requests to put it up against my daily driver, the La Marzocco GS3MP. On their face they appear to be two very different machines at two completely different price points; there's a $4,500 difference between them. But, going head-to-head, spec sheet to...
Flat burr grinders get all the glory... and often are on top of many barista's wishlists. But the humble conical shouldn't be counted out, and one that's recently caught my eye is the new Varia VS3. On paper it's a lot like many of the other grinders that have hit the home coffee scene in recent...
When it comes to pour over drippers... there are a lot of options ranging in size, material, and shape, but when I sat down to do a quick inventory of my collection I realized I had more flat bottom options than any other style. And looking back over the last year or so, I've found myself...
For many home baristas... the La Marzocco GS3 MP carries a lot of weight. It's been around for quite awhile, and has created a reputation for being one of the most sought after home espresso machines on the market. Packed with big dual boilers, a stable PID controlled temperature system, a commercial grade rotary pump, and...
A few keen observers... have been noticing a regular brewing cameo in some of my recent videos, so I figured now may be a good time to introduce my current daily driver pour over: the Orea V3. This incredibly simple and unassuming brewing device has been more or less the only one I reach for when...
Coffee people are a fickle bunch... when a hot new piece of gear drops everyone and their cousin's brother's uncle are going on and on about it, but as soon as something else hits the market it's gone as fast as it came. Yet, there's one piece of coffee gear that tends to always maintain a...
Some of you might remember... that back in March I made a video that was a direct, side by side comparison of two espresso machines. The $500 Gaggia Classic, and the $5000 Linea Mini, Both of course, in the most basic terms, apply pressurized water onto ground coffee, essentially the fundamental definition of espresso. But like any hobby,...
There must be something in the water... because powered hand grinders seem to be all the rage, or at least I'm getting them in waves. Regardless, here we are, and today we're with Timemore's Grinder Go Advanced. Unlike its close relatives the Slim and Chestnut X this grinder contains a unique twist for a piece of...
A filterless coffee brewer isn't unheard of... but I don't recall any of them using that particular aspect as their main marketing point, and that is where the Pure Over comes into the picture. This relatively new pour over dripper designed by Portland based glass artist Etai Rahmil was originally a Kickstarter that was fully funded...
Over my time as a home barista... there are a handful of machines that get brought up in nearly every espresso conversation, and one of them is the ECM Synchronika. This makes sense because on paper it's a needle in a haystack. It comes with dual boilers, PID for consistent temperature control, the legendary (but divisive)...
If you're an eagle-eyed viewer... you've maybe noticed a new addition on my bar in some of my recent videos, and that is the Option-O Lagom P64. From a distance it looks like a microscope, but similarly it is intended to magnify the flavors of your coffee...see what I did there? If you aren't familiar its...
Specialty coffee is already a niche interest... but once you hit a certain level not one coffee enthusiast or hobbyist hasn’t considered roasting their own. Of course the options out there for home roasting are as broad as they are for everything else in coffee, and you can spend as much or as little as you’d...
Getting into home espresso... can be an intimidating experience. There are thousands of options that range in everything from price to performance. Going online in search of answers can can only make the choice harder. Scrolling through forums and blog posts can give you an even mix of horror stories and happy endings, but there is...
As a coffee lover... I've collected a whole grip of gear over the years. If you can brew on it I likely have it, or its on a long list I keep on my phone of future buys. But one thing most of them have in common is they tend to be hyper focused on one...
If there is one question... I get asked on a very regular basis it's why a relatively simple espresso machine like the La Marzocco Linea Mini is worth $5,000, and to be honest it's not an easy question to just answer off the cuff. The response I often use is related to cars, because you can...
It takes a certain type of coffee person... to want to manually hand grind their coffee. It may or may not surprise you, but I'm not that type of coffee person. I've grown very accustomed to my daily ritual using an electric grinder, but the growing popularity of quality hand grinders is hard to ignore. There...
On a cold January day in 2017... much like this one, I brought home my brand new La Marzocco Linea Mini. This was almost exactly five years ago, and at the time I was just a new coffee enthusiast looking to learn the craft, but little did I know that it would take me where I...
Air is the enemy... of your coffee's freshness. There is no way to put a complete stop to oxidation that will eventually make your coffee go stale, but thankfully there are some containers out there aimed at helping slow the process down. Today's tester is for the Planetary Design Airscape. It's been on the market for...
I'll admit it, I'm late... to the Fellow Ode party, but its definitely not for lack a trying. I've been reaching out to Fellow on multiple avenues trying to get an Ode for review since late 2020. Unfortunately every lead led me to a non-response, a pass off, and one case being purely ignored (see the...
The holiday season is fast approaching... and with all the delays in both manufacturing and shipping I figured I'd get this video out a little earlier than normal. So for those looking for some affordable coffee gifts, or just wanting to know what coffee toys I've been loving through 2021 than this video is for you....
When I first saw the... Hario Switch I thought it was just a more expensive version of the Clever Dripper, but after getting one I realized it's a bit of a different beast. Unlike the Clever you can easily manipulate the brew from percolation to immersion, and back again with the flip of a switch, hence...
As if there weren't... enough tools and accessories out there for pulling shots, it's time to look at yet another advertised as your fast pass to better extractions; the Bplus espresso puck screens. Of course, many of us espresso nerds have heard all of this before, many times over. So I'm sure you could understand my...
I'm a man of my word... and a couple month's ago while reviewing the Robot I said I would soon be releasing a head-to-head battle with the Cafelat Robot and the Flair, but what I didn't tell you was I was waiting for the new 58 to drop. In the world of hand pressed, fully manual...
Brewing coffee quickly... hasn't always been looked at as a good thing, but as we've developed a better understanding of extraction it's become more widely accepted. First science told us to run faster shots of espresso, and now the Espro Bloom has entered the fray claiming tasty brews in record time. They do this by utilizing...
The hand grinder market... has really blown up over the past few years, with new options hitting shelves and websites at a pretty solid rate. There are names that most coffee enthusiasts kick around on the regular like the Comandante and the Kinu M47, but there's a newcomer to this market, and its boasting some pretty...
The unsung hero of the coffee bar... is the humble grinder. The espresso machines, coffee drippers, and latte art pours tend to often be the stars of the show, but today I'm revisiting my experience with a Niche Zero year one review. If you've been around for a minute you may recall the original review I...
Four years ago this week... I became the proud owner of a brand new, crispy white, La Marzocco Linea Mini. In that time it has given me endless hours of entertainment, content for videos, increased my barista skills, and also helped motivate me to create not one, but two businesses. So I do generally look at the...
When I think about making espresso... I generally picture myself at home, or in a cafe working behind a classic countertop machine, but I also have to remind myself that other people actually leave their house sometimes. So something like the Wacaco Nanopresso may actually be a the perfect option for those adventurous, espresso-loving spirits who...
I promise you... this will be the last distribution tool review I'll do for awhile. It just seems like when it rains it pours, and recently a Duomo The Eight poured into my possession thanks to a lovely local espresso lover named Josh who was willing to part with it while I made a review. At...
In a world... and industry that is increasingly becoming more and more automated, the market for hand-pressed espresso machines is still only growing in popularity. In that market the Cafelat Robot is one of the premium players, and having paid nearly $500 for it also costs a premium. It's unique vintage 1950's sci-fi movie robot styling...
There comes a point where one may ask... how many coffee drippers is too many? Well, I'm not sure yet, and I know I haven't reached that point just yet. So I felt like the Origami Dripper is a welcome addition to my already somewhat crowded home barista coffee cart. For what seems like quite a...
La Marzocco has a habit... of making Mini versions of their commercial machines. I'm sure you've heard of the Linea Mini, but in case you haven't, its pretty epic. Their newest addition to the Mini line up for home baristas is the La Marzocco Swift Mini. The full-size Swift is a cafe workhorse that you'll find...
Being the coffee nerd... that I'm sure you are (otherwise you may of made a wrong click somewhere) you've likely heard of or own something made by Fellow Products. They make all kinds of useful and extremely aesthetically pleasing specialty coffee gear. I mean, you'd be hard pressed to find another company that makes a better...
The Leverpresso is... the smallest lever espresso machine on the market, at least that I'm aware of. It begs the age old question, does size matter? Get your mind out the gutter. I'm talking about if it can it live up to its larger and more expensive cousins like the Flair or the RoK? Well, today...
It may be hard to imagine... the Linea Mini needing some changes. It's true that it's a dream machine. Waking up and making my morning cappuccino on it is part of my daily routine that never gets old. But no matter how perfect it may seem, using it day in and day out for years you'll...
It's time for a tamper comparison... and the two puck pressers I'll be looking at this week are the ever popular Barista Hustle and the Pullman Big Step. These two tend to be a couple of the most popular options in the specialty coffee industry. You'd be hard pressed to find at least one cafe out...
The Fellow Monty... not to be confused with the "full Monty", is a newcomer to the milk cup market. At least they seem new to me, I didn't see them popping up until the last couple months. They looked intriguing to me, as I do love all things without handles (note my favorite handleless milk pitcher)....
I'm late to the Niche Zero... party, but if there's one thing I've learned as a somewhat sociable adult, its never show up to a party on time. So here I am. Thankfully a local coffee lover reached out and allowed me to borrow their beloved Niche Zero in exchange for my beloved Lux-D. Seemed like...
Linea Mini reviews are so... hot right now. In fact, they have been for years. Ever since I published my year one ownership review roughly three years ago, it has been my one of my most popular posts ever on the blog year to year. Recently I saw Chris Baca threw his 5-panel hat into the...
The PuqPress Q2... is by far the most expensive tamper I've ever used. It's $1,080 price tag sets it apart from my trusty Pullman Big Step at a measly $165. Which is already pretty expensive for a tool used for such a simple task. But I never really sat down and thought that the tamper needs...
It's time the Flair faces the Rok... in a head to head battle to see which hand pressed espresso machine will come out on top. To keep things fair I was able to get a standard group head for my Flair to make it more of an even competition with the Rok. I also crowed sourced...
Cafe Concetto's metal filters... for the Aeropress has entered a ring that isn't extremely full of challengers. I've seen them bounce around online a few times in the past, but it seems that no one has fully perfected it...yet. At least to have it stand up to the tried-and-true paper filters. For those who have followed...
ONA Coffee has dropped the OCD V3... and it's time to find out if its a step forward, or just more of the same. For those who have been following along with my personal love-hate relationship with the OCD (ONA Coffee Distributor) tool you know that I've been both a huge proponent of the tool, and...
The Cortado is one of my... go to espresso drinks. Theres nothing better than a little espresso beverage and not spending a fortune. Especially when you're like me and usually hit at least three coffee shops when I go out. It's easy to get over-caffeinated and up feeling a little wonky. So keeping things small and...
Now that the Flair... has been on my counter for a month or so, and I've pulled quite a few shots with it I think it's time to do a review for it. The model that I have is the Signature Pro, which comes with a pressure gauge, updated stainless steel pieces, an additional portafilter, a...
https://youtu.be/8wiPsXWs7QA Having the right tools... is key for any job, even making great espresso. Of course you need an espresso machine, but along with that there are espresso tools that make the job easier and more consistent. As I'm sure you know consistency is the key to success in coffee making. If you aren't consistent extractions...
The pitcher does not make the pourer... but it can help you progress. As we all learn and advance in our abilities we also develop our style. The type of latte art pours we prefer can definitely be assisted by the pitcher. Over the years my style has changed, and my preference in pitcher has changed...
I love my Linea Mini... it's one of my most prized possessions, which I'm sure was obvious in my year one review. So when I sat down to write this two year update on my ownership experience, I really dug deep. Thinking about the times I was frustrated, or annoyed with the machine trying to leave...
If you're anything like me... you have a hard time not only buying gifts, but also knowing what to ask for when holidays or birthdays come around. I feel like as I've gotten older my hobbies and interests have become exponentially more expensive. Coffee thankfully is a little different. You can spend as much as you'd...
The IKAWA has become... an invaluable tool for coffee roasters around the world. Its small footprint, customizability, and ease-of-use makes it something extremely important to the business of roasting and developing coffees. The fact that I can take it home in the trunk of my Mazda MX5 and roast in my kitchen without setting off a...
