Dorian Bodnariuc

Dorian Bodnariuc is a coffee lover and a former barista, who's passion for coffee began in the 1990s in his hometown of Bucharest, Romania. As a young barista at a local café, he became fascinated with the nuances of the various brewing methods and enjoyed experimenting with techniques to craft the perfect cup. After spending seven formative years behind the bar, Dorian shifted careers into IT, eventually moving to Canada. But his love for coffee never faded. In 2014, he combined his professional expertise with his personal passion to launch Coffee-Brewing-Methods.com, a website dedicated to sharing coffee brewing techniques. Eager to continue building his authority as a coffee expert, Dorian created additional sites like Brew Espresso Coffee, where he provides detailed reviews of equipment and technical advice for making exceptional espresso. He also contributes frequently to specialty coffee publications. Through his writing, Dorian strives to educate enthusiasts around the world on the intricacies of coffee brewing. For Dorian, coffee is not just a beverage - it is a craft, a science, and a lifelong passion.

What Is Milk Texturing – An Introduction to Texturing Milk for Coffee Drinks

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Latte texture milk frothing process with steamer.

Milk texturing is crucial in creating coffee beverages like cappuccinos and lattes. First appearing in the late 19th century, milk texturing gained greater popularity later, with latte art. Milk texturing alters the coffee’s mouthfeel, flavor, and visual appeal through techniques like steaming for a velvety texture or frothing for a lighter feel. This article delves into the history, roles, and science of milk texturing, and its role in the coffee industry.

Brewed Espresso: Barista Secrets for Home Perfection!

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espresso shot in demitasse

Espresso is the pinnacle of coffee brewing, characterized by its unique preparation method involving high pressure that extracts rich flavors. Brewed espresso is an alternative for those on a low budget. Strong brewed coffee alternatives are acceptable, but drip coffee, or French press are not true espresso. We discuss the term brewed espresso, and why this is a misnomer.

Oily Coffee Beans – Are They Good Or Bad?

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shiny coffee beans texture background

I’ve heard different opinions on oily coffee beans throughout my love affair with coffee. Some people love their beans to look oily, some never buy beans that have oil on them, but most people couldn’t tell me why they didn’t like the oily beans. There is sometimes a negative association with a shiny coffee bean, … Read more

Mantis Espresso WDT Tool Review

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espresso wdt tool

As an espresso geek, I’m always on the lookout for ways to make the perfect cup of coffee. The WDT tools I owned were okay, but I never owned one to get me excited. I know… It’s a raking tool, and you only use it for a few seconds a day. Well, I like beautiful … Read more

Bottomless Portafilter – Why Do You Need One and Where To Buy It?

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Pulling an espresso shot with a bottomless portafilter

The pursuit of the perfect espresso shot is a non stop race.  Professionals and enthusiasts alike try to improve the extraction down to the finest details. No wonder there are so many tools and accessories for espresso brewing, espresso lovers are truly passionate. One of these espresso tools is the bottomless portafilter. In this page … Read more

Decoding Espresso Roasts: Finding the Perfect Match

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Espresso coffee beans light to dark roast

Making espresso is half science half art. You use science to guide your extraction, and use intuition to improvise, and create unique experiences, beyond the rigor of science. One of the most asked questions when I was working as a barista was: “Which roast is best for espresso?” And the question makes sense because espresso … Read more

Lavazza Dek Decaffeinato: A Complex and Affordable Decaffeinated Coffee Blend

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lavazza dek decaf espresso beans

Lavazza Dek Decaffeinato is one of the best decaffeinated coffee blends for those who look for a flavorful decaf option for their espresso shot. As a big roaster, Lavazza has more resources than small artisan roasters.  This is why they can decaffeinate their beans in a healthy way while maintaining a great flavor. If you … Read more

What Is Single Origin Coffee and Why Is It Better?

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woman harvesting coffee beans

You may have heard the term “single origin” being used by your favorite barista while they’re whipping up your creamy cappuccino, and you might not have paid much mind to it. But what does it mean? And should you care? The coffee industry has become increasingly complex as more and more baristas are taking their … Read more

The Best WDT Tool on the Market

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distributing coffee grounds with fusedline wdt

If you are looking to improve your espresso shot and get consistent results every time, you need a WDT tool. It’s not even a debate, there is concrete evidence that the Weiss Distribution Technique slightly improve the overall quality of your shots, but more importantly, it brings consistency from shot to shot. You might have the … Read more

The Best Coffee Canisters for Coffee Storage

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coffee beans in airtight glass jars

Storing coffee properly is one of the best things you can do to improve the taste of your espresso, or coffee. There is nothing worse than a flat shot of espresso, especially when you paid a decent amount to get great quality beans. So to pay for that single origin, and to end up with … Read more

How To Store Coffee Beans for Great Espresso Shots

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coffee storage container

Storing coffee is probably one of the least understood topics. Yet coffee storing is equally important, especially when we buy the stuff in 2 pounds bags. If roasting, grinding, and brewing have evolved into great sciences, storing is still debated and there is a lot of bad information and a lot of half information. In … Read more

Espresso-Based Beverages – Affogato

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affogato coffee pouring espresso over ice cream

Affogato is an Italian dessert prepared by pouring a shot of freshly brewed hot espresso over a scoop of vanilla gelato (ice cream). The result is a delicious, smooth drink. The Italian name of this coffee drink, or dessert, is affogato al caffè. The magic of an affogato is that you mix two pleasures in … Read more

What Is Cold Brew Espresso? Is It Really Espresso?

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cold brew espresso nitro coffee drink in a glass with a consistent foam

Cold brew espresso is a method of brewing coffee that uses cold water to steep coffee grounds for an extended period of time. Coffee prepared this way is a strong, concentrated beverage, with a high caffeine concentration. This coffee can be consumed as is, in small servings, much like espresso, but is served cold. This … Read more

Weiss Distribution Technique: Improving Espresso Extraction

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wdt tool

The Weiss Distribution Technique is one of the ways we can improve an espresso shot, beyond the run-of-the-mill shot.  The technique uses one or more needles to stir the ground coffee, for obtaining a perfect distribution of the grounds, with the aim to improve espresso extraction.  In this article we are going to discuss the … Read more

Best Home Espresso Grinder – Rancilio Rocky Vs Baratza Vario Vs Eureka Mignon

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baratza sette espresso grinder

Best Home Coffee Grinders Compared Choosing a home espresso grinder for your daily espresso coffee brewing needs is not that complicated. If your budget is flexible, and you are trying to get the best bang for your buck, you might be stuck in a dilemma. We hope we can make it easier for you by showing what … Read more

Espresso Knock Box – The Best and the Cheapest

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espresso knock box line up

The espresso knock box is one of those devices that you never miss if you haven’t used it before, but once you get used to it you can’t live without. OK, it’s a trivial plastic box, you might say, what’s the fuss about it. Yeah, you are right, a cheap plastic bin to dump your … Read more

Semi Automatic Espresso Machines

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Faema E61 Legend semi-automatic espresso machine

One of the most sold types of espresso machines is the semiautomatic espresso machine. This is the perfect choice for espresso enthusiasts who aim to learn and experiment with coffee – it allows them to play with different recipes to create their favorite popular espresso drinks. There is also the inexpensive semiautomatic, which is the … Read more

What Is the Best Espresso Extraction Temperature?

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espresso machine displaying the water temperature in the boiler.

Espresso extraction is a precise process, where multiple brewing variables are finely adjusted in order to obtain a great cup of coffee. Brewing temperature is one of the important variables, and if we don’t handle it properly our espresso might be ruined, or just average.

In this post we are going to look at how the brewing temperature can change the flavor of the espresso, and how ca we teak the temperature in order to perfect our shot.

The information in this post is intended for the advanced barista, who wants to finely tune their shots.

Lelit espresso machine with PID showing 94 degrees Celsius - 201 degrees Fahrenheit.

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What Is Espresso Crema?

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freshly pulled espresso shots with crema

Espresso crema is the thick, golden-brown foam that sits on top of a freshly brewed espresso. It is made up of coffee oils, coffee solids, and bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. Crema is important because it adds bitterness and body to the espresso, and it also helps to protect the coffee from going stale. Crema … Read more

The History of Espresso

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steam espresso machine

We love espresso. We accept other variations, such as Moka pot, drip, AeroPress, but really what moves us is the sharp flavors of an espresso shot. But espresso is relatively new in the humanity’s history, and we owe this little gastronomic wonder to the Italians. But lets take a look and see how this amazing … Read more

What Is Espresso Channeling and How to Avoid it?

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pulling espresso shot with naked portafilter

You just pulled your espresso and the taste is not quite right. The shot is “missing flavors“, doesn’t have body, and you some sourness and bitterness that shouldn’t be there? This is likely because of the channeling.  Channeling happens more often than you think, when brewing espresso. Most of the time the shot is passable, … Read more

How Is Coffee Decaffeinated – What’s the Best Decaffeination Method?

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how is coffee decaffeinated

We love espresso here, at BrewEspressoCoffee.com. We love it so much that sometime we get that third, or fourth double espresso shot late in the afternoon. And as much as we enjoy the energy boost that caffeine gives us, sometimes it’s just too much. I brew my afternoon shots with decaf, this way I can … Read more

Coffee Flavor Terminology – A Coffee Taste Dictionary for the Noob

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coffee cupping

Coffee Tasting Words Being able to name the flavors in coffee isn’t just another method for coffee professionals to display their knowledge. If you want to master coffee brewing, knowing how to taste coffee and having the proper vocabulary to express the flavors you distinguish, is an important instrument. It doesn’t matter if you find … Read more

Espresso Terms and Definitions

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person holding tray with drinking glass and coffee cup

Espresso Lingo and Glossary – Espresso Drinks, Espresso Machine Parts, and Espresso Brewing Terminology If you are passionate about espresso, and you want to learn more about espresso, you need to know the espresso lingo. If someone mentions an espresso machine part in a context, and you don’t know what that is, then the discussion … Read more

Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine Review

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Rancilio Silvia espresso machine

Rancilio Silvia is one of those espresso machines that stirs up heated discussions. The machine is a collection of high-quality components that you only see in more expensive machines, yet some home baristas are reluctant to buy it. Our reviews aim to inform you and make you confident in your coffee machine purchase. We want you to make the right decision with the help of our articles and our Espresso Machine buying Guide.

This review will show you what makes the Silvia special, and what are the little annoyances that home baristas wish Rancilio would fix. 

Rancilio HSD Silvia, targets the home brewing sector, the espresso enthusiasts that love to tweak their espresso to perfection.

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DeLonghi Esam-3300 Magnifica Review

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delonghi magnifica esam 3300 review

The DeLonghi Magnifica ESAM3300 is a super-automatic espresso machine, that is affordable, reliable, and easy to work with. Any DeLonghi Magnifica will turn you into a home barista without the skills and knowledge you need if you buy a semiautomatic. This Delonghi Magnifica might not have the bells and whistles of the more expensive machines, … Read more

Espresso Shot Screen – What are Puck Screens and Which ones Are the Best

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espresso puck screen bplus

Espresso shot screens, or puck screens, are more and more popular among espresso aficionados. While the puck screen is not an essential piece of equipment, baristas who look for perfection, need it. Discovered by accident, the puck screen is now a popular accessory to improve the quality of the espresso shots.

Best Espresso Tampers for All Budgets

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espresso tampers

Beginner baristas look at the tamper as an unimportant accessory, the one that comes with the espresso machine is good enough. Maybe the tamper is not as important as the grinder, the roast date, or water quality. However, a great tamper is one of the tools you need if you aim for the perfect espresso shot. … Read more