Brewed Espresso – What Is It and How Can You Make it at Home?

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espresso shot in demitasse

Espresso… is synonymous with the pinnacle of coffee brewing, and holds a unique place in the world of coffee. Often misunderstood as a concept, and confused, espresso is the pillar of the coffee shop menu. Can you brew espresso at home, though? This is the subject of this article, to explain what is a brewed … Read more

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 the the Weiss Distribution Technique slightly improve the overall quality of your shots, but more importantly, it brings consistency from shot to shot.  We talked about … 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 – Is It Improving Your Espresso Shots?

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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

The Best Home Cappuccino Maker – How to Choose a Cappuccino Machine

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cappuccino

Learn how to choose your home cappuccino maker. We review the best home cappuccino machines, De’Longhi, Mr. Coffee, Nespresso and Breville from all price ranges. I enjoy from time to time a frothy cappuccino, even though my daily habitual coffee is a neat espresso with a tiny bit of sugar. I prepare my cappuccino using … Read more

Espresso Beans and Equipment Reviews

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Pulling espresso shots with automatic machine

If you want to start making espresso at home, or just complete your espresso bar with some equipment, this page is a great start.  This is a compilation of most of our reviews on anything espresso related: coffee beans, espresso machines, tools and equipment and coffee grinders.  Check the respective sections and browse through each … 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 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 features are … Read more

How Espresso Machines Work

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schematics how espresso machines work

Espresso machines are a popular choice among coffee lovers due to their ability to produce rich, flavorful coffee in less than a minute. But how exactly do these machines work? Why the fuss around them, and why can we use a regular coffee maker to brew espresso. In this article we will explain how the … 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

Delonghi EC155 Espresso Machine Review – The Cheapest Great Espresso Machine

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delonghi ecc155 espresso machine

Whenever home brewed espresso is mentioned, the De’Longhi espresso machines are normally what spring to mind. De’Longhi is one of the most popular domestic espresso manufacturers on the market, and for good reason. They provide user friendly machines that produce consistent coffee. The Delonghi espresso machine EC155 is a perfect example. In this review you … Read more

Delonghi EC9335 La Specialista – Espresso Machine Review

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delonghi la specialista espresso machine review

DeLonghi La Specialista is relatively recent on the the market. The resemblance with the Breville Barista Express, stirred up some heated discussions. Some felt that the uncanny resemblance was blatant, some others thought that it’s great thing to have some serious competition on that niche. I will discuss more about this in a moment. I … 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 enthusiast who aims to learn and experiment with coffee. There is also the inexpensive semiautomatic, which is the choice of those on a tight budget. But at the other end of the spectrum, 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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Rancilio Silvia vs Gaggia Classic Pro – A Classic Review Comparison

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rancilio silvia vs gaggia classic pro

If you are looking for a mid-range semi-automatic espresso machine, for your morning coffee fix, there are a lot of options. However, the Gaggia Classic and Rancilio Silvia are a lot of times compared. There are other machines within the same price range, however, these two coffee machines are the best rated by customers. This … Read more

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

Rancilio Silvia Pro X Dual Boiler Review

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rancilio silvia pro x

Rancilio Silvia Pro X is the dream of any home barista that aims for perfection. It is rather a prosumer espresso machine, and the price tag on the unit makes it accessible for those with a generous budget. Silvia Pro X is an upgrade of the Rancilio’s domestic espresso machine Silvia, so if you know … Read more

Mr. Coffee Café Barista Espresso Machine Review

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MrCoffee Cafe Barista pulling shots

We are reviewing her the espresso machine from Mr. Coffee – the Cafe Barista ECMP1000. 

We all like affordable stuff – but unfortunately, the cheap stuff also come at a great price: their quality. At least, that’s what happens 80% of the time. There are some cases when you can actually get high quality for a low price.

Granted, it’s likely that with low-budget espresso makers, you won’t get the quality brought by the high-end ones. Still, some can actually bring you close enough to the result so that you won’t even need a professional espresso maker.

Let’s see if the Café Barista by Mr. Coffee is a suitable choice for a budget espresso machine.

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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

Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine Review

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breville bes980xl oracle review

The Breville BES870XL Barista Express espresso machine is one of the most impressive devices in the semiautomatic class. With an overwhelming feature set, with a modern look, and a great reliability, the BES870XL is a great choice for any serious espresso enthusiast If you are on the market for a new semi automatic espresso machine, … 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

What Is a Barista, and How To Become One

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barista in coffee shop

Coffee industry is booming, and even with the dent made by the quarantines and lockdowns, coffee shops are still a the choice of hospitality establishment for many people looking for a place to relax. No wonder that the barista job is still in high demand. In this article, we will show you what is a … Read more