Coffee: To Freeze or Not to Freeze?

Coffee has a limited shelf life, even shorter when it is used to make espresso. Most serious enthusiasts feel that this shelf life is considerably less than a month, and many agree the shelf life at room temperature is limited to as little as 10 days after roasting. Given its perishable nature, and the fact that many consumers have limited access to good fresh coffee, it is only natural to want to extend the shelf life long enough that a given batch can be considered usable, near its peak of freshness. Freezing and refrigeration of roasted coffee are hotly debated based on anecdotal experience.

Guest author Ken Fox is an avid home roaster. Out of desire to get to the bottom of this freezing issue, he and several volunteers designed a definitive blind tasting trial comparing espressos prepared from coffee that was previously frozen for periods of four or eight weeks, to freshly roasted coffee during its normal shelf life. More...

The SCAA Sensory [Psych] Test

One of the Speciality Coffee Association of America's most visible activities for the public at large is the regional, national, and worldwide barista competitions they organize. An SCAA barista competition is an event designed to encourage and recognize professional achievement in the art of espresso beverage preparation and service. Competitors prepare and service 12 coffee beverages— one espresso, one cappuccino, and one signature drink of their own creation, for four judges in a space of 15 minutes.

Many volunteers serve as these judges, including myself. I had served as a sensory judge at the regional levels twice before and considered judging at the national level, which requires a more rigorous certification process, including a reputedly demanding sensory taste test. Read how I failed, passed, and learned that there's a lot of similarity between this test and the more pedantic "Pepsi Challenge". More...

Interview with Versalab Inventor John Bicht

Versalab is an oddity in our world of specialized manufacturing. Their products include a high-end record player, print washer system, and espresso equipment. Huh?!? The company's philosophy statement is equally atypical: "A typical short list of performance capabilities is... simply what most marketing people want everyone to believe. It is bullshit." Abe Carmeli introduces the man behind these products, inventor John Bicht, and probes the mystery of why Versalab's $1250 home-use espresso grinder has no setting markers. More...

Making the "Naked" Portafilter

The craze about "bottomless portafilters" sent hobbyists digging through their tool box for something capable of making the necessary modification. Many settle on a hole saw, but Lino Verna thought that he could do it more elegantly with his shop's precision milling machine. What started as a favor for a few friends has gotten out of control! This article offers you a glimpse into Lino Verna's workshop, including his custom-made E61 espresso machine and the fabrication of his finely-crafted bottomless portafilters. More...

Understanding Espresso

Fundamentally, making great espresso is the result of understanding espresso. Until you understand espresso, you cannot make great espresso. Until you understand espresso, you are that prototypical chimp poking a stick into a lump of earth because you did that one time and tasty things came out of it. So what do I mean by "understand espresso"? More...

It's the Barista, Stupid

This site features high-end espresso machines and the reviews of these beautes draw most of the readership. Does that mean you must drop three grand to have a great espresso machine? Most certainly not! Ironically I list the Macchina espresso (espresso machine) dead last in the four principle elements of making espresso. The neverending upgrade spiral is chasing after an answer to the wrong question. More...