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This past Sunday's NY Times ran a big article about New York's coffee "renaissance," which is all well and good, but I have a concern and wondered how everyone else felt about this. My problem is that I can't seem to get a properly (to me, at least) drawn espresso or doppio at the cafes that I've been to. The shots are too short, not hot enough, and they're friggin' bitter, but not in a good espresso way. Some of these cafes are pulling ristrettos (triples even - seriously, who drinks a triple ristretto, 20 or more grams of coffee to make 1 ounce of "liquid?"), which I wouldn't mind if they were good ristrettos. The other day I was in one of the cafes mentioned in the article, and I asked for a double drawn a little long - I was told that it couldn't be done that way (so they've never heard of a lungo, a double drawn to about 2.5 ounces) , but the barista said he could pour two ristrettos into a cup...he did, it sucked. Last week my wife and I were at a fancy cafe, where I went to watch the barista make our doppios - everything was at the ready (the $15,000 espresso machine, the scale for tamping, the great beans, etc.); the barista actually pulled a shot or two first to get into the groove of pulling an espresso, then drew our two doppios - they sucked. My set-up at home is a PIDd Silvia/Rocky combo. I pull mainly Black Cat or Kid-O, both from Intellegentsia. My coffee hits the cup at around 172 degrees. I pull a 1.5 - 1. 75 ounce shot in 25 - 30 seconds, using 15 - 18 grams of coffee - depending on which basket I happen to have in my portafilter. The shots are delicious - the equal we've had anywhere in Italy on a number of trips (my point of reference). So, what's going on in all these fantastic cafes? Do the baristas really know what an espresso should taste like and how hot it should be,or are they pulling all their shots based on how they'll be in milk based drinks (my guess), when the temperature of the shot doesn't really matter. How can I get a decently pulled shot when I go to one of these cafes participating in the renaissance? That's what I want for my $3 - a true espresso, served hot; not something that's meant to be diluted with 5 ounces of steamed milk...it's also why I bought the Silvia and rarely have espresso outside of my kitchen.

Moderator's Note: There have been other topics about home coffee brewers, which have been merged and closed. To review those posts, please click here. After 8-9 years of every day service, our Cuisinart coffeemaker is not likely to last too much longer. I have not been able to find a source to replace just the one broken part, and my limited repair skills are exhausted. We have a good espresso machine, and I am not too sure about the single cup thing-ies -- so I need something like this: a standalone electric, with an advance set timer that can make 5-6 decent mugs of coffee in the wee hours of the morning. There is plenty of room for anything. I would prefer NOT to have it also grind (that I can manage to do) since I worry that two appliances in one is twice the chance for something to go wrong and break. They still sell this particular Cuisinart (it is a DCC-12 or close to that number). But the reviews on Amazon indicate a lot of people have trouble with them breaking down. If I have already used up my luck with this Cuisinart, I am going to need a good recommendation. Thanks!

This is the second tea tasting of 2009 thanks to eGullet Society member Greg Glancy of Norbutea.com. This time we will be tasting and discussing an Imperial Dian Hong -- a Chinese red tea. Greg has provided five samples of 10 grams each that I will mail to the five eG Society members participating in this tasting. While the tasting is open to all members who have posted at least five substantive posts in the Coffee and Tea forum, preference will be given until midnight next Monday to those who did not participate in the last tasting of TGY Oolong. Please PM me if you would like to participate in the tasting and discussion. Here is some background information on Imperial Dian Hong from Norbutea.com. (Copyright Norbutea. Used with permission.)

Anyone know of a website that sells great coffee. I am in houston and used to buy from cafe maison but i thiunk they went out of bussiness ( Thanks

I few years back, Kevin Knox, the author of Coffee Basics, but who secretly is more into teas, told me that you can decaf tea by pouring on the hot water, immediately draining it, then pour the water on again to steep. His claim was that a chemically processed tea was 92% caffeine free, while this method made it nearly 98%. For sake of his reputation, I'll admit that my memory can veer after a few years, so this may not be what he said at all. But, I've spread the info as gospel ever since. Is this true?

In Amsterdam, we have a couple of chains, I call them Starbucks wannabes (no Starbucks in The Netherlands yet). They serve all the usual suspects, espresso, latte, a 'regular' coffee they call Americano. While in most cases, a regular black coffee, is my preferred coffee-beverage, I cannot stand their Americano. It's bitter, ist's too strong no matter how much I makte them dilute it, it's vile. (okay. why am I going there anyway? because they have one place, near the market where I always shop, and it has the best view, nice people come there, it's on my best friends + dog route to the park so I always meet him there, they have all the newspapers and magazines I want to read, it's quiet and I just love to sit there for hours, reading, working, writing, thinking, looking out the window). So, no Americano. After ordering all their coffees I settled on the latte, with skimmed milk. It has a good flavor. I like the skimmed milk. But. It's COLD. After they pour it, I could just swallow the whole thing in one gulp. Now to me, that's not coffee. I like my coffee steaming hot. So hot that you have to take a careful first sip, and then slowly a second sip, and after 5 sips, the coffee is still hot. Their latte is lukewarm. I ask for a hot latte. They preheat the cup, which helps a bit, and then I ask them to make the milk extra hot. They do this, but it does not help much. I ask for extra extra hot milk. And then they tell me that they are not supposed to heat the milk above 150 F. That it will ruin the flavor of the milk. I go home and look this up online and yes, they seem to be right. So. Should I stop annoying them and ask for hot latte? Does nobody else care about drinking lukewarm latte? Am I missing the latte-point? Should I just learn to drink their black coffee (which is hot)?

Does anyone have recommendations for brands of airpots or insulated dispensers? I'm looking for ways to keep 1-5 gallons of hot chocolate at serving temperature for about 6 hours. While hot chocolate is not quite coffee, I figured the same those of you with who deal with similar quantities of coffee might have some experience with the same equipment. It seems like my choices are multiple .5 - 1 gallon airpots, 1-3 gallon vacuum insulated dispensers, and 3-5 gallon plastic insulated dispensers. Here's some examples of what I'm looking at: Zojirushi 3 Liter Easy Serve Airpot http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-SRAG30-Sta...t/dp/B0000CEUQI Bunn 3.8 Liter Stainless Steel Airpot http://www.katom.com/021-367250000.html RegalWare 3 Liter Lever Pump Airpot http://www.katom.com/376-KPW9107.html Fetco Luxus Thermal Coffee Dispenser http://www.wholelattelove.com/commercial/p...s_dispenser.cfm Rubbermaid 5 Gallon Insulated Dispenser http://www.katom.com/007-9F18.html Cambro 5 Gallon Insulated Camserver http://www.katom.com/144-CSR5110.html Anyone have thoughts on these? Other things I should be looking at? Or corrections to my thinking? My current thinking is that: 1) Airpots with vacuum insulation are going to retain temperature much better than dispensers with foam. 2) Vacuum insulation with stainless steel is almost as effective for heat retention as glass, and better due to durability. 3) Airpots with lever pumps are easier to use than buttons, but that a dispenser with a pull spout will be significantly easier than both of these. 4) All else equal, one large container is going to maintain temperature better than multiple smaller containers. 5) Zojirushi and Luxus are great, but Bunn and Regalware are better value and will be just fine for light commercial use. Corrections and suggestions appreciated!

The article from the Wall Street Journal: Starbucks tests $1 cup of coffee This move is to counter market incursions by McDonald's, etc, as well as the recent downturn in the U.S. economy. Has anyone been "in-the-know" and been ordering the short size all along? Will the smaller, cheaper cup of coffee (with possible refills) keep Starbucks in your coffee routine?

Welcome to the Coffee and Tea forum where, not surprisingly, you can discuss every aspect of making and enjoying coffee and tea, from leaves and beans to specialty equipment. Our popular topics include How To Roast Your Own Coffee; the Least Expensive Machine For Decent Espresso; Bagged Teas; and Iced Coffee. To view a complete listing of frequently discussed topics see: Coffee and Espresso Topics and Tea and Chai Topics Not a Society member? You’re welcome to read the eG Forums to your heart’s content, but you will have to join the Society in order to post. You can apply to join the eGullet Society here. If you support the eGullet Society’s mission to and wish to help further it, you can make a donation here. Our members’ questions and comments make this forum interesting, exciting and useful – we look forward to your contributions. Before posting, you may want to browse through the forum to read up on current and older topics. If you’re looking for something specific, or wondering if there's already a topic on the subject you wish to discuss, try our Search feature (use the Advanced Usage Help link to improve your results) or our built-in Google Search function. If you would like to post photos, they must be uploaded into ImageGullet. Click here for a tutorial. We encourage food-related external links (hyperlinks to websites or other media outside of the eGullet.org webspace) to the extent that they substantially contribute to the dialogue. Web pages and websites that exist today may not exist tomorrow, and most online articles are often free only for a short period of time. Thus, links to external media should always include a brief summary and/or quotation that makes it possible for readers to understand the spirit of the linked material without the need to follow the link. For more information on our external linking guidelines, click here. The Society is committed to respecting intellectual property rights. Members are responsible for making certain that their posts conform with our copyright guidelines.

Coffee & Tea Forum Index Tea Topics

Yes.. Yours will close. And yours too.. http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/pressdesc.asp?id=833 Little surprised I didn't see this already in this forum. Will this help the troubled franchise? Do you even CARE? Will the streets of the United States be littered with people unable to get their "fix"?

I've worked in cookware stores off and on for 10 years, and have seen and used just about every new type of coffee maker or "system" that's come along in that time. Lately, I've noticed that people seem to be buying percolators. Not a lot -- maybe 3 in the last 6 months. But that's three more than I've sold in the previous 9.5 years. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that Michael Ruhlman was singing the praises of percolators on his blog as well. As far as I know, there haven't been any improvements in percolator technology in the past 20 years, have there? Both from personal experience and from everything I've read on the subject, it's clear that it's just not a good way to make coffee. So what's the deal? Is it nostalgia?

I thought that after three or four years, I should change both top and bottom burrs on my original maestro. (Not the plus.) Anyway, after I worked through the oversize-gasket issue, cleaned out all the old miscellaneous bean parts and got the whole thing back together again, the grind settings were way off. Even at the smallest setting I couldn't grind coffee fine enough for espresso. Before the change, I ground espresso at the 5 or 6 setting. Anyway, I took the whole thing apart and put the old parts back in, but that did not change or the fix the problem. It seems as if I'm missing some mysterious part, but I'm sure I didn't loose anything and am sure I put it back together the same way. I did email Barratza and got a quick reply that didn't help my situation and I'm waiting for a follow up. Has anyone else tried to replace burrs, only to find they've completely messed up the settings?

So now that Starbucks is trying to revitalize their business with, among other things, the purchase of the company that makes The Clover, I'd like to know if anyone has tried coffee from this machine. Here is a link to the Clover

This week I read Rebecca and watched the Goods Eats episode on tea. Between the two, I am seriously wanting to begin a daily tea ritual. I find the idea of 'afternoon tea' very smart. I am generally a coffee drinker. I need the pick me up 3-4 times a day. I am a little sensitive to caffeine though. I find that my very strong cups in the afternoon make me too jittery. I also get very hungry around 3-4. This makes it difficult to do all my cooking for supper. So...I would love the slow gentle lift of tea that Alton discussed. As well as a scone or cake to pick me up everyday. I would love suggestions on tea pots, water kettles, as well as online sites to buy good loose leaf tea. Are cast iron pots like Staub the best? I am headed to the Austin/San Marcos area in a couple of weeks. I plan to go to the high tea at Keria Teas in Round Rock. I can't wait. Thank you for any help.

I'm starting to branch out a bit and get in to lattes and other non-press coffees. I've found that I enjoy lattes, but when I make them at home, I don't make a true latte. I've been using a Bialetti stove top for the coffee, and then heating an equal part milk in the nuker, frothing it with a cheap handheld device, and then pouring in the coffee. So, two questions at this point: 1. If I order out, what do I order that is equal parts milk and coffee? Lattes are 3:1 milk to coffee, correct? 2. How can I get a better froth without spending a ton of money? Thanks!

I just got an email from Peet's that says its coffee will soon be carried in Stop & Shop. I love love LOVE Peet's and have it shipped every month. I just can't see it being of good quality while being distributed through Stop & Shop. It makes me glad on one hand; if we run out I can grab some at the story. But then it makes me sad -- I feel like it's the beginning of the end for such a wonderful product. Any thoughts, anyone?

I recently took the bait in an online ad and "took the Boca Java challenge." I was actually quite pleased with the result. Boca Java is an online coffee roaster whose chief distinction is that it sells coffee the way Dell sells computers: They don't roast the beans until you place your order. The beans come in half-pound bags (not vacuum-packed) with the roasting date on a sticker on the back. I can honestly say that their beans definitely passed the smell test: I haven't been hit with a more powerful aroma ever. And the quality of the coffee they made was also first-rate. Like Gevalia, they operate on a subscription basis: once you place your initial order, the company will schedule deliveries to your door at regular intervals; you can go to their Web site ahead of the ship date to change the varieties you get and when you get them. (I just hope they don't make it difficult to cancel your subscription, though I don't see myself doing that soon.) I note that they got a nice plug from "Supermarket Guru" Phil Lampert on Today. Any of you tried their coffee yet? Your impressions, please?

This one is about Coffee Makers. Mainly the ever so common “Drip” Machines. Mine, a “ Gevalia 12 Cup “. Why are these makers marked with these ridiculous numbers, as these 12 cups will only hold about 57 ounces of water or 4.75 ounce per ‘cup’. Who uses cups in the Morning, and that’s when most Americans drink their coffee, that hold only or less then 5 ounces ?. Who even uses ‘cups’ ? Everyone I know drinks coffee out of ‘mugs’, and none of these holds less then 7 to 8 ounces of liquid. My Cobalt Blue eGullet mug holds 14 ounces and a nice looking Lavazza mug holds 9 ounces. So , you manufacturers of Coffee Makers, adjust or get mugged !! Next complaint, maybe even a bigger one. Did you ever try pouring water into these Coffee Makers ? Every single one has the reservoir in the back. One must move the maker away from the wall and the back of the counter in order to fill them. And on top of it, try to slide them back into place with these little rubber feet. Why can these manufacturers not come up with a more practical way ? More than once do I have to sop up a pool on the kitchen counter. My cat does not do it, unless I add Cream to it.

A pop up appeared on my screen from coffeefool.com and it caught my eye. So I checked it out and read their claims to have the freshest coffee?? I'm wondering if anyone has ever tried it ?? I'm a bit leery of ordering coffee online but there really aren't any great places to buy coffee from around here (the capital district upstate NY) I'd love to hear your thoughts about the coffee from this site.

ON HGTV this weekend there was a 1 hr show of International Housewares- There were several items for coffee and tea that were interesting- www.hgtv.com----search products to see items

Just in case anyone in this forum has ever thought about roasting coffee, a new home coffee roasting applicance has just hit the market. The Behmor 1600 This can roast up to 1 pound to a Full City roast. It has an afterburner to deal with the smoke and can be used inside on a countertop. I have no affiliation with Behmor or the inventor, Joe Behm. I have been home roasting coffee for about six years now, and just purchased a Behmor. This device has gotten a great deal of favorable attention at CoffeeGeek and other coffee forums.

We are starting a mobile cafe and selling fresh roasted, prepared coffee to commuters from our AirStream located south of Boston. We are trying to think of the best food to sell from the cart. One thought is muffins, scones, or "real" bagels (not easy to get here). Obviously, relatively neat, premade, quick, and easy to hold in one hand and eat on the train is the objective. The branding is cool and hip so the food needs to match and be of high quality to match the coffee. Does anyone have any thoughts and ideas? Really, any ideas are welcome so let your imaginations fly. Thanks so much! Goldie

When in Italy, what's your favorite brand of Italian coffee? I'm asking because we are in the throes of deciding what brand to use in our new restaurant, and would love to hear some biased opinions! Grazie mille!

I will be in the Pacific side of Costa Rica for some tasty waves next week and compromised with Mrs. that we will check out the butterflies farm and tour a coffee plantation. Are there any smaller coffee planters out there? I know there are some coop farmers but need the farm/plantation name. Any recommendation?