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Welcome to Home-Barista.com™, a site dedicated to the home espresso and coffee enthusiast! Our detailed espresso machine reviews and coffee grinder reviews cover the higher end of home espresso equipment on the market, but make only one assumption about you—a love of coffee! Whether this is the first time you've considered making espresso, cappuccinos, and lattes in your home or you've been drinking coffee for years, you will find tidbits of information to help you get the best out of your coffee.

What's New

Bezzera Strega - Second Look

Bezzera Strega

Although the Strega looks like a conventional lever espresso machine, it's anything but. Simple and convenient to use, it includes the innovative use of an HX, active heating of the grouphead, and hybrid combination of spring-powered and conventional electrical pump. Jim Schulman reviews this twist on a classic design. More...

Favorite Espresso Blends

Espresso pour

For the site's early years, the reviews focused on espresso machines and grinders. Recognizing that coffee is the most important contributor to exceptional espresso, we expanded the popular Second Look format to include peer evaluations of espresso blends. More...

Quotable Quotes

Quotable quote

The site announcements contain "quotable quotes" nominated by Team HB and the membership. This article collects these nuggets of wisdom and quips about the art of espresso. More...

 

Twitter Tweets

  • For VST precision junkies: "We measure each tamper before it leaves the building just in case of corporate saboteurs." http://t.co/sqf1dEY0  9:32 AM Apr 30th
  • Show reports for the @scaa begin today thanks to another_jim, jonny, and doubleOsoul in Portland. http://t.co/0qXjD2an #SCAA2012  11:13 AM Apr 20th
  • Can't make @scaa in Portland this year, but Jim Schulman and @jonathanbalogh will be there on behalf of HB. http://t.co/jIakTIE6  5:05 PM Apr 10th
  • In which case, I'm pucked RT @paradiseroaster Rules are rules. You bake the puck, you eat the puck. Even the boss. http://t.co/9g0JKzqt  8:05 AM Apr 10th
  • Not exactly a breakneck pace of one per month, but Favorite Espresso Blend #2 review starts by the weekend. http://t.co/6GgANTED  8:00 AM Apr 10th
  • Thanks, you offset others' dire predication of site decline :-x RT @otherblackstuff I approve of HB finally having a brewed coffee section  9:25 AM Mar 27th

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FAQs and Favorites

Questions? FAQs and Favorites

If you're new to HB, you may be thinking, "I don't know where to begin, there's too much information!" To make it easier for you to get started and to help you navigate to topics that interest you, this article contains links to the best topics all in one place, categorized by forum and subject area. The article also recommends a few must-read introduction and how-tos that form the basic barista knowledge and techniques. More...

 

Commercial 64mm Espresso Grinders

Ceado E7

Espresso professionals and aficionados alike agree that a quality grinder is key to exceptional espresso. The Mazzer Super Jolly is a solid 64mm flat burr grinder used in cafes worldwide and in Starbucks until they switched to super-automatics. Most grinder manufacturers offer a grinder using 64mm burrs, however information on them is scant. In addition to the Mazzer, this review covers two other representative models, the Ceado E7 and Quamar M80. More...

Home-Barista's Guide to Espresso

Gosh Shot

New to espresso and not sure where to start? This introduction by Jim Schulman shares his passion for good coffee and expertise in home espresso. It covers a lot of ground and demystifies the key elements of espresso preparation. It is not just about techniques and equipment you'll need to understand, but also about the reasons behind them. More...

 

Buyer's Guide to the Ponte Vecchio Lusso

Ponte Vecchio Lusso Ponte Vecchio Lusso

Lever espresso machines are known for their compelling simplicity. This Buyer's Guide focuses on a recent entry to the US market, the Ponte Vecchio Lusso. This temperature-stable "newbie friendly" lever espresso machine will be compared and contrasted against better known models like the Olympia Cremina and Elektra Microcasa a Leva. More...


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