Best Quotable Quote of 2007

[HB]

The Announcements above the forum listing frequently contains "quotable quotes" nominated by Team HB. These quotes are genuine nuggets of wisdom or amusing quips that we believe are worthy of special attention. Items in the announcements are automatically purged after a few weeks; I thought a few quotable quotes deserved a more permanent home.

Here's your opportunity to nominate your "Best Quotable Quote" on HB for 2007. Please choose carefully and post one quote and a link back to the original post. Optionally include reasons why you think it's the best. If there are enough entries after a couple weeks, I'll create a poll to pick the "best of the best" quotable quotes.

With that said, below is my nomination from Umpteenth inexpensive grinder thread: Baratza Virtuoso or Ascaso I-Mini:

Newbies invariably attribute their inability to pull two identical shots in a row to the lack of sufficient equipment settings they can change between shots. The fact is that the entry level equipment used by newbies is much more unforgiving than the commercial equipment people buy after they decide they'll pursue home espresso. This creates a double whammy, the people with technique good enough to use entry level equipment have moved beyond it; and the people buying it will have their weaknesses mercilessly exposed. The upshot is that entry level equipment gets a lot of unfair criticism; and that newbies get a very long hazing learning to cope with it.

I could spend many evenings posting the pearls of espresso wisdom that Jim has shared over the years. But this one stood out as a succinct explanation of why newbies are perplexed and therefore frequently go online for assistance. While this site's demographic doesn't fall in the newbie camp, one of site's mission is to document the foundational knowledge so discussions can begin at the intermediate to advanced stage. Jim's observation above explains why that is a necessary step for any successful online espresso community.

PS: I planned to start this thread before January slipped by, but real life got in the way.

[Matthew Brinski]

I don't usually put much effort in things such as this, but here's what immediately came to mind when I read the OP:

If the Ghost of Christmas Future had told me five years ago that I would some day have a $795 coffee grinder in my house, I would have begged him to have me committed first. Now, of course, it makes perfect sense. :D

A few reasons I picked up on that post are:

1. We have witnessed a shift where many consider the Macap M4 and Mazzer Mini to be the minimum in grinder equipment due to the performance of currently available conicals (and perhaps the Anfim Caimano).

2. Although the mantra "grinder first" has been common advice over the years, I think that it is something that is now making real sense to people. This is somewhat evident in the forums where we have observed the obsession of "which particular machine is best" being pushed aside by "which grinder is best".

3. I also think that it is more evident to people that, in terms of making a sensible upgrade, a better grinder will provide more bang for your dollar than a better machine (in general terms). This is evident in contrasting what people are willing to pay for a grinder now versus a few years ago.

Overall, the quote represents a shift in mindset regarding what is important in espresso and where we hope to witness more advancements in technology in the coming months and years.



Matt

Oh yeah, here's the link: http://www.home-barista.com/forum...3147-60.html#69603