HB celebrates our 100th member!

[HB]

Today HB celebrates our 100th member!

Skip Lord joined today and is the winner of the latest HB swag:



(Courtesy of espressoParts NW)

All Skip has to do to claim his prize is reply to this thread telling us (1) a little about himself and (2) how he found HB. Congratulations Skip!

Now some of you may grumble, "Hey, what about me? Don't I deserve some swag too?" No problem! The next 10 replies to this thread from first time posters will be put in a drawing for two pounds of fresh coffee from Counter Culture Coffee!



You're not a first-time poster? Not to worry, there's still swag to be had in the Sink Shots Contest!

Note: Due to shipping costs, limited to U.S. residents of the lower 48 states.

[papalatte]

Dan
I don't believe I won something I've been into coffee for awhile. Started espresso with a Krups, then went to a Barista and then a La Pavoni Pro then a Mazzer Mini and a Z&D. Now just took delivery of a Brewtus so I could vary temperature with the single origin coffees that I roast. The Brewtus is AWESOME!!! I can leave it on all day!!!

I live in the Antelope Valley of southern California. I have been lurking for three years on CG. Found HB from there. It was a very difficult decision to buy The Brewtus. I'm having a great time with it, and am very excited that you are going to do you're thing with it!!! (you may change your opinion on double boilers!!!) Anyhow I don't know which I like better playing and learning about coffee or the coffee itself???? I'm a little shy on the boards.
Thank you very much!
Skip
P.S. Welcome to the Brewtus Group!!!!

[HB]

Thanks for the bio!

For those who may not follow your references to the Brewtus Group, Abe Carmeli runs an invitation-only google group for Brewtus owners (link). A few excerpted comments from an exchange this morning explains Skip's ribbing about my opinion of double boiler machines; I was querying the original poster about his reasons for adding boiler insulation, and in replying, he sort of asked why I was asking:

I heartedly agree that consistency is the number one factor in producing exceptional results. Whether adding insulation would increase the predictability / consistency relative to other more weighty factors is debatable. As you noted, I'm not convinced dual boilers are a prerequisite to consistently delightful espresso, assuming the barista is willing to invest the effort in understanding temperature management issues. This thinking is echoed in Chris Tacy's recent comments in the Bench forum on HB: "If I owned [a Mia] ...I'd be damn happy with this machine. As with your average HX commercial machine, the limiting factor will almost always be the barista with this machine. And that is high praise."

I've only worked extensively with two dual boiler machines -- the La Spaziale S1 and the La Marzocco 3AV at Counter Culture Coffee. Not Brewtus. Well, that will change very soon. WLL has agreed to a "Buyer's Guide to Expobar Brewtus" authored by Abe. As part of the agreement, they will loan me one so I can "fact check" his review.

Welcome again Skip and congratulations. I'll contact you offline about the delivery of your prize.

[rcantor]

So I guess I'll go for the consolation drawing

I've been homebrewing for almost 10 years but haven't gotten a good espresso machine yet. I can't see spending $1000 more than a Silvia when you *still* have to temp surf I was hoping for some double boiler machines to come out and finally they have. After Chris brings his out I'll look at the lot and hopefully buy one.

Looks like a great site! I'm hoping to see your comparative review of home double boilers in the near future.

[artemis]

No problem! The next 10 replies to this thread from first time posters will be put in a drawing for two pounds of fresh coffee from Counter Culture Coffee!

Very cool, consider me entered!

I'm also a Brewtus owner and Brewtus group member. My boyfriend and I discovered great tasting espresso at Barefoot Coffee Roasters in Santa Clara, CA and then tried to make some at home using the cheapie Krups/Delonghi machines we both had. Utter failue. But using a manual Zass grinder and a Moka pot with Barefoot fresh roasted beans got us very tasty coffee and drove us to seek more.

Thus began the research. We decided to skip several stages of upgrade fever and went straight to Brewtus, a Mazzer Mini-E, and a HotTop. We're often getting results we like, but are still working on the fundamentals of coffee and espresso. But coffee curiosity is seemingly insatiable and I got a Technivorm drip machine and an electric moka pot, to see how the taste of different beans and roasts varies with different preparations.

Michelle

[HB]

Welcome Bob and Michelle... and anyone else who wants a chance to win two pounds of Counter Culture Coffee, including their Toscano espresso blend:

A wonderful espresso roasted and blended in the Italian caffe dolce or 'sweet coffee' tradition. Sweet and mild, with notes of caramel, hazelnut, and dark chocolate.

Below is a picture of a nicely prepared Toscano espresso from Pheasant Creek Coffee:



So if you're lurking, time's a wasting! The second pound may well be the unannounced replacement for Afficionado developed by Mike Walsh. We've been taste-testing the last few months and I think he's got a winner. You can read more about CCC's coffees and blends by clicking below:

[HB]

Wow Bob and Michelle, may well be a coin toss to decide which of you will take away the swag. I'll give the HB readership (and lurkers) the weekend...

[reeeneeee]

Wait for me!

I've been reading Dan's reviews for a while now (they were a big help when I was deciding on my current setup: expobar Pulser & mazzer sj), but hadn't discovered the HB forums til pretty recently. It seems like there's a higher concentration of coffee hotshots on this forum, which is both why I read it & maybe also why I haven't posted yet...

Hmm...about me...
I've been drinking coffee for all of three years now, but only 'saw the light' about half a year ago. I'm happy with my setup right now, but that doesn't prevent me from reading the marketplace posts and dreaming...

[Dr Jim]

OK - we'll bite too ...

Have been drinking this stuff for far too long ...

Some years ago there used to be a small, funky coffee place on Brooklyn Avenue in Seattle, and someone convinced the owner that a "pressure machine' would do well there.

It did, and a fellow going to Law school got pretty addicted to the brew - he went on to make several fortunes with his Green Fish, but we had a lot of fun pulling shots, playing chess, and making trouble.

Have owned lots of different machines, almost all lever-actuated, for the last 10 years have used an ancient Pavoni, and just took delivery of a 'Lusso' machine from Vanelli's - which seems to work pretty decently, but we're still learning it.

Found H-B while surfing some web-links - nice site!

Cheers

Jim

[HB]

Welcome reeeneeee!

Hey, I told my wife that she's married to a coffee hotshot. You'll have to wait until she stops laughing to capture her thoughts on that one... seriously, HB is about learning and all are welcome. Thanks for posting and hope to hear more from you.

Dr Jim,

Thanks for the bio! You may have read that Steve Robinson (moderator of the Marketplace forum) is a huge lever fan. He's now comparing the La Pavoni Europiccola and Elektra Microcasa a Leva (link), motivated by Chris Tacy's writeup "La Pavoni Pro in the hands of pros". Feel free to jump in and offer your thoughts.

[bigjp]

Hello to all. My first post on this forum.

First of all I'd like to thank Dan for his great website and all the EXCELLENT information he has here. I used the site today to figure out how to adjust the brew pressure on my machine and it worked great. It was set at 12 bars when I got it and now it's around 10, and it is like night and day. I'm pulling shots that are so much better than any I have pulled before (granted I'm still a newbie at all of this, so my shots have never been that good). I had way more doubles today than any person should have in a single day, but I just couldn't stop drinking them. I'm going to keep it at 10 bars for another day or two and then try lowering it to 9 to see what difference it will make in shot quailty.

So, about me......I'm an elementary school teacher on a Navy base in Japan. I've lived here for many years and love it. I got into coffee about 5 years ago, but didn't really "GET" into it until I found coffeegeek about a year ago. I homeroast and just got an Isomac Tea and Mini 3 months ago, which is my first real espresso setup. I'm having a blast with them, but sometimes feel like taking a sledgehammer to the machine when it won't behave (okay, not really, but it is frustrating sometimes dealing with my lack of ability to make this stuff work right and it's easy to take it out on the machine). I really like the Tea, but don't like the mess of wires on the inside. I bought my setup used and got a pretty good deal, so overall I'm very happy.

Once again I want to say thank you to Dan. The detailed pics you post of the different parts have kept my machine going more than a few times. It's a great learning tool for those of us who don't have someone to go to for explanations in person.

edit: forgot to add my name.....Chuck

[dougny]

I have been drinking coffee for years - I had a stovetop espresso machine in 1982, been grinding coffee since forever, lived in Germany for 2001 and traveled EU - I mean I think I am a coffee guy. So I find coffeegeek which leads me here. WOW!

Yesterday afternoon I went to Gimme coffee in Brooklyn and was stunned at the nectar coming from that machine. Two triple ristrettos and one cappuciono later I am now in the market for a home setup. All of the hard work represented by this site is helping me tremendously! Today I will most likely go to 9th street and get a few shots. But that stuff yesterday at Gimme was out of this world.

I am Doug in Manhattan and work for a software company in technical sales. Thanks again Dan for building this amazing resource.

[HB]

Welcome Chuck and Doug!

Tonight's the night would-be first-time posters and lurkers -- introduce yourself and you're in the drawing. By the way, today I passed by Pheasant Creek Coffee, which features the Toscano espresso blend. Absolutely deelish! And could be yours for mere words...

[MarkJ]

Hi!

Been home roasting for a few years, ever since I moved from Montreal to Baltimore and wasn't satisfied with the local offerings. Of course it didn't stop there and I quickly moved through an old Saeco Rio Vapore and Solis grinder to my current Mazzer Super Jolly and Pavoni Europiccola.

Now when I get bad coffee it's my fault, though, which didn't used to be the case.

ciao!

Mark

[PeterG]

Dan has given me the honor of announcing the winner of this groovy little contest.

And the winner of the first-time posters to this thread chosen by absolutely random selection is...............................

MarkJ!!!!

Congratulations, Mark. You are the lucky winner of two pounds of coffee on us!

Any two pounds, your choice. Yes, I said any. We will be bidding on some Cup of Excellence lots later this week, so if you want to wait to get some really fancy stuff, that's fine!

Please contact me via the private message function with your mailing address and what you'd like.

Peter G
Director of Coffee
Counter Culture Coffee

[Rocket Coffee]

Hi
I wanted to introduce myself and start off by thanking Dan for providing this website. Such a great resource and wealth of info from people with commitment and passion!

Started off with a La Pavoni and ancient Faema grinder years ago (20?) and was going along fine, or so I thought until I stumbled across the CG forums. The revelation that I wasn't alone in seeking "espresso perfection" was a good feeling, it also helped to alleviate my wifes concern over my obsession and elevated my espresso skills From there I progressed to a Silvia (now pid'd) and Rocky, went thru an HX phase with an Elektra and now my home machine of choice is a Zaffiro. The info and help I received from members, including Dan has played a huge part in my espresso/coffee development!

Before I knew it, my passion became my profession and I set up my first espresso cart and then another. Feeling the need to be at both locations at the same time brought me to the decision to open a single Cafe'. I soon came to realize that running the "shop" was gratifying and rewarding, but I was finding my true interests were leaning towards roasting. I talked with my local roaster who had been supplying the beans for my shop and let him know of my interest in roasting. I sold the Cafe' and started my education in roasting.

For the last couple of years I've been happily growing my very own roasting company into what I consider something to be extremely proud of!

This community has been a source of knowledge and guidance that has helped me in so many ways.

Again...a huge Thank You!

LJ

[srobinson]

LJ, welcome to HB. Now I hope you kept the Pavoni. I need more members for my LMWDP....(lever machine world domination plot). I'll PM you the secret handshake. Glad to have you on board.

[Rocket Coffee]

Steve, thank you for the welcome! I still have my LP and take it with me when I go out of town. You better send me that handshake, never know when I'll bump into a member of the LMWDP!

LJ

[srobinson]

Excellent news. Handshake will be completed shortly. I will grant you LMWDP member number #003 to add to your signature line.

[papalatte]

Hey Everyone check out my cups!!!! It pays to play Home Barista



Skip