Dan, that's a great article, it's good to see a quick overview of such a wide range of machines. I'll definitely reference that the next time someone new to espresso asks me what they should buy. Of course, I'll also include a link here - to get all the details on the rest of the 4M's

Besides the WDT, H-B is mentioned explicitly at Volume 4, page 396 of Modernist Cuisine under "Further reading for coffee".

Maybe it was mentioned somewhere else already, but not in this topic.

http://lifehacker.com/5856345/10-more-s...by-science


I saw the Lifehacker story on the front page of Google News so I assume others will see it too - they left the "a" off "Home-Barista" but it's a link and it worked.

First of all, don't grind it—keep it whole bean. Then, make sure you pack it as tightly as you can in an airtight container or bag, and then get as much of the air out of it as possible before sealing it up and putting it in the back of the freezer in an opaque container. Only remove it when you're ready to use the whole thing. Don't open the container and subject the coffee to all of those bad influences in the freezer just to get a few beans out. If you do it properly, your coffee can stay good in the freezer for a short while until you're ready to bring it back to temp and drink it. Home-Barist.com did a remarkably well-controlled double-blind experiment with experienced coffee tasters, and they all were unable to tell the difference between fresh coffee and properly frozen coffee.

Ian Stewart (woodchuck) and I are quoted in this article on home enthusiasts.


See online version for limited time

SPECIAL SECTION: HOME ENTHUSIASTS BREWING IT ALL BACK HOME: How to pull in the growing number of people geeking out in their kitchens by Dan Leif

Quite a decent little article here for a change, with some considerable help from Jeremy Challender at Prufrock, that mentions H-B as the go-to place for great espresso advice: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/...t-espresso

Not only has H-B made it it the Guardian, the article actually has a highlight link with image on the front page!

Well done!

Mike

michaelbenis wrote:Quite a decent little article here for a change, with some considerable help from Jeremy Challender at Prufrock, that mentions H-B as the go-to place for great espresso advice: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/...t-espresso

Not only has H-B made it it the Guardian, the article actually has a highlight link with image on the front page!

Well done!

Mike

The comments that have collected below this article are rather scary.

I love the 'I'm Italian..." comments. Who cares? I'm italian, I don't know good coffee because of my lineage of 'espresso' drinkers. Comments under any article online are 95% ridiculous and this one is no different. Really makes you wonder about the world when you see what anonymity really brings out in humans.

The one commenter who is Italian (obviously he/she knows great espresso, right?) and had found only one place that makes great espresso, has probably found a place that just makes "better" than previously experienced and it's still A) Illy being pulled through an B) ill-maintained $20,000 3-group Faema with a C) Barista that has never changed the grind setting due to D) strict orders by the owner who is probably 'italian' and knows good espresso.

Arrgghh... comments are infuriating... IMHO

The comments are depressing.

addendum: It's depressing because of the narrow-mindedness displayed by the commenters. The article is simply showing a way to potentially better coffee. It annoys me greatly when people scoff at the idea of trying to do things better, i.e. choosing better equipment, timing, weighing. If one is happy with one's routine, then more power to them! But I can't understand why people need to take the time to dismiss others' passion for their hobby. After all, when journalists write articles like this one of their goals is to enlighten others, what's the harm in that.

The only comment I agree with is regarding the choice of article headline. "How to make the perfect espresso"? How about "Your guide to better espresso"? Or anything but perfect.

the_trystero wrote:
The only comment I agree with is regarding the choice of article headline. "How to make the perfect espresso"? How about "Your guide to better espresso"? Or anything but perfect.

The author commented that she didn't get to choose the title.

Heh, I only made it through the first page of comments.

But that's understandable, she was probably handed the "make a perfect espresso" assignment.