Whale wrote:As it is he is making an statement that does not allow for growth. ... He is not expressing that ... there is something more out there

You're completely right on this. But (even more sadly) reporting as if there was nothing more to say is not just a fault of this reporter but of most of them.

The author's taste test was intriguing:

I tested 11 of the top Italian canned coffees and in no sample did beans ground at a local coffeehouse produce an espresso as good as the canned. Era Ora and Sant'Eustachio both made spectacular espresso, even in the cheapest machines. Era Ora ($13) is imported by Newton-based ItalyPoint. Sant'Eustachio ($15) is a wonderful ground coffee from Rome, which is favored by Boston magazine restaurant critic and "Joy of Coffee'' author Corby Kummer. Five brands produced acceptable espresso: a good taste, crema, and aroma at the level you would expect from an independent coffeehouse - or Starbucks on a good day. They are, in order of preference: Caffè Kimbo Gold Medal, Illy Ground Espresso Coffee, LavAzza Qualità Rossa, Caffè Kimbo Aroma Espresso, and Café Bustelo. The only non-Italian coffee that made the cut, Bustelo is produced in Miami for "el gusto Hispano'' (Hispanic tastes).
Four brands produced thin, bitter, or crema-less espresso, or (usually) an unfortunate combination of the three: Whole Foods Organic Northern Italian Espresso Grind Coffee, Whole Foods Organic Southern Italian Espresso Grind Coffee, Caffè Kimbo Espresso Napoletano, and LavAzza Tierra! espresso.

Did the local coffeehouse provide some ground coffee for his home taste test? Local to me, I can only purchase Cafe Bustelo of all those mentioned. I remember enjoying caffé Kimbo 18 years ago in Europe out of my 1 cup Moka pot. Maybe I'll try the CB on my <$1200 La Pavoni that won't see Craigslist (like his did) anytime soon.

I had fun reading this article. My sister clipped it and sent it to me after I had her family out here and showed them my version of good coffee with some really good stuff from Stumptown (Costa Rica Terrazu), Verve (Streetlevel) and Olympia Coffee Roasters (Ethiopia Agayo something or other). Maybe the author does know high end espresso, but is trying to do a service for aficionados by decreasing demand for good used equipment. It doesn't seem to be working judging by the price a Cremina pulled today on ebay.

another_jim wrote:They want something labeled espresso, they want it now, they want it at home, they want it from gear that costs less than $200. Most people pick hobbies other than coffee, but are still interested in getting the best shot for their minimal investment of time, money and effort.

Bingo. Just like the people who are not into cars, still want a car that is fast, but are appalled at the gas mileage. Or the person who wants to cook better, but thinks that their 6 dollar "chefs knife", and their $10 "non stick" pan will get them there. Well.. Not an identical comparison, but its same idea. Good results, with no effort or knowledge as to how to get such results.(SuperAutomatics sell a hell of a lot better then a Gaggia and a grinder, which would be why only the largest Williams Sonoma's have the Elektras in the store)

Coffee, to a coffeegeek, simply IS NOT a drink. Well, yes it is, but it's not just a drink. Its everything. From selecting your greens/beans, to how you tailor your technique, to the cups you drink from... it is all part of the hobby. Coffee to a typical coffee drinker, is just that, coffee. How can we expect them to appreciate why a $400 grinder is entry level. How can expect them to understand, that a $400 machine is the bare minimum to make, what is to them, a cup of coffee? It's simple. We CAN NOT expect that from them.

Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world. You can get a cup of coffee everywhere. Go out shopping for the day, and you'll find multiple places to get coffee. And every one of those places its gourmet, the best there is, fresh, delicious, etc etc. When coffee is everywhere, and comes out of a machine that requires ONE button to be pushed, it sounds a bit ridiculous to spend more then a tanks worth of gas to make coffee at home.

Dan Kehn Tweeted that "... People build up espresso into a superior coffee drink..."(snipped apart, stolen without permission). And it's true. Either espresso is looked at as a bitter, disgusting drink that Italians make, or as THE coffee drink, made only by educated, trained professionals, in a coffee house.

Specialty Coffee is far from mainstream. So is it really surprising that Illy and Lavazza are the most popular brands of espresso coffee, and that department store machines that claim to make coffeehouse like drinks have no problem selling, and that people who make coffee a hobby(and spend the money we do), are just elitist snobs/bonkers/have money to burn/flat out wrong? Doesn't sound too far off to me.

My analogy here is simple. Most people we know are nodding acquaintances; but our lives would be very sad indeed without close family and friends. It is similar with consumer products; there are (happily) so many that for most we must make do with ignorantly using the mass produced versions; but our lives are better if we have a few in which we develop some skill.

Coffee is part of most people's mass production kit. There is nothing wrong with this, and they absolutely deserve a few tips on how to do it passably without effort or knowledge. But I'm delighted to leave giving these tips to a lifestyle reporter. They shouldn't knock on my door until they are willing to make an effort; since I wouldn't know what to tell them if they aren't.

The people who invest time on this site represent the outliers - statistical anomolies that are far outside the norm.

"I love the coffee you make for me - but I'm okay with the coffee I make at home and I spent 1/10th what you spent for coffee that I enjoy."

Anyone else remember the Rogov article on coffee? He is a wine and food critic and posted an article he had "written" on coffee which was filled with incorrect information, evidently researched by others from sources that were decades old. His article included such pearls of wisdom as, "...it was an Italian who first realized that one of the very best ways to make coffee was by forcing pressurized steam through coffee grinds." I critiqued the article, point by point (with less tact than his readers would have liked). Others (from alt.coffee iirc) posted comments on his website as well. The eventual outcome was that the comment thread was closed and the article taken offline.

malachi wrote:"I love the coffee you make for me - but I'm okay with the coffee I make at home and I spent 1/10th what you spent for coffee that I enjoy."

What Chris said. I've heard that exact comment or many very similar to it from any number of friends and relatives who've had stellar coffee and/or espresso in my kitchen and really "get it" when they taste a good drink - but they are unwilling to spend the time and effort to do better in their own home.

I remember Rogov. But I think this is different.

Rogov pretended he knew how to make the best possible espresso, and gave a set of instructions that weren't just wrong, but also very time consuming, expensive and even dangerous. The reporter isn't pretending to know anything, and is conveying how to get the most drinkable (or least undrinkable) shot on the cheap with no sweat.

Also, I'd actually try one of the reporters shots. I'd rather not be in the same neighborhood as a 9 bar steam pressure espresso.

Randy G. wrote:The eventual outcome was that the comment thread was closed and the article taken offline.

epic win?

Honestly though...

I think reading the comments section of that article pains all of us a little bit. However, the second after I consider posting my own comment, I remember that I simply can't save people from bad advertising.

It's like those "collectible" coin commercials which are extraordinarily misleading. The coins are not pure gold, endorsed by the US Mint, or legal tender, and will not ever be worth the price you paid for them (even in terms of raw material), yet the commercials do an astoundingly legal and successful job selling them that way. If these are commonplace, then there is absolutely no hope in correcting internet opinions.

Kudos to that BostonCharles guy for trying, but I refuse to help those who do not want help. Even if that is to the detriment of great coffee, one of my passions, and my personal meditation.

another_jim wrote:I remember Rogov. But I think this is different.

Indeed. That article really needs to be read to appreciate the contrast.