I've been wondering if there couldn't be some kind of "table of contents" as a sticky post for each forum, with groups of thread titles under common headings (e.g. La Pavoni, brew pressure, etc.). It seems like it could be a difficult task, but in the long run it could make it much easier to access useful information from past threads.

PC

Each forum has an associated FAQs and Favorites sticky that organizes the best threads by category, e.g., the one for the Lever Espresso Machines forum. Admittedly I haven't updated these as regularly as I should, but nominations are welcome. Just reply to the forum's FAQs and Favorite with your nominees.

Some background information:

FAQs that appear on the unabridged FAQs and Favorites page have a lower threshold for entrance than the hand-vetted ones topping each forum. To qualify as a FAQ/Favorite, I think the topic should have one of these characteristics: common (but not dumb), interesting, noteworthy, intriguing, off beat, represents collective wisdom, or presents an alternative viewpoint to otherwise common wisdom. Answers in an unabridged FAQ topic don't have to be "right".

My hope is that visitors peruse the FAQs and Favorites or the Related Topics at the bottom of a given thread, thereby gain basic knowledge/background so conversations can start at a higher level rather than repeating the same old, same old. And as you noted, oldtimers can use them to find reference-worthy discussions of the past.