The Announcements above the forum listing frequently contains "quotable quotes" nominated by Team HB and the membership. Entries in the announcements are limited to recent quotable quotes; below is the unabridged collection with links to their source in the forums. We hope these nuggets of wisdom and amusing quips will lead you to a deeper understanding of the art of espresso.

 Can't fight indifference

"SOME people can be shown the way to artisan coffee. SOME people become mesmerized by that first taste of real coffee. I was. You were. Most dont care. Even IF they taste the difference, they could really care less." --Jeff Cirelli, What is wrong with Starbucks?

 Blame happily accepted

"I blame you guys. I was perfectly happy with what I had and you led me down the path of questioning whether there might be something better. Ignorance is bliss and all that. Now I have a probably unobtainable goal to shoot for." --Alex Kilpatrick, OK, you guys have ruined me

 For the hundredth time: It's still the grinder, stupid

"To make good espresso, an espresso machine (any one) needs a quality grinder much more than the grinder needs a good espresso machine." --Dave (genovese), Grinder upgrade from Rancilio Rocky

 Don't be ruled (fooled?) by what you measure

"Blindly extracting to a set of mathematically determined parameters is to serve the point of developing consistency in the cup. Once you let the parameters start overriding what you taste, that's what you should care about." --George Van Wagner, Why should I care about blonding?

 Be wary of imaginary problems

"I think/hope I may just be a bit too anal about things. Will just carry on my own routine and enjoy the coffee like everyone suggested." --J. Yow, Help with messy pucks

 The danger of dogma

"Again, you know what you taste and what you like. You seem to have found the right combo of machine, grinder and coffee beans. However, this does not mean your holy grail will be experienced by everyone else." --Jim Piccinich, Consistent brew temperature required for exceptional espresso

 Taste is culture and vice versa

"There's something else that's easily overlooked: the Italian palate includes bitter amongst its pleasures... [including] a wealth of digestifs that Anglo-Saxon palates can only compare to cough mixture. Tastes are not only physiological, they're cultural, too." --Mike Benis, Search for the essence of espresso

 Commercial reality check

"I suspect a commercial reality check is in order... The only practical way to ensure you're getting fresh beans is to buy direct from the roaster, or roast them yourself." --Alan Frew, Why do good roasters sell stale coffee?

 Good tamp means you didn't screw up the distribution

"Regardless of the importance of tamping, everyone - or just about - is convinced that distribution is far more critical to the result. More than anything else in fact, the tamping problem comes down to not screwing it up." --Antony, Baskets and tampers

 You know, there's a reason it's called a coffee shop

"To me, a bad espresso at a coffee shop is like a burnt steak at a steak house, or an oil change where they almost tightened the oil filter enough. Either they know how to do their job or they don't. There's no excuse." --Randy Glass, Terrible technique, great results

 The upgrade route that most must travel

"A decade ago, I would have considered my commercial espresso equipment purchases sheer absurdity. Words alone would never have convinced me to go this route. I had to try lesser gear and find out for myself. Nothing wrong with that." --John Weiss, I don't understand why grinders cost so much

 Just say "no" to bagged coffees sold in supermarkets

"From that list of national brand coffees, I would choose either none, or to drink tea. If I gave one piece of advice, it is this: If a roasted coffee is sold in a supermarket, don't buy it. Not a hard and fast rule, but generally it is good advice." --Randy Glass, Mountain Grown Beans, anyone used them before?

More quotable quotes...