I like a lot of your products! I want to like your coffee.

• Comes in fun cans
• Less than $8/lb average
• Quite a few varieties
• Quick and easy (minutes from home).

It just seems stale to me. I’ve tried a few cans over the last year. The aroma when opening a coffee container says a lot, and your coffee is pretty quiet. I suppose darker roasts have enough of a caramelized roast flavor to make up for the complete loss of varietal flavors for some people. To me it is just terribly boring - they all taste pretty much the same to me.

I can only guess the canister isn’t as good as the valve bag?

Update 4/22/08 : Tried a very dark roast (yeah, I’m punishing myself). I have only seen beans that crumbly and oily when I forgot to turn off the roaster. I threw them away. I always wondered what that would taste like, now I know. Don’t bother.

I’ve had a lot of practice at this, and I’m still not very good at it. Is it the quality of the foam or pouring technique issue? We had our friends Brian and Angela over this Sunday and I made a couple of lattes. One was “abstract art”, the other a “scorpion” (so they were not successful). It is fun trying.

I’m not sure my wife would let me put this on the kitchen counter…

Read More … I just need a flatbed plotter and edible ink…

This week I was asked twice - how can I make a good espresso based drink without spending a thousand dollars. Well… There is the local coffee shop, but they’ll take you for $3 everytime.

So I run over to CoffeeGeek to see what is new in the machines that are cheaper than Silvia (what I use). Here are some good looking machines in the $300 range

Francis X3
This one is a couple hundred less than Silvia. You have to love the looks. I’d still just save up for Silvia but… if $300-400 is your max it is worth a look. The detailed review is quite good.

Innova Arc
At $299 it has to be worth a look. It gets a good review for what it is and at half the price of Silvia… If you make mostly milk-based drinks take a look.

Solis SL-70
Clearly the ugliest of the bunch but gets great reviews. I have a Solis grinder I use for regular coffee and it just keeps going. Sounds like you need to pickup a new portafilter for good shots. Again - the price is about $300.

Of course I have to say - remember the grind. In reality getting one of these makes grind all the more important. On the cheap grinder front… Welll…

Gaggia MDF will get you the grind you need for $200

Solis Maestro might suffice - but spend the extra $60 on the Gaggia

So let’s see. We could grab a solis maestro and grinder and have a passable setup for about $430. That’s about 100 drinks at the local shop. I think I’d consider a Gaggia and the Innova if I was wanting to be cheap - still at the $500 range total. When you consider Silvia is $600 alone… Well it’s a good way to start and learn.

We knew this all along. Here is a study on the antioxidant levels in coffee with some pretty interesting information. Maybe some of those people that gave up coffee for teas (because of the high level antioxidants) should reconsider. I need a “coffee is good for you” page.

Went to CoffeeFest a few weeks back (http://www.coffeefest.com. It was a good time learning more about the specialty coffee business and drinking free espresso samples all afternoon. Saturday Kim and I did a cupping seminar where they taught all the basics of cupping coffees. It was very well done and enjoyed it.

Geeks only. Made me giggle.

http://www.eaipatterns.com/ramblings/18_starbucks.html