As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. A few years ago, flat-burr single-dose grinders were expensive and rare. The DF64 changed that. Made by G-iota and sold in the US under the Turin brand, it put 64mm flat burrs on the counter for well under $400, and it became one of the most talked-about home grinders around. What Single Dosing Means A normal grinder … [Read more...] about DF64 Single-Dose Grinder: 64mm Flat Burrs and Near-Zero Retention for Under $400
Espresso
Gibraltar Coffee: San Francisco’s Cortado, Named After a 4.5-Ounce Glass
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. A Gibraltar is a double shot of espresso topped with warm, lightly steamed milk and served in one particular glass: the Libbey Gibraltar, a small, heavy-bottomed rocks tumbler that holds 4.5 ounces, about 130 ml. The name comes from the glass. Serve the same drink in a ceramic cup and most baristas would call it a … [Read more...] about Gibraltar Coffee: San Francisco’s Cortado, Named After a 4.5-Ounce Glass
Rancilio Silvia V6: A Single-Boiler Machine With No PID That Still Teaches Home Espresso Best
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The Rancilio Silvia looks almost old-fashioned next to newer machines. No screen. No temperature setting. No pre-infusion. It costs about $1,000 in the US, and it's still one of the machines enthusiasts recommend most often to people who want to learn espresso properly. Clive Coffee calls it the best introduction to home … [Read more...] about Rancilio Silvia V6: A Single-Boiler Machine With No PID That Still Teaches Home Espresso Best
Why Your Espresso Comes With a Glass of Water or a Biscuit
In a Naples bar the glass of water often lands on the counter before the coffee does. In a Brussels café the extra is a biscuit in a red wrapper, sitting next to your cup. Neither one costs you anything, and neither one is an accident. What comes with a coffee is one of those small things that tells you where you are. Some of these extras are old habits of hospitality. Others … [Read more...] about Why Your Espresso Comes With a Glass of Water or a Biscuit
Baratza Encore ESP: A $200 Grinder With 20 Espresso Steps, and What the 2025 ESP Pro Adds
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Ask what grinder to buy with a first espresso machine and the Baratza Encore ESP comes up more than any other. It's small, it's around $200, and unlike most grinders at that price it was built with espresso in mind. The Trick: Two Ranges on One Dial The Encore ESP has 40 settings, but they aren't spread evenly. … [Read more...] about Baratza Encore ESP: A $200 Grinder With 20 Espresso Steps, and What the 2025 ESP Pro Adds
Arabica vs Robusta: Why Italian Espresso Blends Still Use the Cheaper, Stronger Bean
Nearly all the coffee in the world comes from two species: Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora, better known as robusta. Specialty coffee has spent decades teaching people that arabica is the good one. The truth is messier, and Italian espresso bars have known it all along. Two Very Different Plants Arabica is a natural cross between robusta and another species, … [Read more...] about Arabica vs Robusta: Why Italian Espresso Blends Still Use the Cheaper, Stronger Bean
Single Boiler, Heat Exchanger or Dual Boiler: Which Espresso Machine Design a Milk Drinker Needs
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Every espresso machine that steams milk has the same problem to solve. Brewing wants water a little under boiling, around 90 to 96°C (195 to 205°F). Steaming milk wants a lot more heat than that. How a machine handles the two jobs decides how fast you can make a milk drink, and a big part of what you pay. There are four … [Read more...] about Single Boiler, Heat Exchanger or Dual Boiler: Which Espresso Machine Design a Milk Drinker Needs
Cortado vs Flat White: The Flat White Carries About Twice the Milk
Set a cortado next to a flat white and the family resemblance is obvious. Both start with a double shot, and neither wears the tall hat of foam you get on a cappuccino. The difference is mostly volume, with texture a close second. How Much Milk A cortado runs about 4 to 4.5 ounces in total, roughly 120 to 130 ml: a double shot and about as much milk again. A flat … [Read more...] about Cortado vs Flat White: The Flat White Carries About Twice the Milk
Hand Grinders for Espresso: Microns per Click Matter More Than Burr Size
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Good espresso grinders are expensive, loud and big. A good hand grinder is none of those. For one or two shots a day, it can grind as well as an electric grinder that costs twice as much. The price you pay is half a minute of cranking. But not every good hand grinder is a good espresso grinder. The spec that decides it … [Read more...] about Hand Grinders for Espresso: Microns per Click Matter More Than Burr Size
Italian Espresso Bar Rules: The €1.29 Counter Espresso and the Morning-Only Cappuccino
Italy drinks its coffee standing up. Walk into any bar at eight in the morning and you'll see a row of people at the counter, each with a small cup and a quick word for the barista, and then they're gone. The country has about 140,000 bars, and between them they pour something like 6 billion espressos a year. Nobody writes the rules down, but almost everyone follows them. … [Read more...] about Italian Espresso Bar Rules: The €1.29 Counter Espresso and the Morning-Only Cappuccino