News

I have spent quite a bit of time recently sample roasting some new coffees.  Of the 10 coffees I have tried, there are 2 that stand out and I am excited to have introduced both to our selection this week.  The Lahamenegu from Papua New Guinea is a bright fruit forward and acidic coffee with a great clean cup.  The Misty Valley from Ethiopia is a sun dried Yirgacheffe.  It has a berry and citrus fruit with some sweet tobacco and cinnamon.  It is a little more expensive than most of our coffees, but is really delicious and worth the...

Proud owner of the only 2 Londinium 2 group lever espresso machines in the US!  I have long been an admirer of the espresso produced by the old lever machines.  The consistency of pressure exerted on the coffee and the consistency of heat plus simplicity has always been attractive.  The only problem has been the availability of good machines.  Reiss Gunson in the UK, dissatisfied with the crop of Italian made levers, went about creating the Londinium, first a single group and now the 2 group you see in the photo above.  No more tin boilers and problems with barista...

I thought I would try to update the blog more often and to make it easier, keep the postings short and snappy.  So in the last few weeks, we have introduced new espresso grinders from Compak, and a great new French Press with double wall stainless steel.  These french presses, known as Cafetieres from where I hail, are simply the best I have ever used.  The double wall filter really prevents the inevitable finer grinds from getting into the final pour and the double wall allows a more leisurely appreciation whilst remaining hot.  The cup is cleaner and the flavor...

If you are already successful and people constantly tell us we have the best espresso around, why change anything?  Well, the short answer is that we don't have to.  However, though we take great pride in maintaining age old traditions when it comes to making espresso, it doesn't mean we can't reach for even higher standards of excellence.  Over the past few months I have been asking myself the question, where are the weaknesses in our quest for excellence?  As a result, I have been working on a number of projects and  additions that I believe will take us to...