grinding never was greener, but the grass has lost its hue

this is really fascinating! i use the hario mini-mill at home but if i had an espresso machine at home, too, i would definitely want this as its counter part. hopefully someone i come across will have one i can try within the next year. i found this on kyle glanville’s blog: glanvillain; you may want to read what he has to say, too.

volume is like a wave, always changing its mind

peter giuliano is one of my heros. he says things like “250ml=250ml”. i like that. he is very straight forward and honest. but, he also does his research to find out why we are so crazy. for example, he was muling over the idea that a “cup” is not always 8oz, or 240ml, or  5oz… gah!!!! you should see how sprudge covers his thoughts, here! from know on, lets all agree that 250ml=250ml.

thirty minute pleasure trip

these are hard to come by, so why not check out how george howell likes to spend his: pleasure time!

resources and web-sites i find helpful, somedays.

what is to follow is a list of web-sites/ resources I have found helpful in my coffee career. this is not as extensive as I could be, but is a great start for anyone looking into the specialty coffee scene. the first half focuses on coffee shops/ roasteries that i find inspiring, the second focuses on resources i have found helpful. i have written a short blurb about each web-site to give you some insight into what each one is about.
http://www.baristaexchange.com/

Barista Exchange is a hub for coffee professionals around the US and
the World. It helps connect coffee people for various reasons. it is
not the most up-to-date web-site, but can be helpful.

http://coava.myshopify.com/

Coava is one the premier coffee roasterie’s and cafe’s in Portland
(PDX). They have nationally ranked baristas working the bar and their
commitment to quality and customer-service and education is one the
the best that I know.

http://sterlingcoffeeroasters.com/

Sterling/ Coffee House North-West, is one of my favorite cafe’s/
roasteries. They are hands-down the nicest coffee professionals I have
ever met. Their commitment to quality coffee and their success in
outstanding customer service easily makes them one the best coffee
shops in the world. My sister just got a job working for them and I am
so proud. If ever there was a coffee shop to work for, this would be
the one.

http://heartroasters.com/

Heart may be one of the most progressive coffee roasters in the
Northwest. They are always pushing the line of what the industry
thinks is quality when it comes to roasting and serving coffee. They
are definitely  the most technical coffee shop I have come across and
one of the most interesting at that. their cafe is one of the most
unique that I have seen, too. My friend Jeremy Williamson works here.

http://baristapdx.com/

Barista is easily the most pretentious coffee shop in PDX, but they
are also the best non-roasting cafe in PDX i have come across. The neat thing about them
is that they serve multiple coffee’s from different roasters
throughout the US.

http://stumptowncoffee.com/

Stumptown is one of the oldest “specialty” coffee roaster/
cafes in the US. They have multiple locations throughout PDX,
Seattle and NYC. They are consistent and alway serve a good cup of coffee.
They are a bit pretentious but not as much as Barista.

http://www.wateravenuecoffee.com/

Water Avenue is one of the newer coffee roasteries and cafe’s in PDX.
They have a fun vibe and are committed to education. One of my
friends, Nolan Keith Parker works here and loves it.

Other shops in PDX I’d look into are the RED-E cafe, Albina Press, and Crema.

Shops in Seattle are Victrola, Vivace, Light House, Fiore
and some that I can’t think of at the moment.

The rest is just random coffee ish that is good to have in your utility-belt:

http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/store/product/id/137

The page is primarily for Black Cat espresso. It’d be a good idea to
watch the video (you’ll find it if you drag your cursor over the
photograph that says, “Espresso”), and to follow the links in the
right side. There is a vast amount of info on coffee from Intelligentsia.

http://counterculturecoffee.com/education/cupping-video?start=7Counter Culture Coffee is another exceptional specialty coffee roaster
out of NC. They have an extensive educational department and also
focus on Direct Trade coffee. This link touches on all the different
acidity in coffee which gives coffee its nuances of fruit flavors,
e.g., blue berry, plum, black current, orange. It gives a little more
validity and reference for describing coffee flavor and taste.http://www.coffeeshrub.com/shrub/content/basic-cultivar-roast-and-cupping-terms

This link is to Coffee Shrub, one of the most noted small-batch coffee
importers in the world. The link is specifically to a glossary of
terms concerning coffee.

http://www.sweetmarias.com/dictionary.php?min_a=a&max_a=d

This link is pretty much the same thing as the last one: glossary of
terms. Sweet Maria’s is an other small batch importer connected to
Coffee Shrub, but they focus on selling green coffee to home-roasters
rather than micro roasters. Basically, the glossary helps to define
terms that seem foreign or alienating. The more we–as coffee
professionals–seek to know, the better we will be able to
communicate to our customers about quality in terms of coffee.

http://sprudge.com/

Sprudge is basically a coffee news website. They cover most major
coffee things. Good to know, but not essential for every day use. But
good nonetheless.

http://www.home-barista.com/professional-baristas-handbook.html

This is a link to Home-barista. A really helpful web-site. The link
goes to an excerpt of “the professional baristas handbook” the whole
book is great, but this section covers espresso. Helpful, but not the
end-all on espresso.

http://bitterpress.com/about/

The “Bitter Press” has been one of my favorite coffee blogs. Jesse Raub, is
the Wholesale Educator for Intelligentsia. His blog, however, tends to
stick to home-brewing conversation and discovery. He’s always pushing
the envelope and asking great questions. I’ve e-mailed back and forth
with him a few times about coffee things. He’s super approachable and
helpful. He’s in charge of all wholesale accounts and seeks to
educate and be a resource for all shops serving intelligentsia coffee.

http://www.arizonacoffee.com/

This website seeks to inform its readers about the current coffee
scene in Arizona and to push for a more refined and exceptional coffee
experience. It is really helpful as far as local coffee is concerned.

http://colinharmon.wordpress.com/

This is a blog by Irish Barista Champion, Colin Harmon. He is one of
the most innovative coffee people who I have come across. I think
this is a great place to find innovative ideas, especially when it comes

to practical ideas of service in a cafe. He touches on nuances
of coffee and coffee prep, and serving that most people find
controversial or unconventional, which is why i like his stuff.http://www.tampertantrum.com/This is another one of Colin Harmon’s gigs. He partners with Stephen
Leighton to just talk about coffee and things. It can be a bit loose
and unfocused but some of their episodes are simply brilliant and
really helpful.

http://www.jimseven.com/2007/05/01/complete-blog-links-page/

Last but not least this is James Hoffmann’s blog. He won the World
Barista Competition in 2006. He, along with Colin Harmon, is one of
the biggest figures in coffee, always pushing for coffee innovation around the
world.