how to clean your coffee maker

First Roast, First Lessons
27
Dec
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First Roast, First Lessons

Here’s something to stir your curiosity: Your first roast didn’t just turn out dark—it sparked a question about coffee’s alchemy. You popped beans in a popcorn popper, roasted too fast, and ended up with a cup that’s bold, uneven, and oddly satisfying. The result? A messy experiment that’s already made you rethink everything. Roast level isn’t just about darkness. It’s a dance between time, heat, and the bean’s inherent character. Your popcorn popper likely over-roasted because it’s a crude tool, but the outcome still hints at a deeper truth: some beans thrive in specific roasts. Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, for example, reveals…
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Mastering Sweetness: Roast Profiles for Espresso and Pour-Over Perfection
27
Dec
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Mastering Sweetness: Roast Profiles for Espresso and Pour-Over Perfection

Real talk: If you're dialing in your roast profiles and chasing that elusive sweetness, you’re not alone. The Kaldi mini and Artisan Scope combo is a powerhouse for precision, but even seasoned roasters tweak their approach for different brews. Your current setup—roasting 225-250g at 70rpm, dropping at 380F, and hitting 300F by the 4-minute mark—works for Central American beans, but there’s room to refine. The key lies in balancing heat retention, cooling timing, and bean development to unlock subtler notes. Sweetness in coffee often emerges from a delicate interplay of caramelization and acidity. For espresso, where extraction is aggressive, a…
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Why Your Honduras Mini Granja is Burning—and How to Fix It
21
Dec
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Why Your Honduras Mini Granja is Burning—and How to Fix It

There’s something brewing in your roaster—something that’s turning your Honduras Mini Granja into a burnt note nightmare. You’re not alone. This coffee’s natural profile, with its sweet tannins and bright acidity, is being drowned out by a roast that’s pushing too far into the dark side. The problem isn’t the bean—it’s how you’re treating it. The key lies in the drying phase. You’re ramping up heat too early, forcing the roast into city+ territory before the first crack even happens. Natural coffees like Mini Granja need a slower, more deliberate approach. Think of it as a dance: you want to…
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Why Your Freshly Ground Coffee Is Sour (And How to Fix It)
18
Dec
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Why Your Freshly Ground Coffee Is Sour (And How to Fix It)

Listen up: If you’re grinding your own beans and ending up with astringent, sour brews, you’re not alone. The issue isn’t always the beans or your setup—it’s often how you’re handling the grind. Pre-ground coffee feels effortless, but freshly ground beans demand precision. The key lies in balancing grind size, outgassing, and extraction. Astringency isn’t a flaw—it’s a signal. It happens when too much tannic acid is extracted, usually due to over-extraction or a grind that’s too fine. Your current setup—grinding with a ~$70 manual grinder—might be part of the problem. While it’s rated well for its price, low-quality grinders…
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Bambino Upgrade Dilemma: Basket, Portafilter, or Tamper?
15
Dec
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Bambino Upgrade Dilemma: Basket, Portafilter, or Tamper?

The verdict is in: Your Bambino’s upgrade path hinges on one question—basket, portafilter, or tamper? You’ve got a used machine, a mismatched tamper combo, and a laundry list of questions. The stock basket’s tapered design is already a battleground for your aftermarket metal tamper, which gets stuck and scratches the sides. The 51mm plastic one from D’Elonghi Dedica is a relic, while the 54mm metal tamper’s size mismatch is a red flag. You’re caught between fixing what’s broken or trading up. The stock portafilter’s single-serve double-wall basket is functional but limited. If you’re splitting duties with a partner who uses…
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Why Your Espresso Shots Are Diverging—and How to Fix It
15
Dec
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Why Your Espresso Shots Are Diverging—and How to Fix It

The verdict is in: inconsistency in espresso shots isn’t a sign of failure—it’s a call to action. You’ve got a Gaggia Classic Pro with PID mods and a Eureka Mignon Manuele, yet your shots are swinging between 15 seconds and 27 seconds. That’s not a fluke. It’s a red flag. The question isn’t whether you need to upgrade—it’s whether you’re missing the basics of stability. Your setup has all the right pieces, but espresso is a dance of precision. The Gaggia’s PID mods should regulate pressure, but even the best machines can waver if the boiler isn’t fully heated or…
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Skip the Sample Pour: Why You Can (And Should) Ask for a Straight Pour
05
Dec
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Skip the Sample Pour: Why You Can (And Should) Ask for a Straight Pour

Let’s talk about the awkward moment when your server holds up a wine bottle, waits for you to sniff, swirl, and nod, then pours. It’s a ritual that feels forced, especially if you’re not a wine expert. The truth? You don’t have to taste the sample. In fact, you’re allowed—and maybe even encouraged—to skip the whole thing. The process is meant to verify the wine’s integrity, not to test your palate. But if it’s making you uncomfortable, you’re not alone. The sample pour serves three purposes: confirming the bottle matches your order, checking for flaws like TCA (cork taint), VA…
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Austrian Einspänner: The Creamy Iced Coffee That’ll Elevate Your Summer
01
Dec
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Austrian Einspänner: The Creamy Iced Coffee That’ll Elevate Your Summer

Summer calls for a refreshing twist on our favorite caffeinated beverage. Enter the Einspänner, an Austrian delight that's simple yet indulgent, perfect for those scorching afternoons. Originally served hot, this coffee concoction can easily transition to iced, offering a sweet, creamy escape from your usual coffee shop order - all at a fraction of the cost. The Einspänner, translating to "one-horse carriage," was designed with practicality in mind, created for coach drivers who needed a drink they could manage one-handed while steering their horses. Today, we can appreciate its convenience as we juggle our morning commute and coffee cup alike.…
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Cincinnati Named One of the Best U.S. Cities for Coffee Lovers
01
Dec
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Cincinnati Named One of the Best U.S. Cities for Coffee Lovers

If you're a coffee enthusiast, Cincinnati might just be your next favorite city to explore. A recent study by personal finance brand WalletHub ranked the top 100 cities in the U.S. based on their coffee culture, and guess who made it to the list? That's right—Cincy came in at No. 20. The study evaluated 12 key metrics, including the number of affordable coffee shops, coffee houses, and cafés per capita, the number of coffee and tea manufacturers per capita, average price per pack of coffee, and the share of adult coffee drinkers. You can check out all the details—including the…
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Unraveling the Mystery of Your New Gongfu Teapot
01
Dec
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Unraveling the Mystery of Your New Gongfu Teapot

You've stumbled upon a unique tea experience with your new Gongfu teapot, and we're here to help you navigate this intriguing world. This traditional Chinese brewing method requires precision and patience, but the result is a rich, full-bodied cup of tea that's worth the effort. Your glass stove-top teapot with a drop-in basket is perfect for Gongfu style brewing. Unlike Western-style brewing where you steep the leaves in water and discard them, Gongfu method involves multiple infusions of the same tea leaves, extracting various flavors at each stage. The key to Gongfu lies in the proportion of tea leaves to…
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