Reviews
NYT Oliver Strand: Über Boiler, Brian Eno, and the Slow Brew Movement
Jul. 2 | New York Times writer Oliver Strand was in London for the World Barista Championship festivities, and he took close notice of just how prominent the slow brew trend was at this year’s event. In his latest article for his New York Times Blog “Ristretto”, Oliver outlines the scene at Specialty Coffee Association of Europe’s “Caffé Culture” conference, noticing a crowd “mesmerized by the coffee produced by...
Made in the USA: Camano Coffee Mill Is Sprudge.com’s Favorite Grinder
Jun. 19 | Here’s a new online pal for you to add to your Facebook account. He won’t spam you with group invites, he’ll never change his relationship status, and you won’t have to guess which Morrissey song he’s quoting. Add the Camano Coffee Mill on Facebook! Move over, Skerton. Ball-jar busting Camano Coffee Mill is sturdy, beautiful and a dream to hand-grind. There’s just something so…visceral about hand-grinding....
Blech to the Future: Saeco’s Newest Machine Can Read Your Fingerprints
Jun. 14 | Must have fingerprints. Millions of dollars have gone into the newest home brewing device offered up by Saeco. But does it brew better? Here at Barista Magazine, we do love a lot of coffee gadgets, you know like VST’s Mojo to Go or the Aeropress, but this new home machine from Saeco is really something else. It’s smart because it stores coffee profiles for six individuals, but it’s also, umm… maybe a little over the top, because the...
I’ve Seen the Future, and It’s Stupid: Meet the iPod “Appresso”
Jun. 12 | Unimpresso'd What is this, hokey thousand-dollar espresso machine week? Please don’t buy this product. This thing makes coffee and spits out music. What more do you want? What more COULD you want? More? Alright well you’re in luck because this “Appresso” device does all that you want. It’s Android based. That means it’s amazing by itself. Then it makes coffee. Delicious coffee mmmm. It uses the Android technology to tell you...
CoffeeRatings.com Does Seattle
May. 28 | Greg Sherwin, longtime guru behind the San Francisco-based CoffeeRatings.com, took a recent trip to the city of Seattle. He visited most of the usual suspects in the Seattle coffee scene, ranting and ranking them accordingly, and coming up with some surprising conclusions. Which shop offers “arguably the best retail espresso shot we’ve formally reviewed in the U.S.”? Which much-loved Seattle newcomer came off as “disappointingly...
Sprudge.com Recommends: The PINO Electric Kettle
May. 1 | PINO Agree-gio Sprudge’s International Headquarters in Amsterdam recently went on a passionate hunt for the perfect electric kettle. After doing extensive research on the topic, we’ve happily decided to go with the PINO Electric Kettle, available at Sweet Maria’s web shop. From SM: I don’t know exactly why I am so excited about the Pino Digital Kettle Pro. I need a lot of hot water, not just for cupping coffee samples,...
“Everything But Espresso” By Scott Rao: Best Book of 2010?
Apr. 30 | Sprudge.com loves Scott Rao’s (The Professional Barista’s Handbook) newest tome, “Everything But Espresso“. Scott Rao caused quite a stir on coffeed.com earlier this year when he made the bold claim that Chemex was a waste of “beautiful, expensive coffee beans”. We were able to score a copy from Scott himself at the SCAA show this year and it’s available to purchase online. This book would be a valuable addition...
La Marzocco’s Modern Life: The iPhone App
Apr. 27 | Espresso machine manufacturer La Marzocco has just released their own iPhone/iPad application. As far as coffee apps go, this one really makes me want to move out of my mom’s basement; it features the current line of LM machines with specs, photos, and distributor information, along with La Marzocco blog posts, tweets and event information. With ExtractMojoToGo, Square and now this, Sprudge.com predicts Summer 2010 to be the season of coffee...
Sprudge.com Schlock Of The Week: A Sleeve Engorged
Mar. 31 | Terrifying. Impractical. Overtly sexual. These are just a few of the descriptors this video conjured up in the minds of your Sprudge.com editors. And yet…we can’t stop watching. Soon all products will ebb and flow, engorge and go flacid, deflate and stiffen with all the whooshing thunder of a priapitic lunar tide cycle. Until then, there is only Heatswell. Feast your eyes. The Heatswell is an endothermic (heat-activated) coating for...
