Walk into any supermarket, and you’ll see them: bags of coffee beans stained nearly black, labeled “Espresso Roast” or “Italian Roast.” The packaging promises a “bold,” “strong,” and “intense” flavor. It feels right. Espresso should be strong, shouldn’t it? I’m here to let you in on a secret the specialty coffee world has known for years: You’ve been…
Congratulations! You’ve got a shiny new espresso machine. You’re excited, but maybe also staring at all those buttons and ports thinking, “Where do I even start?” Don’t worry. Every home barista started right where you are now. This guide will walk you through the entire process, from turning on the machine to pulling a beautiful…
Let’s talk about the most satisfying, yet most misunderstood, step in the espresso-making process: the tamp. It feels like it should be simple. You put grounds in a basket, you push down. How hard could it be? As it turns out, you can screw it up in about six different ways. An bad tamp is the…
It’s a fear every coffee lover has faced: you look in the mirror after years of enjoying your daily brew and wonder, “Did my habit cost me my bright, white smile?” The connection between coffee and teeth staining feels like a given. But how much of it is truth, and how much is myth? More…
For centuries, explorers searched for a mythical Fountain of Youth. Today, that quest looks a little different. It’s less about finding a hidden spring and more about the choices we make every day. Surprisingly, one of the most popular daily rituals on earth—drinking coffee—is being studied by scientists as a potential key to a longer,…
Let’s cut through the awkwardness and get right to the question on everyone’s mind: Can that morning cup of joe actually lead to a better time between the sheets? The short answer is: Yes, but not in the way you might think. Coffee isn’t a magical aphrodisiac. You won’t drink a latte and feel an immediate,…
You’ve dialed in your grind, perfected your technique, and preheated your machine. You pull a shot, but the flavor falls flat. It’s not bitter or sour—it’s just… lifeless. The culprit? It’s almost certainly your beans. Choosing the right coffee beans and storing them correctly is the most important step in making great coffee. It doesn’t…
You buy organic, you eat clean, and you prioritize your health. But could your morning cup of coffee be secretly undoing your efforts? The topic of mold in coffee has brewed a lot of fear and confusion online. Is it a real health threat or just alarmist hype? As it turns out, it’s a bit…
You have your shiny new machine, your fresh beans, and your grinder. You pull a shot, full of hope. What comes out is a bitter, sour, or just plain underwhelming trickle of disappointment. You’ve just joined the universal rite of passage for home baristas: the struggle to “dial in.” Dialing in is the process of calibrating…
The Breville Bambino Plus is everywhere. It’s the machine every YouTube reviewer and forum expert seems to recommend for beginners. But does it live up to the hype? After three months of daily use, putting hundreds of shots through it, I can give you a straight answer: Yes, but with one critical caveat. This isn’t just…