Archive for November, 2002

Karumandi… Bummer.

From the ironic twist department, the Kenya Karumandi I oh-so-carefully photographed below cups for crap. I don’t yet know if I unknowingly stalled the roast, or whether I just *really* don’t like this origin. I’ll let it rest a bit longer to see if something new and interesting develops… …

The Quest for a Bigger Batch.

Sooner or later it happens. You’ve been roasting for a while… sharing with family and friends. Maybe you’ve just bought a new espresso setup, and suddenly discovered the voracious appetite that your portafilter has for fresh-roasted beans. And it hits you…. Your air roaster, even tweaked to double its roast …

Upgrades…

Inspired by conversations with enthusiasts on alt.coffee, about two years ago I bought a tiny air-roaster and a sampler-pack of green coffee beans. I wanted to dabble. To experiment. To see what the fuss was all about. I have to admit, I was warned. Home-roasting is addictive, …

Coffee Quality Bottoms Out?

Even the folks at the Wall Street Journal have noticed that coffee quality has hit a new low. Low prices and huge coffee stockpiles, largely fueled by the glut of low-grown Vietnamese robusta, have dealt a one-two punch to growers of specialty-grade beans… especially the family fincas and …