Cambridge Water for Great Coffee
Cambridge is an outlier in terms of water chemistry in the Boston area. Most cities and towns around Boston source potable water from the Massachusetts Water Reservoir Authority system; Cambridge…
Reflections on Year One
We’ve been in business for a full year now and it’s high time for thanks and a bit of reflection. Making it this far is not a given in the…
The Americano
The popular but usually poorly prepared Americano can be dramatically improved by proper espresso choice, extraction, beverage strength and temperature.
The Ikawa Sample Roaster & survivor bias
One of the many routine tasks in a coffee roasting business is sample roasting. We’re constantly receiving small quantities of different coffees from green coffee importers, and we need to…
Drink it like a customer!
We’ve recently revamped a number of beverages on our menu. The re-think was prompted by the realization that we need to systematically try each beverage on our menu the way…
EK43 Burr Alignment – Experience with the Titus Tool and the Perger Method
As the burrs on our EK grinder started to break in with use, it became apparent that their alignment was pretty far off. EK espressos were flowing too quickly and…
Municipal Grants for Cafe Construction
Sadly the cliche “twice as long and twice as expensive as planned” seems pretty apt for most cafe build outs - unless you do most of the work literally by…
DIY Graduated Pitchers/Tumblers/Shakers
The graduated frothing pitchers out there are great and a big step forward in reducing milk waste. But sometimes you just want to pour with a lucky pitcher, want an…
Honduran Coffee and Varieties
Honduran coffees get a bit of a bad rap. Outside of coffee circles, they aren’t terribly well known (or perceived), particularly relative to coffees from Guatemala, with which Honduras shares…