Pasquini Livia 90 Semi Automatic Espresso Machine
The Good, the Bad, the Truth
There are many beautiful things that come from Los Angeles and yet many people don’t know that the Pasquini Livia 90 S is one of them. This Italian espresso machine may not look like much but it has all the features to blow you away. It’s not the prettiest thing at the dance, but man…can it dance!
A family owned and managed enterprise since 1956 the Pasquini Espresso Companyhas crafted an espresso machine with the right components and features …

May 2009 Model of the Month – Saeco Spidem Villa
A super automatic espresso machine less than $600? Come on – Can we really offer such a great deal?
Yes, we can! And it’s not even a special price. See Saeco, like most espresso machine manufacturers, enforces a Minimum Advertised Price. This is the espresso machine manufacturers way of maintaining brand value. As a vendor we are not allowed to sell below that price point. So this great price is one reason the Saeco Spidem Villa is our Model of the Month.

Coffee Trivia – What do you know about Coffee and Espresso?
We all love Trivia and the excited “Wow! I didn’t know that,” when you share it with friends. So grab your cup of Joe and see how many of these fun facts about espresso you did know. We’ll be adding to this soon but if you have any espresso facts or coffee information that you want to share just post it in the comments below.

1. When Coffee first arrived in Europe it was called “Arabian Wine.”
2. The first people to …

We all love the rich dark flavor of roasted coffee beans. Yet, as you can see from this video these beans in a Super Automatic espresso machine poses some serious long term risks. Expand your coffee tasting horizon and you help the life of your espresso machine. Notice the difference in the coffee beans color that they show you here so you can pick the right ones.
Become a better home barista by understanding how your espresso machine and coffee beans work together to make the best espresso.

Coffee Tasting Vocabulary
We all run into this problem whenever we try to describe things while coffee tasting or cupping coffee. There are so many apt words to describe the sensation that you are feeling but they just keep slipping from the tip of your tongue. This coffee tasting definitions are the more commonly accepted coffee tasting vocabulary. We hope that as you use these terms you avoid confusion so everyone can understand what exactly you are loving about your espresso cappuccino and latte.
Bitter: A characteristic used to describe over-extracted brews. …

Alot of our writings  goon and on about consistency. Being consistent in the techniques you use for espresso brewing and making a cappuccino or latte are crucial. So why would we take the time to write a recommendation that when steaming milk you rely on your hand and not a thermometer? How does this help you be consistent?
The human body is a  remarkable thing and what we are capable of is astounding. There is no need to wax spiritually poetic here as I think we can all admire this basic …

From Expert Village, this short video teaches you the How and Why to level your coffee grounds in a portafilter. In order to get the best espresso you must have a good coffee puck. Following these easy steps will help you become a better barista – learn another simple technique to aid your consistency when espresso brewing at home.

Kinds of Coffee and Coffee Roasting
When you first enter the world of espresso, coffee roasting and the kinds of coffee can be overwhelming in their amount of coffee terminology. This short coffee glossary serves as a fast method to retain the information for different coffee definition. Post any missing kinds of coffee or coffee roasting definitions in the Comment section below. We’ll be sure to add them to the list.
Arabica: A varietal of coffee beans used to produce the majority of quality and gourmet coffees. Arabica beans are very aromatic …

Crema and Espresso Extraction – is it really all that crucial?

If you found our site you most likely have a real appreciation for espresso and cappuccino. This means you know what Crema is and understand its importance for every espresso you extract/brew. That’s great! Unfortunately, too many of us are so eager to judge the quality of the drink made based solely on the presence of Crema. And, that’s bad.
Why is it bad?
After all, if what’s floating on top of the brown liquid gold we can’t wait to …

What are the top espresso machines is something everyone wants to know? Is a top espresso machine based solely on its price or can a lesser known brand at a lower price outperform the known “leaders?”
Fact is there are many top espresso machine manufacturers but this doesn’t mean that every machine they produce is of the best quality. Look, if there is one fact of life I learned from a great mentor it’s that
“quality is like olive oil and wine. The higher price tends to be better – but it …