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We’re happy to announce a new addition to our coffee lineup: Guatemala Quetzaltenango “Loma Linda.”

“Loma Linda” is a well-balanced, thick bodied coffee, with a sparkling acidity complimented by hints of chocolate, dried fruit and delicate spices.

Loma Linda is a cooperative coffee growing operation in the state (Department) of Quetzaltenango in Western Guatemala. It was founded by a group of 120 families who had lived and worked on coffee farms and dreamed of owning and cultivating their own land. The local Catholic Church helped these families find the right piece of land in 1981, nestled in the mountains between two sparkling creeks.

The producers of Loma Linda own their own coffee processing mill and warehouse, and export only a small quantity of coffee, making this coffee a rare treat. “Loma Linda” translates to “Lovely Hill,” an evocative name that suits this lovely coffee well.

Why not 10% off everything for Father’s Day? That means the Silvia is $584 with free shipping. “Fathersday10″ at checkout…

The small print: this coupon is valid for orders placed between today and June 13th. It cannot be applied to prior orders or backorders and may not be combined with other offers.

We’re getting ready to pick a winner for our FAQ contest, but there’s still time to enter. Just submit a question and you’ll get a chance to win a 33 oz Stainless Steel French Press made by Frieling and a 12 oz bag of our coffee beans. The contest ends on April 30th, so enter now!

When we first heard about the Mypressi Twist , we were honestly a bit skeptical. How could you possibly make good espresso with a handheld device? After it was named best product of 2009 by the Specialty Coffee Association of America, we decided to give it a shot (no pun intended), and we were definitely impressed.

The Mypressi Twist uses a N20 canister to pressurize the portafilter to the recommended 9 bars of pressure. It doesn’t require a pump or electricity, just hot water, freshly ground espresso, and the canisters. To use it, just load the portafilter basket, screw the chamber together, and pour hot water into the top chamber. Put one of the included N20 canisters in the handle and pull the trigger.

If you’re the sort of person who likes to camp out but doesn’t want to live without your morning shot, the Mypressi is the perfect device for you! Check out Mypressi’s demonstration video on YouTube.

Have you ever had a cup of coffee that tasted weak and sour? How about overly strong and sharp? Those unappealing flavors are a result of either under-extracting or over-extracting coffee grounds during the brewing process.

When you brew coffee, you are extracting the soluble solids from the coffee grounds. According to the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s Gold Cup Standards, to get a good cup of coffee you should extract about 20% of the soluble solids.

There are a number of different variables that can cause your coffee to under or over-extract. The most common variable is an improper grind setting. When you grind coffee beans, you’re exposing surface area from which to extract soluble solids. If your grind is too coarse, there isn’t enough surface area exposed, so your coffee will come out weak. If your grind is too fine, too much area is exposed, so your coffee will come out sharp and bitter.

Read more…

Look how simple it is to do the pourover method! Even anime robots can do it.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Hario Kettle – $55

The Bee House Pourover Set – $40

Paper filters are not only wasteful, but they also alter the flavor of your coffee. Instead of allowing the lipids and oils in the coffee to filter through, the paper filters absorb them, leaving you with a less flavorful and thinner cup. Since paper isn’t an inert material, you end up extracting the flavor of the paper, too.

The Swiss Gold Filter is engineered to hold back large particles, while allowing the flavorful elements of the coffee to come through. You’ll end up with a richer, more full-bodied cup of coffee without any sludge at the bottom.

Unlike less expensive “gold tone” filters, which are usually golden-colored stainless steel, the Swiss Gold coffee filter is made of real 23-carat gold foil. Lower quality reusable coffee filters can give coffee a metallic taste, but with the Swiss Gold filter all you taste is delicious coffee.

You can use this filter in all models of Technivorm Moccamaster coffee brewer, as well as any brewing device that holds a # 4 filter.

We just received something we’re thrilled to offer: the Breville Variable Temperature Kettle! This clever device has 5 pre-set temperatures for brewing the perfect French Press, pour over pot, or cup of tea (if you’re into that sort of thing). It holds a healthy 1.8 liters of water, so you can easily fill the largest French Press.

The feature we’re most excited about is the Hold Temp button, which maintains your selected water temperature for 20 minutes! Pretty cool, huh?

“Acidity” in coffee refers to a flavor component, not to the PH scale or any acids that will upset your digestive system.

When we talk about acidity in our coffee descriptions, we’re referring to the pleasant brightness you experience when you take a drink. You’re more likely to find acidity/brightness in African and Central American coffees, or in lighter roasts. Dark roasted coffee will be lower in acidity, since the flavor components that are experienced as brightness get roasted out of the bean.

While you are unlikely to get a stomachache from bright coffees, coffee oils may be a little hard on your system.  So, if you’re having trouble with drinking coffee, try a lighter, freshly roasted coffee.

The minimalist makes iced coffee at home! As summer winds down, take advantage of the last few balmy days with a cold, low acid iced coffee. You only need a french press to accomplish iced coffee like you’d get from a Toddy. We wrote up this guide to make it all very simply and fool-proof.

I love this method for iced coffee because it doesn’t involve buying more stuff to fill up my kitchen. You just use a french press, brew it strong and for a long time, then you have iced coffee mix that will last 10 days or so. You’ll probably want to mix with milk or cream over ice after the first day. A friend of mine adds a pinch of cardamom to get all fancy. Hats off to ya, Mitch.

Here’s to the weekend and coffee in all its forms!